Foreigners

by E.L. Shen

This propulsive, tender novel follows an immigrant family across generations as they navigate love, belonging, and the great fictions we must weave to preserve a legacy.

For centuries, the Chin family has kept its secrets.

In 1878, Duanfang knows he’s destined for greatness. He’ll do anything to uphold and protect the legacy of his Manchu family—even if it means hiding his past.

In 1966, Zheng Yi flies from Taiwan to New York City to have a shot at attending an American college. Thrown into a world of parties, prejudice, and a tumultuous romance, Yi worries that New York may be more than she can handle. But just as she is beginning to adjust, she must make a shocking decision that will irrevocably change her life and her future forever.

Today, Dawn Chin’s family is opaque at best, with heavy expectations and heavier silences. But an assignment to interview her grandmother is about to crack open her real family a legacy hundreds of years old, and a lie decades in the making...

Genres: Young Adult, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Asian American

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2026

About the author

E. L. Shen is a writer and editor. Her debut middle grade novel, The Comeback (Macmillan) is a Junior Library Guild Selection, received two starred reviews, and was praised for its “fast-paced prose, big emotions, and authentic dialogue” in The New York Times. Her young adult debut, The Queens of New York (HarperCollins) is an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Common Sense Media Selection. Her most recent novel, Maybe It’s a Sign (Macmillan), published on January 23, 2024 and is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. Her next novel. Foreigners, is set to publish from HarperCollins in Fall 2026.

Reviews

[Mai H.]

ANHPI TBR

Valentine's Day TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books

[Nour Books]

omg I got the arc... I already know this will be 5 stars
I was gonna have to wait like 6 months for this 😭🙏

[jo ❣︎]

huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own

happy release day !!

this book was equal parts hilarious and also tragically depressing. but isn't life both? oftentimes life feels as if one minute you will be laughing at how you got stuck in traffic taking a shortcut and the next crying because someone close to you passed away.

both of those examples are not in anyway shape or form related to the plot of this novel but I thought I would use them. foreigners was a novel I probably won't stop thinking about because both povs, dawn and her grandmother were incredibly strong and rich. the plot twist genuinely had me gagged because I thought it was going a different way and then boom, twist. five stars, utterly an amazing novel.

[rowan ୨ৎ]

— 5 stars 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖🪭ּ ֶָ֢.๋-𓂃𓈒
spoiler free book review | Foreigners by E.L Shen

I feel like not everyone can get away with writing a book told in several povs but E.L Shen is for sure one of those who can! Despite the story being told during three different timelines, everything lined up so perfectly and I never found myself trying to read one of the pov’s faster because I didn't find it as interesting.
This being a multi-generational mystery really sold me before I even got accepted for the arc and it was executed so smoothly. Even though the mystery itself took a bit to line up with the past and the present storylines, it didn’t matter to me because the story itself was really well rounded and I was already hooked.
I found myself trying to figure out the big reveal and how the information we got in the past and present povs clicked into place but the end really did surprise me, I didn’t see it coming!
We follow Duafang in the 1800s in China, Zheng Yi a scholarship student who moves to New York City from Vietnam to study in the 1960s and Dawn, a senior at a New England boarding school who in researching for a school project unravels a family secret spanning generations.
I really loved this book and highly recommend you to check it out once it releases!


‧₊˚🖇️✩ thank you to netgalley and harper collins for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Vania]

Foreigners by E. L. Shen (e-ARC)
Pub date: 22 Sept 2026

my thoughts:
WOW, this book was absolutely brilliant and addictive! I was completely hooked by this multigenerational story and the mystery surrounding Zheng Yi and her family. Following Zheng Yi in the 1960s and Dawn in the present day, I loved how the story slowly revealed their family secrets and connected the past to the present. The writing was so smooth and beautiful, and I especially loved how E. L. Shen brought each character and their time period to life. Zheng Yi’s story was easily my favourite. Her journey from Taiwan to New York, navigating relationships, identity, assimilation, and finding her place in a completely new environment, had me so invested. I also really loved the relationship between Zheng Yi and Dawn because it felt so realistic to me, and it reminded me a lot of my own relationship with my grandmother. We do see each other, but rarely talk, especially about our family’s roots or the past. I loved how the book captured that distance between generations, even when there’s still so much love and connection there. Although the pacing was a little slow at times, the plot was cleverly constructed and kept me intrigued throughout. I was constantly trying to piece together the mystery and figure out what had really happened to Zheng Yi. Even though the twist towards the end wasn’t as surprising to me, I still loved seeing all the pieces come together! I also really loved how the story explores family, identity, immigration, assimilation, and the secrets we keep to protect the people we love. Knowing that the story was inspired by the author’s own family research, but fictionalised, made these themes feel even more meaningful to me. It made the story feel like so much more than just a mystery while still keeping me invested in uncovering the truth. Overall, I absolutely devoured this and had such a wonderful time reading it. It’s definitely one of my favourite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it!

