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Love, Decoded
A rom-com about the unexpected consequences of one teen's quest to help her friends find love.
High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it's tough when there's always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can't help but worry that she won't make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words--and the perfect bowl of ramen--to cheer her up.
After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she'll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There's only one problem: she doesn't have a winning program. It isn't until transfer student Etta admits she's struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She'll use her coding skills--and the matchmaking experience she's gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose--to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It's foolproof.
What Gigi doesn't expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal--and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?
High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it's tough when there's always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can't help but worry that she won't make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words--and the perfect bowl of ramen--to cheer her up.
After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she'll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There's only one problem: she doesn't have a winning program. It isn't until transfer student Etta admits she's struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She'll use her coding skills--and the matchmaking experience she's gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose--to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It's foolproof.
What Gigi doesn't expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal--and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2022
58 people are currently reading
7834 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Yen
8 books262 followersJennifer Yen is a Taiwanese American author of young adult and adult fiction. She draws much of her inspiration from her Chinese and Japanese heritage.
Her debut novel, A Taste For Love, is out now and available wherever books are sold.
Her second book, Love, Decoded, will be released in Spring 2022.
Jennifer lives in Houston, Texas with her adorable rescue dog. She spends her days healing the hearts of others, and her nights writing about love, family, and the power of acceptance. She believes in the magic of one's imagination, and hopes her stories will bring joy and inspiration to readers.
If you find her wandering around aimlessly, please return her to the nearest milk tea shop.
Her debut novel, A Taste For Love, is out now and available wherever books are sold.
Her second book, Love, Decoded, will be released in Spring 2022.
Jennifer lives in Houston, Texas with her adorable rescue dog. She spends her days healing the hearts of others, and her nights writing about love, family, and the power of acceptance. She believes in the magic of one's imagination, and hopes her stories will bring joy and inspiration to readers.
If you find her wandering around aimlessly, please return her to the nearest milk tea shop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
March 9, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
*Netgalley e-ARC*
Full review to come in our NetGalley vlog out this week!
xx
-Christine
vlog link: https://bit.ly/3IYnTCz
*Netgalley e-ARC*
Full review to come in our NetGalley vlog out this week!
xx
-Christine
vlog link: https://bit.ly/3IYnTCz
September 14, 2022
Best friends to lovers trope never misses 😌😌😌
And the Liza/James cameo??? YESSSS love it!!!
Content warning: parent with chronic illness (tagged just to be safe), coronavirus mention, bullying
And the Liza/James cameo??? YESSSS love it!!!
Content warning: parent with chronic illness (tagged just to be safe), coronavirus mention, bullying
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2022
A fun Emma retelling but I found our heroine lacking something for me to care enough about. I also found the writing to be confusing a lot of times through the audiobook as events happened quickly.
March 10, 2022
A bright, uptown private school girl takes an ultra-modern approach to her Asian auntie’s old-school matchmaking career to win an exclusive tech internship contest. But, she must learn if the wayward ways of the heart can truly be decoded into an app.
In this follow up standalone story to A Taste for Love, the hero’s younger sister has her own coming of age challenge in which her friends to lovers romance takes on the flavor of Jane Austen’s Emma. Gigi may be popular, privileged, and sees herself skilled with setting others to rights. But, like the classic matchmaker, seems to have a blindspot to the error codes she is making along the way.
Love, Decoded is a light and adorable coming of age story that was a qualified good read. It was loaded with an engaging Asian backdrop and cast of characters living in NYC and had a crisp modern feel with the private school students learning to be tech savvy and a strong base in maths and sciences. I loved seeing all this and enjoyed the modern world feel. There were nuances of family expectation, race, social strata, future plans, and more to add depth though without much drama attached to these social elements.
The book seemed to glide along on the surface and didn’t dig deeply into the social issues, relationships or characters’ development. I think it was partly the writing style, but mostly story content that caused this. I can’t honestly say I got more than moderately engaged with the story or vested in the main characters as a result. In fact, I was bored some of the time and the ending was a mixed bag. Fortunately, there is humor throughout that I appreciated especially when some of Gigi’s mistakes, that many of us would have made when we were younger, had me cringing knowing what would be the result.
The romance is a side line to Gigi’s own story as she must ride high, fall to the bottom, and learn from it all. Gigi has a high opinion of herself that other people helped cultivate and it leads her into thinking she’s all that and a bag of chips. There were a lot of fun comparisons to Jane Austen’s Emma especially the fallible main character Gigi, but ultimately, this is its own story and characters. I could cheer for Gigi to get a clue and fix all she broke including the very good thing she has with Kyle. I could have wished that Kyle played a larger role in the story, but, then again, Gigi wasn’t ready to change and that kept him at a distance. It was sweet, but also had its funny moments.
So, there were aspects that left me indifferent, but I could appreciate the easy, low-angst story of a girl figuring out love and life, sometimes painfully, set against her Asian neighborhood, friends, family and school. I will recommend it to those who want something light and easy, humorous and tender.
I rec'd an eARC from Berkley Teen via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
In this follow up standalone story to A Taste for Love, the hero’s younger sister has her own coming of age challenge in which her friends to lovers romance takes on the flavor of Jane Austen’s Emma. Gigi may be popular, privileged, and sees herself skilled with setting others to rights. But, like the classic matchmaker, seems to have a blindspot to the error codes she is making along the way.
Love, Decoded is a light and adorable coming of age story that was a qualified good read. It was loaded with an engaging Asian backdrop and cast of characters living in NYC and had a crisp modern feel with the private school students learning to be tech savvy and a strong base in maths and sciences. I loved seeing all this and enjoyed the modern world feel. There were nuances of family expectation, race, social strata, future plans, and more to add depth though without much drama attached to these social elements.
The book seemed to glide along on the surface and didn’t dig deeply into the social issues, relationships or characters’ development. I think it was partly the writing style, but mostly story content that caused this. I can’t honestly say I got more than moderately engaged with the story or vested in the main characters as a result. In fact, I was bored some of the time and the ending was a mixed bag. Fortunately, there is humor throughout that I appreciated especially when some of Gigi’s mistakes, that many of us would have made when we were younger, had me cringing knowing what would be the result.
The romance is a side line to Gigi’s own story as she must ride high, fall to the bottom, and learn from it all. Gigi has a high opinion of herself that other people helped cultivate and it leads her into thinking she’s all that and a bag of chips. There were a lot of fun comparisons to Jane Austen’s Emma especially the fallible main character Gigi, but ultimately, this is its own story and characters. I could cheer for Gigi to get a clue and fix all she broke including the very good thing she has with Kyle. I could have wished that Kyle played a larger role in the story, but, then again, Gigi wasn’t ready to change and that kept him at a distance. It was sweet, but also had its funny moments.
So, there were aspects that left me indifferent, but I could appreciate the easy, low-angst story of a girl figuring out love and life, sometimes painfully, set against her Asian neighborhood, friends, family and school. I will recommend it to those who want something light and easy, humorous and tender.
