I wanted to like this one more, but it fell a little flat for me. I appreciated the bi-racial Asian experience Lexa had, but as the spouse of a Taiwanese-American man, I wanted more Taiwanese culture. Overall this was a good read, but I was left wanting more.

REALLY liked this one but couldnt stand Maddie, she didn't act like a 20-30+ year old but a child constantly making things about herself and throwing temper tantrums. All of that aside, I loved everyone else and the story of Lexa and her journey between countries.

I started this one and I had a hard time getting into the book. It just wasn't grabbing me at the time, so I did not finish... I appreciate the consideration!

This one has been a fan favorite of my Asian Patrons. It was a good foil for readers of Crying in H Mart.

Lyn Liao Butler's The Tiger Mom's Tale is superb. A tale of a daughter whose heritage is half Taiwanese and half American, she doesn't feel she fits in anywhere. She meets her birth father only a few times throughout her life before he is killed in a tragic accident. From there, she has to determine her future - and that affects both sides of her family.

I absolutely LOVED this debut about a Taiwanese-American young woman and the complicated relationship she has with her father and his family in Taiwan. Full of heart and family secrets, this story was utterly compelling and such an enjoyable read. I can't wait to read more by this author! Recommended for fans of books like Jen Frederick's Heart & Seoul, Crazy rich Asians or Dial A for Aunties. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

This book is packed with family drama . We follow Lexa who never felt like she fit in, either not Asian nor American enough. One day she gets a phone call from her half Taiwanese sister that her estranged father died in an accident. This takes her on a journey of self discovery, to face a family she hasn’t seen in many years, confront an enemy and forgiveness.

An enjoyable read with a great premise. There is always something going on, never a dull moment in this book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy.

The Tiger Mom's Tale is the debut novel by Lyn Liao Butler and is one of my favorite genres, a family drama mixed with the complexities of relationships and uncovering secrets from the past. ⁣The backstory and current timeline are woven together beautifully and helped me unravel the nuanced characters and relationships throughout.
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I loved learning more about the Taiwanese culture and how gorgeous is this cover?! The writing is rich with details and emotions and I loved the reminder of how coming to terms with our past is ultimately what can move us foward.

The Tiger Mom's Tale has heart and humor and I can't wait to see what Liao Butler writes next.

A lighthearted story of a family trying to find itself, spanning the US and Taiwan. There are so many twists and turns and the reader never knows what will happen next. It does seem like the author had a checklist of issues to include, although it is refreshing to have inclusive stories.

I loved this book! (#partner @berkleypub via Netgalley)

The Tiger Mom’s Tale is the story of Lexa Thomas, a mixed-race Taiwanese American woman whose world is rocked when her estranged father dies and leaves her an unexpected inheritance, forcing her to finally confront that side of her family and her past. It’s filled with humor, a little romance, family drama, travel, and the most delicious descriptions of FOOD that made me positively drool as I was reading. A heartfelt and compelling debut novel about identity, family, and reckoning with the past. Plus, just look at the gorgeous cover 🤩. Be sure to check out the author’s Instagram page — she’s a yoga instructor and posts the coolest pictures and Reels.

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. From the synopsis, it seemed like it could be a love story, an exploration of a misunderstood culture, a criticism of materialism, or a combination of all three. But from start to finish, I was pleasantly surprised by The Tiger Mom's Tale.

I do think that it is guilty of sometimes slipping into the "too easy" choices sometimes, and the story was all a bit predictable (aside from the shocking climax moment). However, this book felt at times like a warm hug and at times like a cold shoulder, and I loved the back and forth as we built to what was clearly going to be a major moment.

All in all, I enjoyed this book more than I expected to and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

The themes in this book are important to all readers, either to relate to or to help people understand what others are going through. The book deals with racism, gender, homophobia, and the complexity of family. The main character biracial, but she doesn't feel like she fits in in either world of her parentage. It's important to hear AAPI voice, and this book also focused on the struggles that come with racism and being biracial. I was especially hit hard by the estrangement and difficulties that come with family. This is a good debut, and I am excited to see how the author grows in future books.

