Susie Yang's writing is rich, deep and compelling, however I felt the pacing was all over the place and the characters were hard to connect with. Ivy's time in China was rushed into what felt like about 10 pages and she met a boy who she dated and got told, "I love you" in less than two pages. I would loved to have had a stronger sense of place and more developed and layered characters. The story itself was gripping but I just had some structural problems, personally. I think for the right reader this would be a 5 star book, but for me it would be about a 3, so I will give it a 4.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one took some dark turns. It stays with you for a long time. Not for the faint of heart. Not what you’d expect. Need to shower after this one.

What an amazing debut!

This is such a good coming of age immigrant story. It starts slowly but I was completely hooked and invested in Ivy and her life, her thoughts, her fears, her insecurities, her family. What an incredibly realistic voice. I could connect and understand on so many levels.

All the characters are so well etched out and defined. You feel them, hear them because this is such a realistic portrayal of them. Ivy, her family, the boy she likes, his friends and family. All just add to the richness of the story.
I liked how the story panned out and the fact that many a time you want to shake Ivy and yell at her, I was still fully invested in her and her journey.

The ending was a little predictable but having said that it was definitely the one which was in a strange way realistic.

What a thought-provoking, realistic and unique book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And definitely recommend it.

Will definitely be reading more from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age immigrant story that has a lot to offer. This is a story about a Chinese immigrant family's upbringing. The story focuses on our protagonist Ivy. The readers learn about the life between two worlds through Ivy's lens. A close family portrait that explores familial traditions and the question in forming one's identity. But this isn't just about an immigrant experience but a coming of age story that follows our protagonist's adolescence to adulthood.

Ivy is not a likable nor a noble character. However, as the readers witness Ivy's upbringing we do get a glimpse of why Ivy is the way she is. This novel is surrounded by a pool of unlikable characters but this is what made the novel stand out. We are surrounded by rotten characters and we are witnessing a survival of the fittest inside this pool. The more terrible a character's deed the better chance of success and survival. The characters are gritty, heavily flawed and complex. But in a way, these characters felt very real. Life and relationships are messy and this novel reflects this notion. Ivy's drive is through her underlying philosophical questions on her desires, greed, love, acceptance and identity. The tremendous attribute the author brings to the table is empathy. We may disagree with Ivy's decisions but she provides at least for me a empathetic view on Ivy's life choices through her experiences. A pleasantly surprised debut novel by Susie Yang. This is the author's potential beginning and will continue to keep an eye out for her future works.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this amazing ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It would be difficult for me to put this book into one genre. It has some elements of suspense but it's very character-driven.

The book is told from the perspective of Ivy Lin. Ivy's family and Ivy herself were all born in China. Her parents immigrated when Ivy was a baby, and they left Ivy behind for a few years in the care of her grandmother. Eventually they sent for Ivy so they could raise her in America. Upon her arrival at the airport she discovers that she has a baby brother, who obviously was born there in the States. As a young girl, Ivy struggles to fit in with her American classmates. She wants to assimilate but she feels her family is holding her back from doing so. A little later in Ivy's childhood, her grandmother also comes to America to live with the family.

I don't want to post spoilers so I won't go too much into the rest of the plot, but what I enjoyed was seeing how hard it was for Ivy to fit in anywhere and how difficult it was for her to find direction in her life. And I also think this book reflects how much our upbringing can affect our choices, even as adults. I really recommend this book. It's very compelling.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not quite sure how to start or even how to write this review. I have too many thoughts about this book. As someone who is part-Asian and growing up in white suburbia, I know what it feels like to be attracted to not only the caucasian face but also the, almost mythical, way of life. How everything is just a bit cleaner, a bit shiner than what you are used to, and the desire for that is strong. Maybe not as strong as Ivy Lin's, but strong all the same.</p><p><i>White Ivy</i> was definitely a character study. Ivy Lin knows what she wants, and because of this, there is a lot of internalization. We <i>really</i> get to know Ivy, and what makes her tick. Saying this, I didn't really like the characters. Gideon was like a Ken-doll; just molds of plastic where the parts should be. Sylvia and Andrea were annoying, Sylvia in that mean-girl kind of way, while Andrea like a stereotypical loud-Chinese. Ivy, although more fleshed out, was not likable. You continued to read because she was interesting and had the nerve, no matter how immortal, to get what she wanted, but being someone you could root for? Nope. I found the ending a bit predictable, I can only guess that, despite homosexuality being more readily accepted, it is still considered on the fridge, less than 6% (Gallup.com, 2018) of the US population identified as homosexual, and maybe that's why authors incorporate it in their stories... to add a little something extra (??).</p><p>Overall, it was well-written, and entertaining in parts, but not my favorite.</p>

Wow! And Wow, again! A fabulous book about a young Chinese girl looking for love and riches. Her journey from poverty to marrying into one of the blue blooded elite families.
It is written in a raw expressive manner. You get to know the individual characters. You feel for them, you want them to succeed.
The storyline is exceptionally intriguing and intense. Once you start this story you are drawn in and can't put it down.
Full of surprising twists and turns, right up to the final page!
Highly recommend!!

I loved this book! From the descriptive views of how it was to live in China and how difficult it is for Ivy to assimilate to America. I completely ignored the dishes ( and my husband !) because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Excellent and hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I definitely look forward to more from this author! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Ivy is a Chinese American who is selfishly thievish and a decent liar and we learn, in detail, how she learned and gathered these traits from a young age, and then we're shown how you uses them to get what she wants for the duration of her adulthood.

This one starts off slow, but does seem to get better as the book goes on and Ivy's relationships broaden and re-bloom. I like the writing which was detailed and cunning, and it does indeed have a very decent character development for the sly main character, Ivy, but I just didn't get any 'wow' moments from this one. I could definitely see Ivy as a serial killer in some life though, which is a plus for me! I would still say this Author is one to look out for!

Thank you to NetGalley, Susie Yang and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

#whiteivy #NetGalley

I spend the beginning of this novel falling in love with the story, setting, and our main character. However the longer I kept reading this novel the more I pulled apart from our main character Ivy. As for a writing standpoint it was rich and beautiful, but the story just wasn’t for me. But I would recommend for anyone who wants a novel with an unlikeable main character, and a slow build.

I started #WhiteIvy yesterday morning and found myself captivated from cover to cover, totally invested in the story of Ivy; from her complicated upbringing by her Chinese immigrant family, to her transformation into an insecure but manipulative young woman who will do whatever it takes to win the love of a handsome wealthy man she’s been pursuing since grade school. I loved the cultural specificity in this story, and thought the deep-dive into Ivy’s family and heritage really elevated her character and gave her depth and complexity. In particular, the juxtaposition between the generations of women in this novel, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters…was what really set this book apart from other similar titles in the genre. In addition, the love triangle between Ivy and her two love interests is complicated and dangerous and sexy and wicked fun.
⠀⠀
Fans of #PrettyThings, #NecessaryPeople, #TheTalentedMrRipley, #TheJoyLuckClub and #TheMajesties will really enjoy this one. White Ivy is officially out September 8th

White Ivy, by Susie Yang, is at its heart a character study rather than a plot driven novel.

It’s the story of Ivy, a Chinese-American girl, who wants everything that white privilege brings…and she’ll do anything to get it.

Very few characters in this book are likable – many are horrific. I did find that I loved Ivy’s brother, though I didn’t really get to know him all that well. After all this, and the world in general, is Ivy’s story. Everyone else is a minor player.

Ivy’s desire to be white is obvious from page one of the novel as she reflects on her ‘round eyes’. Later in the book, she revels in her pale skin and how the people in China consider her an ABC – not white, but close, right?

As you read, you keep hoping that one day Ivy will wake up to love her own skin and her Chinese heritage. This isn’t that sort of book. Instead, you read with a sort of horrid fascination as Ivy goes further and further in per pursuit of that perfect Caucasian life.

This is well written. While I did want more of a plot, Yang’s study of Ivy is so well done that she practically jumps off the page. I don’t want to know her in real life, but I devoured her life in these pages.

I liked that Yang chose to bring a perspective that wasn’t pretty, but was still all too real.

Five stars. Though I did want a bit more plot, this is truly excellent.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I must say I didn't really like Ivy much, but it was easy to sympathize with her after her upbringing. Ivy, an Asian-American immigrant, is determined to have all the things she sees others have in their lives, and will do whatever is necessary to get them. She stalks a boy from high school who was her first love, at least in her mind, while sneaking around with another who knows her well and I believe truly loved herI enjoyed the writing and would recommend this to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read White Ivy,

This book, although well written, was not for me. The main character is so unlike able—she lies, cheats, steals, kills, and complains about everything. I could not have cared less about her. Maybe that’s the author’s intent, but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read. I might perhaps recommend it to fans of Gillian Flynn, whose characters also have an incessantly dark world view and lots of self loathing.

This book started out really well, but then it turned into a kind of romance novel with a disappointing ending. Ivy who was born in China lives with her grandmother until she is six and is then sent to live with her parents and little brother who emigrated to the US. The book does a good job of expressing the struggles Ivy goes through trying to assimilate with her American peers. She wants to be more like "white' people and is convinced that everyone else is better off and has a better life. The book then becomes more of a love story and becomes a lot less interesting. All of the characters are unlikeable.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I got sucked into the plot and caught up in Ivy's life immediately. I both admire and am repulsed by her behaviors. I love the storyline and get choices are so diabolical and somehow relatable.

Fantastic novel. It will make you think.

A stereotype-defying exploration of identity and obsession of a young Chinese immigrant in today's America. Unusual and dark, "White Ivy" knocked me off my feet.

Ivy is a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the United States. Her parents moved to the US when she was just two, only managing to bring her in three years later. But her immigration story is not one of success and mighty American Dreams; Ivy's parents are extremely controlling, putting sky-high expectations on their daughter to become a doctor, which is certainly not one of Ivy's own dreams. She wants to live a life full of adventure, excitement and self-exploration. And in order to achieve that, she starts stealing things with her grandma, hoping to fit in with the popular girls at school and get the attention of a boy she loves: Gideon Speyer.

She is also a shallow liar with low self-esteem, constantly obsessing over other people's opinions of her. She hates her parents, economic standing, her looks, ethnicity (?), simply herself.

Ivy is totally unlikable, and yet, I was completely absorbed by her story. I'm very interested in the Chinese American culture and history, and I think that this book masterfully defies many stereotypes associated with the "model minority." Ivy just wants to be a popular girl like the white girls in her school, and she wants to be loved by Gideon who's wealthier and more attractive than herself. The title itself is absolutely intriguing because there is no mention if a "White Ivy" in the story; it is clear that the word "white" represents what Ivy subconsciously believes would allow her to have just the life she wants, but can't have.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy was two years old when her parents moved from China to the United States and left her in the care of Meifeng, her grandmother. It took three years for them to save enough money to send for her so, when she arrived, they felt like strangers. Two years later Meifeng joined the family, but Ivy felt caught. In their world she was expected to become a doctor, and to be obedient but she was definitely not obedient and didn’t want to be a doctor. She wanted an exciting life of her own so filled her days reading about beautiful sad heroines.

In 6th grade her father became a technician at a prep school so her tuition was free. By that time she had become a petty thief with her grandmother, and stole the things she needed to fit in at school. Though she worked hard to emulate the lifestyles of the beautiful, rich girls who were now her classmates, and had fallen hard for Gideon Speyer the local heartthrob, she was always on the outskirts of school life.

Through college and beyond Ivy flits from relationship to relationship, refusing any involvements, but is thrilled when she runs into Gideon’s older sister. She makes sure she and Gideon rekindle their acquaintance, and becomes so ruthless and single minded in her pursuit of him that she loses track of the definition of true love.

The author made you really think hard about the characters, and threw in a few twists and turns I didn’t expect. I will highly recommend this book for Adults.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was really a wild ride. There are few books where I don't quite know where it is going and this was one. It was sort of the story of a low level social climber then suddenly there was murder! I enjoyed it and thought the main character was very fleshed out but the male characters were less so. That might have been on purpose but it wasn't 100% clear.

An interesting debut novel about a young Chinese woman who is ashamed of her family and yearns for the life of the wealthy. This is her story from her middle school years through to her wedding. Lin envies a family during her youth and reconnects with them in her later years. The ending is surprising.