Absolutely five star rating of a Chinese sapphic book set in the last three years of high school following two girls whose family individually neglected and abandoned them finding solace in each other and becoming their own sanctuary. From having a toxic peer group to finding a new found family with their new roommates. Everything about this story is what I love.
This is the Chinese sapphic book that made me for the first time realize what western queer audience say “I wish I had read this book growing up as a queer teen”. Because my circumstances is eerily similar to that of one of the girls in this story - Chi Tang. And this sapphic book would have made me feel less alone but when I grew up sapphic books and stories weren’t really a thing in China. I’m glad now the new gen of Chinese sapphic girls get this kind of stories.
My first baihe novel! You Yu and Chi Tang both have awful family situations, and this story is about how becoming friends (and later, more) in high school slowly makes their lives better and better. There's a good balance of light and sweet interactions with heavier backstory, and I like the overall trajectory.
3.5* Usually, I'm not a fan of school life novels, but this one is different. The author also addresses the sexism and discrimination that women, whether they're from the cities or the countryside, face in daily life. It mentioned as well the hard life and emotional abuse that children of divorce can experience even years after the divorce. Not gonna lie, I felt represented in many aspects in this novel, so the question here is why the low rate? The ending. I don't know what was going on in the author's life, but it felt kinda rushed, or maybe the fans kept pressuring her and she just wanted to finish it asap.
A cute read! While I wish the romance is more prominent, the leads are three-dimensional and the way their relationship develops makes sense. However, the last third of the book feels really rushed. On top of that, some of the arcs are way too melodramatic and feel out of place with the tone of the story. That being said, I still enjoyed it and I'm glad I picked it as my first baihe.