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Gingko Season: A Novel
One of TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2025
One of the New York Public Library's Best Books of 2025 So Far
For readers of Elif Batuman and Sally Rooney, a beguiling debut novel about finding oneself after heartbreak.
After suffering her first big heartbreak two years earlier, Penelope Lin has built a quiet life with no romantic entanglements. She spends her days cataloging a museum’s vast collection of Qing Dynasty bound-foot shoes and in the comfortable company of close friends. One day, she happens to meet Hoang, who confesses to releasing mice from the cancer research lab where he works. Hoang’s openness catches Penelope off guard; from then on, she finds her carefully constructed life slowly start to unravel. Told in Penelope’s witty, vulnerable, and thoroughly endearing voice, Gingko Season captures three seasons of reawakening, challenges, and transformation.
This wise and tenderhearted novel explores the nature of our deepest friendships as seriously as it does the dizzying terror and thrill of falling in love, and the complications of trying to live a life that matches your ideals.
One of the New York Public Library's Best Books of 2025 So Far
For readers of Elif Batuman and Sally Rooney, a beguiling debut novel about finding oneself after heartbreak.
After suffering her first big heartbreak two years earlier, Penelope Lin has built a quiet life with no romantic entanglements. She spends her days cataloging a museum’s vast collection of Qing Dynasty bound-foot shoes and in the comfortable company of close friends. One day, she happens to meet Hoang, who confesses to releasing mice from the cancer research lab where he works. Hoang’s openness catches Penelope off guard; from then on, she finds her carefully constructed life slowly start to unravel. Told in Penelope’s witty, vulnerable, and thoroughly endearing voice, Gingko Season captures three seasons of reawakening, challenges, and transformation.
This wise and tenderhearted novel explores the nature of our deepest friendships as seriously as it does the dizzying terror and thrill of falling in love, and the complications of trying to live a life that matches your ideals.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
May 27, 2025
This is a hard review to write. I’ll say it. I wasn’t enamored with this book. It did have a few tidbits of memorable lines throughout, which was enough to keep me going and prevented me from DNF’ing it. But it was a serious struggle.
Penelope is living in Philadelphia, alone without family, but with several roommates. Her father is a famous Chinese artist, and her mother, well, she doesn’t know where her mother is. Penelope works at a museum in Philadelphia, where she is currently cataloging shoes from bound-foot women from the Qing Dynasty. Penelope meets Hoang by chance near her work, and the story ensues with her feelings and thoughts for Hoang dallying between “Do I want to be friends?” or “Do I want to date?” Her heart is still somewhat entangled with thoughts of Paul, her ex-boyfriend who she just can’t seem to forget…
If you love a slow burn story of friends and budding romances, this story is for you! Unfortunately, this was just too slow moving for me. I found myself struggling a lot at many points to get through it. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good slow-burn, character based book -IF- the characters have depth and meaning. Penelope’s character was not very interesting, and her musings were nothing to hook my attention. I did find her 2 best friends somewhat entertaining, as Apple is kind of a jerk to her, and left me irritated with how she treated Penelope. Inno, her other best friend, was a bit OCD, but aloof and also seemed rather uncaring towards Penelope.
The dalliances around the relationship Penelope was maybe trying to have with Hoang were just so back and forth. Does she care, or doesn’t she?
The writing was just ho-hum, nothing exceptional in my opinion, but I didn’t hate the book, so I gave it 3 stars, as there were a few good moments/situations.
Penelope is living in Philadelphia, alone without family, but with several roommates. Her father is a famous Chinese artist, and her mother, well, she doesn’t know where her mother is. Penelope works at a museum in Philadelphia, where she is currently cataloging shoes from bound-foot women from the Qing Dynasty. Penelope meets Hoang by chance near her work, and the story ensues with her feelings and thoughts for Hoang dallying between “Do I want to be friends?” or “Do I want to date?” Her heart is still somewhat entangled with thoughts of Paul, her ex-boyfriend who she just can’t seem to forget…
If you love a slow burn story of friends and budding romances, this story is for you! Unfortunately, this was just too slow moving for me. I found myself struggling a lot at many points to get through it. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good slow-burn, character based book -IF- the characters have depth and meaning. Penelope’s character was not very interesting, and her musings were nothing to hook my attention. I did find her 2 best friends somewhat entertaining, as Apple is kind of a jerk to her, and left me irritated with how she treated Penelope. Inno, her other best friend, was a bit OCD, but aloof and also seemed rather uncaring towards Penelope.
The dalliances around the relationship Penelope was maybe trying to have with Hoang were just so back and forth. Does she care, or doesn’t she?
The writing was just ho-hum, nothing exceptional in my opinion, but I didn’t hate the book, so I gave it 3 stars, as there were a few good moments/situations.
