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Miss Fortune Cookie
Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy.
It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog - and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance.
What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like this:
You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life.
It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog - and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance.
What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like this:
You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2012
15 people are currently reading
2045 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Bjorkman
3 books92 followersI am the author of two YA novels, MY INVENTED LIFE and MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. I also contributed a short story to the anthology THE FIRST TIME.
Though I grew up on a sail boat and loved traveling the world as a kid, I'm still afraid of the ocean. I much prefer other modes of transportation these days--plane, train, or car. Walking is best.
I love books with multi-faceted, intriguing characters. The best one make me laugh, cry, and turn the pages long past my bed time.
When I'm not reading or writing, I spend time with family and friends, talking about everything under the sun. Add in some good food to the mix, top it off with chocolate, and I'm truly happy.
Though I grew up on a sail boat and loved traveling the world as a kid, I'm still afraid of the ocean. I much prefer other modes of transportation these days--plane, train, or car. Walking is best.
I love books with multi-faceted, intriguing characters. The best one make me laugh, cry, and turn the pages long past my bed time.
When I'm not reading or writing, I spend time with family and friends, talking about everything under the sun. Add in some good food to the mix, top it off with chocolate, and I'm truly happy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
June 7, 2019
Erin is a great, smart student. And she would be quick to point out that it is not because she’s Asian, thank you very much! She enjoys writing an advice blog under the name “Miss Fortune Cookie”, until a friend sends a letter to the blog, then acts on the advice! And things turn crazy!
December 28, 2015
HOLY HELL.
I am literally graduating in less than twelve hours. I'M FREAKING OUT.
YOU CAN FINALLY READ MY FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG : NERDYCHAMPAGNE
This book tells us that everything, one way or another, are connected. So no matter how hard you try to hide that little secret of yours, it’ll get out in due time.
Overall, the story was unique, humorous, stupidly sweet, and real. It was a lovely story of friendship, truth, family, and just all kinds of relationships. In case you’re feeling down and confused about almost everything and nothing in your life, give this book a try!
I am literally graduating in less than twelve hours. I'M FREAKING OUT.
YOU CAN FINALLY READ MY FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG : NERDYCHAMPAGNE
This book tells us that everything, one way or another, are connected. So no matter how hard you try to hide that little secret of yours, it’ll get out in due time.
Overall, the story was unique, humorous, stupidly sweet, and real. It was a lovely story of friendship, truth, family, and just all kinds of relationships. In case you’re feeling down and confused about almost everything and nothing in your life, give this book a try!
February 2, 2013
I enjoyed this but had some problems with it. It's cute and has some nice messages about what it means to be a good friend and a good daughter. If there's a moral to this story, it's that it pays to be honest with your loved ones and to trust them to ultimately do right by you.
On the one hand, I enjoyed the idea of a white young woman being the outsider and trying to be accepted into what would be considered a minority group elsewhere in the country. On the other...I found Erin's attempts to fit in with her Chinese American classmates awkward. Dying her hair black, striking up conversations in Mandarin with strangers on the bus...these made me cringe a bit inside.
I also found the early introduction of Westboro Baptist on p.18 to be very much an infodump and out of place in the narrative. The later fictionalized account of Lowell's anti-protest was well done, the early info-dump, not so much. Rather than being introduced to Linny's character, we're treated to a min-rant about Westboro. I'm fine with ranting about Westboro, but feel it should have come later in the story after we're better acquainted with the characters.
Erin has a tendency to assume that many of the letters sent to the Miss Fortune Cookie blog are from her acquaintances, whether from Mei, her mother, or even Shanice. I'm not really clear that that's actually the case or if she's just reading her own experiences into the correspondence. On the one hand, she recognizes she's putting too much of herself into her replies, but doesn't seem to recognize she's doing the same when reading the initial letters. If they really ARE from the people she assumes their from, that's a pretty big stretch of belief.
As much as I enjoyed the precocious Lincoln, I don't really find him to be all that believable. He's very much the deus ex machina in Erin's relationship with Weyland. I also couldn't believe his mother was almost immediately won over by a stranger and lost her mad on that said stranger had essentially abducted her son. And then offered the stranger a regular babysitting gig. Is this really reflective of San Franciso's culture? Are people really that trusting of strangers? Even Erin's mom invites homeless transients into their home for overnights on the couch. It's a big stretch for me.
