Bravo, F.C Yee! You've managed to make me laugh with a book until my stomach hurts.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo wasn't exactly on my radar until some of my close bookish friends (shoutout to Eri, Aila & Aentee), wouldn't stop raving about it. These ladies hardly ever lead me astray, so I decided that I was going to give it a shot and surprise, surprise - I had so much fun with it, by the end, I was just dying to have the sequel in my hands.

Books like The Epic Crush of Genie Lo remind me why I love reading so much. They are temporarily able to whisk me away to a different world. Sure, I'd probably be the first to flop dead in Genie's newfound world of demons, but it's still fun to imagine myself in her shoes. It helps that Genie is a super relatable character. I think a lot of readers are going to love her. She's just pure fun, but also smart, studious (Hallelujah! Finally a YA heroine who actually worries about things like college and school.) and witty! She's also super dramatic (honestly, I think she might be me), and her reactions to finding out about the demons, the monkey king, and her true self, were hilarious. She doesn't immediately embrace her newfound powers, she's actually wary and thinks Quentin is a stalkery nutjob, which only made me love her more. Her powers don't also come to her easily, and she has to train hard to unlock her limits.

Speaking of Quentin, what a joy this Monkey King was! He was just as hilarious as Genie for me. Some of his reactions, and comments left me breathless, holding my stomach. He and Genie made for great partners. Sure, they didn't start off on the right foot, which was totally understandable, because honestly, who in their right mind would be accepting of anyone who shouts out "You are mine!" on your first meeting? I know I'd be getting a restraining order! But they grow a friendship, which very subtly develops into a romance. I loved all the scenes of Genie and Quentin fighting demons together as a team. What I liked the best about their relationship was how Quentin continued to push Genie to be a stronger version of herself. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo also has terrific family dynamics. I adored Genie's mom, and saw a lot of my mom in her - I honestly think Asian moms were made of the same mold! She cared about her daughter, but also had certain expectations of her. I think perhaps if there was one thing I wanted more of from this book, it would have to be the friendship between Genie and Yulie. Yulie seems like a great girl, and I wanted her to have a bit more screen time.

My knowledge of any sort of Chinese mythology is sadly paltry, but I loved how F.C Yee incorporated the ancient Chinese legend of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, into this modern setting. He does a terrific job with the background, and giving readers a good understanding of the legend, and the roles each character plays in the legend. I also love any sort of book where the characters are fighting demons in a modern setting. They make for really fun stories, in my opinion, and F.C Yee was able to take it all a step forward with his addictive writing. My favorite scenes were definitely the action scenes with Genie at the center. I could read about girls kicking demon butts forever.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo ended with a nice twist, and I was left desperately in need of the sequel. I'm going to need more of F.C Yee's writing ASAP! Seriously folks, this entertaining debut YA Urban Fantasy needs to be at the top of your TBRs.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a modern day twist on characters from Chinese Folklore. While reading I found myself very interested in what elements were actually found in the old tales and what were new from the author, and after some checking, I discovered that the history or backstory if you will, for Genie Lo is actually from 16th century tale, Journey to the West. The modern translation by Arthur Haley is called Monkey, and I'm very interested in reading it now that I've read Genie Lo.

While the story wasn't as smooth as I might have liked, it does have a lot to recommend it, chief among those to me was getting me interested in the mythology it is inspired by. It is not a retelling of Journey to the West, instead it takes some of those characters, gives them modern personalities, and with a new conflict, goes to town! It is action packed, with interesting fight scenes that are unique in the problems faced to overcome each enemy. It is humorous in that Genie is dealing with an invasion of demons and trying to get into college at the same time, a tall order for any teenager, even one with heretofore unknown super powers.

I enjoyed the story line, and the use of mythology, and most of the characters, except for Genie herself. I don't dislike her, but I had a hard time bonding with her. I am okay with all the other characters but her, and I wonder if that's because it's written in first person narrative, with Genie telling us the story as it's happening. She grows as the story unfolds, but it's hard to overcome that initial discord for me. I didn't feel like the times she swears in the beginning of the story are really merited by the events taking place, and some of the expletives chosen really turned me off. I'll admit this is potentially more of a pet peeve of my own than a flaw, but it was jarring and didn't add to the story for me.