March 19, 2025
Updated to include my review:
There’s nothing I love more than a novel of manners, and I’d place this book with the best of them—full of acute insight, gracefully written, into how people think and relate to each other; clever in its construction of characters who feel familiar but never boring; and incredibly funny in its send-up of the social and political anxieties of a certain milieu (though not without sincere engagement with those concerns). The characters were so well-drawn it was easy to imagine them as part of my life. The other day, passing an unobtrusive historical landmark, I thought that a particular friend might appreciate it; after a moment I realized I was thinking of Penelope. I was impressed by how, while each character made a strong impression, no character simply played to type. They surprised me, as real people always do.
I don’t want to trivialize this novel by saying that I found it merely “relatable”—it was far more thought-provoking than that. But on every page, I found an idea or experience I could recognize the truth of, articulated with an ease and precision that struck me. This book really succeeds at the sentence level. Few contemporary writers are so adept as prose stylists, and each sentence was a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book to: my friends who only read “the classics,” to make them eat their words; jane austen fans (and anne elliot stans); enjoyers of the david bowie song “I’m afraid of americans”; and my mom, who keeps asking when she can read it.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to—just kidding!!! I’ve decreed that by law everyone must read it. But on a serious note, there are people who I could imagine struggling with this book more than others, because it’s introspective, and lacks in melodramatic flourish, and requires the reader to entertain certain (charming!) digressions about napoleon. I hope such readers will persevere anyway, and reap the book’s rewards. I am so grateful that this was written, and I will treasure it forever.
—————————
Have never been more excited for a book to come out ❤️
There’s nothing I love more than a novel of manners, and I’d place this book with the best of them—full of acute insight, gracefully written, into how people think and relate to each other; clever in its construction of characters who feel familiar but never boring; and incredibly funny in its send-up of the social and political anxieties of a certain milieu (though not without sincere engagement with those concerns). The characters were so well-drawn it was easy to imagine them as part of my life. The other day, passing an unobtrusive historical landmark, I thought that a particular friend might appreciate it; after a moment I realized I was thinking of Penelope. I was impressed by how, while each character made a strong impression, no character simply played to type. They surprised me, as real people always do.
I don’t want to trivialize this novel by saying that I found it merely “relatable”—it was far more thought-provoking than that. But on every page, I found an idea or experience I could recognize the truth of, articulated with an ease and precision that struck me. This book really succeeds at the sentence level. Few contemporary writers are so adept as prose stylists, and each sentence was a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book to: my friends who only read “the classics,” to make them eat their words; jane austen fans (and anne elliot stans); enjoyers of the david bowie song “I’m afraid of americans”; and my mom, who keeps asking when she can read it.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to—just kidding!!! I’ve decreed that by law everyone must read it. But on a serious note, there are people who I could imagine struggling with this book more than others, because it’s introspective, and lacks in melodramatic flourish, and requires the reader to entertain certain (charming!) digressions about napoleon. I hope such readers will persevere anyway, and reap the book’s rewards. I am so grateful that this was written, and I will treasure it forever.
—————————
Have never been more excited for a book to come out ❤️
February 13, 2025
I think this was another case where the synopsis promised one thing (perhaps it was the Sally Rooney comp) and I got something completely different, but once I adjusted my expectations I was able to enjoy this for what it had to offer. The synopsis makes it sound like it was going to be a literary novel exploring interiority and deep themes, but it read more like a YA or in this case NA novel with some more mature interiority.
I say YA not because the writing was simplistic or tropey but because the main character, Penelope Lin, acted more like an 18-year-old than a 25-year-old to me, but then again today's 25-year-olds are very different in maturity levels than we were 10 years ago.
But I emotionally connected to her as a character because I have struggled with similar issues - I am demisexual and need an emotional connection to feel attraction so I have had a sparse dating history, and I related to her struggles with apathy and the realization that even apathy is a political choice. And I get intense crushes that I never act on, which drew me to this story - complicated friendship dynamics.
I was also hoping for a little more museum and anthropology geekery from her work cataloging artifacts for the practice of bound feet in the Qing dynasty, but that was a backdrop that played very little role in the plot. It focused more on Penelope's romantic, family and social life.
The story starts when Penelope meets Hoang at a university; he is getting fired from his job as a researcher for releasing all the lab mice. They form an instant connection but Hoang doesn't have a phone or social media. They start trading letters and Penelope, getting over heartbreak over her last failed relationship, becomes obsessed. The story goes deep into her obsession and complicated feelings about friendship as we become immersed in her various friend groups and her complicated relationship with a distant father and invisible, mentally unstable mother who'd abandoned her as a child.