I rec'd an eARC from Berkley Teen via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 28, 2022i actually really enjoyed this! i mean, i’m no stem girl but it was good all the same. full rtc :)
thank you so much penguin teen for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
thank you so much penguin teen for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
February 14, 2022
"Kyle smirks. "Gigi Wong, are you calling me hot?"
"Full of hot air, maybe."
Matchmaking, a viral app, and a scandal! An Emma retelling set in the A Taste for Love World. Hello, James' little sister, Gigi! I enjoyed Love, Decoded; however, I had a hard time keeping up with the relationships and who was with who. (Probably my age LOLOLOL). I wanted more Kyle Miller and Gigi Wong scenes. Love, Decoded is perfect for readers who like coming-of-age stories with family, friends, culture, and ladies in STEM.
THINGS & STUFF:
-friends to lovers
-super sLoW bUrN
-matchmaking
-NYC setting
-Crazy Rich Asian's meets Emma
-sponge cakes
-women in STEM (programmers)
-anime & gaming
-kpop
-#IsThisAKissingBook: 16+"I'm soon lost in a flood of sensations."
Thank you Penguin Teen for an advanced copy!
"Full of hot air, maybe."
Matchmaking, a viral app, and a scandal! An Emma retelling set in the A Taste for Love World. Hello, James' little sister, Gigi! I enjoyed Love, Decoded; however, I had a hard time keeping up with the relationships and who was with who. (Probably my age LOLOLOL). I wanted more Kyle Miller and Gigi Wong scenes. Love, Decoded is perfect for readers who like coming-of-age stories with family, friends, culture, and ladies in STEM.
THINGS & STUFF:
-friends to lovers
-super sLoW bUrN
-matchmaking
-NYC setting
-Crazy Rich Asian's meets Emma
-sponge cakes
-women in STEM (programmers)
-anime & gaming
-kpop
-#IsThisAKissingBook: 16+"I'm soon lost in a flood of sensations."
Thank you Penguin Teen for an advanced copy!
February 25, 2025
DNF after 30%
For a rom-com, this has neither rom nor com.
I enjoyed Jennifer Yen's previous novel A Taste for Love to which Love, Decoded is a spin off. Unfortunately, this newer instalment did not deliver. Whereas the first was a fun modern spin on Pride & Prejudice, this one takes inspiration from Emma and it just did not translate as well.
Gigi is honestly not the most likeable main character and comes across as incredibly privileged. Sure, that might fit into the picture of being an Emma retelling, but it didn't really endear her to me and I confess that it just comes across differently in a contemporary setting. I was also expecting this to have a lot more romance than it actually did (up to the point where I have read). I understand that the romance in Emma doesn't truly develop until late into the tale but at least the love interest is present throughout. I can only recall a single scene featuring Kyle within the 30% I've read - that's almost a third of the novel. And I don't mind if romance takes a back seat in favour of a focus on friendship and family but, again, Gigi wasn't particularly likeable in how she treated her friends.
I also didn't enjoy the actual writing as much. It felt unnecessarily descriptive and it made me feel impatient with the book. I was also getting rather bored, but that might be due to my earlier point: lack of romance in what is supposed to be a contemporary romance novel. There is nothing glaringly wrong with this novel other than that I think it missed the mark and the characters aren't likeable enough, but I don't feel much enthusiasm to finish this so I think I shall be calling it quits.
December 19, 2021
women in stem and Emma-style matchmaking shenanigans? sign me up!
*a huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review*
I absolutely loved Yen’s A Taste For Love, so when I heard that her next book, Love, Decoded, is another Jane Austen-ish rom-com, I was sold! But for a rom-com, it seemingly lacked in the “rom” department. I guess you could call the romance slow burn, but it was so slow and practically non-existent that I had a really hard time shipping the couple.
Especially when it comes to friends-to-lovers romance, there needs to be some sort of romantic chemistry or unrequited angst between them. Since Gigi was totally oblivious to the fact that Kyle liked her until later in the story, it made the romance as a whole feel really lackluster.
Even still, I think as a coming-of-age story, Love, Decoded holds its own. In true Emma fashion, Gigi passes oh so much judgment on others. A lot of her actions are enough to make me physically cringe. Which would have been fine with a stronger character arc by the end. I wish Gigi would have taken more time to reflect on her privilege as an upper-class student towards the end of the book.
I would also say that Love, Decoded had a lot going on. With the coding competition, matchmaking, and lots of character relationships— there is a lot to keep track of. I wish there would have been a bit more balance and closure for all of these things towards the end of the story.
3. Overall, I liked how this book is a creative take on Emma and how Yen’s writing and humor shone through. If you go into this one with the expectations of a romance light coming-of-age story, then you’ll probably enjoy it more than I did. Love, Decoded is a solid read and I look forward to reading whatever Yen comes up with next!!
*a huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review*
I absolutely loved Yen’s A Taste For Love, so when I heard that her next book, Love, Decoded, is another Jane Austen-ish rom-com, I was sold! But for a rom-com, it seemingly lacked in the “rom” department. I guess you could call the romance slow burn, but it was so slow and practically non-existent that I had a really hard time shipping the couple.
Especially when it comes to friends-to-lovers romance, there needs to be some sort of romantic chemistry or unrequited angst between them. Since Gigi was totally oblivious to the fact that Kyle liked her until later in the story, it made the romance as a whole feel really lackluster.
Even still, I think as a coming-of-age story, Love, Decoded holds its own. In true Emma fashion, Gigi passes oh so much judgment on others. A lot of her actions are enough to make me physically cringe. Which would have been fine with a stronger character arc by the end. I wish Gigi would have taken more time to reflect on her privilege as an upper-class student towards the end of the book.
I would also say that Love, Decoded had a lot going on. With the coding competition, matchmaking, and lots of character relationships— there is a lot to keep track of. I wish there would have been a bit more balance and closure for all of these things towards the end of the story.
3. Overall, I liked how this book is a creative take on Emma and how Yen’s writing and humor shone through. If you go into this one with the expectations of a romance light coming-of-age story, then you’ll probably enjoy it more than I did. Love, Decoded is a solid read and I look forward to reading whatever Yen comes up with next!!
June 11, 2022
Love, Decoded
Jennifer Yen
Love Decoded was a quick fun YA read that covers STEM, traditional matchmaking themes central to Chinese culture with a modern twist (nod to Emma), a Taiwanese American protagonist, and a bi-racial half Chinese love interest that is a friends to lovers trope. I thought this was cute, had fun characters, and I loved that this was about an app that goes viral. I enjoyed the way the story was told and though pacing could have been worked a little better towards the latter half of the book, I really enjoyed this one a lot.
Thank you for the ARC copy all opinions are my own.