Overall The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was a fun read and got me interested in learning more about the mythological characters it showcased. I would recommend it to those who enjoy that mesh of modern and myth, like myself!

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I went from loving to hating it to loving it about three times. I've settled on being quite the fan. Despite everything, this book is diverse. It features a fantasy novel incorporating Chinese folklore and everybody's favourite - a relationship with a height difference and Genie is the one that is tall! These were some of my favourite things about this novel -

It was funny! The humour in a lot of YA novels does kind of go over my head but there were moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. Genie has a such a dry and wicked sense of humour and her one-liners are excellent. Obviously, humour is subjective but this was one thing that really stood out to me during this novel.
Genie! She has now become one of my favourite characters. Yes, she finds out that she lives in a world of demons and that she must fight them alongside Quentin but her biggest priority is getting good grades and getting into a good college. And this isn't forgotten! It remains her worry, as it is the worry of a lot of teenagers, throughout the book which is so rare during YA fiction when the characters just stop going to school because whatever. Guess what else? Genie has extreme anger issues and this, for me, is so damn relatable. I was one big ball of rage as a teenager and this is something we don't see with a lot of YA protagonists, especially with the anger being uncontrollable.
The friendship between Genie and Quentin! Despite this friendship eventually becoming romantic, I could have lived with it remaining strictly platonic. They were constantly bickering but worked incredibly well together and obviously have quite the long history. If I'm honest, I really didn't want the romance to happen but it's not something that would affect my rating.
The friendship between Genie and Yunie! They are childhood friends and despite Genie entering into this world of Chinese mythology, she's still aware of their friendship and doesn't want to abandon Yunie. If anything, I wish there had been more of them and if there's a sequel, I definitely want this. It's so nice to have a female friendship that isn't based around jealousy.

Overall, I did end up loving this book, especially after some time had passed and I looked back at my rating. If you want Chinese folklore, humour, a slow-burning romance and family issues with a bit of action thrown in then this book is definitely for you. A wonderful read, especially considering it's a debut!

Genie is a very tall, slightly awkward, sixteen year old girl. Every hour of her day is spent in homework, volleyball, volunteering and trying to get into the college of her dreams. She’d like to think she has enough things on her plate, thank you very much, without the appearance of a very beautiful and very obnoxious boy half her size. But Quentin Sun, ‘transfer’ student from somewhere (definitely not China), seems to think that he knows her, worse, that she belongs to him somehow, and she just can’t let that stand.

But Quentin has a strange habit of getting everything to go his way and Genie’s mother may have fallen in love with the very idea of him. Genie’s attempts to get him to leave her alone certainly aren’t helped by the sudden appearance of demons from traditional Chinese mythology, or the revelation that she might not be quite human.

Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but even creatures from Chinese Mythology have to work to try and get into Princeton, and Genie isn’t giving that up for anything.

To say that I simply enjoyed this book would be doing it a disservice. I loved it.

One of the strongest parts of this story was definitely the narrative voice. It’s smooth, sharp and effortlessly witty, without you ever getting the feeling that Genie is anything other than a sixteen year old girl. If I had to compare Yee’s voice to another author it would definitely be Rick Riordan. A bit out there, a bit slapstick, and very very good. At certain points in the story , to help us clueless readers, Yee explains some of the more salient points of Chinese Mythology and, honestly, if Yee were to write a book of myths from Genie’s point of view I would preorder it in approximately two seconds.

The second thing on my ‘most beloved list’ are the characters. Genie is stubborn, driven and impatient, she’s bored and uncomfortable with herself, aka, she reads exactly like my sixteen year old self. Quentin is just…it’s very obvious from early on that he’s not functioning on human social norms. He’s blunt, arrogant and frustratingly charming. It’s the perfect recipe for an uncontrolled explosion, and, wow, when it blows, it blows. There are a couple of other characters in the book that I’d love to meet in more detail, especially Genie’s fierce mother and effervescent friend, Eunie, but as there’s a sequel on the way, I can hope that we see more of them there.