Overall rating:
⭐️:5/5

Thank you so much to Claire from @terracepublicrelations and @netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[renkenreads]

3.75

*thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book*

I so wanted to love this book. It was marketed for fans of Pachinko, so I knew I wanted to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, though, this book never quite came together for me. (Also wasn’t aware it was YA until I began reading, it certainly doesn’t seem to be marketed that way…)

We follow three perspectives, but they don’t feel equally developed. One is so fleeting that it adds very little to the overall story, one follows a modern teenager dealing with angst and depression (rightfully so, given her recent experiences), and one follows a teenager in the 1960s. She was by far the most compelling character for me, and I found myself wishing with every POV change that we would just get back to her.

I found Yi/Audrey’s perspective especially compelling and really enjoyed her journey from Taiwan to New York. I loved watching her blossom into a strong woman who stands up for herself and for the person she loves. Her story was where this book truly shined for me.

What I didn’t love was returning to Dawn’s perspective. Her portion of the story felt largely unnecessary, especially because we uncover so much of Yi/Audrey’s past through Dawn’s school project. Dawn repeatedly admits that she’s unable to find answers, which felt difficult to believe given how readily available many of the sources she could have consulted would have been. I actually snorted out loud when Dawn tries to search for her grandmother’s old school and gets zero results… while literally holding a newspaper article about it in her hands. Moments like that made her storyline feel so inaccurate that I struggled to stay engaged.

Duanfang’s portion was more interesting to me than Dawn’s, but it was so fleeting that I also found myself questioning why it was included at all.

At the end of the day, I wish this had been written as a historical fiction novel focused solely on Yi/Audrey. Her story was fascinating, emotional, and compelling, and I think the book would have been much stronger if it had allowed that story to stand on its own rather than trying to frame it as a multigenerational narrative.

[Manda Rodriguez]

This book had all my favorite elements: family secrets, interconnected duel timelines, relatable female protagonists, and a twist that I didn't see coming! Great choice for a bookclub as I think so many women will connect with these characters in some way.

For fans of: Fishbone Cinderella, The Secret Book of Flora Lee, The Song of the Jade Lily

This story is mainly told in two perspectives, and circles around the theme of IDENTITY.

Audrey is navigating a new life in America after immigrating to Taiwan, and experiencing all the pressures of being a good daughter, nanny, student, girlfriend - while trying to master a foreign language.

And Dawn, who is focused on a school assignment connected to her family history. This assignment brings her closer to her grandmother in ways she didn't expect. Dawn is also navigating her way in this world and what type of identity she wants to embrace in adulthood.

This was so well written and engaging. I devoured this audiobook in two days. The chapters were short (about 10-20 mins each), so I felt like it was easy to pick up and put down between tasks in my day. I enjoyed the narrators different voices for the cast of characters, and could differentiate well between them.

[Jay Duenas]

Thank you HarperAudio Children’s and NetGalley for the ALC!!

I devoured this book. I knew I was going to love it just from the description, or at least I hoped I would, and I love it when that hope actually comes to fruition. These books are the reason I know YA is so underrated and needs way more hype than it gets.

There are three parallel stories, two of them love stories, but the real underlying themes are assimilation and self-acceptance, especially coming of age. It also explores immigration, what that looks like for people coming to America wanting a better life, and more importantly, what that looks like for young adults doing it.

Before reading I just wished it would have deeper meaning and it DID and I’m so happy. The narrator did such a great job, never once got sidetracked or distracted while listening, she kept me locked in and wanting more. I love narrators who can do that.

Overall, wonderful experience, would recommend to many many people <3

[Jordan Tomasi]

*I received an ARC copy of this book for free in a giveaway. Thank you to the author and publisher.*

This was realistically dramatic which is a nice change from many stories! I know that the author states this is based off her family research but with a bit more drama, but you can tell that a lot of care and love went into this.

The characters are imperfect which makes them real. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of the ancestor watching over his family which is a traditional belief in many cultures.

It did take a little bit to build up in my opinion, but it is definitely worth it.

[Richie Partington]

Richie’s Picks: FOREIGNERS by E.L. Shen, HarperCollins/Quill Tree, September 2026, 448p., ISBN: 978-0-06-323800-8

“White ones and red ones
And some you can't disguise
Twisted truth and half the news
Can't hide it in your eyes
Lies lies lies yeah”
– Thompson Twins (1982)

“‘So, um, as you know, I’m supposed to interview someone for my history project and talk about a part of their life as it relates to, well, history.’ Dawn pauses. ‘I have to write a paper on it and then do a full-class presentation at the end of the year.’”

