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Everything I've Lost, I Found in You
Jiyu Astor never liked the life everyone loved. The only daughter of an overwhelmingly rich family, she had a detailed guide to life from the minute she was born. Everything she has ever done was scripted by her parents, down to the school she ended up attending and the man she was to marry. Jiyu’s only form of rebellion consists of a flimsy pair of silver glasses and choosing to have a roommate rather than a single in her college dorm.
One rebellion snowballs into a series of misdemeanors after she opens the door and is met with Wynn Star, the gorgeous pseudocelebrity adored by the entire school. Wynn had the life Jiyu never could. Now that Jiyu and Wynn, two students equally riddled by rumors, were staying together in one bunk bed, the pages of Jiyu’s guide to life were about to be torn from the seams.
A sapphic romance novel that includes fun characters, young love, and full-page chapter illustrations.
One rebellion snowballs into a series of misdemeanors after she opens the door and is met with Wynn Star, the gorgeous pseudocelebrity adored by the entire school. Wynn had the life Jiyu never could. Now that Jiyu and Wynn, two students equally riddled by rumors, were staying together in one bunk bed, the pages of Jiyu’s guide to life were about to be torn from the seams.
A sapphic romance novel that includes fun characters, young love, and full-page chapter illustrations.
222 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2022
About the author
Cynthia Ho
6 books2 followersCynthia Ho is Professor of Literature and Director of the Humanities Program at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 17, 2022
This book was beautifully written and illustrated. The character development and dialogue is fresh and modern. The book really gave me a good perspective into what todays modern youth has to deal with in terms of popularity and self awareness. It’s a compelling narrative that is funny and heart warming and I have no doubt that it will be inspirational for those that decide to take a glimpse into the world that the author creates.
March 18, 2023
4.5! This book was so beautifully written, I love it!! Two completely different people live together in a college dorm and happen to find love <3 a beautiful sapphic relationship
It was so cute and sweet and I love both the characters and how they helped each become the best version of themselves. It gives a great perspective into what todays young adults have to deal with when it comes to popularity and self awareness and so much more. It’s funny and heartwarming and such a sweet story. The characters were diverse and felt very realistic. Overall its a fun and light read that I highly recommend! AND it has great representation - lesbian, gay, asian, white, black <3 if you like heartstopper you would love this
A big bonus inside is the beautiful art!! I dont think I’ve ever read a book like this before with art in pretty much every chapter and the artist does it beautifully.
I didn’t fall in love with it enough to get that five star feeling but it was really good
It was so cute and sweet and I love both the characters and how they helped each become the best version of themselves. It gives a great perspective into what todays young adults have to deal with when it comes to popularity and self awareness and so much more. It’s funny and heartwarming and such a sweet story. The characters were diverse and felt very realistic. Overall its a fun and light read that I highly recommend! AND it has great representation - lesbian, gay, asian, white, black <3 if you like heartstopper you would love this
A big bonus inside is the beautiful art!! I dont think I’ve ever read a book like this before with art in pretty much every chapter and the artist does it beautifully.
I didn’t fall in love with it enough to get that five star feeling but it was really good
September 8, 2022
This book was so cute, literally had me blushing. These characters are so well written and I love how their relationships develop.
August 31, 2022
This was so cute
December 27, 2022
Genuinely one of the worst books I've read. I was so excited when I saw the cover - so cute and sapphic! - but this book is about 5 years and ten drafts away from being publishable. Countless typos, grammar errors, punctuation errors; there was even an occasion where the author had left "***" to indicate a detail she needed to come back to to fill in and ... didn't. The characters are supposed to be about 20 but feel like they're 16, which makes sense as the author is a teenager. The pacing is WAY off.
Spoiler alert:
It isn't until the 85% mark that Jiyu even realises she likes Wynn, and then in the epilogue, they get engaged and ONE PAGE LATER, with no indication of time passing, it's their wedding day.
This did not work! It's badly written, totally unedited, and a major disappointment.