I often felt like I was hanging out with her and her friends and living her life with her. Penelope, who's never voted and struggles with apathy, becomes involved with a union and discovers she is passionate about something after all. She constantly struggles with whether she's living a small life, which I could relate to. She's crushed by anxiety, fear and self-doubt and the story covers her transformation to finding her voice. I frequently worried her confusing friendship with Hoang would have a sad ending, but they do have a hopeful ending as a couple. The tension and angst between them were high but never in an annoying way. I also liked how Penelope was super nerdy, read nonfiction and had a hyperfixation on Napoleon.
This is a quirky, often lighthearted book that nevertheless also covers some deep subjects, but I feel it only touched on them in a way that didn't quite make it to that highbrow literary level. It flirted with literary but never quite got there. But I'm not really sure it ever was trying to go there. It was about grief, friendship and heartbreak but it was also hopeful and full of interesting characters.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I say YA not because the writing was simplistic or tropey but because the main character, Penelope Lin, acted more like an 18-year-old than a 25-year-old to me, but then again today's 25-year-olds are very different in maturity levels than we were 10 years ago.
But I emotionally connected to her as a character because I have struggled with similar issues - I am demisexual and need an emotional connection to feel attraction so I have had a sparse dating history, and I related to her struggles with apathy and the realization that even apathy is a political choice. And I get intense crushes that I never act on, which drew me to this story - complicated friendship dynamics.
I was also hoping for a little more museum and anthropology geekery from her work cataloging artifacts for the practice of bound feet in the Qing dynasty, but that was a backdrop that played very little role in the plot. It focused more on Penelope's romantic, family and social life.
The story starts when Penelope meets Hoang at a university; he is getting fired from his job as a researcher for releasing all the lab mice. They form an instant connection but Hoang doesn't have a phone or social media. They start trading letters and Penelope, getting over heartbreak over her last failed relationship, becomes obsessed. The story goes deep into her obsession and complicated feelings about friendship as we become immersed in her various friend groups and her complicated relationship with a distant father and invisible, mentally unstable mother who'd abandoned her as a child.
I often felt like I was hanging out with her and her friends and living her life with her. Penelope, who's never voted and struggles with apathy, becomes involved with a union and discovers she is passionate about something after all. She constantly struggles with whether she's living a small life, which I could relate to. She's crushed by anxiety, fear and self-doubt and the story covers her transformation to finding her voice. I frequently worried her confusing friendship with Hoang would have a sad ending, but they do have a hopeful ending as a couple. The tension and angst between them were high but never in an annoying way. I also liked how Penelope was super nerdy, read nonfiction and had a hyperfixation on Napoleon.
This is a quirky, often lighthearted book that nevertheless also covers some deep subjects, but I feel it only touched on them in a way that didn't quite make it to that highbrow literary level. It flirted with literary but never quite got there. But I'm not really sure it ever was trying to go there. It was about grief, friendship and heartbreak but it was also hopeful and full of interesting characters.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 31, 2025
Penelope lives in Philly and develops a crush on Hoang, an enigmatic lab tech. The two become occasional pen pals as Hoang travels; however, Penelope struggles to be emotionally available, commensurate with how Paul, her previous partner, ended the relationship. More significantly, Penelope also has not actively processed her relationship with her “narcissistic father” and “invisible mother,” which produces a penchant for unfulfilling or even toxic interpersonal dynamics.
I would be euphoric for a writer of East Asian heritage to give us a book that resembles Batuman and Rooney’s stories. I wish the publishers didn’t hype Gingko Season as a book that fills this gap in contemporary lit—it’s a tall order and may have negatively affected my reception of Elegant’s debut. The resemblance may be that the main character’s toxic ex-partner strings them along or that the MC requires therapy; if this is the extent of the likeness, I suggest removing that tagline. I note this because I’ve seen other books advertised in the same way, and sure, maybe it helps with sales, but if the novel doesn’t deliver, this negatively impacts a reader’s experience. This is probably more an issue with the publisher than the author.
The story may be strengthened if the timeline moves non-linearly or includes several perspectives. I often found myself wanting space from Penelope’s narration, and the only way for this to happen was putting the book down. Elegant incorporates some ornate turns of phrases; however, the story could be strengthened with Penelope taking an even deeper dive into how her parents affected her childhood and adulthood. If I wanted the story to be cleaner, I would’ve liked to see her take the initiative to get professional help. Since Gingko Season is Elegant’s first novel, I round up and rate it 1.5 stars.
I would be euphoric for a writer of East Asian heritage to give us a book that resembles Batuman and Rooney’s stories. I wish the publishers didn’t hype Gingko Season as a book that fills this gap in contemporary lit—it’s a tall order and may have negatively affected my reception of Elegant’s debut. The resemblance may be that the main character’s toxic ex-partner strings them along or that the MC requires therapy; if this is the extent of the likeness, I suggest removing that tagline. I note this because I’ve seen other books advertised in the same way, and sure, maybe it helps with sales, but if the novel doesn’t deliver, this negatively impacts a reader’s experience. This is probably more an issue with the publisher than the author.
