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You Had Me at Hello World
Jenny Han meets Silicon Valley in this drama-packed debut young adult novel about a Chinese American teen who navigates a high-stakes coding competition, sabotage, and first love when she’s invited to a summer hackathon at MIT.
Sixteen-year-old Charise “Char” Tang is desperate to ditch her dead-end small town. So when she’s invited to a highly selective hackathon at MIT, she seizes the opportunity to jet across the country, spend the summer building an app, and maybe even snag the top prize—a golden ticket to a new life.
When she arrives, she teams up with Khoi Astor, coding wunderkind and creator of last year’s biggest mobile game. Khoi, who has soft eyes and a gentle smile. Khoi, who can make anyone laugh. Khoi, who is easy to fall for…and already dating her camp roommate. If only Char could reprogram her heart to forget about him.
As the competition heats up, so do things between Char and her teammate. But sabotage lurks around every corner, and she soon discovers that the glitzy tech world has a dark, dangerous underbelly.
Sixteen-year-old Charise “Char” Tang is desperate to ditch her dead-end small town. So when she’s invited to a highly selective hackathon at MIT, she seizes the opportunity to jet across the country, spend the summer building an app, and maybe even snag the top prize—a golden ticket to a new life.
When she arrives, she teams up with Khoi Astor, coding wunderkind and creator of last year’s biggest mobile game. Khoi, who has soft eyes and a gentle smile. Khoi, who can make anyone laugh. Khoi, who is easy to fall for…and already dating her camp roommate. If only Char could reprogram her heart to forget about him.
As the competition heats up, so do things between Char and her teammate. But sabotage lurks around every corner, and she soon discovers that the glitzy tech world has a dark, dangerous underbelly.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2025
13 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
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will-not-read
August 22, 2025Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the eARC.
(Unfortunately, I will NOT be reading this book, and I will explain why.)
This pains me to say this, but let me set the stage for everyone reading this before I get into the nitty-gritty since I know this isn't a book that's on a lot of people's radars:
To preface, most people who know me know that I have a giant laundry list of authors I will never read from. Whether it's because they have a history of using AI in their writing, racism, attacking reviewers online for giving negative but constructive reviews, writing about sensitive issues without care, etc., I put them on a blacklist, and I'll never read a single book from them. Once you're on that blacklist, you're never getting off said blacklist. I WANT TO MAKE THIS CLEAR: THIS IS A PERSONAL CHOICE THAT I MAKE FOR MYSELF! I'm not going to police anyone into not reading certain authors just because I won't myself, but I do believe that as an avid book reader and reviewer, I should explain why I PERSONALLY WON'T be reading this despite getting the eARC and I also feel responsible for not doing my due diligence like I usually do before reading a book or requesting it.
I requested this book from NetGalley about a week ago. This is what drew me in: a YA rom-com with a STEM setting, featuring two Asian MCs, and the book is written by an Asian American author. I always want to give debut authors a platform on my page, whether it's through me reading their novel through an eARC or buying their book in-store and reading and reviewing it later on. On top of that, as an Asian person myself (I'm 100% Vietnamese), I always want to give Asian authors a platform whenever I can. STEM romances are starting to take center stage if my predictions prove correct (thank you to Ali Hazelwood for getting the ball rolling on that!), and I thought that this would be a book that would help bring the STEM romance subgenre to light a little more while also putting another Asian author on the map.
I got the approval email from NetGalley saying that Simon & Schuster approved my request earlier this evening (about 2.5 hours before I wrote this), and I was excited at first....until I went to add the book to my GR shelf and saw the low reviews. The book is currently sitting at a 2.58-star rating at the time of writing this. In retrospect, I should've looked the book up before I requested it to see how the ratings were before I pulled the trigger on requesting it, but I didn't.
After further review, I found out that this author has a history of plagiarizing from other Asian authors, and the evidence is damning. It doesn't take anyone being super active in the online bookish community to know that that's an absolute no-no and a one-way ticket to getting canceled. I've looked through the other reviews, some of which have provided working links to the author openly admitting to plagiarizing as well as the evidence of said plagiarism in her previous works, and I'll link them below if you wish to read into this yourself.
Now, this isn’t to say that THIS book in particular is plagiarized, but if the author’s done it before—MULTIPLE times, and enough to win full-on AWARDS from doing so—I don’t trust that this is something she’s come up with on her own. For all we know, this could be plagiarized, too. Plagiarism is something that could literally ruin lives—it can fail people out of classes, get them expelled from school, and sticks with them forever, or at least for an extremely long time. The fact that most of the works the author plagiarized happened so long ago and people are STILL talking about to this day in the reviews of this book speaks a lot about how damaging it can be to reputations and an author’s credibility. Just don’t do it. It’s really that simple.