“Nine Motives for Telling Lies
To avoid being punished.
To obtain a reward not otherwise readily obtainable.
To protect another person from being punished.
To protect oneself from the threat of physical harm.
To win the admiration of others.
To get out of an awkward social situation.
To avoid embarrassment.
To maintain privacy without notifying others of that intention.
To exercise power over others by controlling the information the target has.”
– Dr. Paul Ekman

“Once, she thinks, despite being frail and sick, he insisted on tucking her into her bed and reading her a picture book–a story about a mouse maybe, and a princess. Was that real? Or did she make it up, a nice memory so she could think of him fondly all these years later? Was he actually mean and horrible?
And what happened with her grandmother’s former boyfriend, Samuel? They seemed like they loved each other, especially given that letter. Why did they break up? And where did he disappear to? People don’t just go back to China, never to be seen again. There’s always a reason. The more Dawn learns, the more questions she has. She angrily paces back and forth between her bed and her desk.
‘Bullshit!’ she shouts to no one.
And she realizes it’s true. It is bullshit. All the lies, all the secrets, the masks her family wears, the one she puts on too, like a good show will erase the past. How can you call yourself a family when you don’t know the first thing about each other? How can you call yourself anything at all?”

FOREIGNERS is the punch-to-the-gut, can’t-put-it-down story of high school junior Dawn Chin and her grandmother, Zheng Yi (these days known as Audrey Zheng). Thanks to Dawn’s high school project, the pair will eventually dig down through all of that bullshit, and all of those lies, in order to belatedly get to really know each other AND to share each other’s deepest, darkest, closely-held secrets and pasts.

“‘Um, right, so,’ Dawn begins, ‘the first question is: What history time period feels the most meaningful to you? Dad said that you immigrated here in 1965. Was that, uh, a meaningful year for you?’
Nai Nai shrugs. ‘It was a big year for America and the world. But for me, I didn’t really experience that.’
‘So you weren’t a secret hippie or whatever?’ Dawn jokes.
Dawn’s grandmother blinks in the afternoon sun. ‘No.’
The water boils and she pours it into her and Dawn’s cups before taking a seat, her chair directly across from her granddaughter’s as if they are two players reluctantly playing a game of verbal chess.”

FOREIGNERS is a big, fat, compelling teen read with a serious overdose of jaw-dropping secrets. I experienced a bumper crop of mental “wows” and “whoas" as the surprising story bounced back and forth between teenage Audrey in the late Sixties, and the grandmother-granddaughter mind games sixty years later.

As a teen who, back in 1965, was then the age Dawn is today, Zheng Yi won a scholarship to a private prep high school in New York City, and left Taiwan on a student visa to spend her senior year in the U.S. The goal is to work hard at school so as to gain acceptance to college in the land of opportunity.

In 1965 New York, Yi lives with her parents’ friends, who had immigrated there earlier. She is required to nanny the friends’ three boys after school while struggling to improve her English, complete her classes, and traverse the complicated maze of social ins and outs she faces while dealing with a collection of mostly white private school kids. All this, while simultaneously working to reinvent herself and get into college. Nowadays, she is a past-retirement-age librarian in New Hampshire.

As a contemporary teen, Dawn is attending a boarding school in Vermont, three thousand miles away from her parents and home in California, but just a state away from her grandmother. The initial challenge is that, despite her grandmother’s past annual visits and extended-family vacations, Dawn has never really communed with or learned anything about her grandmother. At the story’s outset, the pair are very much strangers. It only gets more complicated when the web of lies and omissions begin.

Given all the powerful surprises, I’ll leave it there. I strongly encourage adding this to both middle- and high school collections.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Shay J]

❤️ 5 ✨ ❤️

How do generational lies shape our lives? What happens when we're brave enough to uncover them? What if we choose courage and live into who we really are? What is the cost of assimilation, and what will we do to fit in? How far will we go to leave a legacy and protect our family?

Format: 🎧 + 📚

Favorite 💭

"Dawn can't help but think of her grandmother pooping while God calls her to find eternal glory in Christ"

"Now she thinks she should have paid more attention to her studies than to boys. She is becoming too American for her own good"

"This hot librarian is probably just another straight girl who absent-mindedly flirts with other girls"

"She has always thought of Samuel as unbearably moral, but maybe morality and the law are not one and the same"

"In some way, isn't this true of all of them? Hadn't they come to America for a life that could not be offered in their homelands? For the tantalizing promise of freedom and success, unbound by the threat of war, or dictatorship, or imprisonment. Although, of course, there is a war going on here too. Sometimes the best and only choice is to leave."

"Justice, she thinks, is subjective and perverse."

"What is the cost of our lies? Both big and small."

✍🏼 The short-and-sweet story

E.L. Shen tells a beautiful story that intertwines the difficulties of oppression, desire for a better life, the struggles of coming of age, the dark side of family secrets, and how we move forward when we've made morally grey decisions for the ones we love. This story is a mix of historical fiction, coming of age/young adult, and romance told from the perspective of POV''s that span generations. My curiosity was piqued the entire time, trying to fit the moving pieces together, and ultimately was shocked, but satisfied, with the ending and its twists.

