I was really intrigues by this story but unfortunately for me the book dragged on a little too much and did not work for me. I did not like Ivy's character at all and could not connect with the story because of this.

This is a debut novel that reads like its from a long-time, published author!

It's a slow burn with such a fabulous writing style that keeps you invested in the events and characters with an ending that makes the slow burn extremely understandable. Give this a chance if you find it tedious and over descriptive.... I can feel that some may not stick with it, but I think it will be worth it,


Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review. My TBR list is continuously growing and I keep finding so many amazing books being requested + added to my pile! I have so much gratitude for this copy that has been shared with me.

I read this book a few months ago, and I’m still not 100% sure what to think of it. I understand that it was essentially an immigrant coming-of-age story. I’m unsure if I was “supposed” to feel this way, but I hated Ivy. Since I didn’t like her, reading and understanding her motivations for choosing certain paths and choices in her life was difficult. I thought Yang’s writing was excellent, and excited to read more from her.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Susie Yang for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of White Ivy. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

This is a coming of age story about a Chinese-American girl. Ivy is born to immigrant parents who are not very affectionate and are very strict. She also lives with her grandmother who she is very close too. The grandmother teaches Ivy how to shoplift. Stealing things like makeup and jewelry help Ivy feel like she fits in to American life. Ivy attends a private school where she doesn’t fit in. Not only are the kids rich, but she is the only non-white person who goes to the school. She makes friends with Roux and they bond over stealing. Ivy develops a crush on Gideon who is nice to her and invites her to his birthday party. There is a stark contrast from her home life to Gideon’s WASPy family.

Once Ivy’s stash of goods is discovered she is sent to live in China so that she can learn how to behave properly. Ivy returns to the United States and after going to college she begins to work as a teacher. She runs into Gideon’s sister and befriends her, hoping to connect with her brother. Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and is just about to get everything she ever dreamed of when someone from her past threatens to ruin everything.

This is a very dark book and most people won’t find Ivy likeable as a character. I loved it! I thought it had so many elements making it a very rich story. It’s a coming of age story but you also have the immigrant family story. Ivy feels like she doesn’t belong. That feeling of other drives her to want to be like everyone else. She feels desperate for that life and will go to extremes to make it happen. That creates a psychological suspense. Her desperation to marry Gideon and what she has to do to maintain the lies trying to keep him. Plus we know that won’t bring her the happiness she is seeking. There are a couple of twists at the end that were unexpected and give it a thriller aspect. However you feel about Ivy she is a fascinating character and this book is definitely worth checking out.

This is a coming of age story if ever there is one but it comes with twists and turns that make it unique. It is a building intensity that makes this story worth reading.

Ivy is a poor girl living in turbulent circumstances trying to find a way to boost her status. She has no qualms about doing what she has to do to survive even if she has to step on others to get where she wants to be. As much as I didn’t like the things Ivy did I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to know what she’d do next!
Her relationship with her mother and grandmothers are central to understanding who Ivy is and who she becomes. It is always interesting to see how characters we may not be able to relate to are influenced by their relatives. Some of the best and worst parts of Ivy are directly connected to her female relatives.
This isn’t a rapidly paced story but more of a slow burn however it is never boring. I’m one of those people who has to know how a story ends so there was very little chance of me NOT finishing but I can understand how someone who needs a story that flies might lose interest. That being said I think it would be a mistake not to complete this book. I would recommend it to a friend.

What. A. Ride.

This one was a completely different book than I expected and I really enjoyed it. First I want to say thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal and @simonschusterca for the #gifted copy of this book and the opportunity to participate in the #WhiteIvyReadalong with a great group of #bookstagrammers. It was so enjoyable being able to dig into the book while reading it and made for a completely new experience.

Ivy is not a redeemable character. Don’t go into this book thinking you’re going to follow along with a strong and noble protagonist. What makes Ivy’s story great is that you have to keep reading to see what she’s going to do next. Like her namesake, she will go to any lengths to keep climbing.

