e-ARC, 320 pages
Release Date: February 6, 2018Published by: Simon Pulse
Read from: January 22-February 1, 2018Stand-aloneSource: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from the Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)For fans of: Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Diversity, Sparkly Covers, LOL, Debut Author, YAAn incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth–that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I remember adding this and wanting this when all I had seen about it was the cover. I LOVED seeing a POC on the cover and it made my heart skip a beat. And then when the synopsis came out, it I knew it was something I HAD to read.
“You need to be careful, Mei. No man wants a panda- lazy, round, and silly. […] Pandas are cute”3%
Mei is a freshman at MIT at the age of 17. And that’s just one of the things she’s doing to make her parents happy. But she’s never once thought about what makes her happy. But as time goes on, she watches those around her and realizes that there is more to life than putting other people before yourself.
“Honesty is sometimes misconstrued as rudeness, which is probably why it’s so rare.”5%
I picked this up after a creepy read because I wanted something fluffy and funny to read right after it. And I definitely picked the right thing. American Panda really did make me laugh out loud. I loved being inside Mei’s head because she was the awkward type of funny that I am as well. And because of that, I laughed at all her corny jokes and sometimes I laughed so hard I snorted water out my nose.
“None of my friends are divorced. None of them are happy, either I muttered.”32%
I also really liked the characters. They all made the story for me. I loved that no matter how big the character was in the story, they all had an equally important role. Also, Mei was sucha fun character to get to know. It was such a fun ride to being inside her head and watching her grow and find out so much about herself.
“…clearly I don’t fully get what it’s like for you- but I also know it can be worth the fight sometimes.”46%
But what I loved most about this book was learning about the Taiwanese culture. It was great to learn about another culture and some of their beliefs and customs. I found many of them very interesting and tried to learn more about them.
“The cadavers were yellow-gray, slightly deteriorated, even more dead than I expected.”48%
However, I was not a fan of the plot. It moved a touch too slow for me. It seemed as if everything was based on the internal war that Mei was having with herself and since that isn’t resolved until the end, it took quite a while for the twists and turns to come out.
“No fucking way!” I yelled just as the saw fell silent. Crap“49%
American Panda is a very cute read that will also make you FEEL. It’s a fluffy read, but still has enough heart to warm the reader, just like the hot chocolate on the cover.
Overall, I give this.
Between your review and another blogger friend I trust I clearly need to read this one ASAP.