Loveboat Forever

Loveboat, Taipei #3

by Abigail Hing Wen

Return to the sparkling world of Loveboat, this time with Pearl Wong, on an entirely new, romantic, whirlwind adventure from Abigail Hing Wen,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Loveboat, Taipei, streaming now on Paramount+ (adaptation titled Love in Taipei ) .   Pearl was ready for a worldwide stage. Instead, she needs to stage a comeback. Seventeen-year-old music prodigy Pearl Wong had the summer of her dreams planned—until a fall from grace leaves her in need of new plans…and a new image. Where better to revamp her “brand” than at Chien Tan, the Taipei summer program for elite students that rocketed her older sister, Ever, on a path to romance and self-fulfillment years ago. But as the alumni know, Chien Tan is actually Loveboat—the extravagant world where prodigies party till dawn—and there’s more awaiting Pearl there than she could have ever imagined, like a scandalous party in the dark, a romantic entanglement with a mysterious suitor...and a summer that will change her forever. Sweeping, glamorous, and deeply soulful, this companion to the New York Times bestselling novel Loveboat, Taipei and Loveboat Reunion will reunite readers with their favorite characters, in a thrilling new journey of romance, self-discovery, and empowerment. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen.  

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Asian Literature, Music

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2023

About the author

Abigail Hing Wen is the New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of Loveboat, Taipei, now a film "LOVE IN TAIPEI" on Netflix. The companion novels, Loveboat Reunion follows Xavier and Sophie, and Loveboat Forever brings the whole gang back together six years later.

Her sophomore universe, Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies was an instant National Bestseller, Indy Best Seller, USA Today Bestseller, SoCal Regional Best Seller, Mountains and Plains Indy Regional Bestseller and an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best YA Book of the Month.

Abigail holds a BA from Harvard, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an MFA from the Vermont School of Fine Arts, and, like some of her characters, is obsessed with musicals and dancing. When she’s not writing stories or listening to her favorite scores, she is busy working in artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley, where she lives with her family. You can learn more about her at www.abigailhingwen.com. Follow on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok @abigailhingwen

Reviews

[Jan Agaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

sad I didn't feel as connected to Pearl as I did with Ever & Sophie, but it was still fun to be back on Loveboat. also really appreciated the discussions on culture and colonization with Kai, who I was rooting for the entire time btw lol

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Containing all of the elements that made Hing Wen’s previous novels standout, Loveboat Forever is both a return to this series’ roots and a perfect end to this contemporary trilogy。

[ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i had to use one word to describe this book, it would be ‘homecoming’.

returning to the chien tan campus six years after the events of loveboat, taipei was truly surreal. despite the modern updates, loveboat forever pays tribute to the first book with pearl staying in ever’s old room and marc becoming the program director. of course, it’s not loveboat without sneaking out to clubs and parties, and pearl’s experience is just as memorable as her sister’s. but what makes this book special is her visit to her family’s shrine that traces back to her great-grandmother, a famous pipa player. it ties in perfectly with finding her cultural identity and adds depth to the story. in addition, i appreciate the discussions on the ethics of stolen artefacts and lasting impacts of colonialism.

in true wong sister fashion, pearl finds herself entangled in a love triangle. i think this trope isn’t as well developed as ever’s because i was rooting for one of the love interests from the start instead of feeling conflicted (but this might be a me thing). firstly, i had my doubts about ethan but ended up surprised by his character arc. his motivations helped put things into perspective and i like the author’s nuanced take on his character. as for kai, i’m obsessed with every interaction he had with pearl. they are the definition of enemies-to-lovers, challenging each other to go beyond their comfort zones while having top-tier banter.

the ending, as well as the cameos from previous characters, brought this book up to five stars. it acts as an extended epilogue, giving ever and her friends the happy ending they deserve. as foreshadowed in loveboat reunion, ever and rick go through a rough patch which is realistic for long-distance relationships, and i’m glad the author chooses to address this (don’t worry, it all works out). sophie and xavier are still going strong and i love how she treats pearl like her little sister 💗

overall, a stunning conclusion to this series.

pre-review
when have i ever given a book by abigail hing wen less than five stars?? rtc

[mona ♡]

it's giving tv show spin off to make as much money as possible from an already dying series but ok

[Eileen Tucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Pearl's story was super magical and fun. It kept all the romances and adventures from the previous books alive. I really felt immersed in new parties and Loveboat journeys. Seen through Pearl it was all special and exciting and new all over again.

