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ARC Review: American Panda by Gloria Chao


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Rating: 4.5 stars. 

I received an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks!)

 I will admit, this book did stress me out a ton. Mei's life is quite stressful. She skipped a year in school, so she's a year younger than everyone else and is now starting college. Her parents want her to become a doctor but Mei loves dance and secretly dreams of running a dance school. She doesn't try to pursue this dream because her brother is a disappointment to her parents since he is going to marry an infertile girl. But when Mei meets Darren, he challenges her parents' ideas and encourages her to pursue her dreams. 

I think my favourite thing about this book was that it was set in college. Mei's dorm struggles were so relatable and her experience at her university's health centre was hilarious. If you're in college or just graduated, you will really appreciate the college experience shown in this book.

I also really loved seeing a book about a Taiwanese-American teenager. Her culture was so interesting to me since I've had no exposure to the immigrant experience in YA books or IRL. Her family drama was what really carried the book's plot and had me turning pages at lightning speed. It was crazy to me to see the stuff that Mei's mom would say and to see just how overbearing she could be. Each chapter starts with a text or voicemail from Mei's mom, which totally stressed me out (because she texts or calls A LOT). I did find it really cute when Mei gave her mom a tour of campus and I did love seeing Mei's relationship with her mom evolve. 

If you loved When Dimple Met Rishi, then I would highly recommend American Panda. 

 Goodreads Review of American Panda

My Review of When Dimple Met Rishi
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