Copyright Date:
2024
Edition Date:
2024
Release Date:
07/23/24
Pages:
325 pages
ISBN:
0-06-323788-1
ISBN 13:
978-0-06-323788-9
Dewey:
Fic
LCCN:
2023944147
Dimensions:
22 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
A Taiwanese American teen joins forces with a childhood friend for a contest, only to discover that victory may cost her everything.Seventeen-year-old Juliana Zhao loves love. Sure, she's never actually been in love, but she has a knack for sensing when two people belong together, as evidenced by her successful matchmaking record. And Juliana is no stranger to success; she's ranked first in her class and is president of the Student Business Association. Yet, as she prepares to enter the Asian Americans in Business Competition, which was founded by her late father, she finds herself floundering after she's dumped by her project partner at the last minute. Desperate, Juliana turns to an estranged childhood friend, Garrett Tsai. Though reluctant to participate, pessimistic Garrett turns out to be the perfect teammate. Playing on the grumpy-sunshine trope, the two start a relationship advice website using the pseudonyms Sunny and Cloudy, with each offering their own take on each question. The narrative is structured around the competition, but the emotional heart of the story lies elsewhere. Both children of recent immigrants, Garrett and Juliana struggle with parental expectations and social judgment within the tightknit Taiwanese community. The challenges they face from being "raised by one culture but living in another" will ring true for readers who share their identity, while the sweetness of their romance will win over everyone else.A swoonworthy, heart-wrenching view into the trials of growing up second generation in an immigrant community. (Fiction. 14-18)
This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.
Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:
1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.
2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.
When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.
Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.
With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.