The story may be strengthened if the timeline moves non-linearly or includes several perspectives. I often found myself wanting space from Penelope’s narration, and the only way for this to happen was putting the book down. Elegant incorporates some ornate turns of phrases; however, the story could be strengthened with Penelope taking an even deeper dive into how her parents affected her childhood and adulthood. If I wanted the story to be cleaner, I would’ve liked to see her take the initiative to get professional help. Since Gingko Season is Elegant’s first novel, I round up and rate it 1.5 stars.
2025
September 30, 2025ANHPI TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company
February 8, 2025
i really wanted to love this....the premise had so much potential—a thoughtful, quiet story about love, heartbreak, and figuring out how to live by your values. But instead of feeling deeply moved, I just felt… underwhelmed.
Penelope Lin is an interesting character—sharp, reserved, and careful with her emotions. but her journey never fully pulled me in. the book lingers so much in her thoughts that the emotional moments don’t hit as hard as they should. her relationship with Hoang had the potential to be something raw and deeply affecting, but it always felt distant, like watching something unfold from behind a glass wall. his confession about freeing lab mice sets the stage for something gripping, but their connection never really sparks in a way that feels real or intense. even the friendships, which are supposed to be as important as romance in this story, felt a little surface-level. i kept waiting for those moments that would break me, that would make me feel completely invested in these characters—but they never quite came. there were glimpses of something special, but they faded before they could fully take shape.
overall, this left me with a sense of loss. not in a profound, reflective way, but in the way that makes you wish the book had just given more. more depth, more urgency, more heart. it's a beautifully written story, but maybe too delicate for its own good drifting away before it ever truly leaves its mark.
thank you W. W. Norton & Company for the arc. i appreciate you trusting me to read it and do a review.
Penelope Lin is an interesting character—sharp, reserved, and careful with her emotions. but her journey never fully pulled me in. the book lingers so much in her thoughts that the emotional moments don’t hit as hard as they should. her relationship with Hoang had the potential to be something raw and deeply affecting, but it always felt distant, like watching something unfold from behind a glass wall. his confession about freeing lab mice sets the stage for something gripping, but their connection never really sparks in a way that feels real or intense. even the friendships, which are supposed to be as important as romance in this story, felt a little surface-level. i kept waiting for those moments that would break me, that would make me feel completely invested in these characters—but they never quite came. there were glimpses of something special, but they faded before they could fully take shape.
overall, this left me with a sense of loss. not in a profound, reflective way, but in the way that makes you wish the book had just given more. more depth, more urgency, more heart. it's a beautifully written story, but maybe too delicate for its own good drifting away before it ever truly leaves its mark.
thank you W. W. Norton & Company for the arc. i appreciate you trusting me to read it and do a review.
November 24, 2025
i love a YA crush story - felt v much like a debut novel i would want to write. i loved the way Elegant(? lol) wrote her characters. Apple and Inno especially were fun and real but still characters in the best way - and after going to her event hearing her talk about how her friends thought they were the inspiration for certain characters - well if you’ve read any of my blogs, you know you are all material 😈
also - shoutout to a book set in Philly - was so fun to read and it’s such a great city to set a book in. and shoutout to the ginkgo trees that line the city streets and shower them with yellow gold. and i coincidentally, unpromptedly learned mid-read that my dad has also been recently fixated on planting these for our house. it’s ginkgo szn for real
also - shoutout to a book set in Philly - was so fun to read and it’s such a great city to set a book in. and shoutout to the ginkgo trees that line the city streets and shower them with yellow gold. and i coincidentally, unpromptedly learned mid-read that my dad has also been recently fixated on planting these for our house. it’s ginkgo szn for real
May 3, 2025
(2.75)
Gingko Season focuses on the life of a 26 year old who is trying to find meaning and people she can live and love around.
I feel the writing is good. Well constructed sentences point you to themes of humanity and finding ones place in life. I loved the conversations surrounding motherhood, immigration, and navigating relationships. But there are also many passages that I feel isolate the book and corner the reader. It doesn't feel accessible. Our main character has many hyper specific thoughts and observations towards things that not everyone experiences. This is normal and happens in most books. However, I feel those sections lean very pretentious. They personally rubbed me the wrong way.
Our main character doesn't necessarily have a superiority complex, but she has surrounded herself with people who do. People who talk down to others and criticize people for not being as sophisticated as they feel they are. It's not a massive part of this novel, but it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I figure this will not bother most people. But friendship is one of my favorite things to see represented in books, and these ones feel like relationships I wouldn't want to support and people I'd work hard to stay away from.