The story follows three timelines (mostly two, there's a short interlude third story in the background), Zheng Yi and Dawn Chin. Yi, in the 60's, flies to the U.S. from Taipei for boarding school and arrives in NYC to a shocking reality made up of parties, challenging romantic relationships, and American friendships with nuances she doesn't quite understand. Simultaneously, you learn of Dawn Chin, who is a modern student in high school who's tasked in a history class to interview a family member about a monumental time in history in their life. When Dawn reaches out to her grandmother, Yi, she uncovers family secrets that shaped her family's legacy. While both stories unfold, the reader is introduced to their inner monologue (though close third-person storytelling) on how they navigate coming of age, romantic relationships, identity, and the burden of fitting in. In the end, the reader is taken on a journey as the truths come to light and is left pondering important ethical questions that, at some point, impact us all.

😍 What I loved 😍

--the dual POV was a masterpiece and kept me engaged the whole time!
--I love how the author pushes the envelope on allll things related to coming of age/identity, like sexuality, peer pressure, parties/alcohol, and fitting in. These challenges, though they differ, are super relatable to all readers!
--the journey the reader is taken on and moral challenges with Asian immigration (both in the 60s and modern), assimilation, racism, and the challenges of starting over
--I was on the EDGE of my seat at the end, and I LOVED that the author wrapped everything up! I hate when I read stories, and I feel like there are missing pieces--you won't feel that way with this read!
--the author's transparency! The author has a touching author's note right before the epilogue, where she shares a little about her own story, which is a nice personal touch.

‼️ Critique? Feedback? ‼️
--honestly, the only thing I had feedback on was a trigger warning. There are a few scenes, though not graphic, are non-consensual sexual acts that would have been nice to know about going into it.

💃🏼 Oddly specific vibes throughout 💃🏼

1. That moment you realize your parents were your age once



2. Those awkward high school moments you wish you could forget



3. Overexplaining to your parents that, yes, you're still bisexual, even if you've kissed a boy

[C.R. Comacchio]

E.L. Shen has written a number of award-winning middle-school and YA novels, but this audiobook version of her latest is my introduction to her writing. I find it remarkable that the story is intended for a young audience, and I mean this in the best possible way. Had I not seen the imprint, I would not have guessed that it was anything other than an ‘adult’ novel. She has written a multi-generational story about the Chin family that unfolds in two countries, is told in three voices, and crosses three timelines. For the most part, she manages all the twists and turns, with the plots, characters, and mysteries crossing, with aplomb.

Duanfang begins the story in 1878, the head of a Manchu family who must keep his personal history hidden. This is the original mystery. It occasionally weaves in and out of the more contemporary storylines, but it mostly serves to remind readers of the damage that keeping secrets can do.

Dawn, the daughter of an American father of Chinese descent and a white mother, has less to lose than Zheng, but seems hell-bent to make her seemingly disinterested parents pay attention to her by acting out at her elite New England boarding school. She is depressed, angry (especially at her parents). but can’t articulate the reasons. Beyond occasionally tempting me to label her a spoiled rich girl, I found her less interesting than

Zheng , who arrives as a scholarship student to a private high school for Chinese students in 1966, wants to be as American as possible as quickly as possible. I find her the most fully developed of the characters, and the one I feel for most.Introduced to a trio of Chinese girls at her new school, whom she idolizes because of their ‘American’ tastes in fashion, make-up and pop culture, she quickly follows them in rechristening herself. Thanks to her cool, handsome, wealthy, and movie-loving Chinese boyfriend—who has his own dark secrets—she willingly transforms herself into ‘Audrey.’ But is Audrey a new Zheng or just a disguise for her loss of identity in America? She has far more reason to act out than the privileged Dawn. But she gets in the way of her own desires by being too much the dutiful daughter and ‘good girl.’ And it’s just when she graduates and feels free to test the waters a bit that she gets her ‘punishment,’ the core of the second mystery.

I found this book, despite the author’s skilled storytelling, a bit slow at times, especially when Dawn looks into her grandmother’s history, which turns out to be the key to the central mystery. That story is actually woven through the rest until the point of revelation, and it’s a good mystery. But, even though I was pretty much clueless through its lengthy development, I think I saw the outcome before Dawn. I can’t help wondering how many of the young readers this book was written for would have the attention span to stick with it. But I certainly hope they do, because it is certainly worth the time invested in it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio Children’s for an early copy of this audiobook, narrated by Eunice Wong, Catherine Chin and Kenneth Lee.

