Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Series: Loveboat, Taipei #1
# of Pages: 414
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication: January 7th, 2020
Source: Library Copy
Genre: YA Contemporary
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When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life. Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines. Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

At initial glance, I expected Loveboat, Taipei to fit within the stereotypical parameters of any YA contemporary; however, I found that this novel was complex, intriguing and informative. Loveboat, Taipei follows eighteen year old Ever Wong as she attempts to mold and shape a future of her own while following the straight and narrow guidelines set forth by her parents. An avid lover of dance and amazingly talented in her own right, Ever aspires to attend a dance program; however, her parents wish for her to become a doctor ultimately fulfilling a dream her father was abruptly forced to give up. Instead of spending the final summer before college with friends, Ever's parents send her to Taipei in hopes that she will learn Mandarin and gain some cultural perspective. It is there, at Loveboat, Taipei, that Ever learns to discover the true meaning of love, family, passion, identity, and independence.

"Maybe part of fighting the unhappiness in this world is to seize happiness when we can."

Once of the most unique and informative aspects of this book comes through the voice of Ever, a child of immigrant parents. As a person of color, I'm always intrigued by the experiences of other people of color (POC that do not identify as black). While Loveboat, Taipei tackles some typical aspects of YA contemporary, it does delve into more serious topics such a racial discrimination and cultural expectations. Like a lot of individuals that are the children of immigrant parents, Ever is consistently forced to reckon with the expectations of living in America and the expectations set forth by her traditional Asian parents. It causes a deep analysis of identify in which Ever is forced to figure out what aspects of her life she longs to design for herself instead of other people. It is elements such as this that set Loveboat, Taipei apart from other YA contemporary novels. Yes, it does include teenage angst, the stereotypical love-triangle, and awkward fade to black scenes; however, it dives into so much more and drives the reader to reckon with a different narrative. These very ideals drive the plot forward and into unexpected directions. I found myself heartbroken, happy, and rooting for Ever in so many different parts of the novel.

"We're breaking another taboo, talking about racism, but I've just broken a bigger one confronting that guy before the entire restaurant, instead of sticking to that Asian nonconfrontational thing. But these are rules meant to be broken. Something happens to a kid when they see their parent treated like that. Something happens to the parent."

While I was thoroughly intrigued by the social commentary and plot development, I had a more difficult time appreciating characters outside of Ever. There was a rather awkward love square the begins early in the novel which is awkwardly and quite messily handled by Wen. While I believe that characters should have and do have the right to redemption arcs there was an act committed by a main character that I could not get past. I believed that this character received forgiveness way (and I mean wayyyyyy) too quickly for the heinous act they committed. While I would not have denied this character forgiveness, I believe that they should not have been allowed to reinstate the original relationship they had with the individual they hurt.

"Maybe I'm always obsessed with the guy who isn't available, so I don't ever put myself on the line."

Overall, I thought that Loveboat, Taipei was a phenomenal YA contemporary novel with such important voices represented. According to Goodreads a sequel is due to come out in 2021. I will be reading the sequel in hopes of learning more about Ever and her friends. If you're looking for a new perspective in the YA community I would recommend checking this out.