Café. Waiting. Love.

by Giddens Ko, Shanna Tan (Translator)

'Dreams that are laughable when said aloud are what's worth pursuing. Even if you fall, you do so with much poise.'

In a small, enigmatic café in Hsinchu, Taiwan, everyone is waiting for someone. Whether it's love, a second chance, or a sign of something greater. The café is more than just an ordinary coffee shop; it's a place for serendipitous encounters.

Si-Ying, a young woman working at the café, harbors a secret crush on the handsome Ze-Yu, who is always surrounded by a string of girlfriends. However, her life takes a turn when she befriends the quirky and earnest A-Tuo, who introduces her to a vibrant cast of characters who aren't what they seem to be, including a triad boss who is a cinephile and a laundromat boss who whips up exquisite dishes worthy of the Michelin stars.

As Si Ying's friendship with A-Tuo deepens, she begins to realize that her true feelings may not be for Ze-Yu after all. Within the café's walls, moments of quiet reflection reveal profound truths, and amidst the wait for someone else, Si-Ying learns that sometimes the most significant journey is the one inward.

** Translated from the Taiwanese by Shanna Tan **

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2026

About the author

Giddens Ko (simplified Chinese: 柯景腾; traditional Chinese: 柯景騰; pinyin: Kē Jǐngténg; born 25 August 1978) is a Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from National Chiao Tung University and Master of Social Science from Tunghai University. He has published more than 60 books, many of which have been adapted as films. He writes under the pseudonym of "Jiubadao" (九把刀), which literally means "nine knives".

九把刀: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Lau]

"My love had yet to begin, but was I already trying to prove a point? If so, what, and to whom? Was I trying to prove that my effort would pay off and he'd like me back? To show Tse-yu that I was the best person for him? Wasn't a relationship about proving how much two people liked each other?"

Café. Waiting. Love. Such a cliche title. The story is predictable and tends to lean towards positive side where everyone gets their own happy ending, but perhaps that exactly is the charm of this book.

Si-ying, si as in longing, ying for firefly. She's an ordinary high school student who works as barista in a cafe alongside Abusi, a cool lesbian who makes questioning type of coffee. Though she is by no means too smart, or too talented, she has a strong sense of justice. When a guy named Ah Tuo is being made fun of, she puts a stop to it and grows closer to the guy, who turns out to be the nicest person that befriends everyone. He even helps Si-ying to pursue her crush on Tse-yu, a customer who always brings different girlfriends and breaks her heart in pieces.

To be brutally honest, I kept wanting to dnf this book before it hit 50%, the writing style is not one I like (doesn't necessarily mean it's bad) but after pushing through, I am so glad I didn't give up on it. Heard there's a movie of this book, I would love to check it out.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of honest review!

[mana]

⭐️4.25/5

💘synopsis: Si-Ying (FL) is a college student who works as a barista in a taiwanese coffee shop with one goal: get closer to her crush who is also her senior.
while working, she builds an unexpected friendship with another student A-Tou. we closely follow how Si-Ying navigates her feelings, friendship and relationships with het colleagues. her understanding of romance slowly undergoes a quiet shift. step by step she realises that the love she endlessly was waiting for wasn’t the fantasy she originally imagined. it has been by her side all long waiting for her to notice it too

💘thoughts: this is far from your average/typical romance and i LOVED everything about it. this was such a fresh breath of air. i needed to read something light yet profound at the same time. it was very well written balancing humour and serious moments.
the title couldn’t be more spot on: the café acts as a stage to showcase the many faces of “waiting” and “love”.
core themes like grief and acceptance, identity, coming of age, love, true connection, sanctuary and found family were major.
special thanks the translator!!!

[Mitsy_Reads]

Published in 2004, so there are moments inappropriate for today but all in all, it is cosy and
• charming. A little bit of romance as well, but quite slow and not much plot. Try if you like slow, cosy fiction set in a coffee shop. I wish I could connect with the protagonist better, so 3.5/5 🌟
The cover is 100 / 100 marks!

[kimberley (thearieslibrary)]

In a small café in Hsinchu, Taiwan, everyone is waiting for someone. Whether it's love, a second chance, or a sign of something greater. The café is more than just an ordinary coffee shop; it's a place for encounters.

