I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Central Places by Delia Cai from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. The story line of this book felt to me like one I'd read in the past but couldn't recall the name of the prior book. I did like this book and the writing style of Delia Cai and would absolutely read more by her in the future. Thanks for the opportunity to read/review this.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Audrey Zhou is returning to her small town in Illinois to introduce her white fiance to her immigrant parents. Audrey basically left her hometown, went to Harvard and then NYC and never to look back. She's created a life that is what is was brought up to desire but it's really facade with many cracks starting to surface. She lost track of her best friend who now despises her, a boy she had a crush on (maybe loved) but never took any action, and a mom she can't tolerate and a father who is quiet but loving. The author beautiful describes why Audrey left in such a hurry (one instance on the many times her name is mispronouced by everyone even her fiance) and her realization of her mistakes, regrets and possibly what she wants for her life with this knowledge. Interesting dissection of what it means to Asian American and the forces that pull on us in many directions.

Although Central Places is the first novel written by author Delia Cai, this surely isn’t her first rodeo and it shows! Her writing style is engaging, and her characters are real — each one relatable to people we’ve known in our own lives. It’s written entirely from the point of view of its main protagonist, Audrey Zhou, who grew up in a small town in the Midwest feeling as a fish out of water because she was one of the very few minorities in her school and her community. She also had an extremely contentious and difficult relationship with her mother. Needless to say, she couldn’t wait to graduate high school and leave her hometown for greener pastures.

After having done so, Audrey didn’t look back — for eight years. She never returned to her hometown; she cut ties with all of her former friends; and she saw or spoke to her parents infrequently. After eight years, Audrey felt on top of the world, living in New York, having a successful, lucrative career, and newly engaged to a seemingly perfect mate. The only problem was that her fiancée, Ben, the Caucasian son of affluent parents, born and raised in New York, insisted they return to Audrey’s hometown to meet her parents to receive their blessing. Ben easily could charm the knickers off a nun; what possibly could go wrong? Audrey — Audrey had to face the demons she’d fled eight years earlier; Audrey had to face herself.

I want to thank Delia Cai, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital copy of Central Places to read and to provide my voluntary review. I’m looking forward to reading whatever book Ms. Cai writes next.

I made a mistake and read other reviews before picking up this book, so I thought I wasn't going to like it.
This is not a rom com. This isn't even a typical literary fiction about a relationship or "the one that got away." I had the impression that this was going to be like Sweet Home Alabama, but with an Asian lead and in the suburbs. It was not like SHA at all.
This is a story about what happens when you don't deal with your sh*t. and try to just shove every unresolved trauma or issue down.
Audrey, the MC, thinks she is doing great, and on paper her life seems to be exactly what she's always wanted: the job, the fiancé, the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood. She has everything she told herself she wanted. But as soon as she is forced to go back to her home town when her dad is having a medical procedure right around Christmas, she realizes she isn't as happy as she thought. This book deals with her trying to figure out what she wants, how she feels, and if any of that is acceptable in the long run.
This book could have been so trite, or predictable, or taken the easy road out, but it never does. There is no easy answer for Audrey. I saw several people (in the reviews I shouldn't have read) who hated Audrey and the self-destructive decisions she made. And I got frustrated with her too, constantly. In almost every interaction with ANYONE in the book, I personally would have acted and reacted differently than she did. It was hard to like her, or even empathize with her. But that is part of the point- Audrey grew up in a small town with less than 10 ethnic kids in the entire school. She was one of two Asians. She was never white enough for her peers, her parents were never white enough for her, and she wasn't Chinese enough for them, especially her mom. She constantly felt the odd man out, even when others were trying to be accepting. And when she had a chance to leave, she took it and cut all ties. She never dealt with her trauma in how she was raised (especially with her mom) and didn't want to have the hard talks or the weight around her neck of keeping up with friends from back home, so she just... didn't.
Watching Audrey sort through her life crumbling around her was oftentimes infuriating. I wanted to shake her more than once. But I also had a really solid foundation, especially with my family, growing up. When I tried to view the situation through her lens I had so much more sympathy. Seeing her actually begin to work through the many layers of trauma and resentments she had let build up was really stunning, and I don't think many authors could have pulled it off in such an authentic and yet still entertaining way.
Overall, this wasn't my typical read, and I didn't "enjoy" several parts of it, but I think it was a beautiful novel. I will definitely be looking forward to more from Delia Cai.