I lost respect for Weyland after the hotel with his 'game-playing' comment. He and Erin have had no time to talk and don't really know one another at all. Given where they're at in their relationship, this was a real douche move.
Finally...really Erin, you're going to Harvard? At $36K+ a year? When your mother doesn't make enough to even keep the phone on? I don't care how fabulous the opportunities. Don't fall for the hype and incur all that debt--go to Berkeley instead.
On the one hand, I enjoyed the idea of a white young woman being the outsider and trying to be accepted into what would be considered a minority group elsewhere in the country. On the other...I found Erin's attempts to fit in with her Chinese American classmates awkward. Dying her hair black, striking up conversations in Mandarin with strangers on the bus...these made me cringe a bit inside.
I also found the early introduction of Westboro Baptist on p.18 to be very much an infodump and out of place in the narrative. The later fictionalized account of Lowell's anti-protest was well done, the early info-dump, not so much. Rather than being introduced to Linny's character, we're treated to a min-rant about Westboro. I'm fine with ranting about Westboro, but feel it should have come later in the story after we're better acquainted with the characters.
Erin has a tendency to assume that many of the letters sent to the Miss Fortune Cookie blog are from her acquaintances, whether from Mei, her mother, or even Shanice. I'm not really clear that that's actually the case or if she's just reading her own experiences into the correspondence. On the one hand, she recognizes she's putting too much of herself into her replies, but doesn't seem to recognize she's doing the same when reading the initial letters. If they really ARE from the people she assumes their from, that's a pretty big stretch of belief.
As much as I enjoyed the precocious Lincoln, I don't really find him to be all that believable. He's very much the deus ex machina in Erin's relationship with Weyland. I also couldn't believe his mother was almost immediately won over by a stranger and lost her mad on that said stranger had essentially abducted her son. And then offered the stranger a regular babysitting gig. Is this really reflective of San Franciso's culture? Are people really that trusting of strangers? Even Erin's mom invites homeless transients into their home for overnights on the couch. It's a big stretch for me.
I lost respect for Weyland after the hotel with his 'game-playing' comment. He and Erin have had no time to talk and don't really know one another at all. Given where they're at in their relationship, this was a real douche move.
Finally...really Erin, you're going to Harvard? At $36K+ a year? When your mother doesn't make enough to even keep the phone on? I don't care how fabulous the opportunities. Don't fall for the hype and incur all that debt--go to Berkeley instead.
November 29, 2012
I want to thank Henry Holt and Company and the author, Laren Bjorkman for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and give an honest review. This book was read and reviewed as part of the book tour taking place through the following tour site: http://www.crossroadreviews.com/. Obtaining this book for free has in no way influenced my thoughts.
Blurb from Goodreads:
Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy.
It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog—and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance.
What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life
I must start off by saying I am not a big reader of contemporary fiction. I steer away from it because I want my reading to take me to fantasy places where things happen that I would never experience in real life. Yet, once in a while, a contemporary fiction novel comes along and kind of grabs me and drags me under with it's story. This book did this for me. I was right away swept up by the way it was written and flowed and the funny anticdotes the main character used to help the reader relate to the situation.
I have to say that the cover is fairly plain for this book. It's cute in it's own way and has a nice color scheme. But it's doubtful I would have picked this book up on looks alone had it not been given to me to review.
I really liked the main character, Erin. She had spunk to her. Her secret identity as Miss Fortune Cookie made her a bit mysterious. And yet, her advice adequately portrayed how smart she is and how, despite her lack of life experience, she really is able to give good advice to others. Mostly she's a teenage girl, trying to make the "hard" decisions that will change and shape her life in the future. She's extremely devoted to her mother and her friends. Yet she has just the right amount of teen angst and insecurity to make her real and relatable. One thing that bothered me about her was her lack of self-confidence. I know that many teens go through periods of this, but she seemed so down on herself all the time, like nothing good could happen to her (getting into an Ivy league school, having a guy like her). Fortunately, she does learn a lot about herself throughout the book and gains much more confidence as it goes on.
Her best friends, Linny and Mei, truly compliment her. Each girl has enough differences in her personality to help make the story interesting and the situations plausible.