I thought based on the blurb that this book would be right up my alley but unfortunately, I wasn't a fan and it left a lot to be desired. It had a Harry Potter mention, one of the characters is constantly made to be the butt of the joke, which honestly made me not want to continue reading because it was heartbreaking and incredibly cruel, and I didn't like nor care for the FMC at all. The same applies for the rest of the characters as they didn't feel distinctive and I felt like I didn't remember anything about them. The FMC was just as bad as the bullies in this book as she thought it was absolutely hilarious, which then serves as a kind of redemption arc for her later, which the foundation was certainly there but it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been and made me not think that she was as good of a person as she's later made out to be. So much just felt so unrealistic when it came to so many of the characters and things were also glossed over. I found myself repeating asking myself: what is the plot of this book actually supposed to be? It felt like it had no clear direction.

I didn't like how at times it would mention other books that the author has written as footnotes that served not only as an advertisement that they exist and would take me out of this book, but in one instance are used to be like if you want to know more about this character that is constantly referred to and hearing about her back story is relevant to some of the aspects of this book, then you have to go read it. Of course if I liked the character enough, maybe I'd seek the book out but when this is my first introduction to the author, the reader doesn't know much about this character as it is and I'm wanting to learn more about that specific character, I don't then want to go to another book just to see their story fleshed out. I feel like the relevant information should have been added into this book, even if it was just basic. This problem ties into the earlier paragraph where I came away from this book feeling like I didn't know much about any of the characters, which in turn made it hard for me to like, care or really connect with any of them. To add to this, the footnotes caused more of a distraction out of the story for me, rather than giving me relevant information as I'm not sure how entirely useful they actually were.

⚠️ CWs: cursing, lesbophobia, bullying, alcohol use, weight comment, illness, excrement, sexism, fatphobia; mentions animal death, car accident, gun use, blood, injury detail, mental health illness, cheating, death, violence, fire, physical assault, grief, gambling, pregnancy ⚠️

[Caroline]

I’m from Wales and loved this book. There were some issues with the content at times but I feel that thinking of it as written from a young woman’s standpoint in the 80s some of the political incorrectness was tolerable. It definitely feels like a book from another culture, school girls mixing with people in university for example but I just aged them up and decided that the girls were 18 at the start and the boys were 19. This might have actually been what the author meant but our school system is different and I’m rubbish at remembering ages.
The story is basically following a young woman, whose communication is direct for the most part, as she works and studies. At times she seems to not sleep but again I’m going to give the book artistic liberties. Some of her behaviour feels bizarre and some of the “friends “ she makes seem not to be nice people. It reminded me of the Scot Pilgrim film though and I just loved that so I went with what I liked and sort of ignored anything annoying. There are gay characters and there is ridicule of people who have been involved with them. I do think this is resolved and I think if you can persist anything problematic is, mostly resolved.
I love the interpretation and I often find some of my favourite books are interpretations. I can see how hard it must be to convey the meaning and I know that even in English there will be different understandings in Britain, Wales or America so I’m looking at it with broad strokes.
Ok so basically young woman works in a coffee shop, meets a man she has a crush on and a man who every one thinks is her boyfriend. She spends all the time with the second man and he is adorable with lots of colourful friends. The writing style is just so lush and interesting. I tend to rotate books as I read them but this has been the only book I have really read these past few weeks.
I don’t think it has any significant trigger warnings….apart from people throwing fireworks with their hands and a threat of violence, the focus is on the threat.
The protagonist does feel very young and I did spend a lot of time shouting at her but I loved her at the same time.
I was going to give it 4 ⭐️ but actually I do want to read it again because I definitely rushed the end to see what happened. Read it and watch Scot Pilgrim, I think they would make a good combination.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion.
Sorry previous review posted on the original but I can only read in English! Reposted here!

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K]

Quick Summary: A coffee and connections, slice of life novel

My Review: Café. Waiting. Love. by Giddens Ko is described as a "nostalgic 2000s Taiwanese classic." It is categorized as "General Fiction (Adult) | Literary Fiction | New Adult." TODAY (8/27/26) is the official release date for the English edition.

About the Book: "A coming of age story about growing up and finding love...

In a small café in Hsinchu, Taiwan, everyone is waiting for something. Whether it's love, a second chance or a sign of something greater. More than just an ordinary coffee shop; this is a place for serendipitous encounters."

In My Own Words: Life, love, and colorful phases of change follow a peculiar group of people who are linked through experiences.