This absolutely hurts me to say, because like I said before, I always want to give debut authors a platform, but I cannot in good faith read this ARC and support this author's work, let alone recommend this to anyone. It hurts even more when it's an Asian author knowingly stealing from other Asian authors. Whether you choose to read this or not is not my decision to make for you if you also have the ARC or are planning on getting it on publishing day. This is a personal decision that I've come to alone and on my own terms, and I am so sorry to say that this will be one of the very few ARCs I will NOT be reading. I can't even say I DNF'ed the eARC if I haven't even downloaded the file to my Kindle yet, and if anyone from Simon & Schuster sees this...please don't kill me, I know we're on relatively good terms and you've approved most of my requests so far!😭🫣
This link is a statement from Half Mystic, the writing/publishing group that the author belonged to back in the day, where she plagiarized works from other writers in said group: https://www.halfmystic.com/blog/you-a...
A tweet from one of the people from Half Mystic that was in response to someone trying to defend Rona Wang's plagiarism: https://x.com/topazwinters/status/136...
The smoking gun: the 13-paged Google doc that documents and details every instance that Rona Wang has plagiarized someone's work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
(Unfortunately, I will NOT be reading this book, and I will explain why.)
This pains me to say this, but let me set the stage for everyone reading this before I get into the nitty-gritty since I know this isn't a book that's on a lot of people's radars:
To preface, most people who know me know that I have a giant laundry list of authors I will never read from. Whether it's because they have a history of using AI in their writing, racism, attacking reviewers online for giving negative but constructive reviews, writing about sensitive issues without care, etc., I put them on a blacklist, and I'll never read a single book from them. Once you're on that blacklist, you're never getting off said blacklist. I WANT TO MAKE THIS CLEAR: THIS IS A PERSONAL CHOICE THAT I MAKE FOR MYSELF! I'm not going to police anyone into not reading certain authors just because I won't myself, but I do believe that as an avid book reader and reviewer, I should explain why I PERSONALLY WON'T be reading this despite getting the eARC and I also feel responsible for not doing my due diligence like I usually do before reading a book or requesting it.
I requested this book from NetGalley about a week ago. This is what drew me in: a YA rom-com with a STEM setting, featuring two Asian MCs, and the book is written by an Asian American author. I always want to give debut authors a platform on my page, whether it's through me reading their novel through an eARC or buying their book in-store and reading and reviewing it later on. On top of that, as an Asian person myself (I'm 100% Vietnamese), I always want to give Asian authors a platform whenever I can. STEM romances are starting to take center stage if my predictions prove correct (thank you to Ali Hazelwood for getting the ball rolling on that!), and I thought that this would be a book that would help bring the STEM romance subgenre to light a little more while also putting another Asian author on the map.
I got the approval email from NetGalley saying that Simon & Schuster approved my request earlier this evening (about 2.5 hours before I wrote this), and I was excited at first....until I went to add the book to my GR shelf and saw the low reviews. The book is currently sitting at a 2.58-star rating at the time of writing this. In retrospect, I should've looked the book up before I requested it to see how the ratings were before I pulled the trigger on requesting it, but I didn't.
After further review, I found out that this author has a history of plagiarizing from other Asian authors, and the evidence is damning. It doesn't take anyone being super active in the online bookish community to know that that's an absolute no-no and a one-way ticket to getting canceled. I've looked through the other reviews, some of which have provided working links to the author openly admitting to plagiarizing as well as the evidence of said plagiarism in her previous works, and I'll link them below if you wish to read into this yourself.
Now, this isn’t to say that THIS book in particular is plagiarized, but if the author’s done it before—MULTIPLE times, and enough to win full-on AWARDS from doing so—I don’t trust that this is something she’s come up with on her own. For all we know, this could be plagiarized, too. Plagiarism is something that could literally ruin lives—it can fail people out of classes, get them expelled from school, and sticks with them forever, or at least for an extremely long time. The fact that most of the works the author plagiarized happened so long ago and people are STILL talking about to this day in the reviews of this book speaks a lot about how damaging it can be to reputations and an author’s credibility. Just don’t do it. It’s really that simple.
