Another hit by Gloria Chao!

Gemma feels like her world is small - it's always been her mom and her against the world and all she's ever known is her small town in Massachusetts. However, when a treasure hunt takes her abroad to Taipei, Taiwan, her eyes are opened to not just another part of the world, but her own history, her own family, and her own heart.

I had so much fun reading this book. The writing was easy to fall into, as is always the case with Gloria Chao, and Gemma and Xander pop off the page from the start. I loved getting to know them, along with the TARP crew, and seeing all the different ways these diaspora teens interacted with their culture - some were fluent in Mandarin, others weren't; some have been to Taipei, other only heard about it through stories; some knew their history, while others never got to learn - all were valid and it showed that various ways that the diaspora exists and I loved that.

The treasure hunt was a way for Gemma to learn about her history - the life of her grandfather, but also those who knew him. With some plot twists and secrets uncovered, it ended up being everything and more than what Gemma had initially bargained for. After reading The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, this story hits different.

While this book has bits of romance, I feel like this story was truly a love letter to Taiwan, its diaspora, and the history we've lost and gained over time. I absolutely loved it and it made me so so hungry while reading!

TW: grief; mentions homophobia, death of a grandparent, pregnancy, cancer

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Finished copy gifted via Colored Book Tours by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review

I feel like I've seen or read another book by this author - which is what originally caught my eye.
The cover art felt familiar. And it's definitely eye-catching.

This book is young adult, but it still held my attention fairly well.
It tackled topics of heritage and family.

Cute read overall.

I loved this book. This story was full of second chances, family mystery, and love. Chao did such a wonderful job weaving mystery, culture, and self-discovery.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Ex Marks the Spot follows Gemma as she embarks on an overseas scavenger hunt setup by her late estranged grandfather.

This was a sweet little book! The rivals-to-lovers plotline, Gemma's journey connecting not only to her family's history but also her culture, the whole arc of all of her grandfather's puzzles, all of it kept me engaged and enjoying the experience of reading this book. Gloria Chao is great at character, and Gemma is a character I quickly grew to love and had no trouble rooting for. I adored how most of the internal conflict involved Gemma's own understanding of herself and her family, and that the romance, while certainly present, wasn't the only thing this book had going for itself. While this wasn't necessarily the twisty mystery to end all twisty mysteries, nor the whirlwind swoonworthy romance to end all romances, overall Ex Marks the Spot was a lovely read that I'd certainly pick up again, and recommend to anyone looking for a lighter vibes YA that still has some meat on its bones.

3.25⭐️
A fast paced young adult story about finding yourself and understanding where you come from. While this book can be emotional at times, it was also so much fun! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys coming of age story’s, and ya romance with an emotional plot.

Cute romance for younger readers. I loved seeing the journey to explore heritage and accepting parts of family history that you can't control.

First off, thank you to the publisher and Colored Pages Book Tours for sending me a copy and allowing me to be a part of this tour!

I really enjoyed reading this book! Solving the puzzles was such a cool aspect of the story, and it keeps the reader wondering what’s waiting for Gemma at the end. Some of the situations they got in while trying to solve the puzzles were also very unexpected!

The romance was cute! This is a second chance romance, and as we learn more about Gemma and Xander, we better understand how they became the people they are now, but also how they complement each other. The confession scene was so them, which I loved.

I really appreciated the conversations surrounding culture and how everyone’s experience is different, which we see with the other characters. Gemma often felt like she wasn’t Taiwanese enough. It can be hard with feeling like you’re too much of one part of yourself but also not enough of the other when both are a part of your identity. This really resonated with me, understanding her feelings of insecurity. I think it’ll resonate with other readers as well.

The family history!! I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think it’ll definitely keep readers wanting to know more. The discussions around family in general were also interesting. Family members can be flawed and understanding the reasoning behind their actions doesn’t mean forgiveness is owed. Family also is more than just blood.

Gemma’s grandfather, her Gong Gong, had quite the life, and his story is one that I would read about as well. It’s such a stark reminder about how our grandparents had such full lives before we existed and how there’s still so much we might not know.

Overall, I really enjoyed Ex Marks the Spot and look forward to reading more of Gloria Chao’s work!

