I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young mother becomes separated from her infant in a crowded airport. Seventeen years later, she finally has enough money saved to return to the city and attempt to find her daughter.

In 1998, Mimi was at the airport waiting for her return flight to Vietnam after a difficult time in America that left her alone with her 14-month-old daughter. When her daughter disappears prior to their flight, the language barrier and other obstacles result in her deportation back to Vietnam without her child. Seventeen years later, we meet Kit and Sabrina, friends who bonded in childhood as Asian Americans in the lily-white neighborhood of Philadelphia. As they graduate from high school, both girls struggle to find themselves, and they pursue different ways to move forward — Kit travels to Japan while Sabrina stays and works at an Asian American legal aid office. My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner explores themes of belonging, immigration, and young love as it follows all of these characters through the summer. Strenner tells a good story and keeps all the plotlines moving well, but maybe a few fewer threads would have allowed for more development among the main characters. Her dialogue needs work, and the book feels very YA, but readers looking for an emotional coming-of-age novel about mothers and daughters, friendship, and belonging will enjoy My Other Heart.

In My Other Heart, a young child goes missing at the Philadelphia airport, setting off a gripping chain of events. The story effortlessly shifts between the Philadelphia suburbs and cities in Asia, keeping readers engaged with its well-developed characters and a plot that moves smoothly. This debut novel by Emma Nanami Strenner is highly readable and compelling.

A young child goes missing in the Philadelphia airport, setting in motion the events of the book My Other Heart. The story then moves easily between the Philadelphia suburbs and cities in Asia. The book was very readable, the plot engaging and the characters well developed.

I highly recommend this excellent debut novel by Emma Nanami Strenner,

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

#NetGalley #VikingPenguin #MyOtherHeart #EmmaNanamiStrenner

This book is a gut punch in the best way. It dives deep into the messy, complex layers of family, race, and identity. Mimi’s heartbreaking quest for her daughter, Kit’s search for her roots in Tokyo, and Sabrina facing her hidden truths are all so incredibly well-crafted. The emotions run raw and real, with a sharp look at what belonging really means, whether it’s about blood or something else entirely. The writing pulls you in and doesn’t let go. I felt every page of this.

This was a bit anti-climactic for me. I really felt as though the story drug on for a little too long. I just needed a little more substance.