Really relatable story of being first generation in a town where not many people look like you. I really enjoyed the complicated relationship with her parents and how they eventually came to some understanding of one another.

I don't share the main character's experience of growing up Asian in a majority-white town, but I absolutely related to all the parts about growing up a rural area and then becoming a "coastal elite." Cai shines in her descriptions of this experience! In fact, it almost might have been *too* relateable ... to the point where maybe it seemed a little boring because the character's life and emotions seemed so completely ordinary. But that's not meant to be a knock on Cai's writing - rather a testament to how accurately she captures this experience. Read with my book club and there were lots of mixed feelings (including my own), which makes for a good book club book, IMHO!

I would like to thank Random House publishing group for proving a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. Central Places tells the story of Audrey, who returns to the small town she grew up in to see her parents after years of living and having a successful career in New York. She is accompanied by her fiancée. She quickly is reminded why she left and is forced to confront people and situations that she wishes would stay in the past. She is also forced to reexamine her past behavior and her life back in New York as well as current relationships. The dynamic with her parents is central to the plot as she is haunted by what she deems to be unreasonable expectations. This was an interesting read. The book pays off in the end with some surprising choices by the characters leading to major consequences for our protagonist.

Overall, a huge letdown.

The premise was of course, interesting, but a dangerous one as it isn't "new". I still had hope that Cai would write us something unique, or at the very least something that the reader could connect to, but Central Places never reaches that point.

Our MC, Audrey, is quite annoying. We see no character growth and her "troubles" aren't really troubles, even within the scope of her life.

I have found a new author in Delia Cai with her new novel Central Places. It's a tale of dealing with all the various aspects of life--work, family, personal life, etc. while coming home to your younger self. Really an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Central Places is on sale now!

I enjoyed reading this book! I thought it was interesting and well-written. I look forward to this author’s next work!

Audrey moved away from her hometown, reinvented herself, and she meets Ben. The new Audrey fits perfectly with Ben and his lifestyle. She returns home and she meets up with her old crush. Kyle knows who Audrey really is and not the new facade she is portraying. This meeting brings out old feelings and she feels the pull of her old life. Now she has to decide if she wants to continue with her new life or back to her life. A fascinating story about a woman who is trying to figure out who she is really is. Beautiful plot and characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A secret romance novel tied up in a bow of what if’s! This is a great novel the experience of you’ve ever understood having parents shelter you from the family life and secrets.

Central Places sounded a bit better than turned out to be true.
Looks like she never should have gone back home, where she was so pulled back into high school days,
especially at Christmas. Seems like a nice story for a younger crowd.
Thank you @NetGalley@CentralPlaces@BallentineBooks

Thank you Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC!

I'm always a fan of messy, Asian women as main characters and while this was an easy read, it was a bit of a letdown. In Central Places, we follow Audrey, an Asian woman who returns to her hometown to introduce her immigrant parents to her new fiance. She's reluctant for many reasons: she wanted to get away from her hypercritical mom and out of this middle-of-nowhere town for years with no intention of looking back. But now that she is, the "old" Audrey comes out and she causes a lot of problems for "new" Audrey.

Audrey's choices were questionable at best and downright unhinged at worst. It was hard to follow her motivations or even sympathize with her. That isn't anything to do with Delia Cai's writing--I think it was effective in creating an unlikeable protagonist/anti-hero. However, I found the devolution of Ben and Audrey's relationship to be sudden and startling; why weren't the signs there before? I imagine that Audrey's surroundings have something to do with it, but I still couldn't buy into the lack of self-awareness. Another thing that bothered me was the Tiger Mom stereotype; it's trite and removes the complexity of Asian mothers everywhere. And while it's a major part of Audrey's upbringing I felt that it was a cop-out for a lot of her behavior (*cue eyeroll*).