When I started thinking about Ivy, and how everything in her life is a performance, I felt like part of that was her character, but I recognize that she’s probably partially being influenced into performing because of how it feels to live as a recent immigrant in America. While we get to see Ivy’s abhorrent behaviour, we also see it through a lens of what it’s like to be other, and how hard it is for her to feel like she fits anywhere. This in combination with some seriously questionable leadership from her Grandmother, leads her down a very rocky path.

This book has action and twists, so make sure you stick it out, the ending is fantastic and the story finishes strong.

This was an excellent debut from @susieyyang and I very much look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Loved this dark, unpredictable, fascinating book. This was one of the titles I was looking forward to reading the most, and it did not disappoint! Susie Yang writes with the authority of a seasoned writer, and has created characters that I'll think about for a long time after finishing this fantastic novel.

This book got a ton of amazing reviews, and they definitely deserved them all!

It was a great read, giving me insight into experiences of those who are different from me.

I picked this one up a few times but couldn’t really get into it. I found the pacing a bit slow and boring.

I absolutely loved White Ivy. At a high level, it’s a modern coming-of- age story that follows Ivy as she balances her complicated identity as a Chinese American immigrant and her desire to assimilate into American culture. She’s obsessed with wealth and the idea of the elite and will go to any length to get what she wants.

Ivy is not a likeable character. But I liked that. She’s messed up, makes horrible decisions and is manipulative and greedy. But she is compulsively readable and I was completely invested in her journey (even the horribly painful ones). Yang is fantastic at creating characters that you are invested in, even if you don’t actually “like”them.

The book is thought provoking and entertaining. The writing flows and the drama and intensity grows along with Ivy as she pushes all boundaries to get what she wants. What I loved is that Yang gives context to Ivy. She’s not just an anti-heroine for the sake of the plot, but her behaviour is contextualized with her upbringing and the pressures surrounding her life and how she interpreted these.

This is a seriously impressive #ownvoices debut and I can’t wait to read what Susie Yang does next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Book review ✨

White Ivy by Susie Yang
Rate 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coming-of-age-story with many psychological and moral growth. In some moments of the book, the main character felt so real in the way that you can see your younger self in their personality.

When I decided to start reading this book I didn’t read the book description and I had no idea what to expect going into this book. But, I enjoyed the twisty and interesting storyline. Ivy is a little annoying, and complicated person but I think that there is something more about Ivy (maybe some psychological problems-mental illness?).

Anyway, I love the complexity of the story and cross-culture themes. Some parts are slow but it’s worth it. While the reader is learning about each character in the story you will see how Ivy our main protagonist is charming other people. The readers will find her to be a dishonest, selfish and greedy person.

Excellent choice of the book.
I am recommending this book to everyone.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for giving me this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

I hated most of the characters in this novel - especially Ivy. She was manipulative and basically horrible to everyone around her. Roux was also awful, and Sylvia, too. Even Gideon, was horrible in his blandness. That being said, I love the writing! Susie Yang wrote these characters so well that everything they did was so true to who they are. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop until I got to the end. This is definitely an author to watch as I'm sure whatever she writes will be just as engaging' hopefully with some more likeable characters!

I really enjoyed this book. I absolutely hated Ivy at times but I also understand why she is the way she is. What an interesting, infuriating and sad character. I love the way this is written. As the reader you can understand the struggle she faces being raised in the states, her parents wants for her and what she wants for herself. I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much for letting me read it. I loved it and I could have literally screamed out loud at the end! But I get it.

I appreciated the telling of Ivy's complicated upbringing in a Chinese immigrant family. I also enjoyed. the juxtaposition between the 3 generations of the women in this novel. Of course, the dangerous and sexy love triangle was a bonus for those of us who like a little steam.

There is a high concept hook that grabbed me immediately. However, it began to seem irrelevant and didn't go anywhere as the story developed. While Ivy was complicated, unique and diverse. However, I didn't find her that interesting. I'm sure she was meant to be unlikeable, but I do need a main character to connect with and root for.

