This story is told in three parts from three different perspectives and honestly there just wasn’t enough cohesion for me. Each section reads like a different genre - romance, ya, literary fiction - & they end so abruptly. It disappoints me to say I found myself bored and just trudging through for the sake of finishing. I wonder if the timelines were more intertwined if I would have been more into it?

I really enjoyed this sweeping multi generational story. We follow 3 different members of a family through 3 different time periods. I definitely found the last part to be the most interesting, but I loved how all the stories combined at the end.

I could connect with them all, but I found myself really relating to Nick. His isolated feeling and trying to figure out his identity while looking for his father really resonated with me.

I recommend reading this if you like family dramas that span several years.

This story was so good! I loved the pacing of the story and the family dynamics depicted. It was just the right length which added to the overall experience!

I loved GOODBYE, VITAMIN, Kong's debut novel, and had high hopes for this sophomore one. Goodbye, Vitamin was a quick and quirky read while Real Americans is a more ambitious novel narrated by three generations of a Chinese-American family. With GOODBYE, VITAMIN I reflected on my relationship with my own father. With REAL AMERICANS, I was dealing with the decline of my mother and felt most connected to Mae. Her choices may not be agreed by all readers but her choices were complex. How could she have foreseen the consequences? Through Mae I learned more about Mao's communism and the cultural takeover. Her story was the most compelling to me. I am however, still left wondering why the time jump/freeze was something genetic. I'm not convinced that eating a century old lotus seed would do anything. Did I miss something? That premise was interesting but not quite hitting the mark. I guessed the magical realism (if we can call it that) flew over my head. Was it just me? I wished that part of the story tighten a bit.

Overall, I highly recommend this one and think it will be a great hit this summer. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Real Americans was everything I love all in one package- multigenerational, family dynamics, character rich, multiple POV and a touch of magical realism. I was quickly immersed and even though it is more literary, I couldn’t put it down.

I felt very drawn to the characters and the story. I loved how it was told in three parts from three different POV at different times as well. I was sad when each of the parts ended and my only complaint is not every storyline feels like it comes to conclusion. I didn’t always understand why the characters acted like they did but I found I cared deeply about what was going to happen. The writing was just so well done- the author really paints a detailed picture.

I think this will be one of my favorite books this year. I just loved it and will be recommending it to people! Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Real Americans is an immersive multi-generational story, and I think it's best to go in blind for the best reading experience. I enjoyed all three parts of this book and couldn't pick a favorite because they all have their place in the story.

I loved reading this multi-generational story - Khong takes us through three different generations and how they connect, what key life choices changed them, and how they choose to proceed.

The writing, pace, character development all worked wonderfully for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Knopf for the ARC.

By the rating on Goodreads, I seem to be in the minority, but I’m not sure what I just read. I felt no connection with Lily or her problems with her parents and Matthew (and his parents).

I am settling myself down with the reality that I will not be able to do this book justice, and that my praise will sound over the top. I have over the top feelings about this book. The writing is just. so. good. You could just coast on the fact that the plot moves so swiftly, and the characters feel so real, but there are also just the perfect sentences. There is a moment in the middle of the book when a character simply says, "Oh...we did," and you know his entire heart is breaking, and your heart is breaking too. Rachel Khong knows not to say too much, but when she says that love is like a "cooked fish" with its face peeled back, you don't need any other words.

I don't remember reading a book recently where I was as invested in the characters as I was in May, Charles, Lily, Matthew, and Nick. Every main character is significant. This is a mother/daughter book, a mother/son book, a first love book, a book about Class and Race, and immigration and ambition...I don't know how all of these topics are explored so thoroughly, but they are. And there are three different timelines! I am in awe.

Sometimes literary fiction feels like sad old trees and men just talking at you. This book feels like a life you have lived, and you yearn for it again. You cannot be separate from what is happening to these characters. I gasped a lot. I cried. I lost sleep. And even though I finished the book 24 hours ago, I don't know that it will ever leave me. I mull over my favorite lines again. I wish the best for everyone (Matthew and Ping!!!), and I turn back to Khong's words that make me feel less alone.

In the end, I don't know how to summarize or recommend Real Americans. I love it with my whole heart, and that's all there is.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had not read any of Rachel Khong's previous works so I was not sure what to expect with Real Americans.

This book is told in three different parts and from three different point of view. Part one is Lily's story who is the second generation in the family. Part two is Nick's story who is the third generation of the family. And finally Mei aka May is the third part and is the matriarch of the family.

Lily's story is of a young girl living in NYC trying to eek by a living while being an unpaid intern at an online travel magazine. She meets and falls in love with the heir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. As the only child of Chinese immigrants and an ABC (American Born Chinese) she has nothing in common with the heir, Matthew. But love does not follow social norms and the two fall in love.