[Natalie R · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't feel like this book lived up to the standard of the last two. I did enjoy some of the themes included such as the importance of family and the confidence to stand up for what you want instead of letting others tell you who to be. However, I felt like this book had a serious political agenda that it was trying to push and it took many things to the extreme to do so. I loved that the main character was a classical pianist, but as a classical pianist, there were some things I found to be slightly inaccurate. Sure, she's supposed to be a young musical prodigy, but I had some issues with how quickly she picked up an instrument she had never heard of or played anything similar to. The pipa is a fascinating instrument, but she sort of just picked it up and started playing like a natural the first time she touched it and there wasn't a single mention of how much something like that would make your fingers hurt as you are trying to develop the calluses it takes to play an instrument like that so often. Overall though, I am a sucker for a good love triangle and I liked that it brought back the couples from the previous two books and gave some insight as to how their lives developed over the last 7 years.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

No dobrze, to było przyjemne i słuchało się prawie tak samo dobrze, jak dwóch pozostałych części, ale zdecydowanie zabrakło jej czegoś. Dwie pierwsze części są zamkniętą całością i gdyby na tym skończyć byłoby idealnie. To był na pewno miły dodatek, takie trochę co się działo po happy endzie, ale sprawiało wrażenie niepotrzebnego dodatku. Nie pisanego na siłę, tylko po prostu niepotrzebnego. Mimo wszystko będę wspominać serię z uśmiechem, bo dobrze spędziłam z nimi czas, ale nie lubię takiego przeciągania na siłę.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the Loveboat series and while I enjoyed it.. it wasn’t the best one. But I did have fun reading it in the end.


A big thank you to my hubby for getting me this one for my birthday! Sadly, while I did enjoy this one (4 stars, whoo) it is going on the bye bye stack because it is just 4 stars. sighs Yes, this was a good book in overall, but I just had points that I didn’t like.

But let’s start with the good first?

🥰 I loved seeing all my favourite characters again! Rick, Xavier, Sophie, Ever, and others! It made me smile. I especially love seeing Xavier and Sophie because they are so happy together.
🥰 Loveboat/the actual program. Boy, I am so jelly that these kids can go to this place, have fun but also learn new things!
🥰 I loved the music lessons that Pearl was taking and I am now even more curious about all these instruments and learning more about them!
🥰 Seeing Pearl learn about her roots/heritage, find family, go on a hunt for a pipa and find out so many fun things about it. It was just so sweet and I loved how in the end Ever, Pearl, and their mom found their family and visited their hometown/place. It just made me teary eyed.
🥰 I loved Pearl’s new friends, Iris and Hollis. I loved seeing their big plans to take over the world with food (sign me up for that though given they do a lot of vegan things I probably cannot each much of what they make given my allergies/food intolerances). They were so sweet with Pearl and I also love reading from afar about their (love) adventures at the program/Loveboat.
🥰 Yes, there is a love triangle but I didn’t mind it that much. Maybe it is because I knew who would be the endgame and I also didn’t like Ethan that much, haha. Sorry Ethan, but I was not a fan of him for many reasons, yes, at the start I did like the connection he and Pearl had, but as soon as it all turned to more lust rather than love.. eh. I was more a fan of brooding bad boy-like Kai. Yes, he is grumpy. Yes, he is judgy. But he is also sweet and I loved finding more about him. About why he isn’t playing instruments anymore. About his family. And I just loved how Kai was there for Pearl and how he tried to help out with each step. Plus, the chemistry between them!
🥰 Pearl/Ever’s mom was just so sweet! She really softened over the years and I love how supportive she is with her daughters now.
🥰 I also love the cover, it is so pretty!
🥰 The ending and all that was planned and organised there and how everything came together? It was just perfection and I adored it!
🥰 The writing style was still so good! Abigail Hing Wen really has a writing style that pulls you into the story and not lets you go.
🥰 The two parties, well, ok the first one was the best given things I cannot say. It was dark, sexy, fun, exciting. Plus, sparked a new plotline, because who is the mystery kisser? Who is Wolf?
🥰 I like food, so I loved the descriptions of food that was eaten in this book. Now I want to try several of them (well, provided I can eat them, haha).

