Ex Marks the Spot is a fun, funny, and emotional journey of self and familial discovery for Gemma and Xander in this rivals-to-lovers, second-chance romance. Gemma, when she finds out that her grandfather, whom she previously thought was deceased, was alive until recently left her an inheritance, she's excited to receive the money she desperately needs to attend college. Instead, she finds puzzles and riddles that lead her on a treasure hunt starting in Taiwan. Along the way and with the assistance of her ex, Xander, they uncover tied family secrets, history, lost love, and potentially almost commit a crime. This is a book you won't want to miss.

A fun book with a great cover and amazing title, but ultimately did not reach my expectations. I just couldn't get over some details not really making sense, but other than that EX MARKS THE SPOT is a solid YA.

oh wow Gloria definitely makes me want to visit Tiawan now! This definitely reminded me of the Amazing race with a couple who's enemies to lovers and in YA range. The setting and adventure sounds so much fun. The family secret's part was innovative and interesting with how it lined up with the story line. I can't wait to read what the author has next.

Gemma, newly graduated from high school, has never known her relatives beyond her mother, so when a lawyer shows up with the will of her now deceased grandfather, she is curious to find out more. The will turns out to be a treasure hunt in Taiwan, and through the magic of storytelling, Gemma just happens to have the connections that can get her to Taiwan with a school group. The only hitch is that she will have to travel with her ex and nemesis, Xander. This was a fun book, especially if you enjoy mystery puzzles, but without the intensity of potentially being killed as in The Inheritance Games.

call me a nerd but i love a good puzzle. i often start and end my day doing them. so when you tell me a book if focused around different puzzles that were created by the main character’s late grandfather for an inheritance treasure hunt that brings her halfway across the world. count me in!

putting everything aside in the story besides the inheritance puzzle hunt, i think it was done pretty damn well. as much as i love puzzles, i know being a puzzle maker is a whole other ball game that does truly take some talent. so i absolutely commend gloria chao for making puzzles that the reader could probably have actually gone on themselves and tried to solve. and having our main character not speak/read mandarin it definitely allowed some hand-holding for the puzzles that needed translations, which definitely was an added bonus for probably many readers that also don’t know the language and it’s word-play nuances. puzzles aside, i would definitely agree with other reviewers that the actual hunt went a bit too well for how an real-world one may have gone. i love a good puzzle and i know that especially with sequential puzzles you’re bound to get stuck with far less progress than gemma and xander made. but i’ll give cut it out to them bering just very smart people.

as for the other aspects, i loved that this hunt allowed for gemma to become more in touch with her heritage and all that entailed. i do wish we had more interactions with the other TARPers and with the itinerary that would have been planned for them. but i understand that with the built-in time crunch it really was a pick and choose and gemma is not one to stray away from her plans. so unfortunately (but forunately) we were shown different sights of taiwain than what would probably have been expected. and of course was intentional to show her grandfather’s story. his story, which definitely represents a physical version of gemma’s missing heritage. i think rather than be a true grief story for gemma, since she was so disconnected from her extended family. it allowed her to become more comfortable with her taiwanese side of herself. through the landscapes, the people, and especially the food. i can appreciate what chao was executing.

while i think some aspects maybe wasn’t necessary (the love triangle) or were underdeveloped (her relationships with the other TARPers). i think this story executed it’s main goal, being a love letter to taiwan hidden behind a whimsy “high stakes” scavenger hunt. even if i couldn’t solve all the clues myself in the literal puzzles, it was obvious (to me at least) where her grandfather’s story was going. but i still appreciated the reveals anyways, especially the final one in the park. i’ll leave it at that. this was a cute romance, one perfect for puzzle lovers.

Alright this was fun. A very nice story about finding your roots and learning more about your heritage. I feel the FMC is a bit annoying at times but maybe that just the age is intended for. The mmc is a bit the same but he does seem a bit more mature. Overall this is a great book for YA . Definitely will be recommending for my nieces .

Ex Marks the Spot is a fun, adventure-filled journey packed with treasure hunts, family secrets, and a touch of enemies-to-lovers romance. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Taiwan, it explores themes of self-discovery, culture, and legacy—all while taking readers on a whirlwind mystery.

The premise is undeniably exciting! Gemma Sun, freshly graduated, is thrown into an unexpected inheritance hunt after discovering a puzzle in her estranged grandfather’s will. With college tuition looming and little financial stability, she jumps at the chance—only to realize she’ll need help from her former academic rival and ex, Xander. As they navigate Taiwan’s stunning landscapes, Gemma pieces together her grandfather’s past, uncovering long-buried family secrets that reshape everything she thought she knew.