Thank you Netgalley and viking Books for Young Readers for earc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. What an absolute perfection book. My heart was in my throat the whole time I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved learning about the culture, the puzzle solving was impressive and loved the love to hate to love between the MCs. I thought it was done so so well. I can definitely see this as my favorite YA of 2025.

Suggest picking it up.

5/5☆

Another good read by Gloria Chao. I loved the characters in this book, including side characters. I felt like they were fleshed out well (even some that didn't get a lot of page time). I loved the treasure hunt aspect and the incorporation of art. The way Gemma's mind worked to see patterns in ways others can't was so fun to see played out. Loved the slow build up of the romance. It felt genuine. Can't wait for her next.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars rounded down

This book had a lot of thought put into it, and you can tell. The treasure hunt in this book is directed by clues the grandfather left behind, and there's soooo many parts at play + interactions between the clues, plus their connection to the Taiwan culture. It's very impressive. You can also tell the author had a lot of passion for this book. From the culture to the setting to the characters and their growth. It's has multiple good messages, especially when it comes to how people experience their culture and the influences it can have on people.

There were things that bothered me, though. The writing is a bit on-the-nose and quick at times, but I also acknowledge that this is a YA book and that these elements aren't necessarily bad since it is aimed for 13-18 year olds (with the writing style working better for the lower end while still having the ability to touch the entire age range). So, this is definitely just a personal experience with the book being said by a 28-year-old adult. The characters can also be frustrating at times, but, well, they're teenagers. Some bits are unrealistic, but that tends to happen with all fiction.

All of this to say, I may mark it as 3.5 stars, but most of my gripes are personal and just because I've semi-outgrown some things about YA fiction. 15-year-old-me probably would have found this much closer to a 4.5 star read.

So, if you're looking for a strong YA book with good themes and a fun adventure, I definitely recommend!

Ex Marks the Spot is a fun coming of age rom com about a young girl discovering who she is, learning about her family history, and rediscovering love. This is a great read!

Gemma's mom hasn't been completely forthcoming about Gemma's grandparents and their family history. Despite being Taiwanese-American, Gemma doesn't know anything about Taiwanese culture, the language, or her grandparents and where they came from. When she's given the chance to learn about her family, she takes it, flying all the way to Taiwan. On the trip is also her ex-boyfriend, Xander, whom she can't stand. But when Gemma's grandfather leaves her a mysterious puzzle to solve, the only person who can help her solve it is her ex. As they go on this journey of discovery together, Gemma finds her feelings for her ex changing.

This is a great story about discovering your family roots and discovering who you are in the process. Gloria Chao does a wonderful job of weaving Chinese culture and way of life into the story. Her descriptions of the different locations in Taiwan and the mouthwatering food had me wanting to hop on a plane to visit myself.

Gemma and Xander are both great characters with strong emotional arcs. We see both of them grow and change during the course of the story. It's also fun to watch them as they go through each step of the puzzle trying to figure out how to solve each puzzle and what comes next.

Great read!

This love letter to Taiwan follows Gemma, a just recent high school graduate, as she learns about her roots and digs into a whole bunch of family secrets--all with her Ex! When Gemma discovers that her grandfather (Gong Gong--she never knew was even alive!) just recently died and leaves her with a clue to start a treasure hunt to discover her possible inheritance, she must leave her single mom and go to Taiwan to find more clues. Her only way there is through an exchange program (TARP) hosted by her ex, Xander, and his family, whose grandfather hated hers. Once in Taiwan, Gemma has to follow her grandfather's painstaking clues all over, with the help of her TARP friends, and Xander, discovering Gong Gong's secrets, his tie to Xander's grandfather, and more about the culture and family secrets her single mom has hidden with her. The clues & puzzles were intricate and well designed, and I was glad to have Gemma and Xander to solve them, as their complexity was beyond me. I loved the description of the Taiwanese gems like the Night Markets & the famous rocks at Yehliu Geopark, as well as all the scrumptious food--it's no wonder author Chao spent her summers in Taiwan with her own grandparents. The attention to detail was immersive. I did want more tension between Gemma & Xander for the first 2/3 of the book, and I would probably put this in my realistic section more than the romance one, as it's much more a story of growing up, reconnecting with one's roots, and self-discovery than just straight romance. An enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the advance copy.

