I really enjoyed this book. It centres around David, a Chinese-American teenager, who feels pressure to live up to his parents high expectations of him education-wise.

It is a well-written and nuanced book. Ed Lin successfully manages balancing the vast differences in David's life between his school, his family's restaurant and his Chinese school in the city. This balance between the three locations provided a variety of well-developed Chinese characters. I mean, you can easily tell that a Chinese person wrote this book because the characters don't fit the stereotypical mould that a white person would write about. And all the characters are easily likeable, different and interesting in their own ways. It's so refreshing to read.

I also really loved the ending. It was perfect and injected with a little humour, just like the rest of the book.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kaya Press for providing me with an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a great premise, and instilled in its somewhat singular bubble of Asian-American students in high school there's a story that any of us can relate to. In much the same way that Crazy Rich Asians was a peek into the stereotypes of over-the-top wealth while still being a work that any of us could fall in love with, "David Tung...Girlfriend" has a very broad appeal.

Unfortunately, it is verrrrry slow. Make no mistake, the author does a fun job of storytelling, but too far into the book nothing of substance had occurred. It was all backstory (inexplicably happening in real time?) and very little action.

Even though this book was slow, I think it is a much need book for this day in age. It is important to read books from all different types of people. This story is about an immigrant. I think it really made me understand the life of an immigrant and the struggles they face. I would recommend to anyone looking for an inspiring book and for their eyes to be opened more.

This book was kind of disappointing. When I read the summary, I thought I would enjoy this, but there was a lot of focus on details that I didn’t think were interesting like David’s daily schedule as he went through his classes. The plot didn’t feel like it was building towards anything so there wasn’t really a climax and I could predict the ending as soon as one of the key characters was introduced.

Probably the strongest aspect of the book is how relatable it would be for immigrant or first generation teens. Even myself, as an immigrant with parents that wanted me to be a doctor, found a lot of David’s experiences relatable. My parents weren’t nearly as strict, but they also put a strong emphasis on getting good grades and not being distracted by dating or a social life. They thought any guy I talked to was my boyfriend and although they never explicitly said so, it was assumed that I wasn’t “allowed” to date until I at least graduated high school. I can imagine that for someone who hasn’t had these experiences, reading this book would be like culture shock, but for myself, it was too familiar to the point that I found myself completely unphased by anything that happened in the book.

I liked that It tackled different issues like class difference, the immigrant experience, racism and discrimination (from those within and outside of the Chinese community), but I wish more actually happened in this book. Some people may like that this book is more subtle and introspective, but that just didn’t work for me.

I know I've been giving Asian authors--especially in YA fiction--a hard time for writing predictable, bad stories, but today is a momentous day because I think I may have found the elusive Asian American YA contemporary I've been waiting for. This is the first Asian America YA novel that resonated with me because it wasn’t just a piece of fluff. (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the occasional cliched YA romance, Asian American or otherwise, but we need some variety. Let’s show the world we’re more than silent—or not-so-silent—rebels against our repressive, unreasonable parents before adding yet another Asian American author to the fake dating trope pile, okay?) Was this the most beautifully written or perfectly crafted novel? No, but sometimes heart matters more than execution.

The synopsis makes it sound like yet another YA love triangle featuring an Asian American protagonist and his/her immigrant parents' unrealistic demands on their child's love life (or lack of, in this case,) but I gave it a chance because even though I've been burned before, I really want a win for the Asians. I was so pleasantly surprised. I'd thought I had the story figured out when I read the blurb, but this book is less about a boy choosing between two girls and more about an Asian American kid just trying to find his way in life.

Yes, the book's premise is that David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets Into an Ivy League College, but it's also David Tung is a Top Ten Student and Restaurant Kid. It's David Tung Wants to Be a Doctor and His Parents Do Too. It's David Tung Gets a Glimpse of Asian American Life on the Other Side of the Tracks.

This book is unapologetically Asian American. There's just something really genuine and relatable in the way Lin paints a picture of Chinese kids growing up in America and it's so refreshing. He's able to speak to the distinctly Asian idiosyncrasies--the polite dance of refusing and accepting anything, the unspoken food offering used to express love, the three rounds of waving goodbye to any guest--without making it feel like a stereotype, and he touches on some interesting points about the Asian American life that I wish were explored more.