Here is a list of things I wasn’t a fan of. Ready?

🫥 I expected the fall of grace to already have happened and that Loveboat was a fun thing to go and do for the summer. What actually happened is that we ride the highs of the acceptation for Apollo only for it to get thrown in the trash for a dumb reason just a few pages later and then all of the sudden she can go to Loveboat whereas before she didn’t want to and wasn’t able to.
🫥 While I do love Kai (I shipped Kai and Pearl so much) I didn’t like how he was so judgy and how he at times felt more like an older man talking about things rather than a teen. Yes, I got where he came from, but at times it just felt not in the right place and more put there to have some extra depth to the story. I think it would have worked if he was less judgy and that things flowed better with the story.
🫥 I do miss the Loveboat things. We do get two parties but that is it. Most of the book is focussed on Pearl figuring out things, the love triangle, and her finding her family/heritage/roots.
🫥 Pearl at times was just a bit too easily influenced by things. Plus, there were points that had me scratching my head. At one point it seems that she is surprised that there are civil wars outside of the US, and I was like, wait what the fuck? I get that education in the US is probably very US-centred but hello? There is a whole world? It isn’t all play and fun there.
🫥 I also wasn’t a fan how, as soon as Pearl learns about the Pipa, she seems to forget about piano and at times it came across as if she could only do one of these instruments. But that is just not right. You can do both. You can excel in both. Plus, while I know that she had music in her blood/family, it was just a bit too easy how she instantly was perfect at playing the pipa. Sorry, but that is not how instruments work. OK.
🫥 The Rick/Ever situation. I just wasn’t a fan at times. Seriously, you are both adults, just work it out in a better way.

But in overall, I am still very happy I read this one and I hope that maybe there are still more books, haha. Just with totally new characters!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Serene W · Rating 1 out of 5]

my eyes have bled. ༼ ༎ຶ ᆺ ༎ຶ༽

[kat ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75!! i love this series so much, being back in this world made me so happy!! i also loved getting appearances from all the previous characters (xavier i'll love you forever!!). i enjoyed reading about pearl's story, especially seeing her learn more about her culture and ofc her and kai... hehe. this made me want to reread loveboat, taipei and feel something. all in all, another great book in the loveboat series and i will Beg for another 🥹

[Fatima Zahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited to read this book, as the other two had been fabulous and I loved learning about the culture in Taipei.

Then I started reading this book, and it just took me forever to get into. I feel like I didn’t connect with Pearl on the same level as I did with Ever.

I thought the story was quite slow getting into, and Pearl annoyed me a lot, but she got better as the book progressed- and that’s on character development.

Another love triangle, and the plot twist wasn’t really that plot twisty as you could see it coming from the beginning. Ethan was jarring from the get go, and Kai, I think he was so misunderstood bless him.

I have to say, learning about the pipa and the art of it was so interesting. I loved all the aspects of Pearl’s family and their culture and their history.

I think I fancy a trip to Taipei now.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all the previous novels in this series (which are companions, but not reading them in order spoils a few character-related things), LOVEBOAT FOREVER was an immersive reading experience that had me engrossed in this story from start to end.