Gemma and Xander have to team up to solve a puzzle to see if it leads to an inheritance.
I thought this was going to be fun but it was really boring to me. I didn't even notice the puzzles. I didn't really notice anything.

Ex Marks the Spot has rivals, second chance romance, family secrets, scavenge hunts, and - of course - exes! Beginning, it asks us what happens after we turn the final page of a rivalry? And what happens when it seems to be a one sided rivalry? But Ex Marks the Spot quickly turns into a story about family secrets and discovering ourselves. It's about knowing sometimes we have to loosen up, take a second chance, and also give the ones in our lives a second change. Xander and Gemma are utter opposites, on paper, but what happens when they actually share more than they think?

This is such a cute & fun adventure! Think ‘Loveboat Taipei’ but better! More mystery, less drama, family secrets, enemies to lovers… 🗺️🧭📍

I loved the vivid setting of Taipei and description of all the food 🤤

Chao touches on different aspects of the Asian American experience and self discovery. She shows how culture and history can help shape a person.

“I am a mix of all my experiences” 💌

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, and Gloria Chao for providing me this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review! ◡̈

This is A Book That Transported Me to Taiwan & made me call my mom 💖

Why is it that NA Books are just so transformative today! This book was so beautifully written that I feel like I have just been on a two week journey with Gemma, Xander, & all the other TARPers along with the most amazing characters. Like any good Journey, I have learned so much, not just about Gemma and Xander's reunion...what a beautiful second chance slow burn story they had 😍 but also about the way that Asian American see themselves. This push and pull of growing up that any college freshman faces is one thing, but add to that the cultural & the familial push and pull along with the identity aspect of language as self as connection to the past & present is something that I never considered before. Seeing Gemma experience Taiwan as someone who is almost fully estranged from her cultural heritage & learng through an Inheritance 'Treasure' Hunt was awe inspiring, insightful, and dare I say educational. Gloria Chao brought so many emotions to this book but always stayed focused on the joy of discovery and healing of hearts. I loved that this book as all told from Gemma's perspective yet was balanced with Xander's 'seemingly privileged' position which brought its own limitations and expectations to the story. Add to that the hidden love story of X (no spoilers here 😁) and this is a book that will bring you to tears and have you calling your parents and grands to chat.

A fully bright 5 🌟 stars for a book that anyone from 18 to 80 will love reading. Filled with amazing characters & love stories & friendhsips & food descriptions that will have you Googling for a Taiwanese Restaurant because you have to experience Gemma's Treasure Hunt, for yourself, THIS IS A BOOK TO KEEP!

Thank you Penguin Teen, Net Galley, Colored Pages Tours, and the author for sharing this amazing book with me!

This book really took me by surprise. I ended up being much more invested in this book than I expected. Especially because at the start I was kind of struggling to get into this one. I feel like the set up of this book wasn't the most interesting. I also thought that at the start our main character was extremely unlikeable. I don't know if that's the point but I definitely did not get along with her. I just feel like she was very self involved, and SUPER negative for no real reason. Her whole conflict with Xander seemed completely in her head from the start, and it just confused me. She also kept going on and on about how her mind just works differently, and how she's just "on a different wavelenght", but she's just really into different kinds of puzzles. There's quite literally nothing different about her.
However, once they got to Taiwan, and we really get into the scavenger hunt (especially once Xander joins in on the fun) I really started to get into this one. I just think it was a really fun read. I loved the TARP crew, and my main complaint about the rest of the book after the initial set up is that I wanted more of them. I just thought they were a really fun bunch of side characters, and I love how they pushed Gemma out of her comfort zone. I also liked the different activities we did with our TARP crew. I just thought they were really fun settings, and also really helped to show the Taiwanese culture as well.
Of course, the scavenger hunt is the absolute star of the show. I actually loved the different puzzles that made up the different clues to get to the different destinations. I thought they were all really creative, and I loved seeing our characters figure it all out. I do have to say that I thought the different reveals of the hunt were really predictable (although that might be because I just see gay people everywhere), and I did think that it made the characters see a bit dumber than we're constantly told they are because they were so shocked by it. However, I still feel like the journey was really well executed, and I really loved how it portrayed Gemma finding herself while learning more about her grandfather. The conclusion of the hunt also definitely made me tear up a little, because it was all just so well crafted.
I also quite liked the relationship between Gemma and Xander. They were really quite cute together. Like I mentioned before I never really bought their rivalery because it just seemed so incredibly one sided, but once Gemma finally got her stubborn head past that we actually got so many great scenes of the two of them together. So yeah, it definitely isn't the main focus of this book but I still really loved the addition.