The descriptions of Taiwan’s culture, history, and food are absolutely mouth-watering and beautiful, making the island feel like a character of its own. The way Gemma connects with her heritage is both meaningful and emotional, adding real depth to the story.

However, while the adventure is engaging, the puzzle-solving aspect can feel a bit convoluted. Some clues are hard to follow, making it difficult to stay fully invested in the mystery. Also,, the romance between Gemma and Xander, while promising, didn't really get the development it deserved. Their banter was fun, but their chemistry feels rushed at times, and a love triangle moment detracts from their potential connection.

Despite these hiccups, Ex Marks the Spot is an entertaining read, perfect for those who love lighthearted adventures with cultural depth. If you’re drawn to stories about family legacies, travel, and rediscovering one’s roots, this book is worth picking up. Just be prepared—you will be craving Taiwanese food by the end!

Really cute YA book filled with adventure, rivals to lovers and exploring the past. On the eve of graduation, Gemma learns about family she never knew she had and sets off to claim a potential inheritance. Unfortunately, she's got to rely on the boy who broke her heart at the beginning of high school, Xander. He'll help her navigate through Taiwan and they'll learn to work together again.

For the most part, I did like this story a lot more than the Inheritance Games series. Those books annoyed my to now end because all the characters in it felt ver y two dimensional and the puzzles weren't very intriguing or interesting. THANKFULLY this book was different. Although I had many issues with Xander, namely being how he called Gemma names and used the excuse of "wanting to have fun" way too often, I did think he was an okay character in the end. Gemma was my favorite as were there other TARP friends on the trip. Gemma's determination and strength to learn about her family and what her grandfather went through was incredible. Especially when Xander and Gemma learned the truth about their grandfathers relationship. I still kind of wish she ended up with Brett but oh well!

Ex Marks the Spot starts with a typical YA set up. Gemma is graduating and even though she feels like she did everything right, graduating at the top of her class and getting in to a good college to start a better life for her and her mom, she can’t help but feel like she missed out in high school. In true YA fashion, a man shows up after graduation and turns everything upside down. Surprise! Her grandfather who she thought died years ago? He just died and has left everything to Gemma and her mother which leads to a scavenger hunt in Taiwan because these things are never easy. From there, Gemma has to enlist her ex, Xander’s help in getting a spot in an exclusive club’s trip to Taiwan and completing the scavenger hunt.

This book was fun! I enjoyed the mystery and heart behind the story. The romance was a little slow to enter the story, but once it started, I enjoyed that too.

I did have a hard time connecting with Gemma. I didn’t feel like she was the most likeable character. Although I could understand her motives for a lot of things she did, since she came from a family that struggled to make ends meet and she didn’t have a lot of people she cared about, I didn’t love her choices. A big part of her character is that she feels she can’t have fun because she has to work so hard for everything. And although given her situation it made sense, it also felt like she pitied herself a lot and it made her into an unnecessarily-cold character.

There’s also a weird secondary romance in this book between the main character and a secondary character I never remember the name of (to be fair, he is basically interchangeable with another character). It basically starts as he’s there and he’s interested and no one has ever been interested in Gemma before. It left a bad taste for me. And then it ends the way most love triangles do with a “don’t worry he was a jerk the whole time” / “you never loved me anyway” situation for a nice and easy resolution. It was a weird and unnecessary plot line that felt a bit forced.

I did enjoy Gemma and Xander’s dynamic. It was second chance meets rivals in the best way. Maybe a little heavy on the rival part for most of the book. But once their romance started to pick up, I really enjoyed the way their characters’ personalities opposed each other. It made for an interesting dynamic. Plus, their banter was hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud.

The real star of the book was Gong Gong. Gloria Chao will slowly break your heart as she reveals his story. I loved everything about it and wish he had his own book honestly.

In the end, not my favorite Gloria Chao book, but definitely not one to miss out on either!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC!

A young woman gets a letter from her newly deceased grandfather and it opens a whole new world to her as he sets her off on a treasure hunt.

I have to admit that I had trouble reading this book. It took me a while to get into it. I can’t really pinpoint the reason why except for maybe Gemma just seemed all over the place. Gloria Chao gives us a great premise with a treasure hunt which turns into looking for more than an inheritance. I liked this part of the story a lot.

We get to see the rich history of Taipei and Chao gives us sensory overload from the food to the sights to see. Then we have the unfolding of Gemma’s own family history and it’s heartbreaking and difficult. There is a scene where Gemma meets one of her relatives and it hits hard. It’s real life and the author doesn’t sugarcoat it.

I think the biggest struggle I have with the story is the romance. Chao introduces other potentials and Gemma goes for them. She just seems so thirsty to me. So it doesn’t come across as genuine when Xander and her start to bond.