While this book did have its moments, it really fell short for me. Central Places is out now.

Though I wanted to like this one more than I actually did, that isn’t to say I hated, or even disliked, it either! The premise isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking (young woman returns back to the small town she grew up in & ran away from), but it does show promise— especially given that this is written from the perspective of an AAPI/WOC. I appreciate how Lai highlights the microaggressions/racism & feelings of otherness minority groups may face in small-town communities (versus a more populous area). I also found this book’s study of complex family dynamics to be well-done & memorable; I really related to Audrey when it came to her distant relationship with her mother. This book is more character-driven than plot imo, and while Audrey does come off as an unlikeable narrator at times, I think Lai’s debut succeeds by virtue of its vulnerable storytelling. I’m excited to see what she comes out with in the future!

What a great story! It unraveled like a Christmas gift. A Christmas gift with multiple layers of wrapping paper. Each layer just built in wonder and excitement for the contents inside. The story resonates with people who are born of immigrant parents. The parents leave the motherland for a better opportunity for themselves and then start a family. Suddenly the child(ren) are tasked/pressured with becoming the very best they can since this first generation has resources the parents never had. It’s a blissful, bittersweet story.

I cringed, laughed, and almost cried as Audrey Zhou navigated complex family relationships, a fiancé, a successful career and reconnecting with her high school friends in this understated coming of age story. What does it mean to come home again after severing ties? Is reconnection with old friends possible? What does love and healing look look? What is success? These are a few of the issues that Audrey grapples with.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

This is the story of a first generation Chinese American who brings her fiancé home to meet her parents after staying away from her small midwestern town for 8 years. I thought this book was uneven--the first half was slow and the main character's anger toward her parents, particularly her mother, overwhelms her and the book. About midway through, the story picks up and the second half of the book is very good.

This is the story of Audrey, a young, hip New Yorker, who returns to her small midwestern hometown for the Christmas season eight years after she graduated high school and got away as fast as she could. She brings her fancy New York fiancé with her and before she's been back long, she runs into her high school crush and discovers that her boyfriend is a bit of a dud. But this is not a Hallmark movie. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Audrey always felt distanced from her peers both by her appearance (and the casual racism that went with that) and her parents's lack of knowledge of how to be American parents. She also rebelled against her mother's expectations and refused to learn Mandarin or eat the foods her parents prepared. Returning isn't something she's happy about. But as she runs into people she knew, spends some time with the guy she had a crush on and fights with her mother, she's learning about herself and how impossible it is to truly leave the past behind.

This novel started slowly, but by the halfway mark, I was having trouble putting it down. I'd be thrown out of the story by the tension between the author mentioning specific places that exist in Peoria, Illinois, but then having other specific places, like the sizable airport, not exist. The author grew up in this area and her own experience makes Audrey's adolescence feel very real. As she struggles against the ideas about her past that she's told herself, she begins to see that the truth might be more complex than she's imagined and that having a central place to call home, no matter how often or infrequent the visits is important. The writing in this novel was good, with the light touch that gradually gives way to a deeper exploration of Audrey's complicated relationship to where she grew up.

Read it in one day and basically one sitting, then went to a book release event with the author where she said part of why she wrote the book was to have something to hold up to other people and say “do you feel this way too?” Safe to say that my answer would be a definitive yes.

As a first generation ABC, this book was relatable on so many levels for me - I even live in Brooklyn and have the same initials as the main character. The dynamics of filial piety, feeling othered in your home country, feeling distant from your “home self” all resonated deeply with me. Part of me wished that the love triangle hadn’t been such a big part of the plot as I felt it distracted from the diaspora themes that resonated with me more, but I recognize that it was also a plot device for the purposes of the main character’s growth. Overall, this was an excellent and deeply moving debut and I look forward to reading whatever Delia Cai writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.