Readers follow a new main character -- Pearl Wong, sister to Ever from book one, as she winds up at Loveboat for the summer after a big social media blow-up. It's always a treat to see how this author unwraps the layers of her main characters, including what they are passionate about, what they're afraid of or struggling with and what they do in the face of all their new experiences, good or bad. These books have always been about life-changing times in the characters' lives, and it was a true honor to see Pearl find her way forward for her own life, career and passion while also finding those things that root her firmly in who she is and where she came from. I really enjoyed following along on this journey (despite the fact that there are definitely some teen shenanigans, though it really just made me shake my head and reminisce on old memories)!

(Major bonus to get Loveboat alumni cameos, especially from the main characters of the other books, who I absolutely adore! There was absolutely a lot of squealing involved, thank you very much.)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A YA coming of age story featuring an Asian American piano prodigy who goes viral for making a culturally insensitive faux pas. This is the third book in the Loveboat, Taipei series and while it could be read as a standalone, there are cameos from the MCs in the previous two books. Good on audio narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, this book was full of heart, family history and an intriguing romantic triangle. Perfect for fans of authors like Jennifer Yen or Jenny Han!

[Kanako Suwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

having grown up in Taiwan, this series always holds a special place in my heart. the scenery is so familiar, the language, the food, the atmosphere described in the book makes me so nostalgic for being a teenager in taipei… this third book in particular focused so much on all of the characters being a bridge between cultures and that resonated with me as a #TCK too. discussions around colonialism, stereotypes, and racism were embedded with views from different perspectives which i find rare in a YA novel, and i loved the inclusion of the power held in the alumni community 💙

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first two were better. I’ve outgrown them because they’re YA books but I feel like this book didn’t really have a plot and the previous book could’ve served as the ending.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the growth Pearl showed as the book progressed. Ever's little sister, poor girl, was trolled on social media for wearing a hat and being Asian, forcing her to lay low. This opened up her summer to participate in Loveboat in Taipei, like Ever!
I worried she'd go crazy like her sister out there but....Ever's past actually made it easier for Pearl to go after her dreams with her parents support. What pearl gained in Taipei was much more than late night drunkenness and sex. She discovered her family, cultural music, and freedom.
I loved that she learned new things, embraced her culture and began to stand up for herself, even against those that were supposedly on her side!
Few things I didn't like were the fact that Ever was being a fool about Rick and wanted to "see other people". Does she not know how hard it is to find a man that will remain loyal, especially in a long distance relationship?! Ugh. And her sister's choices....I'm just tired of the overplayed "good boy is secretly rotten inside" and "brooding bad boy is actually a softy", so overdone. No, good boys actually make good boysfriends and brooding/rude guys most times are just that, brooding and rude and we over romantize that.
That being being said, brooding Kai, actually did have good character development. After he got over trying to make Pearl change who she is and what she believes, he got better. His challenges did make Pearl think but I'm glad it didnt change her, just made her think deeper. And she made him better too and more open minded. I think this was the best Loveboat book yet! ❤
It was so great how the kids used their talents and connections to do GOOD! Great ending 👍

[USOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

As a major fan of these YA Contemporary series, Loveboat Forever is my favorite. Set six years after the events of the first two books, Loveboat Forever is, in many ways, a story about finding our way to love. For some characters it's about staying in love, reclaiming our love, and also about finding someone who challenges us. Too often in love we can try to find someone who seems like the 'right choice' but not often one who will push us. Loveboat Forever explores that and much more.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I was not impressed by the storyline and felt disengaged from the characters.

And after Dad passed away, for better or worse, Mom lost a lot of her will to fight us.

Ever’s mother was so controlling in the first book, and I remember her father giving his silent support. I was sad to see her father basically disappear from the story, and then her mother becomes a shell of herself. I couldn’t even resonate with the initial conflict; why were Apollo and Julie so hung up on Pearl’s post???

“You weren’t wrong. But the people who were upset weren’t wrong to be upset.”