I liked the story line, basically a teen girl coming into herself, making decisions that will influence where her life goes in the future. A young girl experiencing changes in her friendships that she didn't think would happen. A young girl feeling love for the first time. In the midst of all this, we are learning a bit about the Chinese culture, tho not as much as I would have hoped seeing as this really seemed like it would be centered around the experiences Chinese American teenagers go through when balancing family, friends and the two combined cultures.The ending wrapped the story up in a neat little package, which I don't usually mind, but it would have been nice if things really didn't happen all in the way we thought it would (as in fairytale ending).
I really enjoyed the authors writing style. It was easy to follow, for the most part. Although I have to say there were two incidents where I had to turn the page back to make sure I really understood what was going on. The Author was able to make light of more serious situations, adding some humor to the story. There was also a bit of suspense, just the right amount to keep you interested. And the story bounced around a bit, lending some randomness to it.
All in all I liked the story and I am happy that I got to experience it. I would definitely read something else from this author in the future. 3 out of 5 stars.
Review to be posted to the following sites once the tour begins:
Amazon
The Cover Contessa
Blurb from Goodreads:
Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy.
It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog—and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance.
What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life
I must start off by saying I am not a big reader of contemporary fiction. I steer away from it because I want my reading to take me to fantasy places where things happen that I would never experience in real life. Yet, once in a while, a contemporary fiction novel comes along and kind of grabs me and drags me under with it's story. This book did this for me. I was right away swept up by the way it was written and flowed and the funny anticdotes the main character used to help the reader relate to the situation.
I have to say that the cover is fairly plain for this book. It's cute in it's own way and has a nice color scheme. But it's doubtful I would have picked this book up on looks alone had it not been given to me to review.
I really liked the main character, Erin. She had spunk to her. Her secret identity as Miss Fortune Cookie made her a bit mysterious. And yet, her advice adequately portrayed how smart she is and how, despite her lack of life experience, she really is able to give good advice to others. Mostly she's a teenage girl, trying to make the "hard" decisions that will change and shape her life in the future. She's extremely devoted to her mother and her friends. Yet she has just the right amount of teen angst and insecurity to make her real and relatable. One thing that bothered me about her was her lack of self-confidence. I know that many teens go through periods of this, but she seemed so down on herself all the time, like nothing good could happen to her (getting into an Ivy league school, having a guy like her). Fortunately, she does learn a lot about herself throughout the book and gains much more confidence as it goes on.
Her best friends, Linny and Mei, truly compliment her. Each girl has enough differences in her personality to help make the story interesting and the situations plausible.
I liked the story line, basically a teen girl coming into herself, making decisions that will influence where her life goes in the future. A young girl experiencing changes in her friendships that she didn't think would happen. A young girl feeling love for the first time. In the midst of all this, we are learning a bit about the Chinese culture, tho not as much as I would have hoped seeing as this really seemed like it would be centered around the experiences Chinese American teenagers go through when balancing family, friends and the two combined cultures.The ending wrapped the story up in a neat little package, which I don't usually mind, but it would have been nice if things really didn't happen all in the way we thought it would (as in fairytale ending).
I really enjoyed the authors writing style. It was easy to follow, for the most part. Although I have to say there were two incidents where I had to turn the page back to make sure I really understood what was going on. The Author was able to make light of more serious situations, adding some humor to the story. There was also a bit of suspense, just the right amount to keep you interested. And the story bounced around a bit, lending some randomness to it.
All in all I liked the story and I am happy that I got to experience it. I would definitely read something else from this author in the future. 3 out of 5 stars.
Review to be posted to the following sites once the tour begins:
Amazon
The Cover Contessa
January 3, 2013
Smart is going to cause problems in life. That's what this book shows. It shows that no matter how smart you are, you will love, you will have family problems, and you will make mistakes. This story is one of one true fact. Love for family. Mei wants to respect her family and go to Harvard. Love for boys. But she would rather go to Stanford to be closer to her loving boyfriend. Erin becomes close to Wayland while trying to help me. And most of all love for friends. Mei, Erin, and Linny have problems they fight, they try to help, they make things worse, they try to sacrifice for eachother but they cannot stay together. It tells the story of the reality of going to college or high school. Everyone has a different destiny and no matter how much u love people you are going to have to let them go.
December 25, 2019
This is a cute book and is centered around the idea of paving your own path and making your own choices, but sometimes also simply accepting your fate.