Jennifer Yen
Love Decoded was a quick fun YA read that covers STEM, traditional matchmaking themes central to Chinese culture with a modern twist (nod to Emma), a Taiwanese American protagonist, and a bi-racial half Chinese love interest that is a friends to lovers trope. I thought this was cute, had fun characters, and I loved that this was about an app that goes viral. I enjoyed the way the story was told and though pacing could have been worked a little better towards the latter half of the book, I really enjoyed this one a lot.
Thank you for the ARC copy all opinions are my own.
July 14, 2022
the summary
Love, Decoded really did disappoint. The 'friend's drama' was really unnecessary, and not well developed. And Kyle and Gigi kissed after no plot development? I feel that this book could improve using these two points.
the rating
1/5
Like this review for a mention :p
Find me on:
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P.S. Add me as a friend :) I like to read romance novels and mystery stories
Love, Decoded really did disappoint. The 'friend's drama' was really unnecessary, and not well developed. And Kyle and Gigi kissed after no plot development? I feel that this book could improve using these two points.
the rating
1/5
Like this review for a mention :p
Find me on:
Instagram: @chevreads
Wattpad: @writerthursday
Pinterest: @thursdayfrappe
Youtube: @chevreads
P.S. Add me as a friend :) I like to read romance novels and mystery stories
March 30, 2022
Despite this book being a retelling of Emma, It felt more like a retelling of pride and prejudice in one way, and one way only. They're both considered romances, but no romance actually happens until the last like 50 pages. This one is a 'romcom' without the 'rom'
That being said I found this book meh. There was some good, and some bad.
5/10
That being said I found this book meh. There was some good, and some bad.
5/10
March 2, 2022
3.5 stars
rep: Taiwanese-American protagonist, biracial (Chinese, white) love interest, Filipina-American side character, Chinese-American side characters; (Taiwanese-American author)
I had a lot of fun with this author’s debut and couldn’t wait for her next book, especially because of the premise! It has been a couple of years since I read A Taste for Love, though, so I didn’t even realize that this was about James’s sister until I started this. Love, Decoded was a cute best-friends-to-lovers Emma retelling with a coding twist.
Gigi has been learning the ropes of her great aunt’s matchmaking business for years and has been bugging her to go digital for about the same amount of time. When Gigi’s computer science teacher announces that she’s planning on nominating one of the students’ apps for a contest with an elite internship as the prize, she would do anything to win. Meanwhile, Gigi takes Etta, a scholarship student, under her wing and tries to help her fit in more. Soon, she realizes that she can combine her current app with her aunt’s matchmaking questions to help Etta make friends, as well as win the contest. However, her complete obsession with the app brings her to a crossroads with her best friend Kyle and Etta, and she must decide what’s more important—her friends and family or her dreams.
I’m not sure why, but when I first read the summary of this book, I didn’t realize that it was an Emma retelling. It wasn’t until I started it and reached the part where Gigi takes Etta under her wing that I connected the characters and the matchmaking to that. I haven’t read Emma although I’ve seen movie adaptations, and from what I know, this book follows the source material’s plot pretty well with a modern twist.
I liked the characters! Gigi can’t help but meddle in her friends’ and family’s lives because she cares so much about everyone in her life. Meanwhile, Kyle is a constant in her life, providing support and comfort when she feels like she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. While Etta seems like a lot at first, it soon becomes clear how sweet and kind she is.
I also liked Gigi’s relationship with her family! She’s very close to her parents, even more so now that her brother is away at college in Houston. They are extremely protective of her while also being a bit absent from her everyday life because of how busy they are, but their reassurances that whatever she does is good enough make her feel like she’s not allowed to pursue her own dreams. This is partially why she wants to win the contest so badly, and it was interesting to see her navigate this.
The romance was cute. Kyle and Gigi have been best friends forever, and they often have teasing conversations where everyone can see their chemistry with each other. Of course, Gigi doesn’t see the signs, even when Etta points them out to her. It was cute reading about her realization moment and how Etta steps in to mend their rift.
I also liked the coding aspect of this book, particularly how realistic it felt! I feel like some books like to hand-wave building an entire app into an entire weekend instead of portraying the reality of the amount of time that goes into it. Gigi’s intense focus on working on her app, and how she unintentionally neglects her time with her friends because of the sheer amount of work she had to code, made sense to me.
I will say that this book felt a bit unbalanced in terms of pacing. I read the first half so quickly without realizing it, but the second half slowed me down considerably. This occurred because so much of the big events of this book happen in the second half, with many of them then feeling rushed. Also, why name your app “Quizzlet,” which is phonetically the same as an already existing app? Those are just my thoughts though.
Overall, Love, Decoded was a cute story with a best-friends-to-lovers romance. I liked the characters and the family dynamics. If you’re looking for a contemporary with a coding protagonist or an Emma retelling, you may like Love, Decoded!
cute best-friends-to-lovers, emma-retelling story!
I will say that it felt a bit unbalanced like the first half passed by quickly but the second half felt longer to me esp bc a lot of the summary doesn't even occur until the halfway mark / second half
read on my blog
rep: Taiwanese-American protagonist, biracial (Chinese, white) love interest, Filipina-American side character, Chinese-American side characters; (Taiwanese-American author)
**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Penguin Teen!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
I had a lot of fun with this author’s debut and couldn’t wait for her next book, especially because of the premise! It has been a couple of years since I read A Taste for Love, though, so I didn’t even realize that this was about James’s sister until I started this. Love, Decoded was a cute best-friends-to-lovers Emma retelling with a coding twist.
Gigi has been learning the ropes of her great aunt’s matchmaking business for years and has been bugging her to go digital for about the same amount of time. When Gigi’s computer science teacher announces that she’s planning on nominating one of the students’ apps for a contest with an elite internship as the prize, she would do anything to win. Meanwhile, Gigi takes Etta, a scholarship student, under her wing and tries to help her fit in more. Soon, she realizes that she can combine her current app with her aunt’s matchmaking questions to help Etta make friends, as well as win the contest. However, her complete obsession with the app brings her to a crossroads with her best friend Kyle and Etta, and she must decide what’s more important—her friends and family or her dreams.
I’m not sure why, but when I first read the summary of this book, I didn’t realize that it was an Emma retelling. It wasn’t until I started it and reached the part where Gigi takes Etta under her wing that I connected the characters and the matchmaking to that. I haven’t read Emma although I’ve seen movie adaptations, and from what I know, this book follows the source material’s plot pretty well with a modern twist.
I liked the characters! Gigi can’t help but meddle in her friends’ and family’s lives because she cares so much about everyone in her life. Meanwhile, Kyle is a constant in her life, providing support and comfort when she feels like she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. While Etta seems like a lot at first, it soon becomes clear how sweet and kind she is.
I also liked Gigi’s relationship with her family! She’s very close to her parents, even more so now that her brother is away at college in Houston. They are extremely protective of her while also being a bit absent from her everyday life because of how busy they are, but their reassurances that whatever she does is good enough make her feel like she’s not allowed to pursue her own dreams. This is partially why she wants to win the contest so badly, and it was interesting to see her navigate this.
