I received a gifted galley of THE TIGER MOM’S TALE by Lyn Liao Butler for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE TIGER MOM’S TALE follows Lexa, a young woman who is half Taiwanese and half white. She was raised by her white mother with a stepfather and a sister who she loves, but with whom she doesn’t always feel she fits in. She was able to get to know her father and his Taiwanese family a bit, but something went wrong and she no longer sees them. So when she gets news from her Taiwanese sister that their father has died, she is shaken.

This book takes on a lot of topics including racism, fetishism, and homophobia. The book begins with Lexa’s mom leaving her stepfather for a woman, something Lexa’s sister doesn’t take well at all. Her sister is also pretty negative when it comes to anything about Lexa’s other family. I think the author took a good look at Lexa’s feelings of being trapped between different worlds and different families and not especially feeling that she fits in with either, especially when facing racism even within her own family.

I did struggle with some of Lexa’s attitudes toward her personal trainer clients. One of her clients is a young woman who talks about how her father calls her fat and constantly insults her. Lexa’s response to that is to say he’s her father and she’d miss him if he wasn’t around which was very off putting to me. Yes he’s her father, but emotional abuse is abuse.

I enjoyed the dual timeline approach to this one. We saw what Lexa was going through in the present day and also slowly uncovered the mystery of what happened on that last summer when she was visiting her father and his family.

With a title and book cover like this one, it was hard not to be tempted to want to read it, and so, read it I did. At first, judging from its title, I was expecting a story that was going to be told from a tiger mom’s point of view, but I soon found out, right from the start, that it was a story about Alexa Thomas, or fondly known as Lexa, a personal trainer living in New York City who led a busy life catering to the demands of her health-conscious clients.

The book opened with Lexa being told by her mother that she was leaving him for another woman, Phoenix. Despite being shocked by the news, Lexa was more willing to accept her mother’s new relationship as compared to Maddie, who was mad at her for leaving her father. As the story progressed, we’d come to learn that Maddie was having some marital problems too and was overwhelmed by everything that was thrown at her at once.

While learning to accept her mother’s relationship, Lexa soon found out that there was more in store for her. Her Taiwanese sister, Hsu-Ling had just informed her that her biological father whom she had not met for more than 20 years, had passed away in a tragic accident. Hsu-Ling was coming to meet her in NYC because, according to her, Lexa was part of the father’s will. On top of that, Lexa found out that her Taiwanese family was going to lose their home and she was the only one who could save them from having nowhere to live.

As much as she was shocked to learn that she was part of her father’s will and was given such a big responsibility to save her Taiwanese family, Lexa was in a dilemma—should she help a family who had once betrayed her and her trust more than two decades ago? Do they deserve to be forgiven? Despite all these, she was also juggling a long-distance relationship with a man whom she had fallen head over heels with. But she couldn’t see a future with him, not only because they lived so far away, but also because he wanted children and she didn’t. What would and should Lexa do?

The story flowed seamlessly, kudos to the author’s storytelling skills. She kept this reader at bay as to what the family secret was, at the same time, introducing other characters into the story. While going back and forth between the present and the past when Lexa visited Taiwan with her mother, you could feel how conflicted Lexa was in being caught up between her two families, one in America and the other in Taiwan. And not only was she learning about her new family, but at the same time, she was also discovering the other part of her by learning the language, absorbing the culture, tasting new food, and most of all, trying to reaffirm her identity as part Chinese. Was she Chinese enough to be Chinese? Fortunately, besides the weather, she adapted easily and the Changs were very welcoming; the father doted on her, spoiling her with gifts and good food, and Hsu-Ling, her sister, whom I thought, would be jealous of her with the attention she was getting from her father, instead loved Lexa just as much as her father, even grandma and Uncle Pong grew fond of Lexa. All of them, except for one, which you’ll find out in the story.