March 15, 2023
In the beginning, Miss Fortune Cookie captured my interest. Chinatown in San Francisco has a piece of my heart for nostalgic reasons, and Erin's voice was engaging. However, around Chapter 19, most of the believability for the whole book fell apart entirely. This is the point in the novel where Erin's friend, Mei, announces that she is going to elope with her boyfriend in order to avoid going to Harvard (which is where her mom wants her to go). Following this announcement, the rest of the novel is a series of crazy sequences, each more unbelievable than the next.
For instance, Erin and Weyland chase after Mei and Darren, only to lose them and stop at Weyland's cousin's house to borrow the wifi. There's a nine-year-old boy sleeping over (the cousin's neighbor's kid, while she is working a swing shift). Weyland leaves to get gas (why didn't he just take Erin with him???) and leaves Erin at his random cousin's house with this kid. Then when he comes back, the kid convinces them to take him with them (?????). THIS KID DOESN'T BELONG TO ANYONE THEY KNOW. But sure, let's take him out for pancakes and then to the motel where my best friend is planning to elope with her boyfriend - at midnight.
Then, because midnight is "too late at night" to wake the runaway Mei, Weyland just gets a motel room for him, Erin, and the kid to spend the night. I'm sorry, but I simply can't suspend my disbelief this far. If you can believe me, the night gets even wackier from there, but I don't need to dive into it all...
After this, my rose-colored glasses about the characters and the storyline as a whole were completely off. I was annoyed by Erin's obsession with Weyland, referring to him as her boyfriend and fantasizing about being in love with him after she spent half the night thinking he was Linny's boyfriend and the other half being a psycho. Somehow, we're supposed to believe that (Erin x Weyland) = true lahv 4evah (to reference the overly-used equations throughout the book) after one wacky night doing anything but getting to know each other. In addition, the sections regarding the counter protest were so dismally thin that I wondered what the point of having this part of the book in was at all. It made a lot more sense in reading the after-book notes from the author that it was inspired by true events at the school where the book is set, and was added into the story afterward. It certainly reads like an after-thought because it has absolutely nothing to do with anything else going on in the story.
The other thing that bothered me is that I thought the Miss Fortune Cookie blog was going to be, you know, an actual part of the narrative. However, besides a handful of scenes where Erin checks her blog and pats herself on the back for giving such excellent advice to other people, the blog has almost nothing to do with the rest of the plot. Besides the initial letter from Mei that spurred some things into motion, the blog doesn't do anything for any of the characters, bring anyone together, or reveal any character development. This disappointed me the most since I thought this was going to be the major plot point of the story, not just three teenage girls obsessing over which Ivy League school they were going or not going to.
Things I Wanted Way More Of:
-Miss Fortune Cookie blog
-Erin's mom
-Chinese culture
-Well-written fortune cookies (seriously, the ones at the start of each chapter were just... not good)
-Developed romance between Weyland and Erin (or even Darren and Mei or heck, "Dub" and Linny)
-Friends actually talking to each other about meaningful topics
Things I Wanted Way Less Of:
-Lincoln, the kid
-"Misforunately"
-Erin thinking she's tough for trying to fight a meth-head in the middle of the night instead of calling 911
-The Night That Never Ends
-After-thought counter-protest
-Erin randomly signing songs that were popular when this book came out in 2012
-Erin flirting with her friends' boyfriends
-Using asterisks to censor language rather than writing the actual words or just not having them in the narrative
All in all, I wasn't head over heels but I was on board with the book until roughly halfway through. After the major pivot into crazytown, though, everything just fell apart for me and I couldn't keep my eyes from rolling.
For instance, Erin and Weyland chase after Mei and Darren, only to lose them and stop at Weyland's cousin's house to borrow the wifi. There's a nine-year-old boy sleeping over (the cousin's neighbor's kid, while she is working a swing shift). Weyland leaves to get gas (why didn't he just take Erin with him???) and leaves Erin at his random cousin's house with this kid. Then when he comes back, the kid convinces them to take him with them (?????). THIS KID DOESN'T BELONG TO ANYONE THEY KNOW. But sure, let's take him out for pancakes and then to the motel where my best friend is planning to elope with her boyfriend - at midnight.
Then, because midnight is "too late at night" to wake the runaway Mei, Weyland just gets a motel room for him, Erin, and the kid to spend the night. I'm sorry, but I simply can't suspend my disbelief this far. If you can believe me, the night gets even wackier from there, but I don't need to dive into it all...
