thanks to netgalley & random house for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

this was fine. it was cute, a good palette cleanser. my main issue was the lack of real substance the story had.
ya romance tends to stray towards formulaic - a simple mashup of coming-of-age, first love, and the main character doing something stupid, realizing it, and then rushing around apologizing to everyone. this book definitely fits into that.
something to note is that this book is EXTREMELY fast paced, and not in a good way - in the way that limits character understanding & development, and leaves you feeling completely removed from all of the characters. this is the type of book that, if you read regularly, you'll forget within three days.
additionally, this book is marketed as something akin to enemies-to-lovers, which is definitely not the case. angela and lynda are essentially strangers at the start of the book, and their relationship is so rushed its ridiculous.
overall, this was fine. read this if you want something cute, but you'll forget quickly.

Alice Lin writes a modern love story and it’s absolutely adorable! When I say modern, I mean it’s definitely modern. There’s references to Legend of Korra and anime characters that come from this day and age. This story was right up my alley.

We follow Lynda Fan as she navigates her way through love, art, and family issues. Her love story with Angela Wu is the cutest thing ever and by the time they go on their first date, I’m mentally screaming. It’s just so cute.

Her family issues do get resolved as she finds her way through them but boy, are they a pain in the butt. Her dad especially really annoyed me. But it’s okay, as I said, it’s resolved.

Her art is the main focus of the story. You can see how she evolves through it and takes her time to really find herself through art. It’s really heartwarming to read.

Overall, loved this story. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out other books by Alice Lin if they’re as cute as this one. Loved it!

Sent my review to the provided email in the ARC: rhkidspublicity@penguinrandomhouse.com. And here, since this is just going to the publisher:

Per the request in the advance copy of Love Points to You that I received, I am sending my review of this book here. For clarification, I received a copy of the aforementioned book through NetGalley. I also gave a 5 out ot 5 star review and a message thanking NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for the copy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6634764954?book_show_action=false

As for my full review:

I loved Love Points to You, the characters, the plot and literally everything about the book! I am an Indian American and, till now, had not read many books written in the POV of an Asian American, or an American with Asian ancestry. I connected with the book that way, seeing the POV of Lynda as she lives her life and explores her opportunities. I liked the writing of the book, it pulled at me as we bond and sympathize with Lynda as well as with the other characters. Despite some of the things and opinions Lynda has, we still root for her and laugh along with her. For one, I loved the part in the book when Lynda overhears her Dad and Aunt Mindy during the holidays and she replies mentally to her aunt that she doesn't have an attitude. That made me laugh out loud. The whole book was a nonstop read for me, into today's early morning hours!

I liked Angela's personality as well, how she stands for what she believes in and doesn't care about others opinions of her behavior. In that, she and Lynda are similar, I felt. I liked how their love story plays out, how it changes Lynda through the book until she finally asks Angela out, after Angela pulls it out of her when they're in the library. Lynda began wondering how a person's attitude towards their dreams and goals could change when they fall in love, we see this with Collin and Josie (I hope I got his name right!). Then she repeats her sentiments later when she realizes she's fallen in love with Angela.

Overall, I could go on and on about what I loved about this book and I loved everything. Their romance, the story line, the characters. I liked that Lynda is on a better understanding with her dad and Amy and Josie and I hope that this isn't a standalone, that the story continues. If it doesn't, I'll be happy imagining Lynda and Angela and their classmates going off to college, Lynda and Angela surviving through long-distance, if they go to different colleges, and ending up together. Like how Lynda's dad said in his vows that he got a biking partner as well as a life partner in Amy, I feel like I can imagine Lynda and Angela's vows at their wedding. Lynda incorporating her feelings that life with Angela will be more colorful and Angela saying her life with Lynda will be magical. But this is just my imagination, inspired by the brilliant writing of Alice Lin!

I can't wait until the book comes out next year, will definitely buy a copy!