On the other hand, her American family was trying to adjust to some changes too. Maddie was trying to work out on her marriage while trying to care for her kids, while Susan was reprioritising her life now that she was in a new relationship, and Greg, Lexa’s stepdad, seemed to be mysteriously occupied too. Will the Thomas family be able to cope with all that was going on? Will Lexa be able to find a right balance between her two families and her love life?

My favourite parts were definitely Lexa’s first visit to Taiwan, when she was introduced to all the popular hangouts and the local delicacies. Just reading about the sesame balls got me all craving for them. I love red bean sesame balls and didn’t know they were sold in Taiwan too. And not to mention stinky tofu! I had always thought it was a Hong Kong thing. And of course, who doesn’t love bubble tea. Have I mentioned the floating fish balls? They are so popular in Taiwan that they are sold in Malaysia too, and the Malaysians love them. When traveling is safe again, Taiwan will be one of my destinations to visit.

I also enjoyed reading about the chemistry Lexa shared with her sisters, Maddie and Hsu-Ling. Although their differences in personalities got on to Lexa’s nerves in the beginning, always having to walk on eggshells when being in their company, she eventually learned how to navigate between her sisters and allowed nature to take its course.

There was nothing I didn’t like about the novel, although I did wish the characters were more developed, as I felt they were slightly compromised because of the many other side characters that were introduced, which I felt weren’t integral to the story, like her crush, Yung; the bartender Rob; some of her clients like Christy and Kiley, her shi-fu and a few others. And I also felt the kung-fu parts and towards the ending when she met a stranger at the Confucius statue, were a little forced. That aside, I appreciated the author’s intention of including the other characters to bring discuss other themes besides family, identity, and love, such as racism, Asian women fetishism, and body image. Yes, there were a lot that the author tried to achieve in one novel; an attempt I respect, this being her first novel.

If you’re looking for a quick story to devour, give this a gander, especially if you love a good family drama, and one that includes learning something about our Asian culture and Taiwanese food!

THE TIGER MOM'S TALE centers around Lexa Thomas, a biracial woman who used to visit her Taiwanese father as a child. However something happened in a fateful summer in Taiwan and she stopped being in contact with him. When her father unexpectedly dies, she has to travel back to Taiwan and confront the events of the past.

The story is mainly about Lexa's journey to claim her Taiwanese heritage - being biracial, she often feels not Asian nor American enough. I thought that Butler captures in an authentic way her struggles with identity and belonging.

My favorite parts are definitely her time in Taiwan, with accurate cultural elements shining through the pages: it's impressive how the food, which is mentioned throughout the story, can bring back (sweet) memories and comfort us (niurou mien, tian bu la, tai yang bing, rou geng, stinky tofu, bao bing, turnip cake, bubble tea...); allied with well-known places such as Sun Moon lake and original bubble teahouse in Taichung. The fact that her relatives keep offering food just reminded me of my own experiences, in addition to "anything goes here in Taiwan when it comes to traffic rules" is so true to reality. There's even a typical Taiwanese tiger mom, who is strict, demands perfect scores and requires full days of supplementary learning classes. It was heartwarming to read Lexa's family traditions/superstition which hit so close to home.

The queer representation in this novel is appreciated since this is a theme quite taboo in Taiwanese culture. By touching on fetishization of Asian women, whiteness and disability, the story is multilayered without being overly dense. Shifting between past and present, as the secrets from the past are unfolded, the plot grabs the reader and doesn't let us go. Both storyline and characters were well-crafted and what intrigued me the most was the emotional letter. While Lexa's (personal trainer) conversations with her clients weren't the most interesting, I still found them dynamic and therapeutic, adding a lighter tone to the plot. The ending might seem too nicely wrapped up for some readers yet I personally enjoyed it.

With fluid prose, THE TIGER MOM'S TALE is a family drama packed with betrayals and intrigues but also warmth and insights to Taiwanese culture. I can't believe that this is a debut and this book is everything and more than I had expected. I want everyone to read it!