My Final Say: This was genuinely a T-drama in book form. It was easy to picture in my mind's eye.

While the story revolved around the main female character, it beautifully extended beyond her, capturing a whole community of people.

I liked the simplicity of the stories and appreciated the unique journeys of the characters. Underneath the coffee tales and shifting relationships, there were glimpses of life lessons and gained wisdom.

In the end, this unassuming novel was about chosen paths and meaningful relationships.

Other: Readers who enjoy coming of age stories, Asian dramas, and cozy-steady reads may like this book. Potential readers are encouraged to look beyond the surface of this story to see the "layers of flavor."

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA/A
Re-read: Yes
Status: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Level: 💚
Format: 📱
Cover: +
Title: +

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Headline | Wildfire), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. It was a pleasure to review.

[Bookworm Denz]

[ARC REVIEW 📖]

Café. Waiting. Love.
Author : Giddens Ko
Translator : Shanna Tan

Tucked away in an alleyway in the night street market opposite National Tsing Hua University (a.k.a Tsingda), stands a quirky coffee shop w/ a romantic name --- Café. Waiting. Love, where the protagonist Li Si-ying, a high school senior student & part-time worker, together w/ her lesbian senior colleague named Abusi (nickname inspired by the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore) & enigmatic young proprietress & lady boss, all work together.

Abusi is well known for her special ability to make any type of coffee ordered by a customer. She became well-known to the regulars & to the students that her "superpower" was regularly put to the test. Li Si-ying on the other hand, goes to National Hsinchu (city of wind) Girls' Senior High, diligently studying & preparing for her next chapter in life w/c is to go to her dream university.

This was a fun-to-read coming-of-age 14-chapter novel of self-discovery, love & life. I really enjoyed the characters that come & go at the café & how their stories intertwine w/ each other. I find some parts of the novel also quite informative especially about coffee & brewing in a deeper aspect. I especially loved the romance & relationship between the protagonist Si-ying & the two male leads Tse-yu & Ah Tuo. As well as Abusi & the lady Boss' backstories.
All in all this was such a cozy treat!

Thank you Netgalley, Headline, & to the author for the opportunity to read! 🥹🫶

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

P.S.
Follow me for more book reviews on:
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[Sneha R]

I really enjoyed Cafe. Waiting. Love. It's a cozy Taiwanese coming of age story that follows Si Ying as she balances school, university life, and her part time job at a quirky café filled with unforgettable characters. The writing has a warm, nostalgic feel, and I found myself completely drawn into the relationships, especially the found family dynamic and Si Ying's connection with Ah Tuo.

Some parts felt a little dated, and there were a few moments or attitudes that needs to be in more positive not to sit perfectly with me, but I tried to read it in the context of when it was written and the culture it comes from. Overall, any issues were outweighed by the charm of the story, the lovable cast, and the emotional moments.

What stood out most was how all the characters' lives gradually intertwine, making the world feel small and connected. The café itself becomes a comforting backdrop for a story about friendship, growing up, and finding love. The side characters are wonderfully eccentric, from talented performers to unlikely mentors, and they add a lot of heart and humor to the book.

I also loved the nostalgic early 2000s atmosphere and the focus on everyday life rather than dramatic plot twists. Despite not usually reading a lot of YA or romance, I found this incredibly easy to get invested in and ended up rushing through the ending because I wanted to know what happened. It's warm, charming, emotional, and definitely a book I'd consider rereading. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a comforting slice of life story with memorable characters and a sweet romance at its heart.

[Steve Cavill]

Café. Waiting. Love. by Giddens Ko is a charming, easy-going novel that captures the quirky heartbeat of a Taipei coffee shop and the young people who drift through it.

University freshman Si-ying takes a part-time job at the uniquely atmospheric Café Waiting Love, run by an enigmatic, melancholy owner who crafts highly personalised drinks and quietly waits for someone from her past. There she encounters a cool barista, a cheerful and slightly goofy fellow student named Abusi, and a brooding regular who initially catches her eye. Across three interconnected story arcs, the café becomes a lively stage for romance, self-discovery, slapstick comedy, and quieter moments of reflection.

Ko’s writing is unassuming and refreshingly simple, blending light-hearted youth comedy with genuine emotional tenderness. The characters are likeable and distinct, each bringing their own quirks to the slightly oddball world of the café. While the plot is fairly predictable and some of the comedic subplots lean into over-the-top tropes, the book never tries too hard to impress — it simply invites readers to spend time in this warm, slightly messy space.

