I loved the end result of this book (and I actively teared up in some big scenes at the end), but overall, I ended up being very frustrated while reading. It takes a while for the plot to kick in at the beginning: the first three chapters essentially are just info dumps to lead into the story and, while stuff technically happens, nothing really happens there, you know? It was incredibly frustrating. Until Gemma gets the movie roll, it’s not that interesting. Her roommates, while fun characters, are barely there the whole novel and feel more like plot devices and representation checks (especially to horn some LGBTQ+ rep in there, which is crazy and unnecessary if you’ve read the rest of the book). And don’t get me started on Ken. I honestly think you could cut him out entirely and the book would be much stronger. All that character growth Gemma goes through can be done without him. The more important themes of this are the ideas of family and cultural identity. That’s where the heart is. That other stuff was simply filler; unneeded and, as a reader, unwanted. But when the book focuses on Gemma’s identity and her growth as a person, it hits the nail on the head. I loved reading the Chinese history and finding out about her own family’s convoluted past. It might be my addiction to Asian dramas that kept me in this story! Overall, 3.5 stars rounded down for a padded plot.