I adored this book. It made me feel so, so much. Lexa such a complex and relatable main character-she has struggled with belonging her entire life, and the author does such a fantastic job of explaining the sense of displacement Lexa has experienced and the circumstances that have led to her being such a guarded, cautious person. For most of the book the setting is modern day NYC but (big but) Lexa's life story, in particular in relation to her Taiwanese family, is described in long flashbacks to her childhood/early teenage years. First of all, I'm a sucker for stories in which big past events are hinted at and then slowly revealed throughout the narrative, and in TTMT it was done sooooo well. Second: I loooved the descriptions of Taiwan and above all, the food. I need a sesame ball, stat. Also pineapple ice. Seriously, they should come with the book!! And this story has a big cast, with lots of things happening and lots of characters with their own lives and wants and needs, and I have to say: the author is a narrative genius because some of these characters I really, really hated, but by the end I felt for them and really understood their motivations. COMPLEXITY!!!! Oh, also I adored Lexa's interactions with her clients! She's a personal trainer who sort of moonlights as a psychologist with her clients and it made me lover her/the clients even more!.

I don't want to give out spoilers, but the ending was SO UPLIFTING. This is not strictly a romance, but I just loved that the book described Lexa's journey through accepting herself, finding her own place in the world, and dealing with hurts of the past and unsolved trauma to slowly become ready to open her heart and embrace her future, and I loved how this journey was symbolized by her relationships with Jake.

90 stars out of 5,

Lexa has always felt out of place. Too Asian to fit in with her white family and too American to fit in with her Taiwanese family. He estranged Taiwanese father dies unexpectedly and it forces Lexa to face her past. Lexa faces insecurities from the past, a scandal, and learning the truth about her family. She learns the true meaning of family.

What an incredible debut! I loved everything about this book. It was incredible!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: July 6

I loved this smart, fun novel about a young women stuck between two identities. I was immediately drawn in not just by the main character, Lex, but also by the wonderfully vivid cast around her. I particularly loved the scenes set in Taiwan, which Butler brought to life with so much colour. Her descriptions of food are sublime - I defy anyone to read this book and not feel hungry! This is a beautifully written debut novel and I cannot wait to read whatever the author writes next.

Thank you Berkley Books for a copy of this book. I love really enjoyed Lexa’a story as she struggles with all the changes in her life and revisiting her past. As an Asian American, I have experienced not being Chinese enough and her dating experience of guys into Asian women. The story was so well told between the past and the present and seeing the relationships between the families.

What a way to come out of the gate with a debut novel! Bravo this book was so complex yet easy to read. I can’t explain it, in many scenes it was as if I was there I had all the feels that this young girl had. Vivid descriptions of mouth-watering meals, you can almost taste them. A story of belonging, betrayal, and the bonds between family that can never be broken. This is a must read

What a fun endearing read! Seriously, what’s not to love? A dive into a different culture, a gutsy heroine who wants to reclaim her family and cultural identity, travel through food and to Taiwan, and a touch of romance.

I loved the complexity that the author built into the novel. Over the first half I learned to love Lexa, a personal trainer who is comfortable in her life in New York, but has never gotten past the estrangement from her birth father and family in Taiwan.

I gasped out loud at one moment in this book – about half way through when Lexa, the heroine reads a letter that sets up an undeniable choice; return to Taiwan to save the family she’s estranged from, or stay in her comfortable US life.

A beautiful fun and uplifting story of a family torn apart- a reminder that family can make us who we are – but also let– down and cause pain. But mostly a remembrance of the beauty, warmth, and universality of family ties, across continents and cultures.

This novel left me wanting to hear more from Lexa, and dying to visit Taiwan, drink bubble tea and eat sesame balls.

If you love to travel through books and enjoy books packed with food, family, friends, love, and secrets, this one’s for you!

I can’t wait for Lyn’s second book – already scheduled for 2022 apparently!