Inevitable comparisons to Before the Coffee Gets Cold arise from the shared café setting and translated-fiction origins, but Ko’s novel is less about quiet regret and more about the vibrant, everyday messiness of young love and connection. It’s sweet, funny, and nostalgic without becoming overly sentimental.

A pleasant, heart-warming read that won’t necessarily linger forever, but offers an enjoyable escape into a café where love, waiting, and human connection quietly unfold.

[Kazu]

picked this up almost entirely because of the premise, from a small, slightly enchanted café in Hsinchu where everyone is quietly waiting for someone, whether that's a lost love, a second chance, or just a sign that something is finally about to happen to them. That's such a good hook for a book, and for the first half, Ko mostly delivers on it.

Si-Ying starts out a crush on Ze-Yu, the effortlessly popular regular who always seems to have a new girlfriend, and I was fully expecting a standard will-they-won't-they. What actually happens is more interesting, her real arc and story is with A-Tuo, the earnest, slightly ridiculous senior who drags her into an increasingly strange side characters. Ko clearly has a gift for populating a small space with big, eccentric personalities, and the café itself genuinely feels like a place you'd want to sit in for hours.

Where it started losing me was the back half, where the "everyone is waiting for something" concept, which is such a rich, melancholy idea gets a little lost under plot detours that don't always earn their space. Si-Ying's realization that her feelings might not actually be for Ze-Yu felt like it should've been the emotional centerpiece of the book, and instead it kind of tiptoes in sideways and just ended abruptly. I wanted the quiet ache the premise promised and what I got was pleasant, funny, occasionally moving, but rarely gutting. Good for a cozy, undemanding read just don't go in expecting the emotional gut-punch the setup is clearly capable of.

[Lyn]

Cafe. Waiting. Love is a cosy old school love story set in Taiwan. As the title suggests, this story mainly takes place in a cafe named… that’s right — Cafe. Waiting. Love. There’s a reason to the cafe’s name, you should read the book to find out why 💛

In this slice-of-life novel, we follow Lee Si Ying (si for longing, ying for firefly), as she navigates her life as a high schooler to a university student, all the while working as a part-timer at the cafe. She meets a bunch of interesting people of different personalities and background, making this novel a delight to read. I love having these quirky side characters (I always do!) because they always have a side to them that we could learn so much from.

Gangster boss ✅
Michelin-starred chef in a laundromat ✅
Talented, quirky body performer ✅

If you like Giddens Ko’s You Are the Apple of My Eye, I would highly recommend this book. It has similar vibes and just as sweet. I was thrilled when my favourite translator, Shanna Tan, announced that she would be translating this book. I requested it on NetGalley immediately after finding out that the ARC was made available there. So thank you NetGalley and Headline Books for the e-ARC! 💛

I can’t read much Chinese, but I’m already determined to *finally* learn it just to read this book in its original language 🤓

Author: Giddens Ko
Translator: Shanna Tan
Publication Date: 27 August 2026

[Abi]

This is a difficult book for me to review. Overall, I did like it. It was a sweet, slow moving, slice of life, coming of age story highlighting the value of community. But unfortunately, it had some weaknesses that stopped me being able to enjoy it fully.

The writing felt clunky at times, whether this was just the writing style or the translation being too literal, I don’t know, but it just didn’t flow. There were a few instances where it felt as though the translation was accurate, but could’ve made more sense to an English audience if some language was adjusted. The humour through much of the book felt like that of a tween boy to me.

The characters, especially Si-Ying, the main character, feel quite immature and in places, judgemental. This improves in the second half, but this along with the writing style would’ve caused me to DNF after 20% if it wasn’t an ARC. The cast of characters Si-Ying meets throughout the book are fun and interesting. Although, sometimes I couldn’t tell whether they were meant to be funny and I didn’t get it, or if they were intentionally absurd.

The plot was predictable and slow, and I did not like the ending. It felt like a disservice to both of the main characters, who I did like by the end. It’s worth knowing before reading that it is set in the early 2000’s, and there were a couple mentions of harry potter very near the start.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

[Ary アリ]

This book easily passed me on the shelf with its cheezy title, especially for someone who reads very little coming-of-age, YA or romance novels. What intrigued me was that the novel is set up in Taiwan. It's been more than a year since I last been to Taiwan and as much as I enjoyed the place, I realised I haven't read any Taiwanese translated novel before. So, I'm so glad to be approved for an e-ARC from Netgalley.

