The Summary

Maybelline Chen is not the American-Chinese Taiwanese daughter that her mother anticipates. May wants to be a writer and would rather wear hoodies than skirts. Her mother struggles to name one particular reason why she is happy with her one and only daughter when pressed. On the other side, Danny, May's adored brother, recently received a Princeton acceptance letter. Danny, however, suffers from melancholy in secret, and May's world is turned upside down when he commits suicide.

Following the incident, May's parents are accused of being racist for applying too much "pressure" to him. May's father advises her to maintain a low profile. Instead, May uses her writing to refute these offensive generalizations. However, speaking up has far more serious repercussions than anyone could have imagined. Who has the right to share our tales and who is silenced? It's up to May to reclaim the story.

My review

To be completely honest, if you want to read this book, I advise doing so when your mental health is truly stable and you are prepared for anything that might happen. Suicide, racism, mental illness, depression, family strife, cultural differences, regular struggles in the classroom and in society, grieving, etc.

The story's major themes are suicide and anti-Asian racism. Pretty much sum up how terrible the problem is. I was so enraged by injustice and those numerous racist characters the entire time that I felt like I wanted to sever all ties with them.

It's a really complicated narrative, but the only thing I find lovely about it is relationships with parents and siblings. The author has actually done a great job dispelling racial tropes and exploring anti-Asian prejudice.

A really tragic narrative told in a very lovely way. Although this narrative is not for everyone, I hope that everyone who reads it will realize that everyone deserves to live and be treated equally, regardless of race, ethnicity, or country.

For those struggling there right now, know that everything will be alright, just stay strong. A rainbow will appear after the rain :).

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.