3.5 rounded to 4
This is a structurally complicated book, especially for a debut novel. I was impressed by how much story Butler managed to pack in, as our heroine, who is half white, half Asian, has to not only navigate between these two cultures, but on top of that she must deal with a family breakup that created silence for the crucial years of her growing up.

The terms of a will draw her back to Taiwan, which otherwise she never wanted to see again. Along the way on her trip we meet family members (including her two very different half-sisters), elders as well as peers, and a reintroduction to Taiwan. Oh, and there is romance!

I got really involved in the story, though I had some misgivings, mostly centered on a pivotal character whose one-dimensional nastiness might edge a bit too close to stereotype. Especially given the title. [(And was given an easy pass at the end, without us every truly understanding how the character got to be so Eeevil.)

But the other characters make up for it, the food descriptions are delicious, and the glimpses of Taiwan were intriguing. I was impressed overall by this debut novel, and look forward to more from this author.

This book is an amazing read. It covers what it means to be in both worlds, American and Taiwanese. I love the contrast between the two worlds.. I would love to see more books like this aimed at the Asian-American audience. It covers the landscape of living in New York and provides a descriptive anecdote of what Taiwan looks like to American eyes. The main character is lovable. Before the last chapter ended, it was tear-jerking and I could almost see this on a Netflix movie.

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

Lexi has two half sisters--one with her mother and one with her dad. When life throws some curve balls, the three of the women come together to figure out how to move forward.

This is a fantastic book by debut novelist Lyn Liao Butler! It had a little bit of everything: suspense, romance, sibling rivalry, and vivid descriptions of Taiwan and food. SO MUCH FOOD. I felt for poor Lexa and what she'd suffered at the hands of a jealous and desperate woman who should have known better! My interest was piqued from the start, desperate to know what had kept her away from her family in Taiwan for twenty years and the answer did not disappoint. There were times I wanted to strangle Lexa's American half-sister, but even she experienced character development. It was interesting yet heartbreaking to learn the types of bias and racist attitudes experienced by Asian women. Finally, I got the chills in the final scenes when Lexa found peace. I highly recommend this novel to fans of women's fiction, especially those who enjoy some romantic elements. But fair warning: don't read hungry!

Pros :: Strong debut book and excellent weave of two cultures. Good story line, interesting main characters and really good segue's from the end of the chapter to the beginning of the next. The family dynamics were realistic, relatable and so interesting to read about the Taiwanese culture. The chapters were well paced and interesting. Going back in time and then jumping to the current time smooth. Will look for more books from this author.

Cons :: Felt that some of the dialogue was stilted and a bit repetitive (ie Lexa going on the date and then relating it almost verbatim to her friends. Felt that Pin-Yen's conversion to see her own faults was a bit sudden, however the reason why she acted like she did towards Hsu-Ling (the tiger's mom) and Lexa was well laid out.

Cover art :: 5 out 5; Excellent

Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5 Writing: 3/5

36-year old Alexa Thomas is hit with a double whammy when she learns that Chang Jing Tao — her Taiwanese biological father — is dead after 22 years of estrangement and that it is up to her whether or not his extended Taiwanese family will lose their homes. A personal trainer in New York City who loves her clients, Alexa was raised by her white American mother and adoptive father. Efforts to learn more about her Taiwanese family came to a screeching halt the summer she was 14 and had a lot to do with the titular Tiger Mom — Jing Tao’s second wife.

A fun book with good writing and likable characters. Butler is a great storyteller, and I confess I read this in a single sitting on one insomniac night! Taiwanese culture is explored — mostly through mouth watering food descriptions but with some customs and the tiniest bit of history added in. While hitting plenty of hot topic buttons (being bi-racial, not fitting in, family break up, and … wait for it … the exploration of one’s sexuality at an “elderly” age), they weren’t the agenda laden center of the book. Instead they were simply influencing factors of Alexa’s life. We all have individual personalities and contexts in our lives, and I like to see “hot topic” forces relegated to the background of one person’s individual story.