Spoiler alert:
It isn't until the 85% mark that Jiyu even realises she likes Wynn, and then in the epilogue, they get engaged and ONE PAGE LATER, with no indication of time passing, it's their wedding day.
This did not work! It's badly written, totally unedited, and a major disappointment.
February 25, 2024
“you are the brightest star in my universe that was previously dim”
June 7, 2024
Perfect. Every single page.
I love this with every fiber of my being.
I want what they have.
I had what they have.
And that HURTS.
But yeah.
Perfection.
I want more from this author I am begging.
I love this with every fiber of my being.
I want what they have.
I had what they have.
And that HURTS.
But yeah.
Perfection.
I want more from this author I am begging.
August 23, 2022
Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
CW: Homophobia, outing
As a form of personal rebellion against her controlling wealthy parents, notorious Jiyu Astor decides to have a roommate instead of a single room at college. What she doesn’t expect is her roommate to be their college’s social media sensation and top athlete Wynn Star. Amidst the gossip and college life, the two girls grow closer and learn more about the girl behind the rumours, becoming friends--and something else?
--
A book I decided to read because of how beautiful the cover was and how much of a sweet sapphic story it sounded like, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
I have so many feelings for all of the characters in this book; most of all Jiyu and Wynn, but also Jiho and Riven. The characters and interactions were fun and hilarious and had me wanting more at the end. They were definitely the highlight of the book. Jiho was such an icon; he was truly so ride or die for Jiyu I loved them both. Riven is my personal favourite because she’s a lesbian and so am I and so I love her and how she ended up helping Jiyu. I would do anything for books on Jiho and Riven (especially because her saying she’s dealt with her fair share of rumours has me wanting her story).
The book was a relatively easy read and the plot was simple with few conflicts. I mostly just loved the many cute moments that had me smiling madly; like Jiyu watching Wynn volleyball highlight videos, Wynn moving so that she was on the road side of the path (such a tiny detail but so wholesome lmao).
My only real issue with the book was the writing. There were quite a few writing errors (and even some formatting errors, but they could be the fault of Amazon manufacturing I suppose?) like the tenses changing and names that should be capitalised that aren’t etc. as well as how we seem to move really fast at times, breezing by days and weeks and events. A lot of the conflicts were also really easily resolved or at least we didn't go into detail about how things were fixed, although I personally didn’t mind that because I just wanted them to be happy. However, I will say it got easier to read nearing the end! I admittedly cannot tell if it was because I got used to it, but it made for a smoother read from then on.
Also, the illustrations throughout the book are so cute and such a fun treat every time. I love the art style and I found them all so adorable!
Overall, despite my issues with the book, it was such a cute wholesome read that I enjoyed a lot and I don’t regret buying it at all!
Format: Paperback
CW: Homophobia, outing
As a form of personal rebellion against her controlling wealthy parents, notorious Jiyu Astor decides to have a roommate instead of a single room at college. What she doesn’t expect is her roommate to be their college’s social media sensation and top athlete Wynn Star. Amidst the gossip and college life, the two girls grow closer and learn more about the girl behind the rumours, becoming friends--and something else?
--
A book I decided to read because of how beautiful the cover was and how much of a sweet sapphic story it sounded like, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
I have so many feelings for all of the characters in this book; most of all Jiyu and Wynn, but also Jiho and Riven. The characters and interactions were fun and hilarious and had me wanting more at the end. They were definitely the highlight of the book. Jiho was such an icon; he was truly so ride or die for Jiyu I loved them both. Riven is my personal favourite because she’s a lesbian and so am I and so I love her and how she ended up helping Jiyu. I would do anything for books on Jiho and Riven (especially because her saying she’s dealt with her fair share of rumours has me wanting her story).
The book was a relatively easy read and the plot was simple with few conflicts. I mostly just loved the many cute moments that had me smiling madly; like Jiyu watching Wynn volleyball highlight videos, Wynn moving so that she was on the road side of the path (such a tiny detail but so wholesome lmao).
