The best way to get two groups to get to know each other is through food. This book does such a good job of explaining the inner turmoil of being a person struggling to understand yourself and learning about a new place and culture.

⭐⭐⭐

I wanted to like this one more than I ended up. It wasn't a badly written book, and there were plenty of "laugh out loud" moments. However, I just never warmed up to Tina. I also had an issue with the fact this is a work of fiction, but read more like a memoir. It made reading it a bit discombobulating. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

It has been forever since I flew through a book this quick.
Did I like Tina at the start? No.
Did Tina win me over with her persistence and willingness to not give up? Absolutely!!
Oh Piper! Your strong willed nature reminds me of my own daughter and I adore you very much!
At first I read this for the title. Well done on that one. This book made me laugh slot and cheer for the wins.
Great read!!

Thank you to the author, She Writes Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well-written novel about expat life as a following spouse with two small children in a completely foreign country, environment and language. I found it hard not to read this as a memoir, and the cultural observations will rub some readers very much the wrong way. The POV is unapologetically American, the tone is high-strung female unwilling to bend or adapt to the culture she has landed in - which leads to some darkly comic scenes, but also some deeply touching moments of struggling to find your feet, and find yourself anew. The pace is breakneck, but by the end the protagonist has been taught and learned to breath and live a bit slower. I found the ending rather abrupt and the resolution completely open, but in a way that's the whole point of the story arch.

An American mother at the brink of a psychotic breakdown enters Shanghai, and she isn't prepared. Well, that's the premise of a book that is extremely American in its tone and will leave behind a chuckle or two.

Tina is just trying to be in control of her present. Her moving across the world for a much needed break hasn't exactly been as predicted. For once, it's the cultural shock. Her lifestyle and thought process stands stark against the Chinese cul, one that is stressing her out a bit too much.

Fish Heads and Duck Skin is about imbibing a foreign culture, the distinct feeling of being way out of place, and embarrassing encounters that teach us a thing or two about the way we see the world. Salatka stays true to the American lifestyle. The Chinese side of things-not so much. I believe there was enough space for more representation and events that could spice things up a bit.

All in all, ✨Fish Heads and Duck Skin ✨ is a light-hearted take on certain experiences we all have been a part of- most importantly, cultural differences and the mindless desire to be in control.

I like the cover and that’s about it. I couldn’t really get into the story, having to actually take breaks from reading, only to begrudgingly try to dive back in. This book was not for me.

𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭.

Tina Martin works far too hard, life is wearing her down and all she wants is some calm in her life. Reeled into attending a SIS event with her friend Jennifer, where neighborhood “mompreneurs” inspire one another, sell their wares and network, Tina is encouraged to get a reading from a psychic. Laughing at the woman, she tempers her hilarity long enough to ask a question. Fresh from her fight with husband Daniel, she wonders if they will be getting a divorce. When the cards are flipped, she discovers that her journey with Daniel has “only just begun.” A big choice is about to be made, life altering changes, one that require leaps and bounds. Returning home that night, high on possibilities, she seduces her husband with a vision. What if they moved somewhere exotic, somewhere she could write and he could work with robots or whatever tickled his fancy? Their girls could thrive under the love and attention of their mother, finally!

The winds of fate blow in, Daniel is offered a position in Shanghai, China. The silly, five dollar psychic’s words begins to come true! Together, they fly to Shanghai where the ‘exotic journey’ is about to begin. She just knows in this foreign, mystical land she will reach an inner peace, become a better version of herself, no longer worn down by the demands of the American life. The flight itself doesn’t bode well as she and the girls are seated separately from Daniel. It’s not enough to swap turns and trade seats, the girls are unhinged! It goes from bad to worse. Nothing improves when they land at their destination after a horrid 14 hour flight. The culture shock is immediate from the taxi ride to the only hotel their budget affords their little family.

The city is bustling, full of foreign noises, roads full of traffic that will run you down in a split second. The store has their American treats but then an incident overwhelms Tina, and the universe can’t even spare a moment on a patch of grass to allow her to collect her sanity. Luckily, an Ayi 阿姨 comes to their rescue- even if she isn’t sure what exactly the grandma does. An Ayi is not a grandma but a nanny referred to as an Aunt as a form of respect. Nothing comes easy, not even finding a place to live. Learning how to order coffee is yet another learning experience, one where she makes her first friend. How did Tina get them all into this mess? In her first email to her friend Jennifer, she unloads with her observations of her host country- not even attempting to be generous to the locals. Her rosy tinted glasses are off, and she regrets this journey already.