[Sena]

4.75/5 stars. a dual-pov story with some flashbacks in a third pov, telling the story of a taiwanese immigrant family across generations. i couldn't put this down and loved every moment of this - there's a bit of mystery threaded through the narrative as it explores history, generational trauma, and interpersonal relationships.

i didn't get the feeling that this was young adult, honestly, and probably wouldn't have noticed if i hadn't seen it on the goodreads description. not that this isn't suited for that age group - but the maturity in the characters that was conveyed was realistic and lacked the immaturity that i often have gripes with in typical YA fiction, so this was excellently done in that regard.

next, the characters. this is probably my favorite part.
- yi's POV had me hooked, and i loved seeing her grow and develop as she found her roots in america. she was an amazing protagonist who was just the right blend of hesitant, hopeful innocence when she landed, and then a secretive matriarch in her old age when seen through dawn's eyes.
- dawn, oh dawn - she reminded me painfully of myself as an 18-year-old navigating one of my first relationships. she was so real, and i loved that. although i found her POV slow to begin with, it picked up near the end (and this was also likely due to how excited i was to hear more of yi's story).
- finally, duanfang. this felt a bit disconnected from the main narrative for me, and i honestly think that his part could have been omitted without losing anything from the experience, but perhaps this was my own personal disinterest with his story. too much history, not enough action or mention of any memorable characters or events.
- in terms of the supporting cast, samuel in particular deserves the world and i wish we could've seen him and yi interacting more in their old age. i honestly didn't hate calvin either - his flaws made him human and were believable, just like dawn's, as opposed to simply being a very flat villain.

in terms of the overall flow, the author kept me guessing until the end, leaving just enough clues here and there to tell the reader that something was going on, and making me want to keep reading to find out what. i was engaged with yi's story from start to finish, and even wish i could've seen more of her adult life.

overall, this is probably one of my favorite immigrant family stories i've read to date, and i recommend it! i received an arc of the audiobook edition in exchange for an honest review.

[Ja]

It's 1966, and Zheng Yi has received a scholarship to Beecher Prep High School in New York for her senior year, and she finds herself flying to America to start a new life. While she will have to be away from her family, her host family will be there to support her. And of course, there's the enigmatic Calvin that she's smitten with, as well as her classmate Samuel who may be hiding something of his own past. Over the course of the year, Zheng Yi will have to learn how to be an American, get into a college, and figure out who she wants to be. But a shocking event forces her to make a decision that will impact not only her but her descendants.

In the 2020s, Dawn Chin is tasked with writing a report about her family for her college project, and through her investigations and interviews with her grandmother, she learns the shocking truth that she had to go through in order to survive.

I love a good multi-generational story, and this one did not disappoint. While at first I thought that this was going to be a cliche immigrant story about fitting in and finding her place, there was just something about Zheng Yi that captivated me and kept me reading. While sometimes frustrating as a character early on, I was forced to really put myself in her shoes and the struggles she was going through not only in trying to understand English and its idioms, but also just the culture that was thrust upon her and the rapid changes that she had to go through. So it's no wonder that she was frustrating early on, she was just as upset at herself for not always understanding. But as she grew as a character, I likewise grew to like her tenacity and adaptability in situations.

Dawn's point of view was just as captivating. It's through her that we get some of the bits and pieces of Zheng Yi's life, and slowly the reader is able to piece together her grandmother's history. At the same time, she is coming to terms with her own personal history, her relationship with her parents, and learning to be more open with her thoughts and feelings that leads to her own tremendous growth.

Finally, the third point of view with Duanfang serves to act as a thematic establisher on carrying on family legacy through lies and secrets. It sets up the generational trauma that Zheng Yi and Dawn go through on a more emotional level, but this was the part of the story that I felt least connected to. Still, it helps to connect the three storylines thematically and helps polish off an already excellent novel.

Highly recommend.

[Jasmine]

Review: 4 stars

Thank you, EpicReads, for sending me a copy of the physical arc to review. This one was right up my alley, and I buddy read this one with AK.

This story features POVs of a multigenerational family of Zheng Yi of the 1960s and her granddaughter, Dawn, of the present day, with interludes from their great-great-grandfather, Duanfeng. Dawn’s history project tasked her with interviewing a relative during a compelling era, and she was given the opportunity to interview her grandmother, whom she has never been close to. As the story progresses, generational family secrets are revealed, intertwining with the present.

I find Zheng Yi’s story the most compelling one - she left her family in Taiwan to finish her senior year in a high school in New York, hoping to be accepted into a university in the USA while navigating through a foreign language, assimilating herself and striving to be a good daughter. It was also nice to see her bonding with two other students who went through the same thing she did and falling in love.

The core themes amplified in this book are identity, assimilation, and the exploration of immigrating to a new country like America in search of a better life. Family legacies and intergenerational secrets are prevalent in this one, with a mix of romantic relationships and friendships as they navigate their lives from teens to adulthood. One of my favourite parts was also the feature of a granddaughter-grandmother relationship and a daughter's relationship with Asian parents.

My only small nitpick is I find myself struggling during Dawn’s interludes as I feel her portion of the story was repetitive, and I wish more focus was given to Zheng Yi’s and Duanfang’s interludes as their interludes were so much more interesting and could be expanded more.

The story flows well despite the back-and-forth between POVs and between past and present. The chapters were short, and the writing was smooth and easy to digest, making it a quick read. I would also say this might be aimed more at YA or new adult readers. The twists and turns of the story made this one a compelling read, as it makes us wonder how far we would go to make sacrifices or ethical decisions to keep the ones we love. I like that it kept me guessing until we finally reached the climax, so I knew what was going on!

