WOW. That’s all I have to say. Wow.

When I first started this book, my first thought was that this book is ok. Good, but maybe will not be my favorite. Decent. Pretty enjoyable. Maybe around three stars?

Now, I sing it praises. I stand corrected. Lemony Snicket was right about first impressions are often entirely wrong. Apparently he wasn’t just talking about people.

The last 30% of this book was my favorite. That was what made me go, “okay I love this.”

Probably one of my favorite YA contemporary this year! This was *chef kiss*

A big thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC!


https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ecfb5af1-d17a-4885-be2f-1f2fdae8888f?redirect=true

This was a fantastic exploration of a young adult's understanding of self. The characters were messy and it did not all wrap up in a happy little bow. I showed real life and I think many different people can find a part of themselves in the different characters.

Love the cover and the descriptions of growing up in lower middle class Asian / Latin Queens, and the duck-out-of-water feeling being at a woke wealthy private school. I liked Alejandra’s snarky descriptions of rich folks and sometimes the ways POC hold onto what limited privileged they have rather than help each other out. I love that Alejandra finds a mentor and that she finds a group where she belongs.

Ultimately, I felt like this was more a coming-of-age novel targeted at adults remembering their teen years rather than a YA novel targeted at teens.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early access to this book, I very much enjoyed it.

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim is the perfect book to add to a class program or to read in any multicultural or social studies class. And I know that, because I could apply stuff that I learned in my Multicultural Actors and Perspectives class last semester. This book belongs in classrooms as it deals with identity, belonging, and how to navigate in this present society.

It presents various topics to which I related, and I feel that there are many other readers who will relate to Alejandra and the rest of the crew as soon they read it. It is the perfect book to those still searching for their identity between cultures and places, to those who want grief explained and presented differently, and even to those who are dealing with college applications and figuring out their future.

I hope future readers find this book as great as I did and that it soon sees a classroom full of students willing to learn and listen.

I had never read a novel with a biracial character as Asian and Latina. I think many teens will identify with the pressure Alejandra experiences in her highly competitive high school. She makes mistakes that can be common for teenagers. Great depiction of family dynamics and peers.

This book is so good. Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim blends simple, straightforward storytelling with complex and thought provoking topics. I found myself annotating this book so much, there were so many words that I loved and wanted to respond to. Park navigates the complexities of growing up with a multicultural identity perfectly and explores the different facets of what it means to live in a diverse society like America. There is something so powerfully stirring of this book, and I will continue to keep it near and dear to my heart.

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim is a beautifully striking coming-of-age novel.

I really enjoyed the story of Alejandra finding her own self identity. Being okay with being a person of shared cultures. Navigating through New York as a Korean Latinx teenager.

Okay so, this is a book that would’ve fundamentally changed me if I’d read it as a teen. Big thanks to Patricia Park, NetGalley, and Crown Books for Young Readers for putting this story out there and then letting me have an advanced copy.

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim is a journey of self discovery. Alejandra Kim lives in New York, and her parents are descendants of Korean immigrants who grew up in Argentina. Alejandra struggles with defining her cultural identity, and this 3-culture struggle was portrayed so well I felt like I was reading my own thoughts. As a person who grew up and lives in the US, but was born in Brazil to a family descended from Japanese immigrants, this 3-culture struggle has been my whole life and I have never ever seen it portrayed in a book until just now.

Alejandra’s relationships are all complex. There’s the relationship with herself, learning how to be herself instead of splitting into multiple versions of herself depending on the setting and the people around her. There’s the relationship with her parents- her father is dead and her and her mother don’t always see eye to eye. There’s also the relationships between Ale and her peers- Laurel, the super woke best friend from her preppy school, and Billy, her childhood best friend that lives in her neighborhood. Being a person is hard, and nobody can be all good or all bad all the time. All of the characters were refreshingly human, and their relationships with each other changed in sometimes unexpected ways.

Grief is at the center of this story as well. Alejandra’s father died unexpectedly, and this story examines how everyone deals with grief in their own way and in their own time. I felt a lot of compassion toward many of these characters in their moments of grief.

This is the story I needed, not only because of how clearly I saw myself reflected in it, but because of how it highlighted dealing with grief, working to understand others around you instead of judging them, and accepting that we don’t always get what we thought we wanted (and the end result might just be even better than what we initially wanted). This story is funny, sad, unique, thought-provoking, emotional, and so much more.

I loved IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND OTHER CONFESSIONS OF ALEJANDRA KIM by Patricia Park. What a heartbreaking, hilarious book. The combination of humor and heartbreak was exquisite and I am so floored at how well it was combined here.