This absolutely hurts me to say, because like I said before, I always want to give debut authors a platform, but I cannot in good faith read this ARC and support this author's work, let alone recommend this to anyone. It hurts even more when it's an Asian author knowingly stealing from other Asian authors. Whether you choose to read this or not is not my decision to make for you if you also have the ARC or are planning on getting it on publishing day. This is a personal decision that I've come to alone and on my own terms, and I am so sorry to say that this will be one of the very few ARCs I will NOT be reading. I can't even say I DNF'ed the eARC if I haven't even downloaded the file to my Kindle yet, and if anyone from Simon & Schuster sees this...please don't kill me, I know we're on relatively good terms and you've approved most of my requests so far!😭🫣
This link is a statement from Half Mystic, the writing/publishing group that the author belonged to back in the day, where she plagiarized works from other writers in said group: https://www.halfmystic.com/blog/you-a...
A tweet from one of the people from Half Mystic that was in response to someone trying to defend Rona Wang's plagiarism: https://x.com/topazwinters/status/136...
The smoking gun: the 13-paged Google doc that documents and details every instance that Rona Wang has plagiarized someone's work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
March 16, 2021
Plagiarizing from other writers -- especially fellow Chinese American writers -- should not be encouraged or rewarded. (Informed by the Twitter account @disappntdwriter, which details the author's plagiarism)
EDIT 3/15/21: To be clear, I do not condone harassment towards anyone involved. I simply want to highlight the writers that the author plagiarized and profited off of. Half Mystic, the publisher of the author’s short story collection, has confirmed the book contained plagiarized elements and thus pulled it from distribution. The statement is here: https://www.halfmystic.com/blog/you-a...
I also want to point to the author’s “direct admission of plagiarism” to Half Mystic. Here is the documentation:
https://twitter.com/topazwinters/stat...
Rather than acknowledging Half Mystic’s statement or the authors whose work she repurposed, the author has deleted her social media accounts. The silence of all parties involved -- author, agent, and publisher -- seem to indicate a clear admission of the harm created.
EDIT 3/15/21: To be clear, I do not condone harassment towards anyone involved. I simply want to highlight the writers that the author plagiarized and profited off of. Half Mystic, the publisher of the author’s short story collection, has confirmed the book contained plagiarized elements and thus pulled it from distribution. The statement is here: https://www.halfmystic.com/blog/you-a...
I also want to point to the author’s “direct admission of plagiarism” to Half Mystic. Here is the documentation:
https://twitter.com/topazwinters/stat...
Rather than acknowledging Half Mystic’s statement or the authors whose work she repurposed, the author has deleted her social media accounts. The silence of all parties involved -- author, agent, and publisher -- seem to indicate a clear admission of the harm created.
March 4, 2021
disappointed but not surprised that rona's been caught plagiarizing other asian american writers. (see: tweet, evidence) sucks to suck!
update: it appears that there are people still defending rona's plagiarism. people from MIT are arguing that their english department has reviewed rona's writing and determined that no plagiarism took place, when in fact rona has directly admitted plagiarism to half mystic, the publisher of her first novel.
update: it appears that there are people still defending rona's plagiarism. people from MIT are arguing that their english department has reviewed rona's writing and determined that no plagiarism took place, when in fact rona has directly admitted plagiarism to half mystic, the publisher of her first novel.
December 12, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
This was great! Part nerdy rom-com, part big-hearted coming of age story dealing with abuse and immigrant families. Charise "Char" Tang has loved coding since she was little, but her family struggles financially and her stepfather is an abusive gambler. She applies to a summer program at MIT and is shocked when she actually gets in, and excited for what opportunities it might bring. Char is thrust into a group of privileged kids with far more training than her, but she's determined to figure out how to compete. Maybe with the help of a cute boy...
This has a great balance of humor, heart, and tackling more serious topics. For instance, as an immigrant Char's mom married her stepdad partly to get a green card and now she feels stuck. Immigrants can sometimes be more vulnerable to predatory behavior and abuse. Char is a great example of a prickly character with a big heart who's afraid to let anyone in. The journey she goes on is satisfying and had a couple of unexpected twists. I really liked this and would recommend it! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
This was great! Part nerdy rom-com, part big-hearted coming of age story dealing with abuse and immigrant families. Charise "Char" Tang has loved coding since she was little, but her family struggles financially and her stepfather is an abusive gambler. She applies to a summer program at MIT and is shocked when she actually gets in, and excited for what opportunities it might bring. Char is thrust into a group of privileged kids with far more training than her, but she's determined to figure out how to compete. Maybe with the help of a cute boy...