Enjoyed this book. Main characters were easy to get invested in. Too many side stories and characters for my taste. Enjoyed the descriptions of the wonderful food. Book clubs will enjoy this book as there are many topics to discuss. I think this will be easy to sell.

I absolutely loved this book! THE TIGER MOM'S TALE is an expertly woven family drama that deeply explores the complexities of identity. The book's fiery heroine, Lexa, is caught between her two families--her mother, step father and half sister in New York City, and her father, and half sister in Taiwan. The two settings are incredibly vivid, and richly drawn to show the great contrast between them, and help us to understand why Lexa feels that she does not belong completely in one or the other. The author writes passionately about Taiwanese culture, paying particular attention to what makes it so unique (And with fabulous food descriptions! Yum!!) One of the things I like best about this book are how complex and flawed each of the female characters are written. All of the women are strong in such different ways. Butler creates real magic as she brings these women together under difficult circumstances of anger, grief, and compassion. Their heartfelt (and sometimes heated!) conversations had me turning the pages faster and faster. There are moments of human silliness and belly laughter, as well as scenes of gut wrenching tension, and Butler balances these tones expertly. I loved the way the book dipped back in time, and across settings, and included perspectives from every side of the story. Butler is certainly a master of character and relationships, and I cannot wait to meet her next cast!

Upon hearing the premise of this book, it instantly became one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I mean, a biracial Taiwanese-American woman reclaiming her heritage and getting caught up in a web of family secrets? What could go wrong? A lot, apparently, because The Tiger Mom's Tale was hands down the worst book I have read so far this year.

Starting off with what few positives there were, I think this book includes some important topics such as ableism, the fetishization of Asian women, and the struggles of belonging faced by biracial individuals. However, the way these topics were discussed was severely lacking and, when combined with the other aspects of this book, left a sour taste in my mouth.

Even though I was super excited to dive into this book, from the first page, something just felt off. The book kicks off with the main character, Lexa, finding out that her mother has left her dad for a woman. While Lexa does become generally accepting of her mother's new relationship, the same cannot be said for Maddie, who completely refuses to acknowledge their mother's girlfriend. While I can completely understand that hearing that your parents are splitting up is upsetting to hear, the way Maddie reacted and behaved throughout the book just felt vaguely homophobic. In addition, it also became very clear to me from the beginning that the writing style in this book was not for me. I don't want to say it was bad per se, but it was just... very mediocre and the dialogue was also EXTREMELY cringy. Another thing that started early on in the book and bugged me throughout was the lowkey fatphobic remarks that are thrown around and never addressed or challenged. Lexa is a personal trainer, and while I guess I imagine it's realistic, some of the things both she and her clients say and think just felt kind of icky to me.

Despite a rocky start, I continued on with the book because I wanted to give it a fair chance. It did not get better.

I think the main thing that this book suffered from was that it tried to do too much, which made it impossible for me to connect with...anything. On the surface, Lexa and I have a lot in common. Aside from being Taiwanese but living in North America, her Taiwanese family is from Taichung and their last name is Chang (same as me! which I was very excited to find out). I went into this book ready to fall in love with her, and I just didn't. There were also far too many side characters that weren't fleshed out and who I just didn't care about. I hated Maddie with a burning passion, didn't care about Lexa's love interest or her mom or her mom's girlfriend or her dad or her other dad, and the handful of Lexa's friends we meet were forgettable and didn't add to the story. We are also introduced to a bunch of Lexa's clients and none of their stories were interesting to me in the slightest. As for the story, the main plot is Lexa uncovering a bunch of family secrets and us learning about why she has not returned to Taiwan since a trip when she was 14. It's told in alternating timelines, which I actually thought was alright as it kept me invested in the story. However, there are also like 20 different subplots that just gave me whiplash to read about and that I also DID NOT CARE ABOUT. I won't go into them because of spoilers but it was lowkey impressive how these subplots were simultaneously overwhelming and also did not add to the characters or the story at all.