All in all, a solid work of Asian literature with great representation that explores the themes of identity and immigration.

[Karis]

~~Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!~~

I knew this was gonna be amazing when I read this book's synopsis, and did Shen deliver exactly that.

Even though this story takes place between three separate POVs — Dawn, Yi, AKA Audrey, and Duanfang — with decades between them, each story seamlessly weaves together into a tight, coherent narrative. All the main characters had distinct voices but faced similar struggled that tie back to the main themes of secrecy and the impact it may have on future generations. This just felt like a story that was crystal clear on wat it wanted to say and new exactly how to frame it, and I love that a lot.

Duanfang, who I didn't know was a real guy until I finished reading this, wasn't much of a main character, more of stone to uplift the themes and the narratives of Dawn and Audrey, but the girls well made up for being great main characters. Even though they mirrored each other, Dawn and Audrey were distinct in personalities that made them both compelling main characters. I loved whenever something in Audrey's storyline contradicts what Dawn learns in the present; it really makes you asked where exactly Audrey's story was going and how it related to the secrets she still kept from her family. I almost correctly guessed the big twist, but even then, it was still pretty shocking when it did happened. Not gonna spoil it, but the slowburn of the buildup was definitely worth it. Dawn was also very relatable, and her part in the story was so sad. Things do get better as she becomes closer to Audrey and Pen, the girl who's the love interest (Dawn's bisexual! I wish this was marketed as LGBTQ+, as it's very important to the story), but I felt so much for this poor girl.

All in all, I loved this book, and I hope it gets the attention and love it rightfully deserves.

[Pujashree]

YA stories, especially ones about Chinese immigrants and their families, are rarely ever YA, so I was curious about this one. I ended up really enjoying the author's voice and how each of the POV characters broke the mold of what Chinese immigrant stories should be. The premise is that each generation has built a life on a big lie and how that affected the future generations. It begins with a very real historical figure, Duanfang, a Viceroy in Imperial China, of Ham descent but passing for Manchu to rise to high political office from where he reformed education and banned foot binding of Chinese women. He is also known for his collection of antiques that now reside in the Met Museum in New York. His fictional decendant from Taiwan, moves to the US as a teenager in the 60s and begins her journey towards assimilation. Her granddaughter in turn is a teenager in the present day, in a boarding school, where she is navigating parental neglect and new romance in light of traumatic assault. The story largely focuses on the two teenage girls in two time periods, one trying to find her place in a new land and the other looking for answers in her family's history which doesn't quite add up. Between them the story in Foreigners shines brightly and distinctly in their two individual voices but also in a coming together as formative untruths are revealed and acknowledged. The cast of people around them, especially Audrey's in New York, and Dawn's budding relationship with Penn, paints a vivid and personable story about family and found family and reclaiming what is denied by accident of circumstances. The narrator did a brilliant job in bringing the characters and the distinct time periods alive. Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook ARC.

[Jada]

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Chin family secrets are spread across generations. From Duanfang the Manchu politician in 1878 to Zheng Yi the Taiwanese exchange student in NYC in 1965 to Dawn Chin in the present, they all are hiding something that holds power over them and the people they love.

For me, a mark of a truly great literary work is when it causes me to pause and reflect on my own life, seeing myself in the characters, untangling my own identity and experiences alongside them. That's what it felt like reading Foreigners. The story shifts perspective from Zheng Yi and Dawn during their respective times in high school with short chapters about Duanfang sprinkled in.

I loved reading about Zheng Yi's experience as an exchange student during the civil rights movement, how she was welcomed into a host family in NYC's Chinatown, and everything she got up to with her friends. Her determination and hard work shone through. I really enjoyed Dawn's journey to get to know her grandmother, which also led to many more friendships and experiences. The prose was beautiful and impactful. It was truly some of the most beautiful prose I’ve read in years, giving each story its own special filter.

The way Zheng Yi and Dawn's stories were woven together was so beautiful, and it made me reflect on how important family history is. There's a reason why some people spend decades meticulously tracing their family history. It's something to be proud of, something that bonds families together. As a Chinese adoptee, it's something that I think about a lot, the invisible bonds I have with my birth family that I may ever know, and the tangible bonds that I have with my adoptive family. How the bonds have shaped me into the person I am today.

[Wildrose Reader]

“Foreigners” by E.L. Shen
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrator: Eunice Wong; Katharine Chin; Kenneth Lee
📚 Pub Date: 09.22.26
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

“Foreigners” by E.L. Shen is a sweeping generational novel of monumental proportions.

“Foreigners” is told in multiple storylines, and multiple POV’s, and moves back and forth from the past to the present.

The novel unfolds with a hint of intrigue and mystery about the circumstances surrounding one of the main character’s history around immigrating to the United States of America. I refuse to spoil anything, and I strongly encourage everyone to read this book!

The story slowly builds with masterful suspense and by the time I was 85% done I literally could not put the book down until I finished it: I simply had to know the answers and the truth! And the truth was something I could never have imagined.