After this, my rose-colored glasses about the characters and the storyline as a whole were completely off. I was annoyed by Erin's obsession with Weyland, referring to him as her boyfriend and fantasizing about being in love with him after she spent half the night thinking he was Linny's boyfriend and the other half being a psycho. Somehow, we're supposed to believe that (Erin x Weyland) = true lahv 4evah (to reference the overly-used equations throughout the book) after one wacky night doing anything but getting to know each other. In addition, the sections regarding the counter protest were so dismally thin that I wondered what the point of having this part of the book in was at all. It made a lot more sense in reading the after-book notes from the author that it was inspired by true events at the school where the book is set, and was added into the story afterward. It certainly reads like an after-thought because it has absolutely nothing to do with anything else going on in the story.
The other thing that bothered me is that I thought the Miss Fortune Cookie blog was going to be, you know, an actual part of the narrative. However, besides a handful of scenes where Erin checks her blog and pats herself on the back for giving such excellent advice to other people, the blog has almost nothing to do with the rest of the plot. Besides the initial letter from Mei that spurred some things into motion, the blog doesn't do anything for any of the characters, bring anyone together, or reveal any character development. This disappointed me the most since I thought this was going to be the major plot point of the story, not just three teenage girls obsessing over which Ivy League school they were going or not going to.
Things I Wanted Way More Of:
-Miss Fortune Cookie blog
-Erin's mom
-Chinese culture
-Well-written fortune cookies (seriously, the ones at the start of each chapter were just... not good)
-Developed romance between Weyland and Erin (or even Darren and Mei or heck, "Dub" and Linny)
-Friends actually talking to each other about meaningful topics
Things I Wanted Way Less Of:
-Lincoln, the kid
-"Misforunately"
-Erin thinking she's tough for trying to fight a meth-head in the middle of the night instead of calling 911
-The Night That Never Ends
-After-thought counter-protest
-Erin randomly signing songs that were popular when this book came out in 2012
-Erin flirting with her friends' boyfriends
-Using asterisks to censor language rather than writing the actual words or just not having them in the narrative
All in all, I wasn't head over heels but I was on board with the book until roughly halfway through. After the major pivot into crazytown, though, everything just fell apart for me and I couldn't keep my eyes from rolling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2014
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
Miss Fortune Cookie was such a pleasant surprise for many reasons but here are a few that stood out:
- It talked about how to deal with the challenges of threesome friendships in a way where each girl had a different (and well-established connection) with each other. (This is so rare.)
The challenges of choosing colleges especially when you want to stay close to your best friends and aren’t ready to make that leap out of your comfort zone quite yet.
- Great insight into the Chinese culture. It was so unique to have a character like Erin who embraced the culture so much (she was born in China) and wanted to officially be a part of it.
Realistic portrayal of the internet. Erin secretly blogs as “Miss Fortune Cookie”, dispensing advice to those who ask and I loved the backstory of how her blog gradually rose to fame.
- Okay, so let me set it up. Erin, Mei, and Linny are all best friends except Erin and Mei aren’t as close as they used to be because of some unfinished drama back in elementary school. They never talked it through, were reunited thanks to Linny, and while Erin copes, she is hesitant about trusting Mei with her heart again. Fair enough.
I really liked this look at friendships. It’s hard to be in a threesome because at different parts in your life, one person is always closer to another. Bjorkman does another thing really well. She shows the reader how much of these girls has an individual relationship with the other, which (I think) is so important for a threesome to keep on surviving. (So many of my friendships are based on threesomes so I can relate.)
These girls are dealing with so much: obligations to their parents, college acceptances, secret romances, wanting to lose their virginity, not having money all the time (Erin and her mom are struggling to make ends meet), and more. I liked all of these side stories, especially when Erin meets two very cute boys in one night (one is a great match, and the other is a tad younger — okay super young — but offers her some funny, sweet, cute commentary on life) and orders the most ridiculous virgin drink ever at a club. (I laughed out loud.) All of these characters are in situations where they need advice but Erin is usually the one to dispense it, and when an email from one of her friends shows up in her Miss Fortune Cookie mailbox, she feels even more helpless.
All of this leads to some wacky adventures but it also forces the characters to stand up for themselves and what they really want.