The romance was cute. Kyle and Gigi have been best friends forever, and they often have teasing conversations where everyone can see their chemistry with each other. Of course, Gigi doesn’t see the signs, even when Etta points them out to her. It was cute reading about her realization moment and how Etta steps in to mend their rift.
I also liked the coding aspect of this book, particularly how realistic it felt! I feel like some books like to hand-wave building an entire app into an entire weekend instead of portraying the reality of the amount of time that goes into it. Gigi’s intense focus on working on her app, and how she unintentionally neglects her time with her friends because of the sheer amount of work she had to code, made sense to me.
I will say that this book felt a bit unbalanced in terms of pacing. I read the first half so quickly without realizing it, but the second half slowed me down considerably. This occurred because so much of the big events of this book happen in the second half, with many of them then feeling rushed. Also, why name your app “Quizzlet,” which is phonetically the same as an already existing app? Those are just my thoughts though.
Overall, Love, Decoded was a cute story with a best-friends-to-lovers romance. I liked the characters and the family dynamics. If you’re looking for a contemporary with a coding protagonist or an Emma retelling, you may like Love, Decoded!
original review:
cute best-friends-to-lovers, emma-retelling story!
I will say that it felt a bit unbalanced like the first half passed by quickly but the second half felt longer to me esp bc a lot of the summary doesn't even occur until the halfway mark / second half
April 21, 2022
“Everyone around me has this idea of who I am and how I should act,” . “If I don’t match up, then I’m not perfect, even if I am the best.”
A coming-of-age story on accepting yourself, inclusions of women in STEM and also of friendship and family relationships.
Personal Ratings : 3.25
If you've read the first book from the author, A Taste for Love, the story revolves around James younger sister Gigi Wong. She's ambitious, privileged and mostly someone who strives to be the best, and also a coding genius. When her dream to continue the matchmaking legacy of her family is mixed with her feelings of wanting to venture out into something more fitting for her, she found out that things are not as easy as it seems.
Personal Thoughts
Somewhat a retelling of Emma, Love Decoded is more of a coming-of-age novel that included a slice of romance at the end. The author was consistent in a way that, the representation of culture, the constant stereotypes that Asians in a white people country has to face, and also the inclusion of food in her stories is what I liked about her stories from the first book till now. She stuck true in a sense that she made both her books a retelling of Jane Austen with a modern twist. Whilst it was endearing at best, this book unfortunately did not deliver it.
Not all of the book is bad in a sense. The first half was actually decent, with us meeting James again in this book which made me smiled at his antiques with Liza. The one thing I liked about the book was how I could understand Gigi's feelings at a certain point. I've read reviews on how some people feels she's super insufferable, but honestly, in a sense, I kind of understood where she came from. Gigi is a perfectionist and honestly, she's a people pleaser to a fault in which makes her want to appear perfect and strive to be perfect. Whilst it may be good for some people, it was a toxic act for herself, in which I liked that the author took the time to build her character and gave her a redemption that she needed.
However, that was also the point that made me a bit irked with the book, and I felt like it had the same problem with the first book. The pacing of the story was quite inconsistent, and it became choppy at times. Whilst the first half was fine, I felt like there were too many filler scenes and that some scenes were not balanced. The author kind of just did not bring any depth to anything in this book, be it Gigi's character, Kyle's character, the romance, the coding part of the book and mostly the relationships too. I loved it, but I also felt like everything was just surface level and not balanced, which is a shame as it would be a good light read!
Honestly, I don't mind if the author included the romance at the end, where it will be more a coming-of-age novel and more on discovering yourself and appreciating your strengths, but like I've mentioned earlier, scenes of Kyle was so unbalanced that it made the romance chapter super bland :( It was a shame because I love a long best friends to lovers story, but towards the end, everything seemed to happen at once and everything just ended up with a rush.
Mostly, for this book, I think its more of missed opportunity. I wasn't disappointed with the book as I liked how the author explored about Gigi as a character and showing the ethics in coding and also how things can go wrong in a millisecond, which shows on surface level what it means to be a developer of a website or an application. However, it the author spent just a little time adding finesse to Kyle's character, and adding a more in-depth level to the coding part, it will be a good book. Still will read work's from the author, but I figured by now is more of her writing style at this point haha.
Thank you to Times Reads for generously providing me this gorgeous copy of the book.
Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review copy, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.
March 15, 2022
I am loving Jennifer Yen's retellings. They always feel like they add something a bit extra to the experience in this story's case, a bit of STEM magic.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
July 29, 2023
I'm beginning to think that the industry isn't selling books anymore, they are selling troupes. This book is: women in STEM, Asian Rep, Romance, YA. All of the above was interwoven into the plot just enough to call it such.
"Love, Decoded" fell short for me. This is a story about a teenage coder who is apprenticing as a matchmaker under her aunty's guidance. She is a Chinese American living in the suburbs of NYC. Her parents are rich, as such she attends a private school, has expensive things and grew up spoilt. It truly shows in her condescending personality and her penchant for name dropping clothing brands. Her character is very well written. I think she was meant to come off as an unlikeable character, I didn't resonate with her, she came off as an over-privileged teen that lives in another world separated from others: in the rich part of NYC. In fact, the book didn't even feel like the bustling NYC teeming with all walks of life, it was like a suburban town.
I was disagreeable with her character. She tends to speak rather irresponsibly. At the same time, she was somehow conscious of her mistake. Which made her a very interesting character study. I enjoyed picking her brain for her self-realisation moments. It also reminded me that she is only a teen and this is a coming of age story. People are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
What did I like about the book? I liked that two characters from her previous book made cameos. That's all. As a Chinese, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. As a reader, if you are looking for a book for beginners, something to spoon feed you, this is suitable. It highlights subjects just ever so slightly with the touch of a feather, not too much to overwhelm your brain with information.
I was keen to see how the story related to the title, it didn't quite add up for me. For one, the love aspect of the book only took up a few chapters. It is a friends to lovers story. The two characters were written as a platonic friendship from the start, there wasn't any build-up or romantic chemistry between them. I think the transition from friends to lovers happened out of the blue because the male's personality was described to be flirty and charming with everyone (and he truly was). As for the coding, it was written just good enough to pass as coding. Her passion for coding wasn't felt in the words. It seems as if the author just wrote enough to be passed off as a teen that finds coding enjoyable. Based on the incorrect baking facts from "A Taste of Love" and now the lack of passion for codding in "Love, Decoded". I suggest the author to write what she is familiar with or research plentifully in the subject before writing about something that isn't in her field of expertise in order to write authentically.
As for the plot, it was a steady downhill.
The synopsis gave it away, DO NOT READ IT. The Chinese cultural representation was disappointing. There were barely any Chinese elements in the book except for those few pages of her aunty's souvenir shop in Chinatown, a Chinese meal cooked by their personal chef and two Chinese pet names for Gigi. Notice how the cover is filled with Chinese elements, yea, it was misleading. If you want to learn about Chinese culture while reading a fun read, this is not the book for you.