If the story just focused on the treasure hunt and only Xander as a romantic interest, I would have liked this story a lot better. Or if it just concentrated on the hunt and had Xander as background, it would have played better for me. I loved going to Taiwan and this book makes me want to go there in person.

⋆.˚✮ 3 stars ✮˚.⋆

⤿ Thank you to Penguin Teen and Razorbill for the advanced copy through netgalley and a physical arc in exchange for an honest review!

this was an eagerly anticipated release for me this year because I adored Gloria Chao's other recently released novel When You Wish Upon a Lantern. unfortunately, this book didn't have the same magic for me personally that was present in the other novel, but my three-star rating is because while I didn't love it, I know that there are people out there it will connect with wholeheartedly.

for their whole lives, Gemma and her mom have been a team against the world, she knows her grandparents and links to her Taiwanese culture are dead - until a lawyer shows up trying to enact her grandfather's will. he's left her a hunt to what she hopes is an inheritance, but the biggest problem is she has to travel to Taiwan and the only way she can go is through an exchange program run by her archnemesis and ex-boyfriend Xander. as she begins this trip and uncovers the clues her grandfather has left for her, she starts to think that the hunt isn't about the inheritance, but the new experiences with her culture she has along the way.

first and foremost, I am not of Taiwanese background so it was fun to explore some aspects of this culture that I had never heard of before. especially the sights and places in Taiwan the characters went as a group, and especially the food descriptions. i mean, yum!! that being said, it was hard for me to connect with some of the puzzles as I just did not understand the language, and despite the attempted descriptions of how it worked, the logistics. I love learning languages, I'm a Spanish minor myself, but for some reason, it wasn't clicking with me. this just made it harder to feel invested within the hunt itself, but this was probably entirely a me thing, and people who can appreciate and understand the language I bet will adore the puzzles.

there were times when this book dragged for me in terms of plot. while I did really enjoy getting to learn about the places in Taiwan, the hunt just wasn't as exciting or fast-paced as I hoped it would be. there were also some things that Xander and Gemma had to do during the hunt that were just, straight-up illegal and could have gotten them in major trouble. this is explained later - but it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth in the moment and left me detached from the story.

and the romance, ugh I wanted to love the romance so bad. I'm not always a fan of second-chance I will admit but enemies to lovers is my favorite (in this case rivals to lovers). Gemma was okay as a main character, she was a bit abrasive but I understood where she was coming from. Xander though, I just found him annoying for half the book if I'm being honest. their "banter" was more rude and cruel than anything for a lot of the story, and I just wish I had been able to feel more of a spark.

overall not the book I wanted it to be, but I will for sure continue to pick up Gloria Chao's books!

↬ trigger warnings: depictions of grief, death of a family member, parental abandonment, homophobia

This was absolutely adorable! I loved how Gemma is open about her frustration with the gaps in her knowledge about her cultural heritage, something that all first-generation American South Asian kids struggle with on some level. The romantic elements and the treasure hunt she goes on are balanced well with each other, and although there were some moments in the romance that felt a little too corny they fit the overall novel. The end feels like it got wrapped up a little too quickly, but, again, for the genre makes sense.

Gemma and Xander were both well-rounded characters, and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, breezy YA romance with the perfect dose of culture and travel.

All her life, it has just been Gemma Chan and her mother. Until, on the eve of her high school graduation, Gemma receives an inheritance from her estranged grandfather, who she never knew. This leads her on a treasure hunt all the back to his home in Taiwan. Along the way, Gemma reluctantly teams up with her ex-boyfriend, Xander Pan, who is seemingly perfect in every way Gemma isn’t. Together, they unravel clues that soon illuminate light on their shared family history and Gemma learns more about her cultural roots and herself in the process.

I love the idea of an inheritance treasure hunt and Gloria Chao does a great job tying each clue to aspects of Gemma’s Taiwanese heritage and her grandfather. The vibes are giving YA National Treasure mixed with The Inheritance Games. There were some aspects of the treasure hunt that seemed slightly unbelievable to me, but nonetheless I enjoyed each step of the journey. I thought Chao’s depiction of Gemma’s own issues with her Taiwanese-American identity were really well done and the depiction of assimilation, with its good and bad, were really important to explore especially in a young adult novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an ARC!

This book was super cute! I really had a great time reading it.

The novel follows the two main characters who go on a group trip to Taiwan, where they solve riddles and clues to find Gemma's inheritance. I really loved watching them explore their past and gain appreciation for their culture and families. There was a plot twist about 60% in that I never expected, but I think that made the mystery aspect more interesting for me.

If you loved:
- First Love Language by Stefany Valentine
- Loveboat Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
- Rules for Rule Breaking by Talia Tucker
- A Show For Two by Tashie Bhuiyan
- Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
- A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
- Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
- Love From A to Z by S. K. Ali

You will love Ex Marks the Spot!!