Flawed characters are one thing, but damaging ones are another. Otherwise, I didn't have many problems with the plot. All in all, I would not go out of my way to recommend to most people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing an Audio ARC of Gingko Season in exchange for my honest opinions.
Publishing May 20, 2025
Gingko Season focuses on the life of a 26 year old who is trying to find meaning and people she can live and love around.
I feel the writing is good. Well constructed sentences point you to themes of humanity and finding ones place in life. I loved the conversations surrounding motherhood, immigration, and navigating relationships. But there are also many passages that I feel isolate the book and corner the reader. It doesn't feel accessible. Our main character has many hyper specific thoughts and observations towards things that not everyone experiences. This is normal and happens in most books. However, I feel those sections lean very pretentious. They personally rubbed me the wrong way.
Our main character doesn't necessarily have a superiority complex, but she has surrounded herself with people who do. People who talk down to others and criticize people for not being as sophisticated as they feel they are. It's not a massive part of this novel, but it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I figure this will not bother most people. But friendship is one of my favorite things to see represented in books, and these ones feel like relationships I wouldn't want to support and people I'd work hard to stay away from.
Flawed characters are one thing, but damaging ones are another. Otherwise, I didn't have many problems with the plot. All in all, I would not go out of my way to recommend to most people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing an Audio ARC of Gingko Season in exchange for my honest opinions.
Publishing May 20, 2025
April 4, 2025
four stars? three stars? three seems harsh because i really didn’t want this book to end, and i loved its protagonist a lot. but it also frustrated me in very particular ways— namely, the manic pixie dream girl-ing (manic pixie himbo?) about— and the prose was a little bit choppy to read.
Still, I ended up giving 4 stars for the full, flawed, and endearing portraits of the main characters in this book, the perfect and funny critique of modern political attitudes, and the musings on apathy/ambivalence in life, in love, in family relationships and friendships, and in politics. I also just loved the narrator, Penelope Lin. She’s not good at explaining herself, and she doesn’t understand herself very well: which could sometimes be frustrating or seem like bad writing. But it really isn’t. Penelope doesn’t know how to map her feelings onto her thoughts, and she knows that she doesn’t know. If a little immature, I thought she was a fully realized, thoughtful, lovable character I actually (strangely) related to. Fans of stories with great characters, wit, and a discerning eye for the spirit of our times will really enjoy this.
Aka: so contemporary (non-derogatory)?
**ok i changed my mind, this is a 3-star book. but it still has its moments.
July 22, 2025
there was so much i liked about this novel. it could have done with a much tighter edit and more closure--the ending felt pretty abrupt after all the build up--and i wish that penelope's friends had been less annoying, but there are good bones here. at its best it was funny, sharp and poignant, and i felt like i was reading about people i knew, growing in political awareness alongside emotional self-awareness, making mistakes and the wrong choices, sure, but still, always, trying. i will read naomi xu elegant's next book!! i hope she writes another character who's obsessed with BTS ("it's not fair to jin, it's not fair to the boys" made me scream. my comrade in arms)
April 12, 2025
Beautiful book! So endearing and sincere. Makes me feel like it’s my first time falling in love again. Fantastic debut from Naomi Xu Elegant! Full arc review to come.
December 20, 2025
i already knew i would hate this book from the first paragraph when instead of saying fire it said conflagration 😭
i don’t think this is bad writing, but i just cannot stand this style of writing. i hate when ppl spend so much time giving useless details like why do i need to know that it took you longer to get to work bc u entered via the side entrance rather than the main entrance!!! why do i need to know all the bridges u pass on ur walk, i already know ur from philly!!!
this book is trying so hard to be introspective and i’m not going to knock that just bc it’s not the kind of thing i like to read, but so much of what happens in this book does nothing to help penelope evolve as a person. half of this book is just about how weird her friends are with a sprinkle of some weird political commentary that nxe doesn’t even have the courage to go all in on.
also i hate hoang. manic pixie dream boy to the extreme. who talks to strangers you just met like that. wdym u live in a modern city in the USA and u went months without a cellphone to the point where ur coworkers had a hard time reaching u. and then this becomes a conflict when he doesn’t get penelope’s letter cancelling their plans. not to defend penelope bc cancelling ur plans to see ur shitty ex is crazy but why is hoang mad when he’s impossible to reach. i am so sick of Not Like Other Guys indie love interests please be so serious!!! men are not like this irl and if they are then girl run!!!!!
i don’t think this is bad writing, but i just cannot stand this style of writing. i hate when ppl spend so much time giving useless details like why do i need to know that it took you longer to get to work bc u entered via the side entrance rather than the main entrance!!! why do i need to know all the bridges u pass on ur walk, i already know ur from philly!!!
this book is trying so hard to be introspective and i’m not going to knock that just bc it’s not the kind of thing i like to read, but so much of what happens in this book does nothing to help penelope evolve as a person. half of this book is just about how weird her friends are with a sprinkle of some weird political commentary that nxe doesn’t even have the courage to go all in on.
also i hate hoang. manic pixie dream boy to the extreme. who talks to strangers you just met like that. wdym u live in a modern city in the USA and u went months without a cellphone to the point where ur coworkers had a hard time reaching u. and then this becomes a conflict when he doesn’t get penelope’s letter cancelling their plans. not to defend penelope bc cancelling ur plans to see ur shitty ex is crazy but why is hoang mad when he’s impossible to reach. i am so sick of Not Like Other Guys indie love interests please be so serious!!! men are not like this irl and if they are then girl run!!!!!