This has a great balance of humor, heart, and tackling more serious topics. For instance, as an immigrant Char's mom married her stepdad partly to get a green card and now she feels stuck. Immigrants can sometimes be more vulnerable to predatory behavior and abuse. Char is a great example of a prickly character with a big heart who's afraid to let anyone in. The journey she goes on is satisfying and had a couple of unexpected twists. I really liked this and would recommend it! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
February 27, 2021
Author Rona Wang has been plagiarizing fellow Chinese American women writers since 2015, as chronicled in the document embedded in this tweet thread – https://twitter.com/disappntdwriter/s...
The document is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Much of her published work, including works she has won monetary prizes for, have plagiarized her peer writers. Some of it bears similarities down to word choice, sentence structure, and character names. Other examples show eerily similar storylines. Wang was a Pitch wars mentor and had access to unpublished manuscripts, which are much harder to protect. Her agent P. Moore and editor at S&S have not spoken out on this matter as of Friday February 26. Rona deactivated her Twitter when the thread went up and has not taken responsibility for her actions. Please do not support her book until she owns up to her mistakes and proves that her book contains ONLY original content.
The document is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Much of her published work, including works she has won monetary prizes for, have plagiarized her peer writers. Some of it bears similarities down to word choice, sentence structure, and character names. Other examples show eerily similar storylines. Wang was a Pitch wars mentor and had access to unpublished manuscripts, which are much harder to protect. Her agent P. Moore and editor at S&S have not spoken out on this matter as of Friday February 26. Rona deactivated her Twitter when the thread went up and has not taken responsibility for her actions. Please do not support her book until she owns up to her mistakes and proves that her book contains ONLY original content.
March 3, 2021
Nothing to say except plagiarists shouldn't be given a six-figure book deal.
February 25, 2021
Has an extensive history of plagiarising from other Asian American writers
Want to read
April 29, 2020April 29, 2020: Just came across the author's announcement on Twitter and you bet I'm excited because this has a STEM girl probably!
December 2, 2021
plagiarizer
Want to read
January 10, 2021an ownvoices ya rom-com featuring a chinese-american girl passionate about coding !!
March 16, 2021
Do not purchase this book. Do not support authors who plagiarize.
May 18, 2024
Such a good book! One of my fav in this genre. Def recommend everyone to read it :)
January 6, 2026
*NOTE: I did not know about the author's plagiarism controversy prior to reading this, so this review is based purely on the book. Though...yikes...*
DNF at 44%. This book is...not good. It was frustrating to read because you could see that there are themes the author thought they were addressing, but very much missing the mark. The main lead is an Asian girl from a small town: a smart kid in her small town high school but with no aspirations or dreams to leave or go to college. She gets accepted (after applying at the insistence of a benevolent guidance counselor) to a prestigious computer summer program - and she's immediately out of her depth. Like...doesn't know basic programming languages which were a prereq, etc, and she gets bullied by the other smarter kids. Now, I think we're supposed to feel bad for her (she gets called unqualified and called a diversity applicant, etc) - BUT SHE LITERALLY ISN'T QUALIFIED. There is a difference between *having imposter syndrome* (when you are qualified for a role, but are made to feel like you don't belong whether due to underrepresentation, systemic barriers, societal pressures, etc) and *being an imposter* (which is what our main lead is and we're supposed to just...ignore that). There are other issues that they try to address (abusive family dynamics, class privilege, jealousy leading to the spreading of insidious rumors, what it means to be a good friend both in front of and behind someone, etc), but it's all so flippant and snarky and glossed over, it felt comical. Disappointing read and problematic for people trying to counter the already divisive narrative around "DEI hires" and such.
DNF at 44%. This book is...not good. It was frustrating to read because you could see that there are themes the author thought they were addressing, but very much missing the mark. The main lead is an Asian girl from a small town: a smart kid in her small town high school but with no aspirations or dreams to leave or go to college. She gets accepted (after applying at the insistence of a benevolent guidance counselor) to a prestigious computer summer program - and she's immediately out of her depth. Like...doesn't know basic programming languages which were a prereq, etc, and she gets bullied by the other smarter kids. Now, I think we're supposed to feel bad for her (she gets called unqualified and called a diversity applicant, etc) - BUT SHE LITERALLY ISN'T QUALIFIED. There is a difference between *having imposter syndrome* (when you are qualified for a role, but are made to feel like you don't belong whether due to underrepresentation, systemic barriers, societal pressures, etc) and *being an imposter* (which is what our main lead is and we're supposed to just...ignore that). There are other issues that they try to address (abusive family dynamics, class privilege, jealousy leading to the spreading of insidious rumors, what it means to be a good friend both in front of and behind someone, etc), but it's all so flippant and snarky and glossed over, it felt comical. Disappointing read and problematic for people trying to counter the already divisive narrative around "DEI hires" and such.