As someone who gives a lot of advice herself, I really understood Erin’s frequent dilemma — that blurry line between giving sound advice to someone and letting them go and figure it out on their own. It’s so difficult especially when all you want is for the people in your life to be happy and do what’s best for them. Then there’s the other possibility: the advice you give is taken and things start to fall apart. What happens then?
Miss Fortune Cookie was a great mix of fun and realistic moments and most of all, I enjoyed its focus on strong female friendships, prep for college, and finding the bravery to make the right decisions for yourself.
Miss Fortune Cookie was such a pleasant surprise for many reasons but here are a few that stood out:
- It talked about how to deal with the challenges of threesome friendships in a way where each girl had a different (and well-established connection) with each other. (This is so rare.)
The challenges of choosing colleges especially when you want to stay close to your best friends and aren’t ready to make that leap out of your comfort zone quite yet.
- Great insight into the Chinese culture. It was so unique to have a character like Erin who embraced the culture so much (she was born in China) and wanted to officially be a part of it.
Realistic portrayal of the internet. Erin secretly blogs as “Miss Fortune Cookie”, dispensing advice to those who ask and I loved the backstory of how her blog gradually rose to fame.
- Okay, so let me set it up. Erin, Mei, and Linny are all best friends except Erin and Mei aren’t as close as they used to be because of some unfinished drama back in elementary school. They never talked it through, were reunited thanks to Linny, and while Erin copes, she is hesitant about trusting Mei with her heart again. Fair enough.
I really liked this look at friendships. It’s hard to be in a threesome because at different parts in your life, one person is always closer to another. Bjorkman does another thing really well. She shows the reader how much of these girls has an individual relationship with the other, which (I think) is so important for a threesome to keep on surviving. (So many of my friendships are based on threesomes so I can relate.)
These girls are dealing with so much: obligations to their parents, college acceptances, secret romances, wanting to lose their virginity, not having money all the time (Erin and her mom are struggling to make ends meet), and more. I liked all of these side stories, especially when Erin meets two very cute boys in one night (one is a great match, and the other is a tad younger — okay super young — but offers her some funny, sweet, cute commentary on life) and orders the most ridiculous virgin drink ever at a club. (I laughed out loud.) All of these characters are in situations where they need advice but Erin is usually the one to dispense it, and when an email from one of her friends shows up in her Miss Fortune Cookie mailbox, she feels even more helpless.
All of this leads to some wacky adventures but it also forces the characters to stand up for themselves and what they really want.
As someone who gives a lot of advice herself, I really understood Erin’s frequent dilemma — that blurry line between giving sound advice to someone and letting them go and figure it out on their own. It’s so difficult especially when all you want is for the people in your life to be happy and do what’s best for them. Then there’s the other possibility: the advice you give is taken and things start to fall apart. What happens then?
Miss Fortune Cookie was a great mix of fun and realistic moments and most of all, I enjoyed its focus on strong female friendships, prep for college, and finding the bravery to make the right decisions for yourself.
December 17, 2012
What a breath of fresh air. No vampires, no shape-shifters, no angels, demons, fairies or any other supernatural creatures. No teenage sex, no crazy partying, no love triangle, or any of the other gimmicks used so often in YA lit. And, you know what? I didn't miss any of it! This is true realistic fiction. The story revolves around Erin, the anonymous writer of an advice blog called Miss Fortune Cookie, and her two Chinese-American friends, Mei and Linny. They are seniors in high school whose biggest concern is getting into the perfect college. While not involving the supernatural, there are a lot of real-life problems that these girls deal with: communicating with each other and their families, feeling like you belong somewhere when you don't look like you fit, feeling responsible for your parents, the struggle to be true to yourself while also being respectful of your family. All of these issues are dealt with throughout Erin's misadventure in Miss Fortune Cookie.
I loved the main character, Erin. She's smart and funny and always has everyone's best interest at heart. She has grown up immersed in Chinese culture and language and feels a part of the Chinese community but she is not Chinese herself. Erin is really caught between two cultures. The author really does a great job of showing how hard it can be for a teenager in particular to feel like you belong somewhere but not look the part.
