Book Summary and Reviews of Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu

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liana ana

the tension of this book
Books with a thriller genre like this are very tense, about the feeling of jealousy that Elizabeth experiences that cannot be contained due to societal pressure. I felt a little emotional reading this book.

The storyline is interesting and unpredictable. The structured language makes me feel like I am in the story.

There are many things that can be learned from this book, the importance of holding back jealousy, and also not judging someone based on their origins. Pressure from other people can make us feel inadequate, don't lose yourself just because of that.

Helen_B

Boring Asian Female
Talk about a rollercoaster of a read! XU hits every hairpin curve in her debut novel, Boring Asian Woman. A story of a disappointed college student who doesn't get into the law school of her choice, quickly morphs into a psychological mind game of what it's like to feel that you are everything you need to be, but yet others are still rewarded with the life you want, but can't seem to reach. The main character, Elizabeth, is at times someone you can really relate to, but then she becomes someone you fear you could relate to! While many of the things she does are over the top, it just works, and I couldn't put this book down. I will say that the last section dragged a bit, and I found myself saying okay, let's move this along, however the ending was worth the wait. Thank you to Berkley Publishing.com, Netgalley.com, and Bookbrowse.com, for ARC in return for an honest and fair review.

Emily_H

Crazy, compelling novel!
This was such a beautifully, deranged book in ALL THE BEST WAYS. Boring Asian Female, told from an internal first person POV, gives an intimate look into the depths of Elizabeth's life. Her thoughts, feelings, even the very dark and awful ones, are given to the reader on every page, in every situation. Important topics of self worth and upbringing and societal, cultural and gender pressures are all tackled. These feelings consume Elizabeth and drive her and really asks the question, How far is too far to get what you want? Even through all the madness, she was somehow lovably human and I couldn't put it down!

Impeccable writing that flowed into a thought provoking novel— highly recommend 5 stars!

Thank you BookBrowse and NetGalley for the advanced ebook! All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Joy_B

Not Boring Asian
This story had me engaged from the very beginning, exploring what it means to be Asian in a white world. As we travel through the story we become increasingly exposed to the dreams and high standards and the work and sacrifice Elizabeth has made to achieve her goals. When she fails to get into Harvard she spirals out of control and uses her intellect in decidedly nefarious ways.

She spirals downward and eventually ends up in the hospital and reevaluated her behavior. The book closes in a way that made me look at how did I feel about this very flawed character. A wonderful way to end a book.

Christine_Brady

Troubled Asian Woman
I loved this book! Our heroine Elizabeth is absolutely certain that she is destined to attend Harvard Law School. The machinations she goes through in her mind and actions to attain this goal made my hair stand on end! Unfortunately Elizabeth rates everyone she meets in percentiles (this includes herself) which is part of her downfall. The problems she has applying to law schools not only affect her, but I believe are universal.
I loved her, disliked her, and wanted to yell at her all at the same time. The ending alone has enough fodder for a good book club discussion, not to mention the entirety of the book. This is a must read!

Peggy_H

Far From Boring
I wanted to gate this book. From the beginning, our title character, Elizabeth, is super judgmental, overly materialistic, and seriously driven. When she doesn't get into Har and Law School, she gets crazier and crazier. Although I didn't like her, I could understand her, and, to a certain extent, admire her persistent.

This is an interesting viewpoint from an Asian author, frankly talking about racism. I am many years away from college, so the level of competition is a bit removed for me..but the emotions are all there. It's a fast fun read with lots to think a d talk about.ç

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