Families almost all have some secrets or parts of their history that they don’t willingly share. Over the span of generations, those secrets can become so hidden that it seems almost impossible for them to be exposed. At the end of the novel, the author poses the question: “What is the cost of our lies?”. What a thought provoking question!

“Foreigners” is an incredible novel and I highly recommend it. I listened to “Foreigners” by audiobook, and I really enjoyed the narration.

Thank you to E.L. Shen, NetGalley & HarperAudio Children’s for the Listener Review Copy. All opinions are my own.

#Foreigners
#ELShen
#EuniceWong
#Katharine Chin
#Kenneth Lee
#NetGalley
#HarperAudioChildrens

[Sacha]

4 stars

This writer has been on my TBR for a long time, so I'm so glad I finally had an arc/alc deadline to make the goal a reality. I won't need any future compulsion beyond knowing Shen has more books available. This is a great read.

I have mixed feelings about any assignment that requires digging into family history. For so many people, there's a lot of intentionally hidden trauma in those experiences. For others, this becomes a direct access point to understanding your roots in ways you might never have had the chance to otherwise. Both are true here, and they make for a great connection between Dawn and her grandmother Audrey (formerly Yi).

My favorite part about this book is that I got so invested in Audrey's character so fast. I really appreciate the way she is drawn, how she uses language, and the various fears and experiences she faces. Shen writes her in a way that feels round and authentic, and that includes some very difficult moments and circumstances. Unfortunately, while some of those struggles diminish for future generations, some are almost exactly aligned. It isn't easy out here.

This book is hopeful, emotional, gut wrenching, and well developed in plot, character, and sense of time and place. I am really looking forward to much more from this author. As an added note, I loved the narration of the audiobook and recommend this option when and where accessible.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for this alc and arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Christy Talbot]

Foreigners is a moving story about love, family, identity, and what it means to truly belong. This is the kind of book you’ll want to sit with after finishing because it makes you reflect on the choices we inherit, the mistakes we repeat, and the ways we grow beyond the generations that came before us.

The pacing was a little slow at times, but I stayed invested because I cared about the characters and wanted to see where their journeys would take them. I think the right reader will really appreciate the level of research and attention to detail that Shen brings to the story. The historical details and careful world-building create a vivid picture of each character’s experiences and the worlds they inhabit.

One of the reasons this story stayed with me is that I can already see how much it could resonate with my multilingual learners. So many of my students are navigating questions of identity, culture, family expectations, and what it means to find a place where they belong. I would love to recommend this book to them as they continue developing their own stories and understanding the experiences that shape who they are.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. I’m grateful to have discovered this story and look forward to reading more of Shen’s work in the future.

[Jenny]

I devoured this one, and I'm already looking forward to going back through it!

I listened to this title and immersed myself for at least 75% with the print version.

Multigenerational stories about the Asian diaspora have such a place in my heart, and this is one that will linger. Three generations of the Chin family, each carrying some version of the same silence. Shen lets their stories build slowly, and I could not put this one down.

The assimilation piece is something that really stayed with me. How much of yourself do you file down or mask to fit in?

I was also really moved by each person having to hold a specific face for everyone else that is it's own lie: a lie you tell yourself and the people you love so you can keep moving forward toward "better," while a storm goes on underneath that nobody else can see. Watching Dawn reach her grandmother, and finally find language for what she'd been holding alone, undid me.

The heaviest material is handled with care in this book and the characters felt like real people (probably because they're based on real people). But I found this important, and worth mentioning, because none of us have done this life before, we're all working it out as we go, all of us just trying to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books for this advanced copy!

[Catherine]

I'm immediately drawn into the story of the mysteries and secrets each of the three main characters have. The story is written over three generations of people who identify as "foreigners." I think Shen challenges what it means to be a foreigner in a different environment that wasn't built for you and in the way these characters find a way not only to survive but to be happy. Anyone who has experienced this can relate to these characters and the story.

To add another layer to this story, it's actually based on the author's family history and I think that's really interesting. It's a testament to the enduring spirit of immigrants.

I never wanted to put this down while reading it. I even got on the wrong bus and did not notice for some time because I was so engrossed in the story and wanting to know what comes next.

Oh, and that plot twist at the end had me thinking about it all night...What?! The cost and burden of the lies we tell and secrets we keep and all the choices our ancestors made have lead us to where we are today. As a child of immigrant parents, I never really thought about it in this way and it definitely made me think and better appreciate those who came before me.

[Apennyforjthoughts]

This book follows the story of the Chin family across three generations, and how three different people move through their lives, each shaped by their own lies.

From Duanfang, a Manchu official, to Zheng Yi, a Taiwanese exchange student in New York City in the 1960s, to Dawn Chin in the present day.

Although it’s multi-POV, the story leans more heavily on Zheng Yi’s life in NYC as she navigates the difficulties of learning English and trying to fit into American society. We not only get to see her growing friendship with her 2 besties in school, but also her relationships with Calvin Chin, the boy she had always been betrothed to since childhood, and Samuel, whom Calvin sees as dangerous.