December 15, 2025
I think it has good ideas, but could have been executed better. It really drags in the mid-late section of the book, it does a lot of building but for what?
It's closer to a 2.5 for me, I feel like I'm giving it more for potential, and for liking a more open ending, even if it seems like she spent a book reflecting on her relationship with Paul only to go for what I feel like is the same circumstances. Her friends suck, but not even in a meaningful or interesting way.
It's closer to a 2.5 for me, I feel like I'm giving it more for potential, and for liking a more open ending, even if it seems like she spent a book reflecting on her relationship with Paul only to go for what I feel like is the same circumstances. Her friends suck, but not even in a meaningful or interesting way.
October 11, 2025
so solidly okay, just fine. I usually really like books without a strong forward-moving plot, but this one felt a little too stagnant for me. I didn't really love any of the characters as well and was fairly bored most of the time. I'm sure this inspired profound feelings for some, but not me.
November 16, 2025
2.5 stars, Penelope’s friends were the worsttttt idk why she kept them around tbh. I also just felt like there was no real plot and a lot of rambling. There were elements that I thought were interesting, like Penelope’s feelings of being stuck in between as too American and not Chinese enough or too Chinese and not American enough. I thought her and Hoang (idk if I spelt that right I audiobooked it) writing each other letters was cute but girlllll get over Paul he was a pos and just tell Hoang you like him. It ended with a lot open which at first I was like wtf that’s so abrupt, but then I thought it was kinda nice. Allows you to see Penelope start to step into a new form of her life and so you can imagine what that would look like. I also thought tho that she had a hard time thinking for herself and she even said she felt herself starting adopting Hoang’s mindset which maybe was helpful for her to become more confident, but I was also hoping she’d just become more herself cause she wanted to.
September 21, 2025
2.5-3 stars
No real plot. Redeeming to revisit Philly, loved the descriptions of the city, small historical tidbits were fun. Didn’t enjoy any of the characters. No growth.
No real plot. Redeeming to revisit Philly, loved the descriptions of the city, small historical tidbits were fun. Didn’t enjoy any of the characters. No growth.
July 28, 2025
i thought this really had a lot of potential and there were even parts i really liked which is why i think giving it a 3 instead of 4 because i think it could actually be great. a lot of the dialogue and characters just didn’t quite get there for me but striving i think really towards something. i like this other review of this which said it was ultimately too delicate to leave a mark
November 24, 2025
I give it 2.5. I really only enjoyed that it was based in Philly. The characters and the plot fell flat for me.
July 30, 2025
4.5
one of the blurbs on the back cover is:
"Suffused with a gentle, ever-precise sense of humor, Gingko Season is a resonant and tender portrayal of the complexities of connection and attachment."
-Gina Chung, author of Green Frog
and I couldn't agree more. I'm gonna add Green Frog to my tbr
I think if I read this at a slightly different time, maybe it wouldn't have resonated as strongly with me
Alot of the introspection I found relatable and it did end up making me cry in regards to the question: is it better to know something or to continue not knowing something
one of the blurbs on the back cover is:
"Suffused with a gentle, ever-precise sense of humor, Gingko Season is a resonant and tender portrayal of the complexities of connection and attachment."
-Gina Chung, author of Green Frog
and I couldn't agree more. I'm gonna add Green Frog to my tbr
I think if I read this at a slightly different time, maybe it wouldn't have resonated as strongly with me
Alot of the introspection I found relatable and it did end up making me cry in regards to the question: is it better to know something or to continue not knowing something
May 31, 2025
Sometimes “slice of life” novels with no plot are interesting, other times they just piss me off. This book was of the latter. I got the sense that this book was on the precipice of making a Good Point, but missed the mark majorly for me. I didn’t like any of the characters and spent the whole book waiting for something to actually HAPPEN.
(Listened to audiobook)
(Listened to audiobook)
May 25, 2025
Hmm, still figuring out my exact thoughts. 7.5/10, maybe?
I appreciated this as a “late” coming of age story - as in, very focused on the ennui of the late-twenty-something-ness. You’re not in school anymore, your housing is stable(-ish), you have a complicated relationship with at least one parent, you’re out of survival mode… and then what?