"Love, Decoded" fell short for me. This is a story about a teenage coder who is apprenticing as a matchmaker under her aunty's guidance. She is a Chinese American living in the suburbs of NYC. Her parents are rich, as such she attends a private school, has expensive things and grew up spoilt. It truly shows in her condescending personality and her penchant for name dropping clothing brands. Her character is very well written. I think she was meant to come off as an unlikeable character, I didn't resonate with her, she came off as an over-privileged teen that lives in another world separated from others: in the rich part of NYC. In fact, the book didn't even feel like the bustling NYC teeming with all walks of life, it was like a suburban town.
I was disagreeable with her character. She tends to speak rather irresponsibly. At the same time, she was somehow conscious of her mistake. Which made her a very interesting character study. I enjoyed picking her brain for her self-realisation moments. It also reminded me that she is only a teen and this is a coming of age story. People are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
What did I like about the book? I liked that two characters from her previous book made cameos. That's all. As a Chinese, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. As a reader, if you are looking for a book for beginners, something to spoon feed you, this is suitable. It highlights subjects just ever so slightly with the touch of a feather, not too much to overwhelm your brain with information.
I was keen to see how the story related to the title, it didn't quite add up for me. For one, the love aspect of the book only took up a few chapters. It is a friends to lovers story. The two characters were written as a platonic friendship from the start, there wasn't any build-up or romantic chemistry between them. I think the transition from friends to lovers happened out of the blue because the male's personality was described to be flirty and charming with everyone (and he truly was). As for the coding, it was written just good enough to pass as coding. Her passion for coding wasn't felt in the words. It seems as if the author just wrote enough to be passed off as a teen that finds coding enjoyable. Based on the incorrect baking facts from "A Taste of Love" and now the lack of passion for codding in "Love, Decoded". I suggest the author to write what she is familiar with or research plentifully in the subject before writing about something that isn't in her field of expertise in order to write authentically.
As for the plot, it was a steady downhill.
The synopsis gave it away, DO NOT READ IT. The Chinese cultural representation was disappointing. There were barely any Chinese elements in the book except for those few pages of her aunty's souvenir shop in Chinatown, a Chinese meal cooked by their personal chef and two Chinese pet names for Gigi. Notice how the cover is filled with Chinese elements, yea, it was misleading. If you want to learn about Chinese culture while reading a fun read, this is not the book for you.
March 11, 2022
Ok, this was such a super cute book!! Was it a bit cheesy? Well yes, but I expected that. And apparently this is a retelling of Emma? Never read it so don't know but in case you did.... 😉 Auntie Rose's matchmaking technique gave me Indian Matchmaking vibes (sidebar: I can't wait for season 2!). And like most younger generationals (not a real word but work with me here), Gigi thinks she can streamline it/adapt it with her coding! And, of course, she's right! But don't knock old school ways either.. .just sayin'.
Honestly, I really love Gigi - she's blinded by her determination but quickly learns all her lessons. It's nice to see the "less popular" crowd sticking up for each other. Gigi also has the greatest intentions but sometimes goes about things in not the best manner. A huge heart... I liked her dynamics with Etta, Kyle, her aunt, etc... she just seemed like a really REAL teen if that makes sense. And an Asian cast repping various Asian cultures? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I want to point out that Annie Q did an amazing job narrating this book. I'm starting to learn the audiobook ropes now. 🤣 This is my first Yen but I'm gonna run and grab A Taste for Love. Dang, Asian centered books always make me so hungry!! Hey Kyle, can you run to Ippudo for me and bring me some ramen? Yes, the spicy kind... k, thanks!
Seriously y'all, this is a treat of a book and exactly what I needed right now. Go snag yourself a copy.
Honestly, I really love Gigi - she's blinded by her determination but quickly learns all her lessons. It's nice to see the "less popular" crowd sticking up for each other. Gigi also has the greatest intentions but sometimes goes about things in not the best manner. A huge heart... I liked her dynamics with Etta, Kyle, her aunt, etc... she just seemed like a really REAL teen if that makes sense. And an Asian cast repping various Asian cultures? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I want to point out that Annie Q did an amazing job narrating this book. I'm starting to learn the audiobook ropes now. 🤣 This is my first Yen but I'm gonna run and grab A Taste for Love. Dang, Asian centered books always make me so hungry!! Hey Kyle, can you run to Ippudo for me and bring me some ramen? Yes, the spicy kind... k, thanks!
Seriously y'all, this is a treat of a book and exactly what I needed right now. Go snag yourself a copy.
April 3, 2022
I adored Jennifer Yen's debut A taste for love last year and was beyond excited for her latest YA romance featuring Gigi, James's little sister. Gigi loves to code and is working on a Quiz app for a school project when a contest and a new friend inspire her to turn the app into more of a friend matchmaking tool.
This story was full of heart, dealt with new friendships and old ones, had a little romance and super strong female in STEM rep. I really enjoyed the Jane Austen Emma vibes as Gigi tries to help all her friends find love and happiness, not realizing her own HEA might have been in front of her face the whole time.
Great on audio narrated by Annie Q, this book is perfect for fans of Jenny Han or the upcoming My Mechanical romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth that also features a young female in STEM protagonist. Bonus, Liza and James from A taste for love have a few cameos in this book.
This story was full of heart, dealt with new friendships and old ones, had a little romance and super strong female in STEM rep. I really enjoyed the Jane Austen Emma vibes as Gigi tries to help all her friends find love and happiness, not realizing her own HEA might have been in front of her face the whole time.
Great on audio narrated by Annie Q, this book is perfect for fans of Jenny Han or the upcoming My Mechanical romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth that also features a young female in STEM protagonist. Bonus, Liza and James from A taste for love have a few cameos in this book.
May 21, 2022
2.5 stars
August 2, 2022
Thank you Jennifer Yen for helping make my literary summer!
What a great story!
The premise: Gigi Wong is perfect. She's a high-achieving, friend-making, popular student at a great private prep school. She has her life figured out. She's going to be a matchmaker, and maybe, just maybe, she'll eventually find love for herself. That is, until a major cyber scandal brings her life to a screeching halt. Can Gigi keep going and find what she truly wants, or will she be devoured in a sea of drama and the expectations of others?
The good:
I loved this book for a number of reasons, and here they are:
1) Realism. I loved how the author came out and recognized Covid as a big part of the last two years. This is one of the few books I've read that does that, and I appreciated it.
2) Clean read. Thank you Ms. Yen for keeping drugs, alcohol, and adult content out of your book. You are one of the few YA authors left with enough skill and integrity to avoid using those as a giant crutch. Much appreciated!
3) Drama. With a very distinct "Crazy Rich Asians" feel, the drama, especially in the second half of the book, kept me interested, invested in the characters, and on edge. Well done!
4) Acknowledgements. An unusual compliment to give, but the author was more earnest, optimistic, and grateful than most in her acknowledgements section, and it made me happy!