Through Dawn Chin (Zheng Yi’s granddaughter), we follow her through heartbreak, her discovery of her queerness, and the uncovering of deeply buried family secrets.

The book started off a little slow for me, and I was slightly bored by Dawn’s POV at first. But that didn’t last long because I became very invested in Zheng Yi’s life in NYC. I enjoyed the twists in the story (!!!!!), and although I do not agree with all the decisions made, my heart ached for everyone.

[Sara]

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy!

I was blown away by E.L. Shen’s ability to integrate the 3 perspectives/point of views in a way that was intentional and entertaining. The book was perfectly paced and it felt like I was a part of the family too.

Duanfang’s chapters were a fascinating look into China’s history. Zheng Yi’s chapters provided a glimpse into New York in the 1950’s from a unique perspective that you don’t often hear about. Dawn’s perspective felt relatable and interesting as a young Asian American Adoptee who is also always interested in learning more about my culture and past.

I also love that there was a huge mystery the entire time surrounding her grandmother’s past which kept me second guessing the entire time. I truly did not know how things would end and what the secret actually was until the very end where everything artfully came together.

Overall, I love and appreciate Asian representation in media and I’m really excited for this book to be released. I’ve been telling all my friends about it and hope it gets the recognition it deserves!

[Mary C]

The story follows three timelines, Duanfang in 1878, Zheng Yi in 1966 and Dawn Chin in the present day. Duanfang has risen to power posing as a Manchu only to lose everything when the Han takeover. Zheng Yi arrives from Taiwan as a high school senior attending a New York prep school. While her host family is supportive, assimilation and racism make for a difficult journey. As she navigates her senior year, an incident will change her life forever.
Dawn is given the history assignment of interviewing a family member, she chooses her grandmother, Zheng (Audrey). However, she realizes that she is not being told the truth about her grandmother's past and uncover what her grandmother is hiding. What she uncovers gives her a better understanding of the compromises her grandparents made to give their children a better life. With the information gained, Dawn realizes the path she wants her life to take. Story of assimilation, choices made and regrets.
#Foreigners #HarperCollinsChildrensBooks #QuillTreeBooks #NetGalley

[Emma]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

A deeply moving story about love, family, and what it means to belong. Foreigners is the kind of book you’ll want to sit and ruminate on once you finish. It tugs at all the right heartstrings, from first love to last heartbreak. Following Dawn and Audrey’s stories as both women find their places was a delightful journey, and the parallels and connections that form between grandmother and granddaughter are too powerful to ignore. The final act of the book was one of the most perfect I’ve read in a while. It’s all about Dawn learning from her grandmother’s mistakes and taking to heart her triumphs, becoming a better woman. And isn’t that what we all want for our kids: to be a better person than the ones that came before?

I’ve added Shen’s other books to my TBR already - I can’t get enough of her storytelling. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

[Phi]

*I received this book as an Arc from HarperCollins Children's Books & NetGalley*

I decided to check this book out because of a video the author made on Tiktok — about the insane lore behind her grandma’s love story, which inspired she wrote this book. I also enjoyed the book Pachinko, so I wanted to give the book a shot.

The book follows the Chin family spanning across three vastly different generations. I was intrigued by the author’s decision to choose these different eras and was curious how she was going to make them intersect. Notably, the book primarily was focused on Zheng Yi and Dawn — which I think was a good decision as we saw how one lie caused by one individual became a domino effect onto others.

I can tell the book is well researched and weaves in cultural context into the narrative whenever we explore the past. I also liked that the author’s writing was engaging and kept me on my toes trying to figure out what was each character’s secret.

[Renae Reji]

Thank you NetGalley + the publisher for this ARC!!

Before I picked up *Foreigners*, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying the overall story. The plot kept me engaged from beginning to end, and I especially loved how the story was told through three different points of view. Each narrator brought something unique to the story, and it was fun seeing how their perspectives intertwined. The multiple POVs added depth to both the characters and the unfolding mystery, making it easy to stay invested.

That said, one aspect of the book made it difficult for me to fully enjoy. As a reader, the transgender relationships and themes was somthing that almost led me to DNF the book.

Overall, I thought the plot was compelling, the pacing kept me turning the pages, and the three POV structure was one of the book's greatest strengths!!

[Kels]

Foreigners by E. L. Shen is an immersive, multi-POV story following an immigrant family across generations, and I was completely drawn into each perspective. The pacing kept me invested throughout, giving characters the space to feel fully developed while still moving the story forward.

Once I reached the halfway point, I couldn’t put it down. I especially loved uncovering the family’s history alongside Dawn and seeing how each thread connected over time. The way the story explores legacy, identity, and the ripple effects of the past felt both thoughtful and deeply engaging.

This is a beautifully written, character-driven novel that stayed with me after I finished. It was such a lovely read, and one I’d highly recommend.

I received an advance reader copy through NetGalley.