Nick, who lives with his mother on a small island on the west coast, has lived a sheltered life. With it being only his mom, Lily, and him, Nick does not feel like he fits in and starts questioning his heritage.

Mei tells her story from 2030. Mei has the piece of the puzzle that Lily and Nick so desperately want and need. Mei's story is one of hardship and hard work.

Science and genetics play a large role in this story. Khong did a good job at balancing the science aspect along with the human side of the story. She also did a good job of each POV having a distinct voice.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: a family drama spanning 70+ years where three generations go through multiples events and changes along with many secrets.

What I liked: this is literary fiction at it finest. We start at the turn of the millennium and meet Matthew and Lily. Matthew and Lily have a brief relationship while they work at the same agency. They reconnect several years later and rekindle their love. While Matthew is from a blue blooded American pharmaceutical family, Lily is from a family of immigrants that escaped mao’s cultural revolution. Lily doesn’t know much about her family history and doesn’t feel connected. She travels to China with Matthew and has her child nick early but also learns more about her parents especially her mother. At the end of part 1 she discovers a family secret that changes everything. Part 2 starts with 15 year nick also feeling isolated living with Lily. I really liked this part of him discovering more about his history and family. Finally part 3 brings it all together with the grandmothers story and how their history crosses. Rachel Kong’s prose throughout the book is beautiful. She provides enough information to keep you yearning for more and plenty to think about. I really thought about the themes and how she played with opposites to keep you thinking. I did get a hard copy for my shelves because I feel like I will revisit this later.

This is out now and a read with Jenna pick. Please do pick up and I know it will be a good bookclub choice.

Real Americans will have you hooked from the very first chapter. It's a Y2K family drama that tackles themes of race, class, inheritance, and family secrets. This book is told from alternating perspectives and each section manages to punch you in the gut in a different way. This book reads like a coming of age story and while it focuses on three generations of a family, friendship is also central to the plot. How do we become who we become and what do we inherit from our parents? I loved this book...

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for this ARC.

Real Americans came out yesterday. It is a multigenerational family saga told in three parts from three different points of view. This story is incredibly character driven and explores themes of belonging and how our choices impact those we love.

I really struggled with the first part as it dragged a lot. The story starts as a love story and I found it difficult to connect to the characters. Over time the story became more layered and my connection to the characters grew, especially with Nick. Im still confused by some of the story and some weird things happen that I don’t want to give away but this story really made me think.

This novel took me on a roller coaster ride. At first, I almost DNF'd because it seemed like a story about a new adult with extreme confidence and esteem problems. Once she and Matthew got married, however, the pace picked up and we were climbing the arc. It stayed during Nico's story as a youth, but then began to descend again when we jumped 10-15 years to a more adult Nick. Mae's backstory in China was interesting (and now I want to read more about the Cultural Revolution), but it bogged down again when she starts explaining her relationship to Otto.

There just seemed to be too much here for me. An immigrant story. A speculative fiction story (or is it real?). A mother on-the-run story. Several coming-of-age stories. I liked parts of most of them, but together it was too much. I also wanted more details on the speculative fiction part - not a text book but a better idea of how that would really work.

Real Americans tells the story of 3 generations over the course of their lifetimes. Lily, Nick and May are part of the same family but as a result of their upbringings and ethnic backgrounds navigate the world differently. Lily is the daughter of 2 Chinese immigrants who were displaced following the Cultural Revolution. She grows up seeing a dysfunctional relationship, and with expectations that she feels she can never fully meet. She struggles to feel sufficiently Chinese or American. Her life trajectory is altered forever when she meets and marries an affluent white man. Nick is Lily's son, but physically takes after his father and is fully white passing. He grows up yearning to be in touch with his roots and spends his life reconciling his family dynamic. May is the grandmother, who grew up during the throes of the Cultural Revolution. She makes tremendous sacrifices to move to the United States and raise her daughter with the circumstances that were never available for her.

Not only was the prose beautiful and the family drama interesting to be privy to, but reading this made me question what being a "Real American" is. As a Vietnamese American daughter of immigrants, I resonated with much of what Lily and Nick felt and also could understand May's motivations. The tension between being Chinese and American and discussions of reconciling conflicting cultural backgrounds was executed beautifully.

Lastly, I really appreciated the discussions of how, despite the strides we have made to level the playing field for men and women, career and financial mobility for women is still restricted and often dictated by men.