This line that Kai delivered perfectly summarized the conflict, and I was so satisfied that I stuck to reading the book and didn't quit. I felt the same way reading Loveboat, Taipei and Loveboat Reunion ; they’re all genuinely worth reading and delving into their storylines: flaws and all.




So if you happened to pick this book up or dropped it a while ago, I highly recommend just giving it a shot! [After reading the first two books as well of course ;) ] I'll admit, you won't love everything, but putting the romance aside, the coming-of-age of Pearl was well written and deserves credit.




Ever, Rick, Sophie, Xavier
I LOVED all of their cameos.

They’ve been doing this dance of how to end up in the same city for years now, and they finally decided to take a break for a few months to figure things out independently.

I’m not going to lie, I was very confused at the beginning when they mentioned Ever and Rick breaking up; it didn’t align with what I read about their characters from the past two books. While I don’t agree with how Ever and Rick went about their conflict, it was nice to see the author tie up this subplot. However, I do think it was a bit silly that despite being in a long-term relationship (7 years!), they couldn't let each other know about their jobs and decisions before finding out when they were both in Taipei. I guess it's just one of those things that happen only in books. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Xavier?” I yelp. “But he’s with Sophie.”
“So you know him.”
“My sister dated Sophie’s Xavier?!” My head is spinning. No, no, no, that can’t be right. Ever has never once mentioned this to me. He’s basically like an extended member of the family. “Wow, I can’t believe it. I mean, they’re friends because of Sophie. And they’re always so formal around each other.”

As for Sophie and Xavier, I’m glad the book mentioned Ever hooking up with Xavier in the past LOL; that never sat well with me. However, the second book was so good, I could forgive Sophie after book 1 and accept her relationship with Xavier [I’m choosing to ignore all specificities like the hookup and leaking of nudes for the sake of preserving my adoration for this series :’)




Ethan
For lack of better words: fuck this guy. I had a feeling he was Wolf from the start. I didn’t expect him to be the mystery guy, but that was an exciting curveball because I expected it to be predictable and be Kai, due to the tension of Pearl and the devil in the dark’s interaction. I was completely shocked about the plastic surgery thing; the author tends to write about extremes, so I guess this is one of them. I honestly thought it was a pretty unique way to convey the message about conformity. Ultimately, Ethan never gave off Boy Wonder vibes, so his betrayal wasn’t that shocking. I hate his manager even more.




Kai
I’m biased because I love the brooding type, and Kai checked off all those boxes for me. He truly was there for Pearl and was honest with his feelings. It was great having him there with Pearl to showcase how she needed to grow and become more honest with herself and her intentions.




Pearl
I truly liked that we could see Pearl grow as a character. I didn't feel a fire at first; she’s a musical prodigy, her mother has relaxed, and her father passed away. Since Ever’s story had so much identity searching and conflict with her family, I was wrong to assume it would be the same for Pearl.

Some people are really into their ethnic identities. But music is my identity. I’m a concert pianist.

I honestly relate to Pearl a lot. Besides her passion for music, specifically piano, she had the burden of believing she always knew what she wanted and that the path she set out for would always be right. For the majority of the book, the enemy was under my nose. It took me a bit to catch onto Julie's controlling nature, but by the middle of the book, I just wanted to lecture Pearl myself that Julie was the one holding her back. I understand that Julie is a renowned agent, but it bothered me so much that their conversations felt one-sided and she almost never heard Pearl out!

And now I know better. I have privilege, and this is what it’s for. Not to cling to my fragile spot in a program created by other people. But to blaze my own path.

I'm glad Pearl stood up for herself and accepted that change is inevitable and her identity isn't tied to her “brand” or what her dad felt about the piano; it meant a lot when Ever pointed out it was because it was Pearl playing the piano that their father loved. I adored the ending of the book because of the cameos and Pearl’s genuine passion and motivation to showcase the evolution of Loveboat. It reminded me a lot of what Ever was doing in the first book.