Now, going into this story I knew very little about Chinese Mythology. So little. Did it affect my reading? The answer is no, because Yee explains every mythological element in fun, engaging ways. You never feel that you’re getting forcefed information, it’s a lot more relaxed than that. There’s also a lot of references to Chinese culture and, specifically, the culture of the Chinese diaspora. Genie is raised Chinese-American, and whilst there are a lot of similarities with mainland Chinese culture, the diaspora also have cultures which are specifically their own. It was refreshing to read Chinese-American characters that were written by a Chinese-American author, not the cardboard cutouts, or just sheer non-existance, of such characters that we usually see in western media.

I will warn you that for the first 20-30% of the book that you might find Quentin almost pathologically annoying, very much in the same way that I’m sure Genie does. But he grows and changes and, indeed, Genie grows and changes through the book. Many of Quentin’s actions also make a lot more sense once you realise who he is.

The part of the story that resonated most with me is Genie’s academic life. I was once a hard nosed, over driven kid trying to get into a top Medical School. I worked all the time, did extracurriculars all the time, and was absolutely obsessed with getting where I wanted to go. It was painful, it wasn’t fun, but it never felt like an option to not be fighting for my future. Goal driven characters tend to maybe get slightly villainised in YA, or at least, the moral of the story tends to be that they’re happier when they’re not fighting above their weight. ‘Genie Lo’ does something different in that is advocates balance, work hard but also be aware of your social and personal needs. Work hard, but make sure you’re working hard at what you enjoy. I think that as a sixteen year old I would have been pretty chuffed to see myself in a book like that.

‘Genie Lo’ is not the book that I expected it to be. It is more than I expected it to be. I’m honestly a little shocked that Yee is a debut author. It’s laugh out loud funny, warm and quirky and I think that if you’re looking for something fun, and a little bit different then definitely give this a go.

Many thanks to Amulet Books for a copy in return for an honest review!

Hilariously witty, exceedingly clever, and loads of fun, the only thing i didn't like about GENIE LO was the fact that it's a debut so I don't have more books from Yee to read. Genie is a snarky protagonist with a lot of raw edges and a lot of heart who finds herself tossed into a world of Chinese folklore and trying to find a balance between fighting demons and getting into a good college.
I can't wait for the sequel. Every word of this book was fun and the way Yee wove Chinese folklore into the narrative was genius.

After finishing this book, I thought to myself, certain as hell: No book has never EVER made me this happy. Do you know those books where you felt like it was written for you? The Epic Crush of Genie Lo felt like that book for me.

When I first heard about this book in January this year, I was beyond ecstatic. It was pitched to be about a girl, 'who wonders if she's qualified enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school, then becomes powerful enough to break through the gates of Heaven with her fists'. How cool is that? I read this book with the highest of expectations; I felt like my hopes and dreams were riding on this book. And oh boy, this book and Yee delivered and surpassed all expectations that I had.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a seamless combination of action, folklore, romance (yes, romance!), and comedy. It follows sixteen year old Genie, who, like some sixteen year olds, are thinking and aspiring to get into a top-tiered college to secure her future and success. From this fact alone, I related to her instantly: here was a character who, like me, was working hard to get into a good school. It's such a mundane, everyday aspiration, but it matters so much, and how much it matters shines through in Genie's narrative. However, things get very interesting following the arrival of a new transfer student, followed shortly by demons straight out of Chinese folklore. Suddenly, Genie has to balance maintaining her high-achieving streak at school and fighting demons. Why does she have to fight demons though? You'll have to read to find it - and I promise the reason why is bloody awesome.

I grew up with Chinese folktale stories. I remember going to my grandparents' house and watching the Journey to the West cartoons (even though I had no idea what was going on because I couldn't understand Mandarin, but the images were good enough) and learning about Nüwa, Chang'e, or Kwan Im Ma. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo incorporates a certain folktale into its story, and for those who are familiar with it, you'll begin to pick up on the small clues throughout the beginning. However, if you're not familiar with the folktale, don't worry - everything will be explained (and, might I add, it's explained brilliantly). Nonetheless, reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was such a pleasure and a wonderful experience, particularly so for me, and I'm sure other readers familiar with the original folktale, because it gave this small memory of my childhood a renewed sense of meaning. Not a lot of books can do this, but The Epic Crush of Genie Lo sure as heck did that for me.