My only real issue with the book was the writing. There were quite a few writing errors (and even some formatting errors, but they could be the fault of Amazon manufacturing I suppose?) like the tenses changing and names that should be capitalised that aren’t etc. as well as how we seem to move really fast at times, breezing by days and weeks and events. A lot of the conflicts were also really easily resolved or at least we didn't go into detail about how things were fixed, although I personally didn’t mind that because I just wanted them to be happy. However, I will say it got easier to read nearing the end! I admittedly cannot tell if it was because I got used to it, but it made for a smoother read from then on.
Also, the illustrations throughout the book are so cute and such a fun treat every time. I love the art style and I found them all so adorable!
Overall, despite my issues with the book, it was such a cute wholesome read that I enjoyed a lot and I don’t regret buying it at all!
September 12, 2022
Quick read, (too) cute and a bit cliché. A great book to read if you're in a slump and want to cheer up a bit without having to think too much.
The reading experience:
First chapter in, I am eyerolling at the wattpadian writing. But about 40 pages deep in the book, it evolves more toward a heartwarming Heartstopper-esque writing style. It traps you in its cuteness and you can only continue on reading. A nice proof that you don't need complicated sentences to convey a story. It actually makes sure we can read the book quite quickly without having to just skimming through it.
The books reads itself like a movie. I like a cute Netflix romance movie and that is exactly this.
The story (zero spoiler):
OH MY THE CLICHÉS. The first pages really stack up on clichés which stresses even more the wattpadian writing style. Even if I hate admitting it... I liked it! Once you accept that the story focuses more on a lighthearted endearing story, the clichés are not as annoying as the start. The author clearly favored passing on a sweet atmosphere rather than stepping away from romanche clichés and it's okay because you quickly understand that it's a conscious choice. However I would love to read a next book from the same author where they try to stand by themselves because they are talented and don't need to support their writing by using all those a bit overused plotlines.
During my reading I laughed (the pigeon thing, if you know, you know) and I awed ("It was fitting for such a sweet girl to have hair the color of a sweet coookie.") but I feel like I lacked other emotions. The story is maybe a bit too cute. Lots of more serious topics are talked about but very superficially and the characters' struggles are not that important il the story. I like to see characters struggle and suffer a bit. There is only one time where there was a true misunderstanding which lead to a dispute and I wish there was more of that to keep us on our toes.
Representation:
YES. The author is giving us lesbian and gay representation, Asian, White and then Black representation. YES. YES. YES.
From what I've read, the author is a high school student. And that alone makes me want to rate that book a star higher. I liked it enough to give it 3 stars but the author has so much potential I'm going to push it to 4 stars.
The reading experience:
First chapter in, I am eyerolling at the wattpadian writing. But about 40 pages deep in the book, it evolves more toward a heartwarming Heartstopper-esque writing style. It traps you in its cuteness and you can only continue on reading. A nice proof that you don't need complicated sentences to convey a story. It actually makes sure we can read the book quite quickly without having to just skimming through it.
The books reads itself like a movie. I like a cute Netflix romance movie and that is exactly this.
The story (zero spoiler):
OH MY THE CLICHÉS. The first pages really stack up on clichés which stresses even more the wattpadian writing style. Even if I hate admitting it... I liked it! Once you accept that the story focuses more on a lighthearted endearing story, the clichés are not as annoying as the start. The author clearly favored passing on a sweet atmosphere rather than stepping away from romanche clichés and it's okay because you quickly understand that it's a conscious choice. However I would love to read a next book from the same author where they try to stand by themselves because they are talented and don't need to support their writing by using all those a bit overused plotlines.
During my reading I laughed (the pigeon thing, if you know, you know) and I awed ("It was fitting for such a sweet girl to have hair the color of a sweet coookie.") but I feel like I lacked other emotions. The story is maybe a bit too cute. Lots of more serious topics are talked about but very superficially and the characters' struggles are not that important il the story. I like to see characters struggle and suffer a bit. There is only one time where there was a true misunderstanding which lead to a dispute and I wish there was more of that to keep us on our toes.