Not every Asian American experience is the same, and that's what makes David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets Into an Ivy League College so great. Nuanced, relatable, flawed, Lin's characters prove growing up as an ABC (American Born Chinese) isn't a fortune cookie cutter experience. Asian Americans can be smart and driven. But Asian Americans can also be gangsters. Asian Americans can be crazy rich kids. Asian Americans can be hustlers.

And that's the beauty of this book; it brings kids together from different backgrounds. There are crazy rich Asian Americans, suburbian Asian Americans, overachieving Asian Americans, delinquent Asian Americans. There are FOBs and hapas and immigrants and second-gens. It's not a comprehensive look by any means, and a majority of the book is spent exploring David Tung's life as a restaurant kid, but I love the fact that Lin doesn't just clump us all into one generic group.

I appreciated Lin's attempt to create a more nuanced protagonist. David Tung isn't one-dimensional. He's driven and insecure and loyal and outspoken and decent. (I also have a bit of a soft spot for him because he wants to be an oncologist and has a bit of a dry wit.) He isn't just a stereotypical Asian American with tiger parents like many of his peers in the genre. The adults aren't painted as the big bad wolves out to stifle their children's freedom and independence with their backwards Chinese ways; instead, they're individuals whose own struggles and stories have shaped them into the people they are now.

That's not to say the book is without its flaws. The storytelling could use some work, the writing is a little dry, and the plot kind of meanders. The first act especially, drags on a bit, and the opening few chapters are literally spent following David from class to class with no real transition in between. Lin also throws in a few minor plot twists toward the end which feel particularly unnecessary since they're resolved so quickly. Still, when you write something the resonates with readers like Ed Lin did in David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets Into an Ivy League College, you deserve to be commended. So 4.5 stars it is! (Also, remember that I'm reviewing an ARC, so some of this stuff might get cleaned up before the pub date.)

I was expecting a somewhat generic story, so this was a pleasant surprise. Ed Lin gives me hope for the future of Asian American YA. So to all the Chinese YA authors out there, 加油！

Thanks to NetGalley and Kaya press for the ARC!

I loved this book! YA reads are not my normal genre but the title and the cover had me interested enough to read it. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

David Tung is a Chinese-American teenager who is trying to live up to his parents expectations. His culture allows for nothing but perfection and there are no excuses in his life. It is such an endearing read about the struggles of an Asian-American who is trying to fulfill his parents wishes but also live his life.

My favorite line that I have read in any book so far this year is...”everyone is a superstar to someone”. I think this is a lesson for all of us to live by in the way we treat other people!!!

David Tung is doing the best he can in life. He comes from a Chinese family that wants him to work hard at school and at the families restaurant. Studying at school comes naturally to him, but what does not is all of the social aspects. How can he tell everyone that he is not able to have a girlfriend or go to a dance, when he himself doesn't understand his home life? He works so hard and tries his best, how can he come to find out there can be smiles and happiness in the times when he isn't working at the family restaurant or studying?

As soon as I saw this title, I was done, taken, absorbed, invested with no return. I HAD to read it. It's realistic, engaging and wonderful. I mean, this book is called "David Tung Can't Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into An Ivy League College" - are you serious?! Give me some tea, a blanket and let me read!

While I don't belong to this group myself, the Chinese-American culture is very close to heart, and I think this book can help people understand various particular aspects of this culture. I'm not saying it tells an absolute truth about Chinese Americans, but that the story of David Tung realistically depicts the life of a young man trying to firgure out his life while also dealing with strict parents. David is a senior in high school, achieving top grades while working at his parents' restaurant in New York. While he has feelings for a Chinese girl, his strict mom won't let him have a girlfriend until... you know it. So David needs to decide whether he's going to obey his mother and study, or actually have a little life and go out with a girl.

Ed Lin's new novel is a beautiful, funny at times, heartbreaking at others, and absolutely relatable. It is an intelligent exploration of a young man's journey to self-discovery as part of a minority in the US. I can't wait for more books like this, which American teenagers are in dire need of.

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