What a great debut novel! I really enjoyed following Lexa’s journey to fully embrace her identity, make peace with her Taiwanese family, and reconcile her past. The book is women’s fiction with strong elements of family drama. The protagonist, Lexa, has an American mother and a Taiwanese father. When Lexa is a teenager, she visits Taiwan and an unfortunate incident transpires which shapes her relationship with her father and Taiwanese relatives for the rest of her life. In her 30s, she finally makes the trek back to Taiwan and faces her past. Along the way she strengthens and reconciles some relationships, forges new ones, and discovers some truths about herself and others. If you love books that examine identity, the definition of family, and hidden secrets, definitely give Lyn Liao Butler’s debut a read.

A beautiful story about finding your strength and how life can more easily fall into place when you confront your fears.

The Tiger Mom's Tale focuses on Lexa as she comes to terms with the death of her birth father. When Lexa leans of his passing we are given flashbacks to her younger-self when she would go to visit him in Taiwan. Throughout the story we learn about her half sister and her step-mother (the tiger mom). As the story progresses we learn about the events that result in Lexa being estranged from her fathers side of the family and how these events have a hold on Lexa all this time later.

This is a lovely story about a girl confronting her past that ties in elements of race, manipulation, and family dynamics.

Over angsty, YA type story of a half-Taiwanese girl who can't get past the fact that her birth father rejected her and believed the lies concocted by his evil wife to protect her daughter's inheritance.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well written. I especially liked that the sense that Lexa lived in 2 very different worlds but didn't feel she belonged in either one.

This was an interesting story that really provided a wonderful view of a culture that I didn't know a lot about. I loved struggles the main character goes through. I thought it really helped to shape the story. There were some spots that felt a little slow to me, but other than that, this was a solid story!

“𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥”—Confucius

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁
Lexa is a 36-year-old, half Taiwanese, half white, American woman who grew up with her white mother, stepfather, and sister in New York and spent summers in Taiwan with her biological father, wife, and half-sister, Hsu-Ling.

When she was 14, Lexa suffers a devastating falling out with her Taiwanese family and cuts her trip short. She has not communicated with her father for 22 years and Lexa refuses to discuss it with anyone.

Lexa receives a phone call and learns her father has died. She stands to receive a significant inheritance, but it comes with stringent stipulations which require her to return to Taiwan and face past demons, including the person at the center of it all. If she declines the inheritance, there will be dire consequences for her Taiwanese family.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
I enjoyed the first part of the book, especially since, until recently, few books represented the bi-racial Asian experience. Lexa’s feeling of having a foot in each country yet feeling she doesn’t belong to either is one many can relate to. The author packs many sub-characters and storylines that didn’t add too much to the story and felt underdeveloped.

The descriptions of NYC and Taiwan give you a good feel for both places, and the food descriptions will make your mouth water! I feel there was a missed opportunity to learn more about Taiwanese culture, especially what drove specific behavior. A lovely scene near the end of the story blends both cultures and I would’ve loved more like this.

Ultimately this is a story about family secrets, facing your fears, and discovering who you are.

Really enjoyed this. I loved the family dynamics, the complicated characters and relationships, and the look into Taiwan (and the food! I'm so hungry now).

After more than 20 years estranged from her father and stepfamily in Taiwan, Lexa goes back to grapple with the stepmother who forced her out. Raised by white parents, with a white sister, in NYC, Lexa struggled with her identity, dealt with a thousand microaggressions, and pretty much shunned her Taiwanese culture.

The book alternates between current day and 22 years ago, the last time Lexa was in Taiwan. Complicated family dynamics dominate both periods in Lexa's life. Her stepmother views 14-year old Lexa as some kind of would-be usurper and in present day, her American sister Maddie is a real piece of work with some problematic attitudes about the LGBTQ+ community (it's a little unclear if they stem from the breakup of their parents' marriage, or not).

Asian American readers will be all too familiar with the racism and microaggressions Lexa deals with in her daily life, and for others, if at times it feels like the author is lobbing every possible aggression in there, you'll get a sense of how real the problem actually is day in, day out.

For me, where the book gets interesting is when Lexa finally goes back to Taiwan. I actually wish we'd spent more time there in present day, as the story line wraps up pretty fast once she gets there. And I didn't totally believe one character's transformation. That said, I really enjoyed reading a contemporary Asian American story that had nothing to do with wars or generational trauma. And I'd be really interested in another book with Lexa and Hsu-Ling that really lets them explore sisterhood as adults.

3.5 stars