The Not-So-Good:
Like all stories, this one had a couple of kinks:
1) Separation. The matchmaking part of the book just didn't gel very well with the rest of the story's aspects. I would have liked a little more connectivity.
2) Closure. This has a lot to do with pacing, as well. The climax of the book was reached with only about 100 pages left, so there wasn't enough time to give a complete resolution to the story. For example, I wanted to see an epilogue where all of the last few loose ends got neatly wrapped up, but I guess there weren't enough pages left to use.
3) Timing. A few of the timing elements really confused me, like a character having a brand-new haircut that gets noticed on Friday but was supposedly from the prior weekend? How would that slip past the attention of hundreds of teens for five days, not to mention the main character?
Overall, I am very happy with what I just read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys drama or realistic fiction, such as Kevin Kwan's "Crazy Rich Asians" trilogy.
What a great story!
The premise: Gigi Wong is perfect. She's a high-achieving, friend-making, popular student at a great private prep school. She has her life figured out. She's going to be a matchmaker, and maybe, just maybe, she'll eventually find love for herself. That is, until a major cyber scandal brings her life to a screeching halt. Can Gigi keep going and find what she truly wants, or will she be devoured in a sea of drama and the expectations of others?
The good:
I loved this book for a number of reasons, and here they are:
1) Realism. I loved how the author came out and recognized Covid as a big part of the last two years. This is one of the few books I've read that does that, and I appreciated it.
2) Clean read. Thank you Ms. Yen for keeping drugs, alcohol, and adult content out of your book. You are one of the few YA authors left with enough skill and integrity to avoid using those as a giant crutch. Much appreciated!
3) Drama. With a very distinct "Crazy Rich Asians" feel, the drama, especially in the second half of the book, kept me interested, invested in the characters, and on edge. Well done!
4) Acknowledgements. An unusual compliment to give, but the author was more earnest, optimistic, and grateful than most in her acknowledgements section, and it made me happy!
The Not-So-Good:
Like all stories, this one had a couple of kinks:
1) Separation. The matchmaking part of the book just didn't gel very well with the rest of the story's aspects. I would have liked a little more connectivity.
2) Closure. This has a lot to do with pacing, as well. The climax of the book was reached with only about 100 pages left, so there wasn't enough time to give a complete resolution to the story. For example, I wanted to see an epilogue where all of the last few loose ends got neatly wrapped up, but I guess there weren't enough pages left to use.
3) Timing. A few of the timing elements really confused me, like a character having a brand-new haircut that gets noticed on Friday but was supposedly from the prior weekend? How would that slip past the attention of hundreds of teens for five days, not to mention the main character?
Overall, I am very happy with what I just read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys drama or realistic fiction, such as Kevin Kwan's "Crazy Rich Asians" trilogy.
April 17, 2022
#BookReview: Love Decoded by Jennifer Yen
✭ I loved the author's debut book, A Taste For Love and was really looking forward to read Love Decoded. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
✫ I was a graduate of Bachelor in IT and I've built some mobile apps and websites before. I was so so excited to read Love Decoded because of this.
✭ Here are some of the points that I think could be improved:
💻 Women in STEM rep: Having this trope heavily marketed, it fell short. The only point about STEM was that the MC was a highschool programmer. As a women in STEM, majoring in programming myself, the author seems scared to dive in and wrote very surface and vague lines about programming to the point that I had to question a lot of technicalities. Some things just doesn’t make sense. In Malay language, I would say the author buat palatau hahaha.I can’t help it because I’m from IT background but if you’re not I think it should be fine. But all in all, I don’t feel represented.
💻 Romance: If you’re looking for one in this book, don’t 😂 I thought there would be a bit more romance since the cover is literally a couple but the love interest only appeared like a cameo. Hence, the romance felt rushed since there was no development throughout the story.
✫ I have to warn you that the main character was very unlikeable, and it was on purpose. So don’t stop midway because you didn’t favour her like I almost did. Trust me, I had a lot to say about her but I had to scratch them off in the end.
✫ Overall, Love Decoded was a miss for me. There were points that the author could research and bring forward more but I think if you’re looking for a friendship-centred book, this is it.
My rating: 3 ⭐️
Thank you so much @times.reads and @putrifariza for sending me this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This book is available in all bookstores. Link for the list is on my bio 💕
✭ I loved the author's debut book, A Taste For Love and was really looking forward to read Love Decoded. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
✫ I was a graduate of Bachelor in IT and I've built some mobile apps and websites before. I was so so excited to read Love Decoded because of this.
✭ Here are some of the points that I think could be improved:
💻 Women in STEM rep: Having this trope heavily marketed, it fell short. The only point about STEM was that the MC was a highschool programmer. As a women in STEM, majoring in programming myself, the author seems scared to dive in and wrote very surface and vague lines about programming to the point that I had to question a lot of technicalities. Some things just doesn’t make sense. In Malay language, I would say the author buat palatau hahaha.I can’t help it because I’m from IT background but if you’re not I think it should be fine. But all in all, I don’t feel represented.
💻 Romance: If you’re looking for one in this book, don’t 😂 I thought there would be a bit more romance since the cover is literally a couple but the love interest only appeared like a cameo. Hence, the romance felt rushed since there was no development throughout the story.
✫ I have to warn you that the main character was very unlikeable, and it was on purpose. So don’t stop midway because you didn’t favour her like I almost did. Trust me, I had a lot to say about her but I had to scratch them off in the end.
✫ Overall, Love Decoded was a miss for me. There were points that the author could research and bring forward more but I think if you’re looking for a friendship-centred book, this is it.
My rating: 3 ⭐️
Thank you so much @times.reads and @putrifariza for sending me this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This book is available in all bookstores. Link for the list is on my bio 💕
May 13, 2022
Another one that was just okay.
Here's what I've learned about myself: I. JUST. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. RICH. KID. PROBLEMS.
Also, this is a retelling of Emma, and my problems with it are basically my problems with Emma: privileged girl thoughtlessly messes around with other people's lives, causing a lot of hurt, without facing any real consequences. And where I feel like the characters in a lot of the Emma (and Emma-esque) films, like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless and Anya Taylor-Joy in the most recent adaptation, have a charm that lets you overlook a lot of their less savory qualities, I didn't feel like Gigi had any such charm. The scene where she takes Etta shopping in the upscale boutique is so cringe-inducing, it used up all my goodwill toward Gigi, and I just really couldn't forgive her for the rest of the book.
I also didn't understand (spoiler alert) why Gigi, and especially the teacher, were disciplined for other students misusing Gigi's app. That really just made no sense whatsoever to me.
I did like that her great aunt was a traditional matchmaker and that a number of the girls in the story were into STEM and coding. That was a really cool update to the Emma story. I also loved the descriptions of all the food. This book made me so hungry!
So, bottom line, if you love Emma, you'll probably love this, too. But if you're not super into rich people problems, probably skip it.