Her reactions to the customs of the locals clash with her western views, seeing only the worse. She admits, “I’m too rigid to adapt.” She feels like a failure already. When an older man helps her daughter Piper off the monkey bars in the park, she doesn’t yet know he will become a rock in the days that follow, and a spiritual mentor of sorts. One she sorely needs as she seems to do everything wrong, leading to no end of personal disasters. It’s a learning experience, at times brutal, but she just may discover her passion, if she can just get her footing right.

Americans often imagine foreign places with our ‘westernized eyes’ and have a difficult time embracing the differences, instead comparing back home to the place we find ourselves. That never bodes well. It takes an open mind and flexibility to adjust. So many people want the exotic dream rather than the reality. Tina gets a big wake up call, but in the end she discovers a purpose and that makes the world of difference. I spent a lot of time laughing at her deflated optimism and enjoyed her daughters the most. They actually behave like children, causing scenes, voicing their endless demands and yet adjusting far better to the new world than the adults. Tina is often ridiculous, she says herself she is too rigid to adapt, and at times it’s true. She is as ignorant as other expats, neglecting to see how bountiful their lives are. It is a different culture, a separate history and events that form us are not shared- they can’t be, not truly. It’s all in one’s perspective. We often can only see through our own experience. Those from the west seem spoiled, but to be fair, we only know our way of living too, based on our own customs and culture.

It’s a humorous read with honest reactions and reflections. I have lived overseas, I remember in Japan hearing other Americans shriek in restaurants over seeing a fish (fully cooked) served with it’s head still attached. No big deal for me, but for some reason it’s a shock to others when food looks like, well what it resembles when it’s alive. Poverty is always one of the hardest realities to face, and so many of us are sheltered from it. We’re sheltered from many other things too, but when you travel you have to be open to differences and not judge from your Western beliefs- it’s often easier said than done. We idealize what a trip, or a move, is going to be like- but reality loves to challenge us. Tina will be challenged and feel like a lame duck. Will she ever find an anchor? I sure never had a mentor of my own, would have been a blessing to be sure!

Publication Date: July 20th, 2021

She Writes Press

Unfortunately a DNF for me. I could tell from the first chapter when Tina attempts to spray water on local women in a restroom that this book would be problematic.

Unfortunately I’m not even sure I could say the writing was good enough to make it worth reading. The dialogue was particularly painful.

Not a good match for me!

Overworked and stressed Tina needs a change. Her life is spiraling out of control and fast. Her and her family move to China for a change. I wanted to like this book, but I struggled. It seemed that the author was derogatory towards the culture of China. I can understand being out of your element, but this was a hard book to get through.

I really liked the cover a bit different , however i found the story hard going but i did stick with it, wasn't what i thought

I got a weird apologetic 'I'm not racist" letter from the publisher and I felt like maybe they needed to do a sensitivity read from someone where the book takes place before it got to this point? It seemed very othering in places and I'm not sure if that was supposed to be the character or the thoughts of the author.

I very much wanted to love this book. I had a preconceived notion that it might be in the spirit of Erma Bombeck's mishap-adventure books, which I loved in my younger days. The premise is promising - young professional workaholic mother of two gives up the American dream so her husband can take a job in Shanghai.

I was intrigued by her confusing, frustrating immersion into Chinese culture, but the gems of storytelling were difficult to extract from the juvenile gross-out humor. After a stomach-turning first chapter which went into way too much detail about an accident in a dirty trench bathroom, I thought we might be done with the body-function humor. But then, her daughter ate too much candy and got airsick on another passenger on the flight over. Subsequent chapters happily referred to more potty antics, and just *had* to mention the smell of pee in the air.

I made it to the halfway mark and had to stop. In an ideal world, this book would be re-written to focus more on the adventure, and less on stuff that comes out of our bodies.

My thanks to author Lindsey Salatka, NetGalley, and She Writes Press for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I was very excited to read this book as I have a connection with this topic approaching. Looking at other reviews of this book after I finished reading it, I can tell that I am in the minority with my thoughts. However, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I did really enjoy reading about the culture in China some, but I felt like the book was really disjointed from chapter to chapter. I also didn't enjoy the writing and the author's humor throughout the book. This is a fiction story that reads like a memoir, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Tina Martin is a burnt out Type-A working mom in America, she knows she should devote more time and attention to her young daughters and her devoted but over-taxed husband Daniel. But instead the family moves to Shanghai where chaos increases exponentially. Even though this book is unabashedly comical (parenting fails, bottomless pit of husband's patience, lots and lots and lots of fecal/vomit gags, etc) there were plenty of profound bits that resonate deeply, like all of Tina's friendships whether with longtime BFF Jennifer back home, new-found expat heroines, or Mr Han her quasi-grandfatherly tai chi master.