Penelope’s friends are all very into social causes. Their dedication (and ranging levels of sincerity) and philosophies contrast against Penelope’s uncertainty in really interesting ways.
I started this thinking it would be a love story, but it’s really more a self-exploration story, with lots of introspection in contrast to the various friends and singular love interest. It is a story with plot but the plot mostly acts as a vehicle for introspection.
Characters are good, but my only real beef is with Hoang, who feels oddly flat (despite having all the traits of a dynamic character). Normally I can forgive it but a lot of plot hinges on Hoang being compelling! But I could have read endless chapters of Apple and Inno, who are exasperating, philosophic, caring, and at times shallow in ways that feel perfectly in-character for their phase of life.
I appreciated this as a “late” coming of age story - as in, very focused on the ennui of the late-twenty-something-ness. You’re not in school anymore, your housing is stable(-ish), you have a complicated relationship with at least one parent, you’re out of survival mode… and then what?
Penelope’s friends are all very into social causes. Their dedication (and ranging levels of sincerity) and philosophies contrast against Penelope’s uncertainty in really interesting ways.
I started this thinking it would be a love story, but it’s really more a self-exploration story, with lots of introspection in contrast to the various friends and singular love interest. It is a story with plot but the plot mostly acts as a vehicle for introspection.
Characters are good, but my only real beef is with Hoang, who feels oddly flat (despite having all the traits of a dynamic character). Normally I can forgive it but a lot of plot hinges on Hoang being compelling! But I could have read endless chapters of Apple and Inno, who are exasperating, philosophic, caring, and at times shallow in ways that feel perfectly in-character for their phase of life.
Read
July 31, 2025to be loved is to be changed
May 15, 2025
Penelope is a deeply restrained Chinese-American woman in her mid-20s. We meet her as she begins to examine how she can create a meaningful life. Throughout the novel, she grapples with creating an identity for herself, finding value in honesty, and a fledgling romantic relationship. This is a quiet novel with small but important moments of self-discovery and introspection through first-person narration and concise writing.
I love the way this book handles when and how honesty plays a role in different types of relationships. We see this on display immediately when Penelope meets her love interest, Hoang, who has a much firmer opinion on the benefit of honesty. Penelope's struggle with honesty and having personal convictions changes during interactions at her job as a museum cataloger, her relationship with her distant father and neglectful, mentally unstable mother, and with her friends, who some might perceive as self-centered but are readily available to help Penelope when she needs it most. Penelope's character arc is mild, but we do see her find her footing when she realizes she has a passion for an important cause. We're left with the feeling that this new conviction will positively impact other parts of Penelope's life and relationships.
I appreciated that the relationships and conversations were both realistic and mixed with some of the common stereotypes we see for unreliable ex-boyfriends, artists, and people passionate about politics. This resulted in dynamic characters with full personalities.
I do wish that we saw some kind of resolution with I would have loved a deeper exploration of the rare big emotional moments that Penelope has. She spends a lot of time thinking and defining, but when these moments occur, she doesn't really dig into them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to other lovers of literary fiction who enjoy peeking into the full and complex lives of characters.
The audiobook narration was easy to understand and follow. I appreciated that the narrator used the inflection I would expect at specific moments. The pacing was good, and each character was vocally distinct.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. Thank you to Tantor Media, RBMedia, and W.W. Norton & Company.
#GingkoSeason #NetGalley
I love the way this book handles when and how honesty plays a role in different types of relationships. We see this on display immediately when Penelope meets her love interest, Hoang, who has a much firmer opinion on the benefit of honesty. Penelope's struggle with honesty and having personal convictions changes during interactions at her job as a museum cataloger, her relationship with her distant father and neglectful, mentally unstable mother, and with her friends, who some might perceive as self-centered but are readily available to help Penelope when she needs it most. Penelope's character arc is mild, but we do see her find her footing when she realizes she has a passion for an important cause. We're left with the feeling that this new conviction will positively impact other parts of Penelope's life and relationships.
I appreciated that the relationships and conversations were both realistic and mixed with some of the common stereotypes we see for unreliable ex-boyfriends, artists, and people passionate about politics. This resulted in dynamic characters with full personalities.
I do wish that we saw some kind of resolution with I would have loved a deeper exploration of the rare big emotional moments that Penelope has. She spends a lot of time thinking and defining, but when these moments occur, she doesn't really dig into them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to other lovers of literary fiction who enjoy peeking into the full and complex lives of characters.
The audiobook narration was easy to understand and follow. I appreciated that the narrator used the inflection I would expect at specific moments. The pacing was good, and each character was vocally distinct.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. Thank you to Tantor Media, RBMedia, and W.W. Norton & Company.