November 8, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of this book; all thoughts are my own.
📖 Book Review 📖 Charisse Tang cannot make it out of her life in Oregon fast enough. Being a Chinese American in a small town that still holds onto racism is a problem and her blended family is not the Brandy bunch. When she is offered a prestigious position for the summer at MIT, she jumps on a plane with little hesitation. Char soon discovers the world out there that she has been waiting for…and it’s rife with new experiences and lots of competition. And in the bustling city of Boston, along the Charles River in Cambridge, she meets one strong ally who stays by her side all summer. As she teams up with her roommate’s boyfriend, Khoi, to try to win it all, she learns a lot about herself and the world around her. Life is full of challenges and impossible choices with ethical dilemmas and especially in this current climate, it’s so important to remember to take a stand. You Had Me @ Hello World is a fresh reminder on the power of youth as they prepare to take on the next phase of life.
📖 Book Review 📖 Charisse Tang cannot make it out of her life in Oregon fast enough. Being a Chinese American in a small town that still holds onto racism is a problem and her blended family is not the Brandy bunch. When she is offered a prestigious position for the summer at MIT, she jumps on a plane with little hesitation. Char soon discovers the world out there that she has been waiting for…and it’s rife with new experiences and lots of competition. And in the bustling city of Boston, along the Charles River in Cambridge, she meets one strong ally who stays by her side all summer. As she teams up with her roommate’s boyfriend, Khoi, to try to win it all, she learns a lot about herself and the world around her. Life is full of challenges and impossible choices with ethical dilemmas and especially in this current climate, it’s so important to remember to take a stand. You Had Me @ Hello World is a fresh reminder on the power of youth as they prepare to take on the next phase of life.
did-not-finish
November 6, 2025Thank you to Simon Teen for the eARC and physical ARC.
Did Not Finish/Will Not Read.
I read some disconcerting information before starting this book, and that has influenced me to put it down and not continue. There is allegations with documented proof (on Goodreads reviews) of the author admitting to plagiarism of other Asian American writers. That's not something I want to support so I will not be reading or reviewing this book.
Did Not Finish/Will Not Read.
I read some disconcerting information before starting this book, and that has influenced me to put it down and not continue. There is allegations with documented proof (on Goodreads reviews) of the author admitting to plagiarism of other Asian American writers. That's not something I want to support so I will not be reading or reviewing this book.
November 20, 2025
2.5 ⭐️
I had mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed the romance, though I found the FMC frustrating at times. However, Khoi (the MMC) was such a sweetie!!
The story had some moments I liked, but overall it didn’t quite click for me.
Thank you to Simon Teen, for the gifted copy! 💌
I had mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed the romance, though I found the FMC frustrating at times. However, Khoi (the MMC) was such a sweetie!!
The story had some moments I liked, but overall it didn’t quite click for me.
Thank you to Simon Teen, for the gifted copy! 💌
November 13, 2025
Came here from Twitter (someone quoted her viral tweet), never support plagiarizm
February 25, 2025
To see how she blatantly mentally-raped fellow Asian American girls is utterly despicable. Especially since she profited off of their ideas and REPEATEDLY copied. Do you have no shame? And what's more, sometimes she only changed one word in a sentence and called it her own. The plagiarism is so obvious! You're not even trying to hide it!
Despicable.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Despicable.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
June 9, 2021
the only thing i want to read from rona wang is an apology to the authors she plagiarized from.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
nah-bro
May 20, 2021oop we don't stan plagiarizers
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
December 3, 2025
You Had Me at Hello World was a delightful, heartwarming read that had me alternating between laughing out loud at the coding jokes and nerdy references, and feeling deeply moved by the protagonist's experiences.
Char is wonderfully human. She is stubborn, closed-off, clings to her pride, and sometimes lashes out without thinking. But she's also resilient, intelligent, wickedly funny, and underneath all of the guilt, shame, and hurt, she genuinely cares. Her voice is authentic and reminds me very strongly of my own teenage self.
I'm a former gifted kid who did math and science contests in high school and was invited to a very selective STEM camp the summer after junior year, where only 1 in 7 campers were girls. Char's experience of the rampant misogyny that pervaded camp culture, with some boys sneering at the "affirmative action" admits, parallels my own. It's not a topic I think about often, so with the benefit of a decade of hindsight, I found reading about it from the eyes of a teen quite cathartic.