This novel was narrated by Siying, a teenager in her final year of high school who was working part time at a cafe, set in the early 2000. With all those references to VCD, Stephen Chow and even girls acting cute by sticking their tongue out, with simple languages but interesting and animated narrations, I couldn't help myself being transported to my 17-year-old self, of that era, when despite writing on the internet, we still had our lives outside of the internet.

Love the interesting characters Ah Duo introduced to us/Siying, as well as the dramatic names that one would be familiar with if he watches a lot of Hong Kong or kungfu movies/dramas back then.

Overall I was surprised at myself for enjoying this novel. It reminds me so nostalgically when we once had hopes in finding love at some stages of our lives.

[Bao Bao]

Such a sweet book.

The book is set in the year 2000, Si-ying is a high school student in Taiwan and starts working in a coffee shop - Cafe. Waiting. Love. The coffee shop is owned by a young unique woman called Boss, who seems to be waiting for her true love. She makes special coffee daily, and waits for someone to buy it.

On Si-ying's first day of work, she instantly falls in love with a university student, Tse-yu, however he's always with a new girlfriend, which fires up Si-ying to one day become Tse-yu's girlfriend.

In the midst of all this, Ah Tuo turns up at the coffee shop, and Si-ying immediately defends him after being teased by his fellow classmates from being dumped by his ex-girlfriend for another girl, who also happens to work in the same coffee shop - Abusi.

Ah Tuo is very thankful to Si-ying, and they start becoming friends, and becoming close... Who will Si-ying choose in the end? Hmmm......

Wish there was a part 2 of this book - like an adult stage of their lives.
And, if you like the K-drama series "Twenty-Five Twenty-One", this book gives a similar vibe.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline | Wildfire for this ARC!

[Patricia Bello]

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy!

This was a nice break from cozy cafe stories out of South Korea and Japan.  It's still a cozy book, clean and charmingly written, with the tone different from Korean and Japanese novels that is most likely a cultural thing.  

Cafe. Waiting. Love. is a cafe in Taiwan where Si-Ying works.  The story is a slice of life of Si-Ying's life, not just in the cafe but almost everywhere she went, she experienced. We watch Si-Ying graduate to the university, all the while working at the cafe.  There's no magical realism here, only Si-Ying's encounters with interesting people.  It also highlights how we live in a small world, that all the people Si-Ying encounters were linked somehow.  And how some people in her life are inevitable, like Ah Tuo, Tse-Yu, Abusi, et al. I don't know where I read that this isn't a love story.  It's not really, but it's there, the love story, that I was hoping for while reading the book.  I love how unexpectedly central Ah-Tuo became in her life.

Really enjoyed this book.

[Sydnopses]

Thank you NetGalley and Headline Books for this ARC of Cafe. Waiting. Love. By Giddens Ko.
This is one of my favorite reads of 2026. I loved it so much!
The pacing, characters, relationships, descriptions and everything else brewed perfectly into the best blend for an amazing story. .
I love the found family trope so much and this one made me especially emotional. There were a lot of quotable lines in this book that I wish I could add to this review, but I’ll have to buy it and share those after publishing. I was so excited when I got approved for this ARC, and I’m even more excited that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Anything Shanna Tan translates is something I will read!

[Merlin Franco]

A young adult novel that ticks all the boxes, including the cliche one.

Set in 2002, this Cafe has it all—Quirky coffees, quirkier (lesbian) barista, a bubbly protagonist who is just realizing what she wants in life, and of course, a heartwarming love story.

Everything about the book is a cliche. Like a carefully curated cafe, Giddens Ko assembles all feel-good, time-tested ingredients that a Chinese or Taiwanese young adult reader would appreciate. Read it through the eyes of a Taiwanese New Adult, and you might find it entertaining.

[Mae B]

It’s not my type of writing style and still I could not put it down. Of course I knew where it would all end up but it was the ride there that had me hooked. The MC just felt so real and I feel like so many books lately are getting that wrong.

[Nadya Estefani]

One of the best books I’ve read this year. One important lesson that I got from this book: Good things come to those who wait patiently.