Alejandra's voice is fantastic; it rings so clear. She's hilarious and, at times, so biting. She feels very authentic, especially in places where she makes mistakes and feels conflicted about her life. I'm not sure if this is because I'm adult reading the story or if it's the author's intention for all readers, but there were places where I figured out events (and other characters' motivations) before Alejandra. It worked well, because it created dread: things were going to be painful for Alejandra.

The arc of Alejandra and her mother is also well written and created. I don't want to say more so that I don't give away the storyline, but it's worth the read for that alone.

Where Alejandra ends up, in general, is so earned and so perfect for her. I didn't want the book to end. I can't wait to share this one with my creative writing students!

What a powerful story. It’s hard to not feel imposter syndrome when you don’t feel like you fit in with the story. This story is a great depiction of that, mental health, grief and how to find your voice. I’d definitely recommend this book.

Such a powerful story about a young teenager’s searching a space for herself in the world to just breath and act like who she is, fighting against critical issues like identity crisis, racism, Asia phobia, discrimination to find her own way!

Alejandra Kim attends a high school as a scholarship student where children of rich Manhattan elites attending. Her mostly white woke friends and teachers don’t have any idea she’s working at the laundry after school, living in Jackson Heights with her widowed mother who spends most her time at the hospital she works.

She lives in a city crowded in immigrants but she thinks she doesn’t deserve to have her own space: she isn’t enough Argentinian or Korean. The people barely pronounces her name in Spanish and her Korean face doesn’t match with the name she carries. She still deals with curses start with Chink word! She’s trapped in a world differentiated with different ethnic classes and she feels like she doesn’t belong any of them so she thinks she’s imposter who acts like she could adapt easily!

She has only two people who can see her true self! Her father Papi who was a jazz musician, supporting every decision she takes and advises her to think big! And Billy: the neighborhood boy is her confidante she shares her secrets.
But Billy is now far away to take care of his sick grandmother and his Papi’s body has found on the subway tracks. Her mother insists it was an accident but she doesn’t believe in her. She knows the harsh truth!

Her life couldn’t be more complicated as soon as a teacher’s racist comment puts her into spotlight she doesn’t want to get involved from the beginning. When her mistreatment gets exploited by other kids, she thinks that’s enough!

This is sarcastic, smart, thought provoking, bold, emotional and inspirational story! I loved Alejandra Kim a lot! I enjoyed to hear her unique, honest voice!

Giving my five diversity, micro aggressions, anti racism stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Crown Books For Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

What is identity? Who are you? Alejandra Kim doesn’t just fit into one box and she feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere. At her wealthy Manhattan high school it’s abundantly clear that her super Spanish name and super Korean face is hard to compute for her mostly white “woke” classmates and teachers, yet in her Jackson Heights neighborhood, she’s not Latinx enough. Ale feels out of place and un-welcomed, and her own home isn’t particularly warm either as things seem to get worse after her father’s body was discovered on the subway tracks. After dealing with an incident that has her “woke” best friend trying to get a teacher fired for his comment to Alejandra and her working on getting into her dream college, the prestigious, Wyder University, Ale is forced to re-evaluate those around her and who she is. She has to figure out how she wants to deal with the way people treat and perceive her as well as what it means to be a multicultural teen. This was definitely a though provoking and deep look into the struggles of being multicultural and what it means to be mixed race. It deals with grief, friendship, identity, and a great coming of age story. I think its a great read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

In an ever-evolving world where cultures are combining, Alejandra Kim's experience will resonate with many readers. Ale is a charming character and the tricky situation she finds herself in is intriguing. Where do we fit in a world that is changing so rapidly? This is ultimately a story of finding out who you are and where you belong. I enjoyed this book.

This was such a timely book. I think many people struggle with their own multi-cultural background as well as living in a politically correct society. Both topics were portrayed in an understandable and (sometimes) funny way. I appreciated how the author showed that we often only see what is on the surface of a person and don't look very deep into who they really are. There were many uncomfortable and disturbing prejudices shown in the book. They opened my eyes to how sometimes it comes down to intent and knowledge. And sometimes it is just comes down to meanness.
I also appreciated how the author used different personality traits in the characters to react to different difficult topics. It made the story more believable and relatable. Our differences can be a divider or make us more open to other thoughts, actions and people. I prefer the later.
Enjoy!

I loved this book! I enjoyed Re Jane, but this YA title was better and so relatable. Ale Kim is straddling multiple cultures, between her mixed heritage, her school, and her home life, she doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. In the wake of her father's death, she struggles to forge her own path forward. The writing is raw and heartfelt and often funny. This is the best kind of coming-of-age story.

I