One of the main themes of this book is friendship and how it evolves. Erin and Mei used to be BFF's before an incident in middle school caused a rift between them. Later on, in high school, they are brought back together by a mutual friend, Linny. Erin sometimes feels like the third wheel in the friendship and that Linny is the only thing holding them all together. As the story unfolds we see how much Mei and Linny rely on Erin. She is their confidante and the one they rely on to help them sort out their problems. By the end of the book, Erin realizes that she is as important to them as they are to her. There are some conflicts between the friends and Erin is often left wondering what she should do or say. Should she be truthful with them? Should she tell them what she really thinks or should she spare their feelings and just nod and agree?
Another main theme is family and the struggle to be true to yourself while also following tradition and being respectful of your family. Mei's mother is a traditional Chinese woman and wants the best for her daughter - in this case, to attend Harvard. Mei is in love and wants to go to a different school to be closer to her boyfriend. How can Mei convince her mother that going to Harvard is not necessarily the best thing for her?
In the end, this book is really about being true to yourself, being honest with the people you love, and communicating in a way that is truthful but respectful all told in a way that is fun and not too serious. This book is about real girls and real issues that they face all told through Erin's often hilarious observations and her advice on Miss Fortune Cookie. As a side note, the fortunes included as chapter headers were also hilarious!
Highly recommended!
I loved the main character, Erin. She's smart and funny and always has everyone's best interest at heart. She has grown up immersed in Chinese culture and language and feels a part of the Chinese community but she is not Chinese herself. Erin is really caught between two cultures. The author really does a great job of showing how hard it can be for a teenager in particular to feel like you belong somewhere but not look the part.
One of the main themes of this book is friendship and how it evolves. Erin and Mei used to be BFF's before an incident in middle school caused a rift between them. Later on, in high school, they are brought back together by a mutual friend, Linny. Erin sometimes feels like the third wheel in the friendship and that Linny is the only thing holding them all together. As the story unfolds we see how much Mei and Linny rely on Erin. She is their confidante and the one they rely on to help them sort out their problems. By the end of the book, Erin realizes that she is as important to them as they are to her. There are some conflicts between the friends and Erin is often left wondering what she should do or say. Should she be truthful with them? Should she tell them what she really thinks or should she spare their feelings and just nod and agree?
Another main theme is family and the struggle to be true to yourself while also following tradition and being respectful of your family. Mei's mother is a traditional Chinese woman and wants the best for her daughter - in this case, to attend Harvard. Mei is in love and wants to go to a different school to be closer to her boyfriend. How can Mei convince her mother that going to Harvard is not necessarily the best thing for her?
In the end, this book is really about being true to yourself, being honest with the people you love, and communicating in a way that is truthful but respectful all told in a way that is fun and not too serious. This book is about real girls and real issues that they face all told through Erin's often hilarious observations and her advice on Miss Fortune Cookie. As a side note, the fortunes included as chapter headers were also hilarious!
Highly recommended!
November 5, 2012
Erin has a secret. She is the anonymous writer behind the Miss Fortune Cookie advice blog, which is only growing in popularity. Erin and her two best friends, Linny and Mei, are anxiously waiting to hear where they got into college. Mei has a serious problem. Her mother has wanted her to go to Harvard since her birth, but Mei wants to go to Stanford to stay near her boyfriend. Mei writes a letter to Miss Fortune Cookie asking for advice, and when she takes Erin's advice, Erin feels terrible. Trying to undo what she's caused sends her off on an all-night adventure and far outside her comfort zone, all while dealing with her own dilemma: how will she tell Linny she got into Harvard herself, and wants to go?
Erin doesn't have a whole lot of confidence. She goes to a smarty-pants school, and she isn't even close to the smartest one there. She knows she's smart, but doesn't feel like she's anything special. She puts herself down a lot. While the book is about Erin and her relationships - with her mom, with her friends, with a cute boy - at its core it's about Erin realizing she has a lot more to offer than she thought and not selling herself short.
Erin and Linny have planned to go to the University of Southern California together since forever. When Erin gets into Harvard, she automatically assumes she won't go, but the more she thinks about it, the more she wants to give herself the chance. But how to tell Linny? Meanwhile, Linny is planning a counter protest to fight back against a hate group that's picketing their school. That's Linny's passion - human rights and advocacy and she isn't focused on formal education. Although she also goes to the smarty-pants school. Mei is very smart, but wants to go to Stanford, not Harvard, so she can be close to her boyfriend who will be at USC. Linny knows Erin is Ms. Fortune Cookie and Mei does not. Everyone is always asking Erin for advice, but Erin has a lot of stuff to figure out herself.