[Athena]

A coming-of-age story in which Siying navigates her student life while working at a cafe where she meets intriguing patrons. One day, Siying meets Ah Tou, whose girlfriend left him for Abusi, Siying’s coworker. Siying doesn’t like how Ah Tou’s friends are treating him, which makes him feel sorry for himself. So, Siying stood up for him against his friends. Ah Tou is grateful to Siying for helping him find his confidence again. To show his gratitude to Siying, he introduces her to some special people in his life. Siying enjoyed meeting Ah Tou’s special friends to the point that she’s oblivious to Ah Tou’s feelings for her because she’s too busy trying to make Tse-yu fall in love with her.

It’s a pleasant, slow-paced friends-to-lovers trope that didn’t stand out much for me. The storyline did have a vibe of early-2000s Asian rom-com movies.

I almost DNF this ARC, but I powered through it. The writing style wasn’t for me, or the translation was too literal. There were moments I had to reread a sentence or paragraph multiple times because it didn’t make sense to me.

[Claire (readwithgzxklair)]

I was so excited to hear that this book was finally being translated into English. I'm currently reading through the original Chinese edition, but have watched and LOVED the movie.

Café. Waiting. Love. is a coming-of-age story set in Hsinchu, Taiwan (where I taught English!) and you can really feel the early 2000s vibes. It's heavily focused on the desire to find love and the relationships we experience along the way. In the café, someone is always waiting...

The story is mostly focused on Si-ying, a girl in her late teens harbouring a crush on a handsome university student, Tse-yu, who frequently comes to the cafe with a different girl. Then we have Ah-tuo, dumped by his girlfriend for someone he least expected, and one of Si-ying's new friends. Ah-tuo and Si-ying get up to all sorts of adventures, from meeting his peculiar friends to learning how to ride a motorbike and much more.

This is a wholesome, fun story about friendships, love, and how life never really goes to plan (especially when you're in love). It's the perfect read for anyone who loves coming-of-age stories, coffee shop vibes or something a little quirky.

Although I enjoyed the book and will buy a finished copy, I think this is the first time ever that I've prefered movie just a little bit more. For me, I felt as though parts of the story were translated too literally. Maybe I'm being pedantic here, so I'm definitely curious to know if any non-Chinese speakers felt this was a problem.

One example is "let's go to sister-in-law's place", which should probably be translated to "let's go to NAME's place/let's go to X's girlfriend's place". Because in Chinese it is normal to call someone ‘sister-in-law’ if they are your friend's girlfriend or brother's girlfriend long before marriage, but we'd never do that in the UK.

Having said that, I am so happy Shanna got to translate one of her favourite books. I think she's an amazing translator and person, and I actively seek out her translated titles. I know how important this book is to her!

Thank you to Headline books and Netgalley for the ARC! My family and friends know how much Taiwan means to me and that I will always jump at the chance to read a book set in or about Taiwan in anyway.

[Lily Golding]

I’ve been loving the Japanese and Korean Healing Fiction books, so to find one from Taiwan was really exciting. I loved the cosy atmosphere and eccentric characters a lot. This was originally published in the early 2000s, so I would be interested to read one set now, because the world has moved on a fair bit since then (and writing this makes me feel old).

I really really liked the inclusion of the gay characters. It was really refreshing to read an Asian book with lesbians. It also felt like a fairly diverse range of characters, with an Indiginous Taiwanese character featured as well.

I honestly just can’t say enough about the characters. It featured some really interesting and quirky people, including a mob boss who hosted mini-movie nights and a retired Michelin star chief who did Sunday night dinners. Though the guy who did weird body tricks was a little too much for me, I really enjoyed meeting them all and seeing them through Si-Ying’s eyes.

It just was a really sweet book that I had fun reading.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cross-posted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk

[ㅤmelli ꧔]

𓏲࣪◜dnf @60% ♡ᵎ

When i saw the Cover and read the blurb, i was immediately in love and really wanted to read it. But as soon as i started reading i quickly realized it wasn't for me.

First of all i don't know if it's the author's writing style or the translation, but i had a lot of trouble reading it. Secondly i found the characters especially the female protagonist awful. The story was strange and immature, and the jokes about the guy whose girlfriend broke up with him because she realized she was a lesbian were just terrible. I mean wtf?
It was so mean and felt weird to read. Overall, it was unfortunately a really strange and unpleasant read that felt shallow and not funny at all.

started: 03.07.26
stopped: 04.07.26