Here's what I've learned about myself: I. JUST. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. RICH. KID. PROBLEMS.
Also, this is a retelling of Emma, and my problems with it are basically my problems with Emma: privileged girl thoughtlessly messes around with other people's lives, causing a lot of hurt, without facing any real consequences. And where I feel like the characters in a lot of the Emma (and Emma-esque) films, like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless and Anya Taylor-Joy in the most recent adaptation, have a charm that lets you overlook a lot of their less savory qualities, I didn't feel like Gigi had any such charm. The scene where she takes Etta shopping in the upscale boutique is so cringe-inducing, it used up all my goodwill toward Gigi, and I just really couldn't forgive her for the rest of the book.
I also didn't understand (spoiler alert) why Gigi, and especially the teacher, were disciplined for other students misusing Gigi's app. That really just made no sense whatsoever to me.
I did like that her great aunt was a traditional matchmaker and that a number of the girls in the story were into STEM and coding. That was a really cool update to the Emma story. I also loved the descriptions of all the food. This book made me so hungry!
So, bottom line, if you love Emma, you'll probably love this, too. But if you're not super into rich people problems, probably skip it.
March 21, 2022
DNF at 30%
I've heard such wonderful things regarding Jennifer Yen and her novel, A Taste for Love. While I haven't read it, it's been on my ginormous TBR for some time. Having the opportunity to read another by her was an easy snag.
A STEM YA is right up my alley. I assumed based on the title and premise I would get a nerdy YA romance. The first third though was slow to develop - no romance, not a lot of STEM or character growth - and the main character, Gigi, was an oblivious little rich girl. Her lack of awareness regarding money and others' abilities to have or use it was off-putting.
The narration is done well though. If I was invested in the story, Annie Q would make it an easy listen.
Thank you to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts are my own.
I've heard such wonderful things regarding Jennifer Yen and her novel, A Taste for Love. While I haven't read it, it's been on my ginormous TBR for some time. Having the opportunity to read another by her was an easy snag.
A STEM YA is right up my alley. I assumed based on the title and premise I would get a nerdy YA romance. The first third though was slow to develop - no romance, not a lot of STEM or character growth - and the main character, Gigi, was an oblivious little rich girl. Her lack of awareness regarding money and others' abilities to have or use it was off-putting.
The narration is done well though. If I was invested in the story, Annie Q would make it an easy listen.
Thank you to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts are my own.
December 24, 2025
★★ 1.75 STARS ★★
💌 i ADORED 'a taste for love' when i read it in fifth grade, but i think i've aged out of jennifer yen's writing style. that, or gigi's story unfortunately fell victim to second-book syndrome.
ִֶָ.ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ CONTENT WARNINGS. 🏹
💌 | age rating: 10+
language: none
spice: none
tw: none
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ CHARACTERS. 🏹
💌 gigi. | i honestly found myself wanting to strangle her more than root for her success. girl, we know ur 17, but some of ur decisions were... questionable, to say the least.
💌 kyle. | probably the only character i cared about the wellbeing of. oh, you showed up to my house in the middle of the night with ramen? weird way to propose, but ok!
💌 etta. | she annoyed me so much at times. sure, she had good intentions, but the execution of her character gave me secondhand embarrassment so many times.
💌 minor. | the liza and james cameo had my heart soaring 💓🥹 my parents fr. that douchey rich kid from singapore got on my nerves. anna tam my diva tech queen ilysm! summer was the worst disney channel mean girl ever and her 'meanness' was genuinely laughable.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ PLOT. 🏹
💌 | pros: good asian representation 🙏🙏 and the whole subplot of gigi confronting her own privilege was definitely nice. james and liza's cameos were my faves tho 🥹 and the whole deal about generational/familial expectations weighing on the wongs defo hit home.
💌 | cons: icl these characters got on my nerves so much 💀 the only characters i actually enjoyed reading about were kyle and anna. it read very much like a disney channel original movie, which had the typical tropes (friends-to-lovers, mean girls, third-act downfall, etc.) everything felt too wrapped up in a perfect neat little bow at the end. many of the conflicts felt redundant and embarrassingly cliche, and the romances didn't get nearly as much development.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ ROMANCE. 🏹
💌 | gigi + kyle: their "romance" didn't happen until the last two chapters. sure, there were brief scenes of them together early on, walking home from school and eating out and such, but the romantic buildup was severely lacking. the whole middle chunk was just gigi getting quizlr to work, which rlly did not help contribute to their relationship arc. still, friends-to-lovers 🔛🔝 amirite
💌 | etta + tyler: i had the same problem with them as i had with gigi and kyle. overall, i feel like this shouldn't have been marketed as a romance because of how little there truly was.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ TL;DR. 🏹
💌 | a very feel-good, predictable coming-of-age romcom that's marketed as 'crazy rich asians' meets 'clueless,' though it falls short on both counts. if you're looking for a light read to round out your annual reading challenge, i'd suggest this, though i wouldn't expect it to be memorable.
. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ 𝄞 PLAYLIST. 𝄞 🏹
💌 | 𝄞 can't blame a girl for trying (sabrina carpenter)
𝄞 mess it up (gracie abrams)
𝄞 the love club (lorde)
𝄞 darling i'm a mess (sabrina carpenter)
𝄞 that's so true (gracie abrams)
💌 i ADORED 'a taste for love' when i read it in fifth grade, but i think i've aged out of jennifer yen's writing style. that, or gigi's story unfortunately fell victim to second-book syndrome.
ִֶָ.ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ CONTENT WARNINGS. 🏹
💌 | age rating: 10+
language: none
spice: none
tw: none
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ CHARACTERS. 🏹
💌 gigi. | i honestly found myself wanting to strangle her more than root for her success. girl, we know ur 17, but some of ur decisions were... questionable, to say the least.
💌 kyle. | probably the only character i cared about the wellbeing of. oh, you showed up to my house in the middle of the night with ramen? weird way to propose, but ok!
💌 etta. | she annoyed me so much at times. sure, she had good intentions, but the execution of her character gave me secondhand embarrassment so many times.
💌 minor. | the liza and james cameo had my heart soaring 💓🥹 my parents fr. that douchey rich kid from singapore got on my nerves. anna tam my diva tech queen ilysm! summer was the worst disney channel mean girl ever and her 'meanness' was genuinely laughable.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ PLOT. 🏹
💌 | pros: good asian representation 🙏🙏 and the whole subplot of gigi confronting her own privilege was definitely nice. james and liza's cameos were my faves tho 🥹 and the whole deal about generational/familial expectations weighing on the wongs defo hit home.