Among the book's central themes are abuses of power, and the complex tangle of circumstances, both individual and societal, that enable those abuses. As one example, And that is merely one of many subplots weaving around the main arc of the novel.
My musings on the ending:
Char is wonderfully human. She is stubborn, closed-off, clings to her pride, and sometimes lashes out without thinking. But she's also resilient, intelligent, wickedly funny, and underneath all of the guilt, shame, and hurt, she genuinely cares. Her voice is authentic and reminds me very strongly of my own teenage self.
I'm a former gifted kid who did math and science contests in high school and was invited to a very selective STEM camp the summer after junior year, where only 1 in 7 campers were girls. Char's experience of the rampant misogyny that pervaded camp culture, with some boys sneering at the "affirmative action" admits, parallels my own. It's not a topic I think about often, so with the benefit of a decade of hindsight, I found reading about it from the eyes of a teen quite cathartic.
Among the book's central themes are abuses of power, and the complex tangle of circumstances, both individual and societal, that enable those abuses. As one example, And that is merely one of many subplots weaving around the main arc of the novel.
My musings on the ending:
November 20, 2025
This fairly straightforward young adult romance tends to be remarkably grounded, in a way which clearly uses real life as a referent. Notably, keeping with its tech theme, it does a very good job of including plenty of tech references and jokes (about Python whitespace, radix sort, tracking pixels, etc.) that will be appreciated by people into computer science, and the "Alpha Fellows" summer camp featured in the book clearly draws on a combination of programs in real life (most obviously Thiel Fellows). The main characters similarly do a very good job of straddling the line between realistic teenagers and romanticized versions thereof, being just exceptional enough to be pleasant fantasy while simultaneously clearly serving as extensions of real life archetypes of people. However, while the core romance and worldbuilding are executed cleanly, "You Had Me at Hello World" is a bit loosely plotted, in ways that undermine any aspects of the novel outside its core romance and tech-flavored world. For example, the main character's feelings of being a bit out of her depth at the prestigious summer camp are placed front and center, which combined with the subplot about her stepfather, could have given the book a strong coming-of-age inflection that does not come through---instead, our main heroine is mostly static, going through emotional arcs and plot arcs, but without substantial character growth to accompany this. Additionally, the establishment of the relationship at the end of the book is a bit ad-hoc, even though there is a fledgling theme about believing in each other which, if it had been built up more thoroughly, could have smoothed out the ending. In this way, "Jenny Han meets Silicon Valley" is indeed a good tagline for this book---it does succeed at being a YA romance with tech flavoring, even if it is nothing more.
December 3, 2025
Thank you Simon Teen for the free gift!
This story follows a girl desperate to escape the limits of her small town as she’s thrown into a high-pressure MIT hackathon full of ambition, rivalry, talent, and the kind of emotional complications that come with first love. It’s a YA contemporary with high stakes—both personal and competitive—and a tech-world backdrop that gives everything a sharp, modern edge.
What really struck me was how deeply this one hit emotionally. I felt so much empathy for Charise, and I found myself genuinely rooting for her to finally get good things in life. Khoi was another bright point; I loved how genuinely kind he was and the way he stood up for others without hesitation. I also really appreciated the social commentary woven through the story, especially the exploration of immigrant experiences and the very real atrocities happening under the current governmental regime. It added weight in a way that felt meaningful.
Overall, this was a heartfelt, resonant YA contemporary that balanced competition drama with emotional depth. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about ambition, identity, and navigating complicated feelings in environments that push you to your limit.
This story follows a girl desperate to escape the limits of her small town as she’s thrown into a high-pressure MIT hackathon full of ambition, rivalry, talent, and the kind of emotional complications that come with first love. It’s a YA contemporary with high stakes—both personal and competitive—and a tech-world backdrop that gives everything a sharp, modern edge.
What really struck me was how deeply this one hit emotionally. I felt so much empathy for Charise, and I found myself genuinely rooting for her to finally get good things in life. Khoi was another bright point; I loved how genuinely kind he was and the way he stood up for others without hesitation. I also really appreciated the social commentary woven through the story, especially the exploration of immigrant experiences and the very real atrocities happening under the current governmental regime. It added weight in a way that felt meaningful.
Overall, this was a heartfelt, resonant YA contemporary that balanced competition drama with emotional depth. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about ambition, identity, and navigating complicated feelings in environments that push you to your limit.