While it is common to compare books that are barely similar as an attempt to hook the readers of that other book, this book does bear some similarities to Jennifer Lynn Barne's The Inheritance Games to which it has been compared. They both involve solving puzzles as an important part of their plots. In this case, a small series of puzzles build upon one another ultimately leading to the resolution of an important part of the story. Although these are not puzzles the reader can solve especially without knowledge of the Tawainese language and culture, they keep the story intriguing and interesting. You do not need any specific knowledge of these things to enjoy the book and you can learn quite a lot about them and the country of Tawain itself through reading it. Thus, the book is like a Tawainese travelogue which is one of the nicest things about it. If you are looking for that, you will really enjoy this book.

If you are more interested in the romance, you may be disappointed. Gemma and Xander are a cute couple but remain antagonists throughout most of the book only becoming a romantic couple fairly late in the story. There are some nice nonromantic relationships in the book, however. Gemma develops some heartwarming friendships with the other members of their travel group. Plus, it is touching how her relationship with her mother grows and changes throughout the story, particularly in the end.

4.5 stars

This is a perfect example of the kind of YA stories I miss and want to read more of! And it's one of the few stories I'd rather listen to than read (if only for the pronunciation -- I'm a language nerd).

The characters all feel age-appropriate. They sound and act like 18-year-old recent high school grads. And the adults were all flawed, realistic adults. The academic enemies-to-lovers and inheritance scavenger hunt are just unhinged enough to remind me of the early days of YA. It made me smile. And Gemma and Xander are so sweetly earnest and adorable.

I love the story of learning about your heritage and culture. And I loved how each character on the TARP trip had a unique relationship with it. It's also very cool to see these young people realize their parents and grandparents are <b>people</b>. Taiwan felt like its own character in all this. Gloria did such a lovely job with the setting that I felt like I could see all the action and activities playing out.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is for how Gemma's "different wavelength" was handled. She's so obviously neurodivergently-coded -- why couldn't that just be said? Her mom assimilated them so much that I doubt it would be out of character. It just struck a weird cord with me every time it was brought up. For a book that's all about understanding yourself and where you come from, it felt like something of a missed opportunity.

That said, it's a wonderful book and I'm recommending it to everyone!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking Books, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Gemma has a talent of looking at things differently. Puzzles, anagrams just makes so much sense to her. So when her late grandfather that she never knew was still alive until recently, gave her a box. She just knew there's so much more to it. The problem is, she needs to go to Taiwan to actually finish all the clues. With no money to travel, She swallows her pride and asks help from her nemesis and ex, Xander.

I haven't read all the Gloria Chao books but I think this is the best book she wrote. I might be biased because I really like puzzles, and scavenger hunts. However, the fact that this was a book in a different country with the perspective of a second-generation Taiwanese-American who never experienced her Taiwanese side was truly enthralling. The relationships Gemma has with the different characters of the book is not just relatable but also realistic. The author truly makes you understand what Gemma was feeling. And she done it well.

Readers also get a glimpse of Taiwan. I've never been to Taiwan, except for a layover in Taipei, but the way the book describes places was a genius way to introduce something unfamiliar. Also learning a bit more of the culture was also so nice. This was definitely an adventure through the pages.

Though I don't know Mandarin, it was so fun and intriguing to at least guess the puzzles and what was coming next to the characters. This book was the type where you can solve with it making reading interactive. But it was still fun for me though I don't know the language.

Overall, this was a ride. I loved everything about it and I didn't even take a deep dive on the love story even though the title is all over it. The angst was there. And I would like to see what Xander was thinking in this book. But all I can say is - chivalry i s not dead on this book at all.

Great book, so happy I read it. If anything. i think it sucks this can't be an audiobook.