💌 | cons: icl these characters got on my nerves so much 💀 the only characters i actually enjoyed reading about were kyle and anna. it read very much like a disney channel original movie, which had the typical tropes (friends-to-lovers, mean girls, third-act downfall, etc.) everything felt too wrapped up in a perfect neat little bow at the end. many of the conflicts felt redundant and embarrassingly cliche, and the romances didn't get nearly as much development.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ ROMANCE. 🏹
💌 | gigi + kyle: their "romance" didn't happen until the last two chapters. sure, there were brief scenes of them together early on, walking home from school and eating out and such, but the romantic buildup was severely lacking. the whole middle chunk was just gigi getting quizlr to work, which rlly did not help contribute to their relationship arc. still, friends-to-lovers 🔛🔝 amirite
💌 | etta + tyler: i had the same problem with them as i had with gigi and kyle. overall, i feel like this shouldn't have been marketed as a romance because of how little there truly was.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ TL;DR. 🏹
💌 | a very feel-good, predictable coming-of-age romcom that's marketed as 'crazy rich asians' meets 'clueless,' though it falls short on both counts. if you're looking for a light read to round out your annual reading challenge, i'd suggest this, though i wouldn't expect it to be memorable.
. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ 𝄞 PLAYLIST. 𝄞 🏹
💌 | 𝄞 can't blame a girl for trying (sabrina carpenter)
𝄞 mess it up (gracie abrams)
𝄞 the love club (lorde)
𝄞 darling i'm a mess (sabrina carpenter)
𝄞 that's so true (gracie abrams)
May 25, 2022
This book was great! And not just because it had major Clueless vibes. Aka Emma, which I have never read.
It was good to read a book that protrayed an Asian family living as a prosperous family. Not many authors will do this and it should be out there more regularly.
I always love reading books with Adian main characters, but cannot believe it took me this long ro learn it is AAIPHM! Which has been around since 1992. I cannot believe I work at Chapters for almost 10 years and they NEVER ONCE celebrated this month, at all.
It was good to read a book that protrayed an Asian family living as a prosperous family. Not many authors will do this and it should be out there more regularly.
I always love reading books with Adian main characters, but cannot believe it took me this long ro learn it is AAIPHM! Which has been around since 1992. I cannot believe I work at Chapters for almost 10 years and they NEVER ONCE celebrated this month, at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2025
3.75 stars
May 12, 2022
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Gigi Wong is a perfectionist, striving to be the best at everything she does. When her teacher announces that she will be nominating a student for an app writing competition, Gigi jumps at the chance to submit an app. When transfer student Etta has difficulty making new friends, Gigi gets an idea to create a friend matching app.
This is an Emma retelling, which I though sounded really fun when I first heard about it! But unfortunately, I just didn't vibe with this... I'm not 100% sure what it was about this story, but I just didn't enjoy it. It almost felt like a chore to finish. Everything just felt very surface level and juvenile. I also was just not a fan of Gigi, I felt like she was so incredibly selfish in everything she did. I listened to this on audiobook though, and didn't particularly enjoy the narrator when they were speaking as Etta, they made her so nasally and annoying in my opinion. I will give it major points for making multiple females have an interest, and be very successful in STEM though!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Gigi Wong is a perfectionist, striving to be the best at everything she does. When her teacher announces that she will be nominating a student for an app writing competition, Gigi jumps at the chance to submit an app. When transfer student Etta has difficulty making new friends, Gigi gets an idea to create a friend matching app.
This is an Emma retelling, which I though sounded really fun when I first heard about it! But unfortunately, I just didn't vibe with this... I'm not 100% sure what it was about this story, but I just didn't enjoy it. It almost felt like a chore to finish. Everything just felt very surface level and juvenile. I also was just not a fan of Gigi, I felt like she was so incredibly selfish in everything she did. I listened to this on audiobook though, and didn't particularly enjoy the narrator when they were speaking as Etta, they made her so nasally and annoying in my opinion. I will give it major points for making multiple females have an interest, and be very successful in STEM though!
April 17, 2022
Cute book. However, not a huge fan of the protagonist, Gigi. I did love Kyle though, wish he was in it more.
April 15, 2022
Real rating 3.5, but I liked it well enough to round up
April 2, 2022
Thank you Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Love, Decoded is a cute contemporary Emma retelling mixed with cool coding and a friends-to-lovers relationship.
Gigi is a high school junior who is near the top of her class. She’s got the grades, the volunteer hours, her best friend Kyle, and a promising career in matchmaking that her grandmother wants to pass onto her. So when the idea hits Gigi to code a matchmaking app using her grandmother’s data she is enraptured in the idea…even more than the matchmaking itself.
When Gigi’s Computer Science class gets word of a coding competition Gigi knows she wants to win and she’s got just the app for the job.
This book was giving me Jenny Han and Blair Waldorf vibes, both of which I’m a fan. The coding element of this book had to be one of my favorite parts, the fact that Gigi cared so much for it gave me a better appreciation for a world I know so little about.
I never thought I would say this but I was expecting the friends-to-lovers relationship to be the big focus in the story and it wasn’t. I can’t tell if I’m slightly disappointed or oddly refreshed. The focus is on Gigi in this mentor/mentee relationship for the majority and with it being an Emma retelling it makes sense, just not what I’m used to in a contemporary.
The pacing of the book did throw me off at times. I read the first third fairly quickly but I was looking for a big plot twist or wrench in the gears but that really didn’t come until the last third. While I would have loved more conflict earlier on, maybe it wouldn’t have been the same story. As it was you get this really easy-going time getting to know Gigi and her mentee over many a meal and shopping date.
I did enjoy Gigi and the side characters in this story and for fans of an easygoing contemporary that isn’t relationship-focused, I’d tell them to try out Love, Decoded.
3.5 stars
Love, Decoded is a cute contemporary Emma retelling mixed with cool coding and a friends-to-lovers relationship.
Gigi is a high school junior who is near the top of her class. She’s got the grades, the volunteer hours, her best friend Kyle, and a promising career in matchmaking that her grandmother wants to pass onto her. So when the idea hits Gigi to code a matchmaking app using her grandmother’s data she is enraptured in the idea…even more than the matchmaking itself.
When Gigi’s Computer Science class gets word of a coding competition Gigi knows she wants to win and she’s got just the app for the job.
This book was giving me Jenny Han and Blair Waldorf vibes, both of which I’m a fan. The coding element of this book had to be one of my favorite parts, the fact that Gigi cared so much for it gave me a better appreciation for a world I know so little about.
I never thought I would say this but I was expecting the friends-to-lovers relationship to be the big focus in the story and it wasn’t. I can’t tell if I’m slightly disappointed or oddly refreshed. The focus is on Gigi in this mentor/mentee relationship for the majority and with it being an Emma retelling it makes sense, just not what I’m used to in a contemporary.
The pacing of the book did throw me off at times. I read the first third fairly quickly but I was looking for a big plot twist or wrench in the gears but that really didn’t come until the last third. While I would have loved more conflict earlier on, maybe it wouldn’t have been the same story. As it was you get this really easy-going time getting to know Gigi and her mentee over many a meal and shopping date.
I did enjoy Gigi and the side characters in this story and for fans of an easygoing contemporary that isn’t relationship-focused, I’d tell them to try out Love, Decoded.
3.5 stars
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