I think this book is more for the uninitiated; those with experience living in Asia may find the over-the-topness of it all a bit insensitive. Not to say I didn't laugh my ass off in spite of it!

Thanks to NetGalley and SheWrites for the ARC, release scheduled for 20 July, 2021.

As an Army wife and Air Force brat, I know all to well the challenges that come with picking up your life and moving to some far away place. That’s exactly what happens to Tina Martin. Exhausted, overworked, and, in her mind, unappreciated, she agrees to give up the corporate hustle and bustle to support her husband in his new job…in Shanghai!

Having spent some time in Japan as a teenager, I know all too well the dangers of the open-trench restrooms that makes the opening scene rather unforgettable.

What I liked:
I liked that the author talks about the ex-pat community and explores different aspects of the Chinese culture. There were many laugh-out-loud scenes, but also lots of touching moments where you get to see Tina grow as a mom and a person.

Things I Wish Had Been Different:
This book has a lot of dialogue. A lot. And while I enjoy clever banter as much as the next girl, sometimes it felt a bit forced to use dialogue to push the story along. I almost wonder if this story would have been better served written in first person? It would have allowed us to feel Tina’s growth as a character a bit better. Currently, she comes off a little bratty. I appreciate that the author intended to show how hard it was for her to adjust to live, not just in a new place, but entirely immersed in a foreign culture. There were several places I couldn't help but think, “how very American of her." I will say that by the end, she has gained some true appreciation for the Chinese culture, but I might have liked to see that developed a bit more.



This was a quick and easy read, and I could empathize with the main character in many ways. For the nod to how hard it is to be a working mom and the challenges that come from learning to live abroad, I give this a solid three stars.

As a writer and reader of mostly travel memoirs, I had to keep reminding myself that this book about traveling to China with two small children in tow was fiction. It so resembled my life in Singapore with my two children. The author had to have experienced life in China at some point (but maybe not??) because her descriptions, stories, and experiences sounded very realistic.

At first, I wasn't sure this was the book for me. For one thing, I don't read a lot of fiction, and the author's humor rubbed me the wrong way at first. I continued, though, as I looked forward to the part about moving to Shanghai. It didn't disappoint., especially because I related to so much of the story. Salatka doesn't hold back writing about her relationship with her kids and husband, the difficulty in making friends with other expats, and the culture and the many things she had to get used to while living there. Her tale about the washing machine, delivery man, and his shoes was a highlight.

Whether you like to read fiction or travel memoirs readers will enjoy this fast-paced and humorous book.

I requested Fish Heads and Duck Skin thinking it would be a love letter to Shanghai, but it turns out it's a more of a condescending look at Shanghai. The story begins with the main character wanting to leave behind her old life for a new and more rewarding life with her family. I have no idea of she finds this happier life because after nothing but judgmental comments about the new area they will be living in, I didn't really care. Then it became a DNF for me when her friend asks her why she hasn't been in touch, is it because her fingers are too greasy from all the wontons she's eating?

This all explains the apologetic email that was sent from publisher about how supportive the author is of Asians. Clearly, that realized (way too late) that this is an offensive book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It is well-written and certainly full of humorous episodes based on the author's own experiences living in Shanghai. But even as fiction, it relies too heavily on turns of events that don't even seem possible or are too coincidental to be believed. As a reader, it is hard to not read this as a memoir, and in that respect, it is hard to like the main character or almost any of the characters. The author seems to have had a very difficult adjustment to Shanghai life. Or wait. Was it the fictional main character having trouble? It is almost painful to read this book because it seems to really slam life in Shanghai with little respect, other than a few token characters, for the country itself. Oh, wait. It's fiction.
I think that readers who've lived abroad will naturally be drawn to this book because it is fun to read about expatriate life in other countries. But it left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the way the author presented her host country.
The ending is very slick and almost too abrupt. I found myself looking for the rest of the book. In that sense, I believe that a sequel is coming and I hope that it will be more even-handed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.