Genie was such a fantastic character, and I related to her so much. Not only was her narrative voice hilarious and so charming, she was angry. I was an angry teen, and when that anger is confounded by other things like confusion and uncertainty for the future and the heavy cultural expectation of being restrained in emotional expression, I was as ripe as volcano about to burst. In this sense, Genie's perspective was so refreshing. And, of course, Quentin: the strange but charismatic transfer student who becomes so much more in unexpected ways. I adored the relationship between Genie and Quentin; it was developed, funny, and they made such a dynamic duo. The other characters in the story were warm and funny in their own ways and I loved getting to know them. Furthermore, the family dynamics were a rare gem - complex, thoughtful, and a little tongue-in cheek. 

But my goodness, Yee's storytelling was what made this story so stellar. As mentioned earlier, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo has elements of comedy, and that shines through in the storytelling. I cackled so much while reading it, and even shared some snippets with my family who - despite how stoic some of them are! - laughed as well. Moreover, if you have geeky or nerdy humour (like I do!), then you'll appreciate the references throughout. Truly, the writing in this book was fabulous.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is as its name suggests: epic. Easily one of my favourite books this year - and is definitely in my top two books, ever - The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a unique and fantastic book that I never knew I needed. I am so grateful for this book's existence, and I am so excited for everyone to read this awesome book. Don't sleep on this book, everyone! Read it now, thank me later.

Y’all. This book. Y’all. It’s been a few days and I’m still shaken. Listen, if you thought this looked cool – you’re wrong. It’s cooler. The coolest. It gives Antarctica a run for its money (aside from the, you know, global warming crisis… Moving on.) I’m giving you a fair warning that this review will be nothing but yelling with a lot of repetitive amazing’s and holy sh*t’s.

Genie Lo’s priorities are to get good grades, excel at everything, and get into the best college that’s the farthest from home. But she soon finds them shifting with the arrival of one transfer student, Quentin Sun. Demons begin attacking her home town and Quentin assures her she’s the only one powerful enough to stop them. Relying on his guidance, Genie will have to struggle with more than just school work.

Quite a lot of people on my timeline began talking and reading this book recently that it piqued my interest. I do love mythology, but don’t know a lot about Chinese mythology in particular, so this book seemed perfect for easing into that. I was really hoping to like it, since it’s such a new concept for me and also because everyone who’s been reading it has sung nothing but praises, yet I didn’t expect this. I utterly LOVED Genie Lo so much I ended up reading it in one sitting. It completely blew me away.

There’s so much quality humour in this book. I don’t remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud so heartily. Genie is an absolute delight of a narrator, her voice is profoundly hilarious. Aside from the humour, the writing style is insanely engaging – it draws you in instantly. I loved the setting and the lore and mythology and how we, along with Genie, are eased into this uncharted territory rather than just sprung into it. Combine that with the giggles and you have the most enjoyable read ever.

Let’s talk about Genie for a second. First off, what a character, what a girl. She straight up takes no sh*t from anyone or anything. I would not want to be on this girl’s bad side (not only because she’s such a badass, but also she’s just that person I would kill to be friends with.) This girl can really do it all, I swear. Genie’s a tall girl with a lot of pent up anger, but she’s also a girl with so much love for her closest people. I aspire to her when I grow up (even though I’m older than her, but that’s just a technicality.)

Quentin is bizarre in the best possible way. His introduction scene? The most iconic. I love this guy so much. From the novel’s synopsis you’d expect him to be the typical paranormal YA mysterious male character, but hooo boy, that couldn’t be farther than the truth. He’s not even TRYING to be mysterious. This boy’s about as subtle as a bulldozer. Quentin is also an incredibly three-dimensional character, whose layers peel off as the novel progresses and you get to see practically all sides of him. He and Genie are so incredibly well matched.

Speaking of well matched, the romance is, granted less than I would’ve liked but so, so good! Call me old fashioned, but I love dorks in love. But it takes time to develop a good love story, and this is more than a fantastic start to one. It’s built on trust and good partnership and it’s not just about two teens in a YA book making out just for the sake of a romantic plot. There’s substance there. It’s amazing.

