Thank you to Harper Collins for the arc in exchange for review.


i absolutely adored the Queens of New York, i loved the friendship between Everett, Ariel and Jia and how they each leaned on each other through their struggles. However the only thing i didn't enjoy was that one of the girls' story lines felt like it didn't wrap up completely and i would've loved to see a resolution.

3.5 stars
Ariel's story was strong enough to have been its own book—if expanded. The exploration of where and how her sister spent her time before her accident, in turn letting Ariel to discover herself, was a very compelling story. The other two stories offered interesting conversations of class and race, but in comparison, they become forgettable and fall flat.

The Queens of New York was heartfelt and totally refreshing. All of our main characters were enjoyable to read about, each with their own very personal struggles. The relationships between the girls never felt rushed or underdeveloped, there was little to no drama between them, and they continued to support each other even when not physically together. Although TQONY has some light and fluffy moments, it also managed to handle topics like racism and grief extremely well. Overall a moving, heartfelt book that'll stick with me long into the future.

5/5 stars (check tw's)

Though this is classed as a YA novel, I want to say that as an adult I felt totally immersed and satisfied with this book. It grabbed my attention and held on to it all the way through. I do hope that Shen will write a follow-up with these same characters since she did such a great job of presenting them. And it would make a marvelous film.
I loved that the three main characters were Asian American, but differed so greatly in their backgrounds and life circumstances. There's a lot of meat here for discussion as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's going to be well-loved!

A sunny and sweet YA novel about three Asian American BFFs. Loved their adventures and growth!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen was a "couldn't put down" book for me. The interweaving of the characters' stories and each of their personalities was so incredible. A very lovely read.

I could not put this book down! It had updated Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants vibes and I absolutely loved it. Jia, Ariel and Everett were each so unique and endearing and I loved all three of them so much. I related to each of them in different ways and these characters and their stories were so easy to connect with. This was a great story of friendship, but there was so much more to it. From family expectations and grief to romance and racism, this book handled each subject with grace and care. The pacing was perfect, things moved along steadily and obviously since I finished it in an afternoon, my interest was kept. This is one I’ll absolutely need as a physical copy on my shelves when it releases. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this one, guys.
TW: grief, racism, mentions of drowning,

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Children’s and Quill Tree Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This book was absolutely fantastic. I always worry a bit when I see a book told in multiple perspectives because there's usually one that really stands out and the others fall behind, but I really enjoyed all three perspectives here. Everett, Jia, and Ariel all had something that I found relatable and their journeys were all so captivating. I felt myself thinking about what they were doing even when I took reading breaks. The best part of this book is their friendship. The way they relied on one another and really cared about each other was so wholesome. I loved this.

Great book! Each character has a distinctly unique voice and storyline. I particularly loved Everett and Ariel.

Jia, Everett, and Ariel have been inseparable ever since they met at seven years old. Because they go to different schools all across the city, summers are the times reserved for the three friends as they hang out over dumplings and ice cream. However, this summer was going to be different, with all three girls in different places.

Jia is staying home in Queens to help with her parent's restaurant and to take care of her younger sister and grandma. She looks forward to the breaks when she can go to the park and draw her hot anime boys and to be a tour guide for Everett's cute new neighbor. Everett is attending Lucius Brown Performing Arts Institute, a prestigious theatre program in Ohio. She is more than excited to finally perform and exude her talent on a bigger stage, but how far can she prove herself with talent if everyone else only sees her for her appearance and skin color? Ariel is spending her summer in California at Briston University for the precollege program before she starts at the school in the fall. Despite taking classes that she loves and being around people who share her same passions in psychology, she still feels disconnected from it all and instead, finds herself thinking about the sister that she lost.

Even though they are all tackling their own problems and issues, they know that at the end of the day, they can lean and count on each other. One of the highlights of the book is reading their messages and emails, which showcased the unbreakable bond of their friendship and had me thinking about my wonderful friends.

This story of three girls, their friendship and the conquering of their struggles was absolutely breathtaking. I loved every part of it: Jia's courage to write her own future of endless possibilities while staying true to her love for her family and restaurant, Ariel's dedication and grit that she has for her sister and her dreams while tackling with loss and parental expectations, and Everett's willingness to be loud and artistic flair that she takes to battle racism in the theatre. Each of the character's stories and experiences are so nuanced; it clings to you as you read and when you finish the book. The Queens of New York is like a delicious dumpling that begins and ends with a delightful bite that will have you smiling, crying, and feeling healed.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story was definitely a story that needs to be told. It was so beautiful. Everyone should definitely needs to read this book.

The Queens of New York was a fast-paced, heart wrenching, and refreshing coming-of-age contemporary young adult novel. This novel is told from the alternating points of view of best friends Jia, Everett, and Ariel, following their journey down different paths over one summer.

E. L. Shen’s writing is beautiful, well paced, and the characters feel whole and real on these pages, and I can’t wait to grab a physical copy this summer!

Instant five-star read. If this doesn't get serious hype when it comes out, I'll be genuinely surprised. It was that good.

Similar books: "The Other Side of Perfect" (for the discussions about Asian stereotypes in theater), "I Guess I Live Here Now" (for the family secrets revealed by traveling abroad), "The Silence That Binds Us" (for the characters' standing up against anti-Asian racism).