The pace was a little slow at times, but there were great twists and turns that many readers will love.

3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for my digital copy

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great insight into cultural difference and family live lessons. Ivy was a thief, taught this by her grandmother. It showed her parents rise to wealth and what they wanted for Ivy that they never has until they emigrated to the US. It’s rare to read a book where the protagonist is not a likeable character but I feel the author did a fantastic job of this and the writing was fabulous. Considering I didn’t like Ivy I was enthralled by her story.

This book was such a wild ride! I originally planned to read at the suggested pace a read along I was in, but once I was halfway in I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I’d finished it.

Ivy is a Chinese American who has been influenced greatly by her grandma in many ways, and not all of them good. She is very drawn to wealth and status and will do whatever it takes to get them. Eventually she finds herself torn between two men who each represent a different potential future for her and things just continue to get more out of control for Ivy from there.

I definitely didn’t find Ivy to be lovable or endearing at all, but I just found her so intriguing, like why was she doing the things she was doing? Would she ever get it together and make better choices? I just had to know.

Pick this one up if you enjoy intriguing and complex characters as well as a good twisty ending!

4 STARS

Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.


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Looking for a likeable, relatable heroine? This book isn't for you.

WHITE IVY was nothing like I expected, yet everything I wanted. Full of juicy gossip and characters with questionable morals, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ivy's antics unfold. She is the kind of character that you love to hate and has absolutely no redeeming qualities. Obsessed with climbing the societal ladder, her every action was carefully planned out, each more shocking than the next! On a deeper level, WHITE IVY speaks to the struggle of American immigrants, the poverty cycle and societies unfortunate obsession with "whiteness."

Although I did predict a few of the later events in the book, I struggled to put this one down at bedtime and ended up binge reading the second half in one night. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for my ARC!

WHITE IVY is a dark and compelling story.
Ivy Lin spent her early years in China with her grandmother while her parents were trying to establish a home in the United States.
A five year old Ivy rejoins her parents and lives outside of Boston. Ivy’s grandmother does come to live with the Lin family. With the parents working the grandmother once again oversees the care of Ivy and her little brother. A survivor of a not so easy life in China, Meifeng was well versed in the art of stealing and taught Ivy her tricks. Being a young child with delicate features Ivy blended in easily and became a competent small time thief.
As a teenager Ivy’s skills as a shoplifter came in handy. She was able to acquire those things a teenager needs and wants.
Ivy develops a huge crush on Gideon one of the boys in her upscale private school. Ivy is invited to a party he is having. Knowing she wouldn’t get permission to attend from her strict parents Ivy lies saying she has been invited to a sleepover being hosted by a female classmate. The parents find out and go to Gideon’s house to take her home. As a punishment Ivy is sent back to China for the summer. In China Ivy stays with an affluent relative for a few weeks. Ivy experiences what it is like to live in luxury. The balance of her stay with relatives is in a small village where life is very different.
Once Ivy returns back home she finds out the family has bought a house and moved to New Jersey.
Ivy is heartbroken that she will never see Gideon again.
Ivy goes away to college in a effort to distance herself from her overbearing family. She becomes a school teacher. At the school where Ivy teaches, she runs into Gideon’s sister Sylvia. They start reminiscing and Sylvia asks Ivy to the New Years party she is hosting. Knowing Gideon will be there Ivy jumps at the chance.
Things develop but Ivy’s dark past continues to creep back into her life.
I found WHITE IVY interesting. Themes include relationships, class and culture. The characters are memorable, Ivy in particular. Her ambition and drive are spellbinding.
I believe WHITE IVY is an engrossing story that will stay in the minds of readers for a long long time.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced ebook of WHITE IVY.

This book was a lot more interesting than the description implied. I was intrigued by the characters and interested in the story and loved the ending.

I'm so glad to see that this book has become as successful as it has post release!

Unlike most reviewers, I unfortunately did not find this book thrilling or an intense page-turner. It was hard for me to finish, and I really didn't like Ivy as a main character. The book was well written but it just wasn't for me.