Loveboat, Taipei

⭐ 6.5/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Of course I had to read this YA book just based on the title, because I'll read anything set in Taiwan. Unfortunately, the city and setting itself figured very little in the book, which was disappointing.

It's about Ever, a daughter of immigrants who want her to be a doctor, while she wants to dance. They ship her off to an 8-week summer program in Taiwan to experience her culture before university, which all of the attendees use as a chance to go wild. I liked the bits that reminded me of my own summer exchange experience, but they were pretty few and far between.

This book was overly long, with so much teen drama, and a love triangle that I hated. Ever insists at the beginning that guys don't like her (why?), but then suddenly everyone falls in love with her (but why?). It tried to take on immigrant identity, mental health, self-confidence, parent issues, and lots of other things, but despite its length, not much is well fleshed out. I can appreciate what it was trying to do, and I can see Asian Americans loving it, but I've read other books that tackled these themes in a more effective way. By the halfway point, I was getting exhausted, and started skimming a bit. But I also couldn't help getting caught up in the drama and wanting to know what would happen, despite being cranky at it.