November 14, 2025
It’s really horrible and disgusting that Rona wang finally published this book and sells it on several websites. She is not a creator or a real writer of this book. She just keeps plagiarizing other Chinese American writers!
Author Rona Wang has been plagiarizing fellow Chinese American women writers since 2015, as chronicled in the document embedded in this tweet thread – https://twitter.com/disappntdwriter/s...
The document is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Much of her published work, including works she has won monetary prizes for, have plagiarized her peer writers. Some of it bears similarities down to word choice, sentence structure, and character names. Other examples show eerily similar storylines. Wang was a Pitch wars mentor and had access to unpublished manuscripts, which are much harder to protect. Her agent P. Moore and editor at S&S have not spoken out on this matter as of Friday February 26. Rona deactivated her Twitter when the thread went up and has not taken responsibility for her actions. Please do not support her book until she owns up to her mistakes and proves that her book contains ONLY original content.
Author Rona Wang has been plagiarizing fellow Chinese American women writers since 2015, as chronicled in the document embedded in this tweet thread – https://twitter.com/disappntdwriter/s...
The document is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Much of her published work, including works she has won monetary prizes for, have plagiarized her peer writers. Some of it bears similarities down to word choice, sentence structure, and character names. Other examples show eerily similar storylines. Wang was a Pitch wars mentor and had access to unpublished manuscripts, which are much harder to protect. Her agent P. Moore and editor at S&S have not spoken out on this matter as of Friday February 26. Rona deactivated her Twitter when the thread went up and has not taken responsibility for her actions. Please do not support her book until she owns up to her mistakes and proves that her book contains ONLY original content.
January 5, 2026
You Had Me @ Hello World takes second generation Chinese American Char from her small town in Oregon to an elite summer program on MIT's campus. Having escaped not only her town, but also her difficult stepfather, Char sees the summer program as her ticket to a better life. Wang has populated this novel with a diverse cast of young coders, like summer camp with a large side of computer science competition. Of course the competition is complicated when Char discovers she and her project partner have feelings for each other. Char's desperation to win the competition, and secure a better future, is predictably derailed when she receives a desperate message from back home. There isn't a guaranteed happy ending here, but Wang offers a hopeful one. Readers who enjoy Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will appreciate the exploration of social relationships among young tech prodigies. Ethical questions in the novel echo ethical concerns in the technology sector. A fun read that asks some serious questions, even non tech-savvy readers will be hooked.
Recommended for readers Gr. 9 and up.
Recommended for readers Gr. 9 and up.
January 13, 2026
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc. This is my personal review.
I was initially drawn to this book because I am interested in software engineering (my boyfriend is a coder) and have been looking to read more diverse literature. I started the story and was initially incredibly intrigued. Wang sucked me in with her characters and writing immediately. Unfortunately, when I went to examine why this story had such low reviews, I discovered that the author has been accused of plagiarism. I always want to give authors the benefit of the doubt, so I did my own research, and the evidence is somewhat damning.
I am rating this two stars, but because it's a bad book. In fact, if I had finished (I dnf'ed at 45%) without doing research, it would have been 4 stars. However, I do not think that it should have been published considering all of the talented and diverse authors out there who are struggling to break into trad. publishing.
What did work:
-rivals to lovers
-nerds
-the banter was cute
-vivid writing
If the plagiarism allegations don't bother you, this is a fun and relevant YA read.
I was initially drawn to this book because I am interested in software engineering (my boyfriend is a coder) and have been looking to read more diverse literature. I started the story and was initially incredibly intrigued. Wang sucked me in with her characters and writing immediately. Unfortunately, when I went to examine why this story had such low reviews, I discovered that the author has been accused of plagiarism. I always want to give authors the benefit of the doubt, so I did my own research, and the evidence is somewhat damning.
I am rating this two stars, but because it's a bad book. In fact, if I had finished (I dnf'ed at 45%) without doing research, it would have been 4 stars. However, I do not think that it should have been published considering all of the talented and diverse authors out there who are struggling to break into trad. publishing.
What did work:
-rivals to lovers
-nerds
-the banter was cute
-vivid writing
If the plagiarism allegations don't bother you, this is a fun and relevant YA read.
November 13, 2025
A heartfelt and emotional YA contemporary romance set in the world of coding, algorithms, and big dreams. I really enjoyed this one — it’s a YA romcom with a unique STEM setting that adds so much depth to the story. The mix of humor, heart, and tech made it stand out, and I loved seeing a smart, driven heroine finding her voice.