Some other things that bugged me because I've run out of brainpower to write things in coherent paragraphs:
- The mandarin dialogue that was present in this book felt very clunky and not like how Taiwanese people speak, at least from my experiences
- There were some weird age gap-ish relationships that were just there...for no reason...and not addressed? for WHY?
- Lexa refers to herself as Chinese, saying wo shi zhongguo ren, which is inherently an issue but it was just weird seeing a Taiwanese character refer to herself that way
- At one point there is mention of Lexa's mom "changing her sexual orientation" which is... not a great way of describing the situation
- At the end, a big bad thing happens and the person that does the big bad thing and has been doing big bad things throughout the book is forgiven WAY too easily

The only thing I enjoyed about this book was Ah-ma, even the food descriptions were underwhelming.

Needless to say, I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone and am very sad that this book didn't work for me as I was highly anticipating this release by a Taiwanese-American author.

Upon reading the blurb for this book, I was excited. A story of Lexa, a biracial woman reconnecting with her Taiwanese identity? An exploration of her not feeling Asian enough in certain spaces, and not white enough in others? Those feelings sounded all too familiar to me, and I was anxious to read a book that dove into such hard-to-communicate themes. That being said, this story fell drastically short.

This book felt disorganized. Plot points were consistently shoved into the story, seemingly to make the characters more three-dimensional, but only really served to dilute the overall message of the book. The dialogue between any and all characters was distractedly unrealistic; I found myself consistently pausing to push through dialogue that was either overloaded with cliches or completely bizarre in its structure. What two people have a conversation over dinner that starts with small talk about work, devolves into a question about wanting children, then becomes a spontaneous discussion about experiencing a personal death (all within less than 2 pages)?

Additionally, I really fear how the stereotypes portrayed in this book will translate to readers not of Asian descent. The "Tiger Mom" trope can be damaging, even more so when the Tiger Moms shown in books aren't just strict mothers with expectations, but are fully unhinged, vindictive, and violent characters. Tiger Mom doesn't automatically correlate with abusive, and that distinction needs to be made more clear than it was here.

Overall, I appreciated what Lyn Liao Butler was trying to do with this story. After reading her author bio, the pieces of herself that she intertwined into this book are clear, and I think more stories about feeling out-of-place in one's own identity need to be published and widely read. This being said, this story needed work. The main point of the book - re-accepting one's own identity after years of shoving it away - should have been more clearly center stage than it was. The plot twists added to shock readers to add depth to a situation were certainly dramatic, but often hinged on being completely inappropriate: a family drama can be dramatic without veering so far from reality. Cheesy dialogue doesn't need to be added at every turn.

I wish I had liked this more, but I have no doubt that there is an audience anxious to get their hands on this book.

Lyn Liao Butler’s debut novel, The Tiger Mom’s Tale is a fresh and engaging take on one woman’s reconciliation with her past, the complexities of women’s relationships with each other as family and found family, and the everyday experiences of Asian American women in this country today.

The book follows the main character, Lexa, as she finds out that her estranged Taiwanese father has passed away. In his will, he gives her an ultimatum that will eventually send her from New York City to Taichung, setting her up for a confrontation that might finally put unresolved feelings about her father to rest. While the plot hinges on the actions of her father, it is Lexa’s relationships with the women in her life – her mother, her half-sisters, her stepmother, and her friends – that make this book so engaging. Butler does an amazing job of showing us the warp and weft of emotions and reactions that create the bindings between women. From her bemused enjoyment of her friend’s quirks to the fraught connections she has with her half-sisters (and the tension they have with each other) to the reluctant acceptance she shows for her mother’s choices, Lexa navigates a world that is full of bold women with strong personalities.

The Tiger Mom’s Tale is a timely and skillfully penned meditation on the nature of families and the lengths that women will go to protect them and I highly recommend it.