I was a little confused by the magical realism aspect of this novel and how that was relevant to the plot, but that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. Highly recommend reading this, especially if you identify as AAPI.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

(Thanks to @aaknopf #gifted.) ⚠️Unpopular Opinion Alert⚠️ I’m going to be an outlier on 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗦 by Rachel Khong. This highly anticipated book is already beloved by many and I loved parts of it, too. Unfortunately, I also disliked parts, but let’s begin with the positive.⁣⁣
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This is a story told in three parts and throughout the book Khong’s writing is truly beautiful. I highlighted SO often. Her three main characters are rich, singular and well developed. Whether I liked them or not, I felt like I knew them. I was enthralled by the first third of the book and enjoyed the references of what it is to be a real American that were a thread running through this story. I flew through the first part and didn’t really ever slow down. ⁣⁣
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In the second section, I began to struggle. The first two parts of the story were very linear and that left a lot of holes that began to frustrate me. But, my biggest complaint has to do with certain elements that I guess you’d have to call magical realism? Fantasy? Sci-fi? I’m not sure, but they definitely took me out of the story and felt like overly convenient devices to move the plot. ⁣⁣
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I still hoped that I’d end up loving this book as I began the third section. Sadly, it was my least favorite part. It just felt so slow and was a jarring switch from the rest of the book. I understand why Khong needed it. I just didn’t enjoy it. There were attempts to explain the magical elements, but they also required too high a level of blind acceptance for me. On a positive note, I found the very end of the story to be touching, but at that point I was most happy to be done. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In this particular novel, Khong presents a unique and engaging perspective on generational stories, which deviates from my usual literary preferences. However, her writing style is approachable and the narrative is captivating. I found it necessary to recalibrate my expectations and recognize that the heart of this novel lies in the family unit, its past, and its future. While secondary characters make fleeting appearances, it is the family as a whole that truly drives the story.



The novel is divided into three perspectives: Lily, her son Nick, and her mother May. Each character's story is beautifully crafted, though some sections outshine others. Surprisingly, I wished for a longer exploration of certain plot points. It is possible that certain portions were omitted in the editing process.



May's personal history is expertly conveyed, however, the sudden shift to her perspective towards the end required more time for me to acclimate to. It appears that May's story was the focal point for Khong, and the packaging of the novel does not do it justice.

Real Americans was engaging and left me wanting. I wanted more time with every character. I cared for each of them and was stressed about their well being.

The absence of more makes the reader question and analyze what is there. What this story is made of is the family, in different stages, with different moments of connection or distance. And I believe this is the story Khong wanted to tell.

It is not a book of resolutions. It is book of regret and mistakes and the family one dreams of creating.

I really admired the idea of this and there were parts of it that I loved: the cross-generational focus of this and what the story says about the immigrant/first gen/second gen experience.

It's the story of a grandmother who fled China during the Cultural Revolution, her daughter Lily in Y2K NYC and her grandson Nick, a high school student in the current day living in the PNW.

I was expecting a family story, but at times the book felt like three separate stories about people who barely knew each other. The stories are also told out of order (part 3 technically takes place in 2030 but it's all about what happened in the 1970s.)

Every reader of this book seems to have their favorite character/part and none of us agree. Though I lived Lily's life when I got to NYC, scrounging free food and such, I have to say that Nick's college tours had me laughing-crying. Mei's part was obviously the most harrowing.

There was also a magical realism element that for me was a bit confusing.

But in any case, I will keep an eye on this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Rachel Khong - just picked as the May 2024 Read with Jenna Book Club pick. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

This story opens on the precipice of Y2K in NYC. Lily, daughter of Chinese immigrants, is an unpaid intern at a media company and meets Matthew at a company party. Matthew is the scion of a wealthy family and offers Lily an unimaginable life. They marry and then have a son. We are next introduced to Nick, living on an island off Washington with Lily, who has kept him completely sheltered from his father and grandmother, as well as the world at large. With prodding from a friend, he eventually finds out who is father is. The next part of the story has Nick graduated and working, and he meets Mei, Lily's mother, and she tells him her backstory in China.

This is an amazing story and is going to be a fabulous book club pick because there is so much to ponder here, all wrapped up in beautifully-written prose. I loved how the different generations' stories were told - not necessarily in order, but letting us know the characters before filling in all the backstories. The big question that this will have you thinking about is choice - are we the product of our choices, or are those made for us? It will have you feeling so lucky to be born when and where you were - but is that all down to luck? An exploration of classism and racism, as well as the concept of time. Can too much money be just a struggle as not enough? I could go on and on - so very much to think about but I loved every page!

This novel was absolutely brilliant. It spans 3 points of view over different decades (even a point into the near future). It was interesting to see the main characters face similar struggles despite being in different points in time. I found myself pausing and reflecting a lot throughout reading Real Americans. There is just so much depth within the storyline. This novel really made me ponder the idea of the "American Dream".

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor , Net Galley, Rachel Khong for the opportunity to read this ARC.