I had lots of fun with this novel! It was a sweet rivals to lovers that was a quick read. Loved the setting of Taiwan and wish there was a bit more focus on the culture. Was really looking forward to the treasure hunt, but the puzzles were a bit too confusing and convoluted for me.

Hands down, one of the cutest books ever. Gemma and Xander... Oh what do I tell you guys, you are so much more than what your circumstances are asking you to become. The whole idea of treasure hunt was bang on because now I desperately want to go to Taiwan. Not to mention, it was refreshing to see so many cultural references about stuff that goes on in Asian households. But most of all, I got super emotional with the whole 'discovering your past' and Gemma exploring her grandfather's story. It's so.... Heartbreaking and at the same time so full of how humans are. You make mistakes, you love, you feel despair, but you still never stop loving. That's wonderful and I urge everyone to read this one!!!

DNF @46%

This wasn't for me. It was slow and boring and I didn't like or care about the two main characters.

So excited I get to review this in the overlap between the Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day seasons!

Gemma Sun is the perfect straight-A student. Hard-working and straitlaced to a fault, she's always wanted to cause minimal trouble for her own mother Jean, who had her young and without family support. For as long as Gemma can remember, it's always been her and her mom against the world. If she ever wishes that she had a bigger family to rely on and stronger ties to her Taiwanese roots, she rarely brings these issues up to her mother, if at all. The most important thing is getting good grades so that she can make a better life for the both of them.

So it's with chagrin that Gemma has to share her high school valedictorian spot with Xander Pan, the boy who broke her heart in 9th grade. He changed his name from Alex to something cooler, and made it his life's mission to be goofy and popular. Gemma misses the sweet boy she would share puzzles with, but after he wrecked an important assignment for them in his pursuit of fun, she knew it was over. Ever since, he's been her sworn enemy: not that it ever seems like he notices.

When Gemma gets word immediately after graduation that her grandfather died and potentially left her an inheritance, she's intrigued. Her mom doesn't talk about her grandfather, saying only that he was cold, distant and never supported them. With college bills weighing on her, Gemma meets with the lawyer and discovers that her grandfather left her a puzzle to solve, one that will hopefully have a lucrative treasure at the end.

Trouble is, the puzzle requires her to travel to Taiwan. The only way she can afford to go is by tagging along on the next Taiwanese American Roots Pursuit trip, one organized by none other than Xander himself. Swallowing her pride, Gemma begs to be included. To her surprise, a last-minute cancellation means that she's in!

Getting there is only half the battle tho. Due to her mother's determination to assimilate, Gemma knows practically nothing of Taiwanese language or culture. Xander offers to help, but can she really trust him after his 9th grade betrayal? Plus, their families have historically been enemies...

This was such a satisfying Young Adult romance, that beautifully incorporates puzzles into its exploration of Taiwan. As a puzzle enthusiast myself, I really enjoyed following along as the steps took us through the beauty of Taipei and beyond, even if my knowledge of Mandarin is about as rudimentary as Gemma's. Gloria Chao does an amazing job of describing not only the sights but also the tastes of Taiwan. In her afterword, she mentions how this is the book that made her hungriest while writing, and I can see why!

I also enjoyed the fact that these kids act like teenagers and grow into increased maturity as the book goes along. The enemies-to-lovers trope was really nicely handled too. But what really got to me in these pages was the examination of the different ways in which Asian immigrants to America deal with assimilation, and how that impacts their children and grandchildren. Jean rebels against her father's strictness by refusing to be anything but American, which leaves Gemma feeling loved but understandably unfulfilled. Her trip to Taiwan is thus cathartic in many ways, and solves generations of mysteries for both her family and Xander's.

Definitely pick this up if you're into smart, intriguing puzzles; exploring Taiwan, and enjoying a sweet enemies-to-lovers romance. Also, Jacki Li's cover art perfectly captures everything great about this book. Recommended.

Ex Marks The Spot by Gloria Chao was published December 31 2024 by Viking Books For Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9780593692714">Bookshop!</a>

This review originally appeared at <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/02/13/ex-marks-the-spot-by-gloria-chao/">TheFrumiousConsortium.net</a>.

Free e-book, review is my own.

This was a cute young adult novel. Second chance, enemies to lovers, adventure and mystery. Gemma and Xander are enemies after a paper dog incident when they were 14. Now they are about to graduate and their feud seems insurmountable. Gemma needs to find a way to overcome it though because Xander runs TARP and TARP is heading to Taipei for cultural immersion. Its exactly what Gemma needs since she just discovered that she had a grandpa, that is wanting her to head to Taipei. Off on an adventure set up by her grandfather Gemma learns about her roots and how to embrace herself and those around her.