This book started out a bit rocky for me, only because I felt like things were progressing somewhat slow and a lot of the plot seemed trivial. Then, it became SO MUCH MORE. I sped through the second half of the book and my mindset turned from "ugh young people problems" to "my sweet queer babies". It went from me feeling like things were silly high school problems to realizing the author was actually hitting very important topics.

First, I just want to go over a bunch of things that I loved! Obviously, front and center, is going to be LGBTQIA representation. It's such an amazing thing to read a YA book from the POV of a young girl who identifies as bisexual and is struggling with her identity. To jump off of that, not only is she a queer girl, but a queer Asian girl  growing up in London. Not only are we hitting what it's like to live through these two separate identity crises, but also how those two identities also are very much tied together. It still awes me to read books diving into topics like this as an adult...my generation had no books close to this and it makes me happy to know future generations will grow up seeing themselves in media. I also really appreciated that it did not just stop there, but expanded a lot of queer and non-white cultural commentary to the surrounding characters as well. 

Another favorite aspect of the book was the author put real effort into explaining a lot about Elsie's culture through her family, her language, and food. I loved that Cynthia So put different Cantonese phrases and words into the story to really envelope you in Elsie's life and identity. Same thing with queerness and explaining things like how different people do or do not identify based on their personal preferences. I just loved that it was also educational!

 As much as Elsie, the main character, sometimes drove me crazy with her rationalizations, I ended up loving every minute of it. She struggles through real problems that drive her to making unusual decisions and explaining why she is the way she is. Yes, some of them are "very high school" like her falling for her crappy boyfriend Leo -- I feel like most of us had that relationship we now look back on and become sad knowing what we put up with thinking "why did this ever feel like real love"? However, most of her problems, are HEAVY and REAL. You slowly watch her work through all of her issues and get closer to accepting her queerness, her family. and her past. Joan is also the perfect match, NOT because she is a butch lesbian meeting a girly bisexual, but because she emotionally pairs well with Elsie. Joan is a quiet, yet solid anchor for Elsie who feels like she is constantly lost in who she wants to be vs. who people expect her to be. Elsie on the other hand brings out Joan's bravery and courage. It's a lovely pair. Of course shout out to Ritika and Felix for being the cutest friendies ever!

Overall, I really liked this book and felt wrapped in a cozy YA romance and coming of age story. I would compare it to "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" so if that is a series you liked, you will definitely like this. It reads very much the same and has cute YA vibes for an easy, yet surprisingly profound read. I will definitely buy this to add to my shelf.