That said, while it’s listed for ages 12 and up, I’d personally recommend it for older teens (15+) due to some mature themes, a bit of graphic content, and domestic violence elements. The romance itself wasn’t over the top, and the language was mild. Overall, it’s a thoughtful, emotional, and empowering read that blends brains and heart beautifully. 💖
I also feel it’s important to address the serious plagiarism allegations surrounding Rona Wang. There are documented claims that she plagiarised the work of fellow writers—down to character names, plot elements, and even sentence structure. While I enjoyed You Had Me @ Hello World for many reasons, I do not support plagiarism in any form. Integrity, originality, and respect for other creators are non-negotiable for me in the reading community.
That said, while it’s listed for ages 12 and up, I’d personally recommend it for older teens (15+) due to some mature themes, a bit of graphic content, and domestic violence elements. The romance itself wasn’t over the top, and the language was mild. Overall, it’s a thoughtful, emotional, and empowering read that blends brains and heart beautifully. 💖
I also feel it’s important to address the serious plagiarism allegations surrounding Rona Wang. There are documented claims that she plagiarised the work of fellow writers—down to character names, plot elements, and even sentence structure. While I enjoyed You Had Me @ Hello World for many reasons, I do not support plagiarism in any form. Integrity, originality, and respect for other creators are non-negotiable for me in the reading community.
October 19, 2025
Sixteen year old Charise "Char" Tang is desperate to ditch her dead end small town. So when she is invited to a highly selective hackathon at MIT, she seizes the opportunity to jet across the country to spend the Summer building an App, and maybe even sang top prize, a golden ticket to life.
When she arrives, she teams up with Khoi Astor, coding wunderkind and creator of last years biggest mobile game. Khoi, with his soft eyes and gentle smile, we can make anyone laugh. Khoi who is easy to fall for, who's already dating her camp roommate. If only Char could control her heart and forget Khoi.
As competition heats up so do things between Char and her teammate. But sabotage lurks around ever corner and she soon discovers that the tech world has a dark and dangerous underbelly..
Thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster publications, Rona Wang for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#YouHadMeatHelloWorld
#RonaWang
#Simon&SchusterPublications
#NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When she arrives, she teams up with Khoi Astor, coding wunderkind and creator of last years biggest mobile game. Khoi, with his soft eyes and gentle smile, we can make anyone laugh. Khoi who is easy to fall for, who's already dating her camp roommate. If only Char could control her heart and forget Khoi.
As competition heats up so do things between Char and her teammate. But sabotage lurks around ever corner and she soon discovers that the tech world has a dark and dangerous underbelly..
Thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster publications, Rona Wang for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#YouHadMeatHelloWorld
#RonaWang
#Simon&SchusterPublications
#NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 9, 2025
Such a real book, that a lot of people should give a try to read. Char leaves in a small town where getting out to make a life seems impossible. So when the chance to go to a summer camp at MIT happens, she takes it so she can try to see if she has a future to fight for. Arriving in Cambridge, Char meets Khoi. Their meet cute was tragic and funny at the same time. Both second -generation Asian immigrants, these kids are bright and know how to code. I was very inspired by how they come up with their project to help immigrants. And how these teenagers worked hard to win the summer camp competition. They definitely meet some obstacles with the project and on top of that Char deals with her very troubled family situation. I thought Khoi and Char falling in love while working in this project was wholesome. This book was all about seeing Char’s new beginnings and I liked how it made me feel lighter for her. Beautiful book with beautiful characters
November 25, 2025
I didn’t expect to enjoy You Had Me at Hello World as much as I did, because I do not usually read young adult fiction. One of the things I loved most was having an independent female lead whose avoidant attachment style genuinely shapes the way she moves through the world. It isn’t romanticized or used as a quirky trope—it’s portrayed as a real flaw she has to confront, and that makes her feel human. She’s strong, competent, and driven, yet still messy and relatable. She makes mistakes, shuts people out, and struggles to let herself be cared for, and the book doesn’t shy away from showing how that affects her relationships and decisions.
I also appreciated that the story never falls into the fantasy of a wealthy male love interest swooping in to fix everything. Instead, the dynamic feels balanced and grounded. He doesn’t “save” her so much as challenge her, and the growth she experiences is actually her own.
Overall, I would strongly recommend reading it!
I also appreciated that the story never falls into the fantasy of a wealthy male love interest swooping in to fix everything. Instead, the dynamic feels balanced and grounded. He doesn’t “save” her so much as challenge her, and the growth she experiences is actually her own.
Overall, I would strongly recommend reading it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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