Each of the main characters' stories was developed and thought-out enough that they could've been their own books. There was no perspective that was lacking or one that seemed to be focused on more than another. I did have a favorite (more on that later) but I didn't have a least favorite.

It's the summer before senior year of high school, and Jia Lee is stuck at home working at her parents' struggling Chinatown restaurant that she's been trained to take over one day, while her two best friends have traveled the country for summer programs that will advance their futures and dreams. Jia has dreams of her own, to go to a four-year college and be an artist, but she'd feel guilty telling her parents she wants anything different because of how hard they're already working just to survive. When she's not at the restaurant, Jia is watching her grandmother, who has Parkinson's, or her six-year-old sister, never getting any free time. When she meets Akil, a boy her age who just moved to Queens, she's instantly attracted to him, but since he comes from a wealthier family, she feels like she'll never be enough for him.

Everett Hoang, rich, beautiful and talented (and not afraid to admit it), has left New York for the Lucius Brown Performing Arts Institute in Ohio, one of the best summer musical-theater programs in the US led by a director with the Broadway connections Everett needs to secure her future. Always the star in her fancy private school's theater program, Everett expects to get the recognition she deserves, but what she doesn't anticipate is that the entire rest of the camp, including the staff, is white. And despite a near-perfect audition for the default-white lead role in the musical, she's cast as a side character who's nothing more than a caricature of Asian immigrants while the lead goes to her white roommate who Everett describes as a "6 out of 10." Even though she manages to attract the attention of the leading man (who she literally calls "musty" at first-- girl, you deserved better from the beginning) and becomes her roommate's understudy, she's completely ignored by the director when she brings up concerns about the stereotypes in the show or requests to rewrite these characters, and spends most of rehearsal time listening to her white castmates making racist jokes and mocking Asian accents, and even her almost-boyfriend won't take her seriously, either claiming that "it's just a joke" or fetishizing her. After being shot down one too many times, Everett decides that she has to keep quiet if she wants anything beneficial to come out of the camp experience, but remains hopeful that they'll eventually listen to her.

After Ariel Kim's older sister, Bea, died last year, she completely dedicated herself to her studies and being the most perfect daughter. Now she's graduated high school a year early and is attending a precollege program in San Francisco before she starts college there in the fall. Bea had been the "wild child" of the family, who loved partying and sneaking out at night while Ariel had to be the one to help her when she was hungover and throwing up, reminding her each time to be more responsible, echoing her parents. After high school, Bea had moved in with her aunt in South Korea, where she died in a boating accident a few months later. Ariel's parents treat Bea's death as just a result of her recklessness and almost never talk about her anymore. When Ariel starts talking to her aunt again and realizes how out-of-place she feels in San Francisco, she decides to do something that's very out of character-- run away to Korea to feel closer to her sister. Once she arrives in Busan, she meets Bea's two best friends who show her around the city and reveal something that Ariel never would've guessed about Bea.


1. I wish Everett had been my friend in high school. I just love her. I requested this book mainly because of the musical-theater storyline, and it did not disappoint.
2. Ariel's storyline and the issue of grief became a lot darker and more intense than I guessed from the description, so I'll just include this as a warning for anyone who that might be triggering to. But no, there's no "twist" in how Bea died, which I liked.
3. I also liked that there isn't any "everything goes wrong at once" moment. Each perspective has a different plot structure.

Pretty solid, although a bit out of my comfort zone. The relationship dynamics and life hardships of the characters in this book were the highlight for me. The writing was nice and I liked the vibes of the story too. It's a recommendable novel for young adults.

A gem of a book! 'The Queens of New York' is a fast-paced, endearing, and fresh coming-of-age YA contemporary. This novel is told from the alternating points of view of best friends Jia, Everett, and Ariel, tracking their paths over the course of one momentous summer. Covering topics from romance to familial expectations to standing up for what one believes in, this book has an empowering message for every reader. (Think 'American Panda', minus the fanfiction vibes.) On top of this, it's a plain great story about the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

I loved the writing, the pacing, and the characters. I devoured this book, finishing it in just over 24 hours! 'The Queens of New York' is a stunner from an undeniable new voice in YA literature! This summer, keep an eye out for E.L. Shen's 'The Queens of New York'! You will not be let down.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

First off, I love books with a New York setting. Secondly, I love a good, wholesome story about friendship and coming of age. I also loved how each chapter was narrated by a different friend, you got to see them from different perspectives but this author also did a wonderful job of giving each person their own unique personality.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC.

I absolutely love books set in NY, and this book didn’t disappoint. This coming of age book about 3 friends separated during the summer, is a fun and sweet read. Love, loss, friendship, grief- it covers it all.

Each chapter is from a different perspective, which is also a favorite of mine.

Great YA, but honestly it’s just a great work in general.

E. L. Shen writes a great friendship story, it had what I was looking for in this type of book. I was invested in the three characters and loved their individual personality. I enjoyed the plot of the book and was hooked from the first page til the end. It had a great romance going on and it felt real. I'm excited to read more from E. L. Shen.

“Come on,” I say, pulling her back into the living room. She flops onto the couch with a heavy sigh, her eyes blinking shut. Nai Nai is still sitting in her walker chair, happily watching television fireworks explode into confetti pixels. My phone trembles in my hands. “Nai Nai,” I murmur, crouching down next to the walker, “if I leave for twenty minutes and come right back, you’ll be okay, right?”