Final Thoughts
The author has an amazing touch for describing the setting; I've never stepped foot in Taipei, but I could imagine what the city looked like, the clothes they wore, and the food they ate. Her books truly offer an immersive experience, and it felt great reading about characters I never thought I could relate to.




Random notes
- I'm not a huge fan of the use of the love triangle, given that Ever’s story already had this trope.
- I absolutely loved the scenes of Pearl digging into her family’s history. Her intentions felt real and sincere, and reading about her family and their history was heartwarming.
- I’ve always liked the scene from Loveboat, Taipei that described their escape from campus. This book’s escape scene matched that exhilaration for me!

[piper monarchsandmyths · Rating 5 out of 5]

why am i lowkey crying that was so good on all levels

[sameera]

i didn't particularly care for the actual romance or personal identity exploration. so in terms of writing stories that appeal to young adults, i think kinda mid because lowkey i should be the target dem as a early college kid as most of the characters are either graduating high school or starting college. the romance arc was trying to bring life back into the love triangle dynamic from the first book and pseudo flip it on its head. honestly, that made it seem even more blah because we've basically seen it before and i think rather than making the parallel, it would have been better off doing something completely different. oh well, not a big deal. i probably would have still been unimpressed.

the discussion around perceived racism and how even that is dependent on perspective was really good. we love the breaking down of social media as a viable place to have civil life-altering discussion. it literally can't be and shouldn't be given the perceived power of being able to do so. the colonialism, again, was a cool thing to talk about in an asian-american ya novel. i think it's a good historical perspective shift to have while in your teens. so, basically, i like the introduction of topics i don't see discussed often in these teen diaspora books. very much a breath of fresh air. one thing i found interesting was how adamant pearl was that she's asian-american, not chinese-american or taiwanese-american. that's a very white america term, i don't even use it to describe myself unless i'm purposefully bunching different asian ethnicities under the same umbrella for a white audience. that can probably be attributed to her ohio upbringing. lowkey, i'm surprised there was little debate about her identity being chinese or taiwanese, but maybe that was the point of focusing on the asian.

i don't care for the loveboat glaze though. like, be so ffr now. there's a throwaway line about how the loveboat kids aren't the terrors they used to be at the end, but i can't comment because there are only 4 people at this school: main character, bad boy love interest, golden boy love interest, and the twin friends. i lowkey forgot they did classes at these things, because i only remember one or two instances of them attending the music class.

the plot is obviously pretty blahly developed. it literally moved forward through the mom starting each phone call with some new insight she got from talking to the aunt. okay love a checkpoint npc i guess. pearl's dialogue was also pretty weird. it might have just been the narrator's voice, but almost all her lines were some sort of exclamatory statement and it was jarring. speaking of the narrator, idk maybe because she was saying it ethnically or something, but anytime she said "boba" or "bubble tea," it was like the most unnatural inclusion to her normal speech.

i don't remember much of pearl from the first 2 books, but she didn't particularly standout to me from other ya protagonists in this book. the family reunion also seemed really idyllic to me, which i understand had to happen because the book was ending soon. but, she seriously just randomly meets her entire extended family and they no question accept with zero drama. idk maybe my family's an exception, but i thought the family drama pr training was a requirement. idk it just felt a little too easy.

i'm glad i'm done.

february 25, 45²

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure how to feel going into Loveboat Forever, seeing as how the first book meant a lot to me. The second book wasn’t about Ever or Loveboat, which was my favorite part of the first (I also wasn’t expecting a sequel at all, so color me surprised when we got one). This book, on the other hand, was like returning to where we began.

Pearl Wong is not having a great summer. She was just asked not to come to the lucrative music program that she had been accepted into after being cancelled on TikTok… for wearing a Chinese straw hat. But she is Chinese and the hat was her grandmother’s. She had to learn the hard way that people are going to believe what they want… social media can make or break you.

Right when she’s at her lowest, she remembers the program in Taipei where her sister made incredible friends, had the best summer and met the love of her life (albeit, they are on a break atm)… Loveboat!!! So to get her life back on track and maybe connect to her roots, she gets her mom to send her to Taiwan!