Representation:
YES. The author is giving us lesbian and gay representation, Asian, White and then Black representation. YES. YES. YES.
From what I've read, the author is a high school student. And that alone makes me want to rate that book a star higher. I liked it enough to give it 3 stars but the author has so much potential I'm going to push it to 4 stars.
January 6, 2024
I bought this book because I love sapphic stories and found the cover and title really eye-catching. I do appreciate the portrayal of the protagonists' familial and personal struggles and also think that the illustrator did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the characters in the artworks! However, the entire plotline and writing gave me the feeling as if I were reading an unfinished draft. There were multiple typos and formatting errors which could have been easily avoided if properly proofread. The character concepts felt clichéd and one-dimensional to me as well, at times I even felt like this was taken from a wattpad story. However, I do understand that Katie Choi is a very young author and considering this being her first book (I believe), it was a quick and cute read and looks really pretty on my bookshelf! I'm looking forward to future books by this author :)
February 6, 2023
This was so cute wtff
So many little details and the characters were diverse, realistic, I loved every single one out of the main cast and was so happy when they got what they deserved (they all deserve nothing but happiness ngl)
THE CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT WAS SO GOOD AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE MY WHOLE HEART
So many little details and the characters were diverse, realistic, I loved every single one out of the main cast and was so happy when they got what they deserved (they all deserve nothing but happiness ngl)
THE CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT WAS SO GOOD AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE MY WHOLE HEART
January 1, 2023
I haven't read a book in about a year due to a reading slump. I received this for Christmas and read it in three sittings, which isn't like me at all. It's an incredible story with beautiful characters. I was either smiling or crying the whole time, which is my indicator of a good book. It was so well written and the plot was perfect. I couldn't stop turning the page. I wish I could read it again for the first time; I still get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about it. I love the way the wlw representation is (obviously it isn't always so positive in the media) but I think it is beautifully done in the book. I fell in love with all of the main characters and I really felt like I was in there with them. It isn't rushed at all and the epilogue really leaves the book feeling completed. I just love it so much. Thank you to the incredible author who has gotten me back into reading. Thank you so much. The illustrator has also done an amazing job. The artwork is so beautiful and really adds to the story. Together the book is absolutely perfect. Liz <3
August 1, 2023
4.5
this book has been sitting on my tbr for well over a year and it’s one of those ones where i kept scrolling past it, telling myself i needed to read it, but then ignoring it for something else. god, i am so annoyed at my past self for putting off reading this book for so long.
there were several points within this book where i was tearing up because god the story is beautiful. also the illustrations!!! i’ve never read a book with interwoven illustrations before and god they suit the book perfectly and add so much depth and detail.
this book is a brilliant tale of love and friendship and growing up and everything in between and it really truly encapsulates everything about being a person in college and university.
to me 4 hours ago, thank you so much for choosing to read this book, you did good.
this book has been sitting on my tbr for well over a year and it’s one of those ones where i kept scrolling past it, telling myself i needed to read it, but then ignoring it for something else. god, i am so annoyed at my past self for putting off reading this book for so long.
there were several points within this book where i was tearing up because god the story is beautiful. also the illustrations!!! i’ve never read a book with interwoven illustrations before and god they suit the book perfectly and add so much depth and detail.
this book is a brilliant tale of love and friendship and growing up and everything in between and it really truly encapsulates everything about being a person in college and university.
to me 4 hours ago, thank you so much for choosing to read this book, you did good.
February 4, 2023
one word to describe this book: adorable
This book was a light read with beautiful illustrations. It completely stole my heart and made me smile. Also, they talk through their problems!! Like there isn’t no miscommunication WHICH I LOVE. It went through ways of growing up as a teenager and just had great character growth in general. Jiyo, Wynn, Jiho and Riven are four amazing characters that will always stay close to my heart. I would 100% percent recommend this book it just such a shame how short it is! I finished it and wanted MORE. I really hope that Katie Choi writes more in the future or even a book #2 of this!!