#GingkoSeason #NetGalley
July 20, 2025
A Philly love story? Into it. But unfortunately, there was so much missing from this book. Elegant has the raw talent, but her writing and flow in this book read immature. The plot construction and character growth just wasn't there—Penelope lacked all ambition and desire to steer her own life in the beginning of the book, and by the end of the book, would still resort to making and reversing her decisions. The book felt like autofiction, an excuse for the author to relive her favorite philosophical conversations about genuinely interesting people in her life and write about Philly, but without a story, it feels like fluff. It annoyed me because I know I can fall into these traps in my own writing, but anyone with an editor's eye should've been able to correct and take this book to a whole other level. I always love supporting Penn writers, and I'm eager for her to mature as a writer.
But OH MY GOSH please just say your character went to Pennnnnn if you're going to name every bridge and street and park in Philly, you can say "Penn."
But OH MY GOSH please just say your character went to Pennnnnn if you're going to name every bridge and street and park in Philly, you can say "Penn."
May 6, 2025
thanks to NetGalley for the eARC
⭐️=4 | 😘=2 | 🤬=3.5 | 🍺/🚬=2 | 16+
summary: a young Chinese American Qing dynasty historian with mommy issues meets this guy and then her life changes a lot (this is a terrible summary) and it’s like one of those litfic books where nothing happens and the stakes are low but also a lot happens?
thoughts: I forgot how much I like this kind of wandering, low-stakes high emotion literary fiction that you kind of slowly absorb. loved this thematically, but I wanted Penelope to ; I think it lacked some closure on that front? overall this was good, though!
⭐️=4 | 😘=2 | 🤬=3.5 | 🍺/🚬=2 | 16+
summary: a young Chinese American Qing dynasty historian with mommy issues meets this guy and then her life changes a lot (this is a terrible summary) and it’s like one of those litfic books where nothing happens and the stakes are low but also a lot happens?
thoughts: I forgot how much I like this kind of wandering, low-stakes high emotion literary fiction that you kind of slowly absorb. loved this thematically, but I wanted Penelope to ; I think it lacked some closure on that front? overall this was good, though!
May 8, 2025
I received a free audio book from NetGalley. This was a solidly fine book about a Chinese American undergraduate in Philadelphia around 2016. The most interesting part of the story for me was her research at her museum job. With as much as she interacted with her friend group she seems to know barely anything about them or much of what is going on in the world. Some of that could be excused by her youth but she just didn’t seem that curious about anything outside herself. The coming election as a backdrop could have been really powerful for character building…but nothing happened. The narrator did a good job, no complaints there.
May 20, 2025
A captivating debut that was great on audio - honestly I could listen to anything that Cindy Kay reads. This one was interesting but I felt like it went off on tangents a lot and that prevented me from fully getting invested. I would try another book by the author in the future but this was just an okay read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
June 19, 2025
There is a lot of subtlety in this book which I really liked, and I loved the writing. 4.5 stars rounded up as I thought that some parts of the plot could have been fleshed out more and some things felt a little rushed (only 250 pages!). Plus I really just wanted to read more of the prose.
"It was interesting to think of the arbitrary points at which one person collides with another, of the expanse of potential experience that is opened up to you when you meet someone to whom, for whatever reason, you are drawn."
"It was interesting to think of the arbitrary points at which one person collides with another, of the expanse of potential experience that is opened up to you when you meet someone to whom, for whatever reason, you are drawn."
July 12, 2025
I wish I could give this book more stars because some parts of it are so quietly beautiful. But the first half of the book is slow bordering on boring. If you stick with it, the narrator finally develops and the book redeems itself to some extent, but never offers full resolution (so don’t read this if you hate a book that might not wrap up neatly). Worth a read if you keep expectations moderated.
January 28, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss Reader for providing me with this Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this novel, which is right now scheduled to be published around end of April/start of May 2025. I really enjoyed this novel. The protagonist is a Chinese American female in her mid 20s, and this novel explores her life and friendships with other 20-somethings as they navigate work, friendship, family relationships, romance and the ever changing contemporary American cultural and political society. This novel was rich with dialogue and character development, which I enjoyed; at times, this novel felt like conversations with and among friends. The characters were easy to relate to and I enjoyed the fact that the novel revealed the characters dealing with issues like politics, being torn between two cultures, and the difficulty in understanding yourself and your needs in romantic relationships. Lots of nice imagery and rich description in this novel, too. I felt the pacing of the plot was a bit slow in just a couple of areas, but overall the story arc and the style of writing kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading. I'd recommend this novel to adults and young adults, such as college and high school students, too. I'd definitely like to read something else written by this author. I think marketing this novel as a multicultural exploration of self and something of a bildungsroman for those in their twenties would be an interesting route to take with the release of this novel.
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