This was very reminiscent of Loveboat Taipei with the same dynamic (love triangle), but the characters were very different. The outcome and her want for being there was on a completely different level as well. I really enjoyed the story and learning once again about something I really knew nothing about, the pipa. I know what it sounds and looks like, but I found the exploration of her family’s background really interesting. That alone was enough to make me fall in love.

[michi | 鍾翠清 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ☆

♡ enemies to lovers, love triangle, musician x musician

loveboat forever was truly an homage to the first installment in the series loveboat, taipei. through pearl’s story, we got to return to the chien tan campus and see all the changes that have happened in the past six years. although pearl’s story can be seen as a parallel to ever’s story, i found i didn’t really connect that well with pearl. regardless, her story was so unique to me as i haven’t really read any romance novels regarding musicians and found it very enjoyable. i enjoyed the interactions between pearl and kai —the friendly banter and just pushing and challenging each other to not only go beyond their comfort zone, but to do so while still remaining true to their selves.

in true loveboat fashion, i loved how the story embraced getting to know one’s culture and learning how to fall in love with it after a childhood of resenting it. pearl’s journey goes a little deeper into the lim (mom’s side) family and their roots in china. i think it was beautifully developed and it altogether helped tie pearl’s story.

i also really loved how we still got to see all the old characters from loveboat, taipei have a little reunion. ever and rick had been going through a rough patch since loveboat reunion and it was beautiful to see their story resolve in a manner where it felt realistic. i also just love them so much <3

[Mildlyliterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know it’s supposed to be a fun romance book with themes of culture and decolonization. But I think the author should have left out the latter. It’s not that those aren’t important topics, but it’s written in such a heavy handed and tone deaf way it causes more harm than good. Pearl’s controversy with the straw hat is so far fetched the situation feels like a caricature of actual racism. An Asian girl wearing cultural pieces on her own tiktok in this day and age would not cause controversy. And the stance the author took of it being ok that people were offended was just wrong. Every POC has the right to connect with their culture on their own terms. It’s her own family heirloom. No person, fellow Asian or not, gets to dictate whether that is stereotyping themselves or not. The very act of that is colonial, determining the terms in which someone is allowed to associate with their culture. And the fact that everyone in the book kept telling Pearl “it’s ok it’s complicated”, instead of explaining straight up how it really wasn’t her fault at all. She wasn’t in the wrong at all. And Kai’s stance on Loveboat isn’t “grumpy” at all, he’s right. It is a camp for privileged western born Asians. The fact that Pearl gets offended by him calling out their privilege shows how out of touch she and her peers are. Kai was the only one keeping it real, which I acknowledge is the author’s way of teaching her audience these themes. However overall the tone of the novel read like a white woman trying to write the poc experience.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know what you're thinking. "You started reading this in November 2023...and didn't finish it until now?"

Yes. That's exactly what happened. I don't know why I set this aside when I was 120 pages into it, but I started other things and forgot to finish this...until today. AND IT WAS SO GOOD. I was able to hop right back in and enjoy the story as if I'd never left. This series is one of my favourite contemporary series. Abigail Hing Wen is such a phenomenal storyteller. Her characters are SO REAL. I feel like I've been through a lot with them. The continued appearances of previous characters was amazing. I loved getting to catch up with them. If you haven't read this series, do it.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this. I enjoyed the storyline better than the ones in the first two books. However, the same love triangle recipe is used in all three books. It makes the romance plot entirely too predictable.

[en le ⋆·˚ ༘ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

truly love boat forever!!! pearl discovering her love for pipa (and also for someone) is *squeal* but also loveboat forever highlights a very important lesson — life will always be unexpected, and sometimes it’s not our fault that we quote unquote fail 🤍

[Amanda Wijangco · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Sachi Argabright · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5/5 ⭐️]

[Lauren J · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Least favorite out of the trilogy

[K Whatsherface · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice to visit these characters again