Overall, I very highly recommend this book (if you couldn’t tell). Genie Lo is easily one of the best new releases this year. I advise you to get yourself to reading as soon as you can – you don’t want to miss out on this one!

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is everything I needed! It's hilarious, fast-paced, and filled with unique and unforgettable characters! The romance was unexpectedly swoonworthy! This is definitely one of my favorite reads this 2017! I highly recommend it!

If you look at the rating of this book on Goodreads it will give you a good indication of what this book does to people. So many people seem to instantly love this book. As did I. Like I do not even remember words because I loved it so much.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo focuses on Genie Lo, who else. She discovers that the Monkey King from Chinese folktale actually exists, along with a bunch of Gods and demons. And about herself, that in a previous life she wasn’t quite so human. The setting, a city in the Bay area, with our main character in high school, it is on the stereotypical side. And throughout the book it touches on multiple typical Young Adult things.

However the voice of Genie Lo throughout this book is epic. She’s funny, in your face and not afraid to tell a guy off when they are being condescending. This made this book step away from the typical young adult urban fantasy for me and made it grow into an epic tale of Genie Lo. I love good humor in a book and Genie left no moment go to waste to crack a smile on my face. Yet in no way does it take away from some of the serious bits in the novel too. Honestly it has been a while where I have read a young adult book where applications to college are a big thing. While I live in a country where this isn’t a thing, in America it is a big thing and so it is good to see it come back like that.

Another aspect that I enjoyed about this book is that most of our characters are Chinese. As mentioned we get to know some of the Chinese folktale or mythology. But also a bit of culture here and there. The friendships that Genie had, with Yunie for instance, was so great and strong. Quentin was a great dork addition really. Also I love how in the background her parents problems weren’t resolved. Not because I disliked them but because that is just realistic. And very recognizable for plenty of people.

Plot wise this book takes a little bit before the actual mythology parts gets entered but for the most part the book is fast paced and engaging. For me, the plot took a backseat to the humor and the characters who were so much more important in this book than the plot. Even so I think it stands well on its own. And did that ending suggest a possible next book? Because honestly, F.C. Yee, you cannot end it there. I will wonder forever.

So often YA books with this kind of premise (Chinese Demon hunting) would be exclusively set towards boys. We would have a male main character and it would be oh so very manly and maybe there would be a woman but she would exclusively be a ‘hot chick’ who requires all of the rescuing.

I’m so happy to say this isn’t the case in this instance. What is also most joyous is that the female protagonist is ridiculously cool and not a cliché or a waste of space in any way shape or form! Hurrah!

This is kind of like if Percy Jackson met Buffy met Chinese folklore. Now if that hasn’t tempted you I don’t know what will.

I loved the plot of this book, the drawing together of typical teenage issues while also attempting to save the world was that classic combination that made shows like Buffy really work. I’ll confess I know next to nothing about Chinese folklore so it could have all been completely made up but now I’m inspired to do some research.

This is a great example of bringing the ancient world or folklore into a modern setting and making it work. The two are at odds only when the author wants them to be and at all other times they meld quite seamlessly together.

I’m really hoping this book will be a series of adventures because I am by no means done with Genie Lo as a character. Perhaps not as many books as Percy Jackson because they are starting to get a bit old (am I right?) but I could do with maybe a trilogy or maybe five books in a series?

Suffice to say this book was a sheer delight from start to finish. I’ve knocked off one star just because I felt like some of the dialogue was a little bit stilted or gratuitous, I’m a ‘show don’t tell’ kind of reader so having a character spell something out to me in dialogue just feels a little bit pointless. Other than that, I can’t personally fault this book. I’m excited to see where this story and this author goes in the future.

My rating: 4/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this title from the publisher (ABRAMS Kids) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A super funny action-adventure that involves Chinese Folklore, centering around the very modern, teenaged Genie Lo.

Usually, I like to start off my reviews with the things I didn’t like, but when it comes to The Epic Crush of Genie Lo…I have nothing bad to say, because I absolutely loved this book!

–The Characters–
First, let’s talk about our MC, Genie Lo. I think that Genie will go down as one of my favorite heroines ever! She initially played the role of the stereotypical Asian teen, being the model student, and model daughter. But then, with the arrival of Quentin Sun, she’s suddenly thrust into a world in which Chinese Folklore is real, and something she just happens to play a major part of. But she’s still a teenage girl. So, cynicism and snark abound in her interactions with Quentin, which really had me cracking up at times. I really loved how she does grow more comfortable in her own way as the book goes on, and though there’s no mention of a book 2 on Goodreads (as of the last time I’d checked, that is), I really look forward to more Genie!

Now, for Quentin Sun, I won’t say much when it comes to exactly who he is, because you’ll just have to read to find out. But he’s so endearing, interesting, as well as super-funny, though his funniness stems more from his having to combat Genie’s snakiness. Again, I just loved their interactions together!!

–The Plot–
What an exciting, fantastical story! I know zilch when it comes to Chinese folklore, but the things that were introduced to me in this book were definitely super interesting! Genie’s strength, and the things she has to fight against really make for an even more exciting read!

–The setting–
It seems fitting that this book would take place in San Francisco, considering it is home to the oldest Chinatown in North America, and the largest Chinese enclave outside of Asia (I took this bit of info from Wikipedia, so hopefully it’s right, ha ha!). So, being that a lot of Chinese live in these parts, it’s the perfect place for Chinese monsters, and the like, to blend in, thus, the perfect setting for this fabulous book!

I think I’ve established by now, how much I absolutely loved this book, so obviously I will gladly recommend this book!!!

This was such a FUN book! I wanted something funny and action packed, and this did not disappoint!

Keep in mind that I know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology, but it was easy enough to follow along throughout the book. I loved learning mythology from another culture.

First of all, I loved Genie. She was tall, angry, and determined to get into the best school out there. She's also sarcastic and funny as hell. While the other girls in her school were swooning over Quentin, she was trying to get the hell away from him. She actually punches him at one point in the beginning of the book! Genie has an old school Chinese mother who basically wants Genie to marry into a wealthy Chinese family, but Genie doesn't want that. She wants to make her own life.

I wasn't really sold on Quentin as the love interest. He definitely did some stalking at the beginning of the book, and Yee wrote it so that readers know it was not right, but it still felt weird to me. Personally, the book would have been better without the romance. Genie would still be awesome without it.

Pace wise, this was a fast read. There was never a dull moment, even when there were no action scenes. Genie has to balance her real life with her new one, and it feels very real. She's still studying her butt off trying to get into her dream school, while dealing with intense family issues, and now having to fight demons.

My only complaints were that the fight scenes were too short and the "epic" battle was a bit of a letdown. Also, a few characters got pushed to the side and were never really talked about or explained, like Androu Glaros, the senior that seems to have a thing for Genie. Other than that, it was fantastic!

I think that Chinese-American teens will love this book because it is by an OwnVoices author. You can tell that Yee took her real experiences and put them into the story. Basically, anyone will love this book because it is that good.

THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO was fun, action-packed, and something not to miss. I'm going to be honest here, I have never read a book that I related to as much as this one. I'm Chinese-American, and seeing the stories of Sun Wukong that I heard as a child come to life in this book was surreal and just absolutely amazing. I felt so light and unbelievably happy, and I can't express how much I loved this book.

Genie was a fantastic MC—she was spunky, sarcastic, overachieving; she felt <i>real</i>and it was so much fun to see aspects of myself in her characterization. She and Quentin made a fantastic team (what did I expect?), and I loved the romance that bloomed. These two characters made this book fly by so quickly and made all the action scenes feel so exciting.

Overall, this fantastic book is not to miss. This #ownvoices book was so powerful and made me so, so, so, so happy. I'm going to be shoving this book to my little sister and all the Chinese-American teens I know. I'm definitely looking forward to whatever Yee puts out next.

<i>Thank you to Amulet Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. </i>

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was, simply put, one of the best books in 2017. I had heard a lot about this book, so I decided to see if the hype was worth it. And it was! 100% definitely worth the hype.

Genie Lo is a Chinese-American girl who's only focused on one thing: getting into a good college. Then Quentin Sun walks into her class and changes her life. He tells her that all the people and demons from Chinese folklore are real. And they have to fight the demons together because she has a secret power that she never knew about. So, you know, Genie reacts like any rational person would.

She punches him.

I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's pretty much the gist of the book. Genie is a tall, angry girl, and I love her so much. She just wants to live her life, and Quentin has to come ruin it. It's understandable why she reacts the way she does throughout the book. I totally related to Genie (although I'm not a tol :/), especially with her focus on school.

And the mythology! I'm not Chinese, so I didn't know a lot of it, but it's all explained so well. I'm assuming you all know Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Yeah, this book is just as good, and I don't make that comparison lightly. Genie hears and summarizes all the mythology in her own biting tone. Her humor and her witty comebacks made me actually laugh out loud at times. I was smiling throughout the entire book, and I think I highlighted nearly a third of it, which is a lot considering I usually don't highlight anything.

I don't want to spoil anything, so just trust me when I say you need this book, especially if you're a fan of PJO. We need more books like this, with Asian mythology and humor and Asian protagonists. I'm a little sad that I read this as an ARC actually because I cannot wait a full year for the sequel :(. So seriously, pick this book up on August 18th. You won't regret it.

"Genie Lo" was such a fun, kick ass read-thank you!

It’s been a couple of days since I’ve finished this book and I’m STILL NOT OVER IT. Seriously, I have all the love for this book to the moon and beyond. But I told myself I’d finish this review so I can schedule it and spread the love when closer to release date. THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO immediately grasped my attention with its fierce cover and tag. I knew about a Chinese-American girl trying to juggle fighting demons and a supernatural power she never knew she had. That’s all I knew, and I was already excited. When I got a bit more into the book, I fell absolutely in love with its hilarious narrative, Chinese folklore, and refreshing characters. This is the book my Chinese teen heart has been pining for since a young child, and it’s one that really resonated with me.

Genie’s your average, Asian-American student at a competitive prep school, looking to be at the top and go to a prestigious college. Her worries basically revolve around preparing for AP tests, her best friend Yoonie, and making conversation with her mother. But with the arrival of a mysterious classmate, her life pretty much turns upside-down. He comes from a super popular Chinese folklore story that I’ve never seen incorporated in a YA novel – one that I’ve always wished for while growing up. With his arrival also comes demons and goddesses that throw Genie’s Californian town into chaos.

“‘You are the most powerful thing on Earth short of a god. You can do absolutely anything.’”

The story that Quentin comes out of is called Journey to the West, and much of the storyline is summarized in down-to-earth colloquial terms by Genie in the book. While this ancient text originated in China, there are also lots of interpretations from across the East Asia region (fun fact: Goku from Dragonball Z was modeled after the main character). I’ve watched multiple movie versions of it and TV shows – both cartoon and live-action. It’s the kind of story that each Chinese household knows, or at least has heard of. Yee incorporates elements and characters of this story in present-day California, giving it a Riordan-esque feel as mythology melds with reality. I love the fact that it explores such a well-known story in Chinese culture, instead of the heavily popularized Greek and Roman myths that YA books like to use. The exposure of this story not only brings a refreshing take on YA, but also spreads a bit of Chinese culture and traditions. Always a plus!

So after the big reveal and Genie finally gets onboard with the mission she’s given (trust me, she enters with much reservation), her and Quentin embark on an adventure to bring the demons on earth back to hell. Fun stuff… except for the fact that she has to worry about college applications, keeping up her grades, staying on top of her social life, and all the other extracurriculars she has. I loved Genie’s representation as a competitive student, as well as her family life as a Chinese teen. She’s super worried about getting into college and Yee often adds comedic humor on the whole application process in America. The focus on her academics throughout the book was awesome to see and super relatable. There’s also great integration of Chinese culture in the book as well. Genie’s mother loves to keep on appearances and is so, so funny. Pretty much every Chinese Mom ™ with her antics. There’s a great discussion on the pressure Genie puts on herself academically, and a breakdown of common stereotypes for Chinese characters (including the fact that they’re not all quiet/meek, and not all are prodigies in musical instruments).

There’s a romance that goes on in the book and the ship is so. So. Cute. Like, adorkably cute and super subtle. It’s not a large part of the story at all – very light, in fact – but it’s solid and there to stay. Genie’s first response when Quentin first talks to her (in a very awkward and very forward way) is to punch him. She’s a girl after my own heart. She’s extremelyyy suspicious of him at first, but eventually warms up to his hilarious and sometimes strange antics. Genie is also a big believer in science so seeing all the supernatural stuff going around her makes her even more wary. Quentin is just adorkable. Let me just say: HEIGHT DIFFERENFE. Genie is much taller than Quentin and if that’s not cute I’m not sure what you’re looking for. All the other characters – from Genie’s school peers to the gods she gets introduced to – are all just a breath of fresh air with their hilarious antics and dialogue.

“Kissing Quentin was as rough and as confrontational as any of our other interactions, and I loved it.”

There are honestly not enough words to describe how much I love this book. You’ll definitely find more gushing on my Twitter and the Be On The Lookout post. Either way, my love for this book goes to the heavens and beyond. It’s the book of my childhood heart, the book that has a place in my soul. From Genie and her refreshing friends and adventure, the addition of Chinese folklore, and the heightened focus on academics as well as demonic peril all make THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO an unforgettable book. Anyone who says otherwise can fight me.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is one of my favorite books this year. It's right there on top of the list and you all should definitely have it on your radar, because if not, you're so doing it wrong.

If you're into Chinese folklore, demons and action but also a slice of college applications and schoolwork, Genie Lo is so right for you! It has humor and an amazing storyline. The characters had all these layers that you think you have them all figured out but they always had something beneath that!

Also the build-up for the ship in this book is so well done. I was already rooting for Quentin and Genie to be together since he first appeared and told her she was his. The dynamic and banter between these two is my favorite to be honest. They have become one couple I will always recommend and root for in the next book for sure. I want my demon slaying duo to succeed in life and in love and to be happy forever.

Can't wait for this to become NYT Bestseller because it deserves it times a million. This is the kind of story I wish I could see more in book community.

I have all the love for this book and it may be my newest favorite for June. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is narrated with humor, based on Chinese folklore, and has an amazing balance between the ordinary and the unreal. What more is there to love?

One of the most amazing things about this book, and there are plenty, is the mixture of Chinese Folklore and this YA setting. As someone not as well versed as they’d like to be, this was like having an intense story time session and then watching the events play out. While the synopsis doesn’t reveal too much, this story takes the folklore to a new level, one that I think is incredibly nuanced and extremely special.

Genie Lo has to be one of my spirit characters, except she is really tall. I have never felt like I resonated so much with a character until Genie and that, in and of itself, is so precious to me. She is nerdy, goal driven, and humorous. Her narration style keeps you flipping pages as she is both honest, clever, and sassy. One hundred percent who I wanted my high school self to be and about, probably, sixty percent of who I was.

Speaking of characters, I enjoyed all of them. Everyone from Quentin, to her best friend, to her parents. They each had something that defined them as a person, not just a plot twist. Whether it be an annoying sense of humor, a violin hobby, or their backstory, it was each a fabulous piece of their backstory and personality. Quentin especially grew on me, and the others I loved from the very beginning.

Yee balances the mundane and the supernatural fabulously, even mixing them when you’d least expect it. There’s meeting with college prep advisors and goddesses all in one day. At the same time as having problems with her best friend, Genie also is having problems figuring out how she can harness this inner strength she has to fight. Neither side feels incomplete, instead they work together and only become stronger because of their synergy. The struggles she undergoes range from inviting a boy over to dinner, to figuring out how we simultaneously fight for the future of the world, while not endangering those we love (a typical superhero problem).

Basically you need to read this so we can talk about it, because there are so many other aspects, nuanced plot details, or little realizations of Genie’s that I need to talk about. There’s something in this book for everyone: some comedic situations with dinner faux pas, action filled fights against hostile spiritual entities, tender moments between parents and children, and a smidge of well-earned romance. Do yourself a favor and read this, you will not regret it.

This book was so, so good! So much fun and snark and humour and I can't recommend it enough!

This is one of my favorite books of 2017. Genie Lo is snarky, self-conscious about her height, and also the reincarnation of a character from Chinese mythology. Her infuriating yet gorgeous crush holds the key to her developing her powers, and together, the two of them must defeat the hundred demons that escaped from Hell just to hunt them down.