American Panda Review & Giveaway

I’ve made a goal of reading more YA Contemporaries and this book did not disappoint! I loved every minute of this adorable book. It has so many important themes like overcoming cultural differences and navigating through the transition from living at home to living on your own. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank You to Fantastic Flying Book Club for picking me to participate in the American Panda Blog Tour! If you haven’t checked out their blog yet, you are missing out!

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About American Panda

By Gloria Chao
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: February 6th 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Synopsis:

An 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?

 

Find it here:

Amazon |  B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads | Kobo | IndieBound

 

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Review

“I became this sheltered, awkward turtle destined to be an outcast no matter where I went…”

This book was so much fun to read. The themes throughout the book were portrayed in the most realistic way, you feel like you’re actually living it. Gloria Chao did a fantastic job in her writing when it came to describing just how Mei was feeling in each situation she was thrown into. There were times when I felt Mei’s frustration, longing, and even embarrassment at times. There’s even one instance in the book where I felt so much emotion I had to put it down for a few minutes.

Mei is this awkward teen who skips a grade and ends up in MIT at the age of 17, is afraid of germs, and tends to get up and leave without explanation to get out of embarrassing situations. I loved her awkward witty personality and Chao did an amazing job at showing Mei’s insecurities along the way. Mei’s inner struggle to please her parents while trying to come to terms with who she is can be seen clearly in Chao’s writing.

Oh Darren. He is so sweet and understanding you can’t help but fall in love with him. He does his best to show Mei that life isn’t based on plans, that sometimes you just have to live in the moment, and that there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and what you want. His support of Mei is #relationshipgoals for sure!

The family dynamics in this book are so fascinating. I don’t know much about Chinese American culture but reading this will definitely open your eyes to the strict family dynamics you only hear about. Mama Lu is definitely a character and aunt Yilong is so intense you will find yourself staring at the pages like…”she’s crazy”. Each character is unique and adds so much to the different cultural aspects that you are completely captivated as the story continues along.

I can’t wait to see what other books Gloria Chao releases in the future because this book is definitely top of the list of books I’ll be recommending!

 

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About the Author:

Gloria Chao is an MIT grad turned dentist turned writer. AMERICAN PANDA is her debut novel, coming out February 6, 2018 from Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster.

Gloria currently lives in Chicago with her ever-supportive husband, for whom she became a nine-hole golfer (sometimes seven). She is always up for cooperative board games, Dance Dance Revolution, or soup dumplings. She was also once a black belt in kung-fu and a competitive dancer, but that side of her was drilled and suctioned out.

Visit her tea-and-book-filled world at gloriachao.wordpress.com and find her on Twitter @gloriacchao.

Find Gloria Online:

Facebook |Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram

 

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Giveaway

 

Prize: 1 finished copy of AMERICAN PANDA by Gloria Chao

Start Date: 01/31

End Date: 02/13

Rafflecopter Link:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86280/

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Follow the Tour

January 31st

Pink Polka Dot Books & The Unofficial Book Addiction Fan Club– Welcome Post

February 1st

That Artsy Reader Girl– Guest Post

Life of a Literary Nerd– Review

Jill’s Book Blog– Review

February 2nd

Vicarious Bookworm– Review & Favorite Quotes

The Hermit Librarian– Interview

Girl in the Pages– Review

February 3rd

Books. Boys, and Blogs– Review

OMG Books and More Books– Guest Post

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf– Review

February 4th

Here’s to Happy Endings– Review & Favorite Quotes

Blushing Bibliophile– Review

A Bookish Abode– Review

February 5th

Vicky Who Reads– Interview & Review

The Clever Reader– Review

Wishful Endings-Review

February 6th

Hauntedbybooks13– Review

Latte Nights Reviews– Review

Library of a Book Witch– Review

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