( why have I not seen this book around as well? It’s incredibly underrated, I’m so glad I picked it up )
This book was a light read with beautiful illustrations. It completely stole my heart and made me smile. Also, they talk through their problems!! Like there isn’t no miscommunication WHICH I LOVE. It went through ways of growing up as a teenager and just had great character growth in general. Jiyo, Wynn, Jiho and Riven are four amazing characters that will always stay close to my heart. I would 100% percent recommend this book it just such a shame how short it is! I finished it and wanted MORE. I really hope that Katie Choi writes more in the future or even a book #2 of this!!
( why have I not seen this book around as well? It’s incredibly underrated, I’m so glad I picked it up )
January 21, 2024
4.5!!
Was the book cliché? Yes.
Did I still love it? Yes, absolutely.
Wynn and Jiyu really are so great for each other, I really enjoyed their character development throughout the book! They both really were two sides of the same coin, both having to hide who they really were because of the expectations others had of them, but together they managed to break free from those limitations and built a happy life for themselves. What else would you want?
Their understanding of each other and the connection between them was developed so naturally, so it was a treat to read about them getting closer and showing each other sides of themselves, nobody ever gets to see. They helped each other change for the better and love each other unconditionally!!! They’re just so sweet!!
Was the book cliché? Yes.
Did I still love it? Yes, absolutely.
Wynn and Jiyu really are so great for each other, I really enjoyed their character development throughout the book! They both really were two sides of the same coin, both having to hide who they really were because of the expectations others had of them, but together they managed to break free from those limitations and built a happy life for themselves. What else would you want?
Their understanding of each other and the connection between them was developed so naturally, so it was a treat to read about them getting closer and showing each other sides of themselves, nobody ever gets to see. They helped each other change for the better and love each other unconditionally!!! They’re just so sweet!!
August 24, 2022
I loved the character development and overall personalities of the characters! They compliment one another so nicely, making for a delightful read. To be honest Ive never been a big reader but this book finally changed that for me and I cant wait to see what the Katherine Choi does next! I also loved the illustrations and how they brought the writing to life!
January 6, 2023
i have never finished a book so fast! i loved how each character had their own unique personality and none seemed to overlap and share personality traits. I also enjoyed the drawings within the book, i could of stared at them all day if i wanted to. i’d definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. :)
March 12, 2023
I absolutely loved this book with my whole heart! I loved how the relationship formed so quickly yet it wasn’t rushed and we didn’t have multiple arguments that caused complete setbacks or their relationship, this shows a healthy lesbian couple and I’m living for it!! I will never forget this book!!
June 12, 2023
Wow, this book is just amazing, I can't. I picked it up before bed cause I just finished a book and decided to read maybe the first chapter...its 4am and I finished the whole book AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH AHAHAHSHSJS, IT IS SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED OMG. I would write more but like I said it is 4am and I'm tired so I highly reccomed its amazing!!!
August 28, 2022
it was really well written and the romance didnt feel forced or rushed ! i loved seeing how jiyu and wynns relationship grew throughout the book and the ending was so good !! this has got to be my favorite wlw book ive read so far ! im definitely going to be rereading this book a lot
September 10, 2022
4.5 stars
super cute and wholesome, not my usual type of read so i’m not too sure about the five stars but i did love it wholeheartedly <3
super cute and wholesome, not my usual type of read so i’m not too sure about the five stars but i did love it wholeheartedly <3
September 23, 2022
So cute and so well written 🥰
January 8, 2023
this was such a cute read
January 8, 2023
beautiful queer love <3
June 9, 2023
it was really cute I enjoyed it.
September 13, 2023
omfg 😭
August 4, 2024
2.5⭐️
Physical book
Physical book
July 20, 2023
A quick wholesome read
March 26, 2024
i adore them
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews