The premise of the story sounded good this was very slow but I feel like others my like it a lot more then I did I do want to say that I was interested because it was about a different culture than my own, but I had to DNF because it was very slow. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read about someone that doesn’t look like them and from another country trying to make it in America.

White Ivy by Susie Yang is a very thought provoking and compelling novel that should be read by anyone who is interested in a novel that addresses many issues that exist in the world today. It is the journey of a Chinese family that is living in the United States in current times. The daughter is enabled by her Chinese grandmother to participate in petty theft. There are mixed messages that theft is acceptable by her grandmother and also terrible by her parents. This is certainly a mixed message. As the daughter’s journey continues she experiences prejudice from others because she is poor and Asian. The daughter attempts to rise above her circumstances by attending college. She does this against her family’s wishes due to monetary problems. At a party the daughter meets a male friend from her childhood. She immediately is drawn to him and a romantic relationship begins. I could write so much more about this novel but I believe it is fair to say that this is a novel that will capture your attention and keep it! Even after the novel has been completed I am still thinking about the many themes explored in White Ivy. I’m sure that the reader will enjoy and learn from this novel. I would like to thank netgalley, Susie Wang, and Simon and Schuster Publishing who allowed me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review..

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I misunderstood and thought this book was a thriller, which I wouldn't call it that. I would call it a contemporary story. With the addition of a few more main characters to follow it could have been a modern Valley of the Dolls (a book I adore). I liked this book, even though Ivy is not someone you like. I think it would have benefitted from a few more main characters, like I mentioned. I found the ending interesting. I do think the blurb needs to be improved to better reflect the book. I would say it is something like.....

Ivy Lin isn't sure of much of what she wants and never has been except for one thing - she wants Gideon Speyer. She fondly remembers his birthday party when she was 14 that she sneaked out to attend. Her parents pulled her away, sent her to China to visit relatives, and had moved to New Jersey by the time she got back. As an adult first grade teacher in Boston, Ivy runs into Gideon's sister once again, and while she's uncertain about what she wants most of the time, she immediately begins the work to get to be around and date Gideon. But does she really want only Gideon?

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

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Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Coming September 2020 a new #ownvoices book by Susie Yang - White Ivy. If you like books like Valley of the Dolls where a woman’s passion for success just might be her own downfall you’ll enjoy this book. Ivy Lin immigrated to the US from China when she was a very little girl. Ever since she went to a magnet school in Massachusetts, she’s wanted the WASP life. This book chronicles her striving to achieve it.

This book was well written, but a little slow for me and I never really connected with the characters. I felt there was always a distance between them and me. That being said, I can see this book doing well and I hope other readers get a little more enjoyment out of it than I did.

Ivy Lin has always been secretive and a liar and a thief. Following her Chinese grandmother’s guidelines for survival - self-reliance and opportunism - from an early age Ivy learns how to cheat and scam on a small scale from Goodwill and yard sales. Her family life in Massachusetts is rigid and unloving: her parents show no signs of affection for Ivy, lavishing it instead on baby Austin.

There are two boys in teenage Ivy’s life: her crush, the unattainable Gideon Speyer and neighborhood ne’er do well Roux Roman. But after lying to her parents about going to a sleepover party at Gideon’s, Ivy is sent back to China and, on her return, the family has moved.

Years later, Ivy encounters Gideon’s glamorous sister and meets up again with Gideon. For her, he and his family are the very embodiment of the American Dream and she insinuates her way in. But then Roux reappears and Ivy’s secrets are no longer safe.

Ivy is a complex but wholly unsympathetic character, the WASPy Speyers are rather flat, and Roux is something of a caricature. Each of the main characters holds a deeply buried secret and which they need or want to stay that way and as they come to light, the plot skitters in different directions.

I’m really not sure how I felt about this novel as I was confused about what it was meant to be. Is it an immigrant story? Is it a romance? Is it a thriller? Well yes and no to all three.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

This is an honest coming-of-age novel about an immigrant girl and her family trying to come to terms with life in America. The main characters, basically all of them, are highly unlikeable but for different reasons, however Susie Yang has a way of making you dislike the characters and their choices, but sucks you in anyways so you have to see how the train wreck of their lives turn out.

Ivy is such a mysterious & captivating character. I couldn't stop reading to see what she does, what happens, & how her life turns out. This book is definitely about how the characters grow, or in Ivy's case don't grow, as time goes on. Each character gets more and more intertwined with each other and slowly drag one another down.

And the ending! Part of it was predictable but only right before the big event. The other part of it though... it may have been just me but I had no idea it was coming! I love when the author reveals so much but still is able to create a satisfying and surprising ending.

White Ivy was such a great #OwnVoices book and I highly recommend it to everyone and anyone. Susie Yang touches on life in China, life in America, and the differences between the generations and the two countries in a way that's interesting and elevates the story a little bit more.

This books was a slow burn for me. The beginning was your typical poor girl crushes on rich guy trope. Then about half way it gets a little more interesting but also predictable. The characters were not that complex nor really likable. There were also a lot of loose plot points that were never resolved. I guess this book would be more of a drama, not really much of a thriller.

Ivy Lin just wants the best for herself. She is a liar and a thief and understands that sometimes, those are the tools that are needed to get by in this world. Susie Yang's debut novel about a dark young woman and her obsession with her classmate will leave you on the edge of your seat and up reading till 2am, as it did to me.
I loved the deep dive into her background, as a young immigrant trying to find her place in the world, between her family's overbearing nature and the rich, privileged classmates that she goes to school with. Ivy has grit, charm and an understanding about how the world works and will not let anything get in her way of getting what she believes is rightfully hers.
This book hit all the check marks for me. Privileged people? Check! A story told from a perspective not usually heard? Check! Intrigue? deception? Lost sense of morality? Check, check and check! This book really had it all. The prose was wonderful, Susie took the time to set up a whole world and it was worth it. I really did love this book and I think that it was well worth the read.
I definitely did not like Ivy through the book. I thought she was scattered, lazy and lacked focus within the book. But I realized that those characteristics are what made this book interesting and so readable. As well as the love triangle that Ivy finds herself in between her two love interests.
This was a fun, sexy and quick read and I thank both Net Gallery and Susie Yang for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

WOW! Thank you Susie Yang for this incredible book! This story immersed me into Ivy's life - a young Chinese American dealing with her Chinese family culture, and the American way of life. We see her involved with two men who are complete opposites, and we see how she struggles with those relationships. And we also see the difficult development of her own character. Ivy grows up with many secrets which sometimes haunt her.
This book has long chapters, but with reasonable breaks. I had trouble putting it down! It was quite disturbing in parts, and quite satisfying in others. Ultimately, I loved the ending. Highly recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me on several levels. Readers who want a "rich people problems" story told from an outsider and filled with unlikeable characters might appreciate it more than I did. I also found the ending a bit problematic but will not detail here to avoid spoilers.

This novel about insiders and outsiders was compelling in many ways, but didn't quite fit into the mystery/thriller genre for me. The characters were real in that they were flawed, but I didn't quite make a connection to them.

I was completely drawn into the plot of White Ivy from the start. The story line seemed to be going one way as the author detailed the upbringing of Ivy in the Lin household. But as Ivy matured, the story seemed to take another twist. I was eager to find out how Ivy's life would ultimately unfold. There was a bit of a lull in the plot during the time Ivy spent at the beach house with Gideon and his family. Once Gideon proposed, I felt as though a second wave of the story was about to be revealed. I was not disappointed, and though the story could have had so many endings, Yang tied off loose ends and made White Ivy a satisfying novel.

This novel really surprised me! I love reading about the "immigrant experience" and this one was so unique. Ivy was born in China and grows up in the U.S. Early on, she sets her sights on the "perfect" golden boy named Gideon. But of course Ivy is different from the other kids and she is continually torn between her parents' expectations for her and her own aspirations and desires. We follow her to college and beyond where a chance meeting with Gideon's sister causes her to re-unite with her crush. There are so many layers to this novel and many are unexpected and some depressing and cringe-worthy, but I loved the writing and the storyline kept me guessing until the end. I think we will hear more from this fresh voice of Susie Yang!

Most of us have experienced a moment or years being on the outside, looking. We all yearn to belong somewhere, to “fit in”. As a child of Chinese immigrants living outside Boston, Ivey is caught between two worlds. Culturally, financially, physically different from her classmates, she forges her own path to be accepted into the life of her American peers. It takes her years to do so, coming full circle when she eventually marries her high school crush. Her journey takes her many places including a trip back to visit relatives in China. Ivy spends her teens and twenties anxious and confused, taking risks and behaving in ways best kept secret from her family and friends. She comes to learn that everyone in her life hoards secrets and she is able to get what she wants by choosing to remain silent about what she knows about others. Even better, she knows how to hide her own truth to guarantee her place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Ivy, Ivy, Ivy. What can I say about you, you ambitious, dogged, one track mind young lady??

Let's start at the beginning. This book is about a Chinese girl who moves to the US when she is about 5 years old. This story is about immigration. Assimilation. Identity. Trying to balance your birth culture and the one in which you have to navigate day in and day out. A foot on either side of this cultural divide. Susie Yang was able to beautifully explore and subtly educate about the differences in not only culture, but socioeconomic status as well. And while we're at it, let's sprinkle in some mental health.

The characters in this book were multi faceted. Each had incredible depth and you ached to learn more about who they were and where they each came from. Though I was left wanting with some character story lines, I was happy to gain more knowledge about others. There was no one character in this book that wasn't flawed in some way. Susie Yang has a way of making a character both maddening and endearing at the same time. Which is brilliant writing, in my opinion.

Yang's writing is detailed and intense. I don't know that I would classify this book as a thriller however, there was a sense of unease and foreboding throughout the entire novel. This isn't a story with a "Hollywood ending" that leaves you smiling and warm inside. In fact, you are left wondering what just happened?? Although, there was no other way to end.

If you are a person who enjoys exploring the dark sides of humanity. Or just a person who enjoys seeing characters who are dense, complicated, and complex...this is the book for you. There are so many variables to this novel that will have me thinking for some time to come.

Thank you to Simon Books and Netgalley for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Now go preorder this book which is due to be published September 8, 2020.

Ivy is a girl who is trying hard to fit in with people from her fancy school, and she's not in their league financially. She has a crush on a boy who doesn't seem interested in her the same way, but she tries desperately to get his attention and become his friend. She ends up getting involved with someone else from her lower class neighborhood and becomes a shop lifter. You want her to be different the whole book and it never happens. She ends up years later in a relationship with both of the men from her childhood and once again see that she's not a normal person. This is a character who definitely has psychological issues and is more frightening than you'd realize. She will do anything to keep her relationship with her childhood crush. This isn't a quick paced action thriller but has some interesting developments and moments. I recommend it.

"if there was anything she prided herself on other than being a thief, it was being a first-rate liar"

White Ivy was a marvelous debut!
The writing was great and the story utterly compelling! I read this in one day because I couldn't put it down!

Ivy herself was an unlikable person and yet despite her countless terrible decisions I couldn't help but route for her. I really liked reading about her family's background --her grandmother was my favorite character!

There were plenty of twists to keep me interested and although I didn't enjoy the ending I can't imagine it having ended any other way.

4.5 stars out of five only because one of the bigger twists was annoyingly predictable and made me roll my eyes in this age.

Following Ivy’s story I just wanted to understand her thought process. She’s not exactly a likable character but watching her story unfold I was captivated and curious to whether it was all going to come together in a “wow! I found my way” moment or it was all going to fall apart with a “she done” moment.

The author did a great job helping to understand why Ivy feels and behaves the way she does. Seeing little glimpses of softness and love here and there I really was rooting for her in different parts of the book.

My favorite parts of the story were getting the back dialogue of Ivy’s mother and grandmother. Learning about their hardships that they endured in their pasts gave me a great understanding to their actions with Ivy.

If you enjoy dissecting characters and figuring out their what and why like myself you should definitely pick this one up!

"Filled with surprising twists and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story, as well as a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost."

I'm not sure I could say it any better than the paragraph above. This is the story of Ivy, a Chinese immigrant who really wants to be American and is embarrassed by her family. In middle school she attends a private school and meets and falls for Gideon Speyer. After disappointing her parents, she is sent to China for the summer and when she returns, they have moved from MA to NJ. After college Ivy meets up with Gideon again and definitely sinks her claws into him.

This book is both a great read and totally frustrating because you just want to reach into the book and slap Ivy on numerous occasions. Ivy makes some pretty terrible decisions, but I'm not even going to hint at any of them because I don't want to spoil the book. I thought the ending was perfect - I don't see how it ends any other way and stays true to the character, although I'm sure it will disappoint/frustrate a lot of readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.