This is all against the backdrop of understanding a culture. Mei and Linny are Chinese. Mei's mother immigrated to America from China and Mei and her family are very traditional. Respecting your elders is of the utmost important, as is the importance of education. Linny, while Chinese, does not have the roots Mei does. Erin, who is not Chinese, but was born in China and spent her early childhood there, wishes she was. This had put a rift between Erin and Mei. Erin sometimes feels like she's not Chinese enough to hang out with Mei and Linny.
So there were a lot of different aspects about this book I liked. I liked Erin learning more about herself and deciding she's worth taking some risks. I liked the family and cultural aspect. The end, I thought, was far to tidy and neat, but you knew that was going to happen. Everyone lived happily ever after. I was a little worried, for a minute, that Erin was going to blow off Harvard because of the new, cute college boy she spent her crazy evening with, but she didn't. She still decides to go to Harvard and she and Wayland decided to try a long distance relationship. Best of luck.
Miss Fortune Cookie comes out November 13, 2012.
Erin doesn't have a whole lot of confidence. She goes to a smarty-pants school, and she isn't even close to the smartest one there. She knows she's smart, but doesn't feel like she's anything special. She puts herself down a lot. While the book is about Erin and her relationships - with her mom, with her friends, with a cute boy - at its core it's about Erin realizing she has a lot more to offer than she thought and not selling herself short.
Erin and Linny have planned to go to the University of Southern California together since forever. When Erin gets into Harvard, she automatically assumes she won't go, but the more she thinks about it, the more she wants to give herself the chance. But how to tell Linny? Meanwhile, Linny is planning a counter protest to fight back against a hate group that's picketing their school. That's Linny's passion - human rights and advocacy and she isn't focused on formal education. Although she also goes to the smarty-pants school. Mei is very smart, but wants to go to Stanford, not Harvard, so she can be close to her boyfriend who will be at USC. Linny knows Erin is Ms. Fortune Cookie and Mei does not. Everyone is always asking Erin for advice, but Erin has a lot of stuff to figure out herself.
This is all against the backdrop of understanding a culture. Mei and Linny are Chinese. Mei's mother immigrated to America from China and Mei and her family are very traditional. Respecting your elders is of the utmost important, as is the importance of education. Linny, while Chinese, does not have the roots Mei does. Erin, who is not Chinese, but was born in China and spent her early childhood there, wishes she was. This had put a rift between Erin and Mei. Erin sometimes feels like she's not Chinese enough to hang out with Mei and Linny.
So there were a lot of different aspects about this book I liked. I liked Erin learning more about herself and deciding she's worth taking some risks. I liked the family and cultural aspect. The end, I thought, was far to tidy and neat, but you knew that was going to happen. Everyone lived happily ever after. I was a little worried, for a minute, that Erin was going to blow off Harvard because of the new, cute college boy she spent her crazy evening with, but she didn't. She still decides to go to Harvard and she and Wayland decided to try a long distance relationship. Best of luck.
Miss Fortune Cookie comes out November 13, 2012.
December 9, 2012
Originally posted on The Authoress: Book Review and More.
I picked up Miss Fortune Cookie in response to seeing it everywhere -- on blogs, on people's profile picture, on Goodreads status updates. Out of sheer irritation, I looked it up to see what the heck all the commotion was about, and I was surprised to see that it looked like a very promising, cute book. I immediately checked it out from my local library and buzzed in anticipation for the moment when I would finally be able to read it. It was worth the wait. Miss Fortune Cookie won me over with its instantly likable main character, Erin, and the passion behind the presentation of Chinese-American culture. But what really got me was that it felt true.
Truth in fiction may seem, at first, to be a bit of a paradox. Readers will tell you, however, that fiction is the best gateway to the truth. Miss Fortune Cookie, despite its...creative elimination of swear words (s***!), felt like something that could really happen in a way that differentiated itself to me from other contemporary novels. There was something there that really connected with me. Maybe it was the nerdiness of Erin in the way she compacted truths down to equations, or the love for her family and culture, or struggling with college choices. Whatever it was, there was a shard of truth there, and it resonated with me.
I think what won me over wholly, though, was the main character, Erin. I loved her innocently sarcastic and self-deprecating narrative, as well as her sarcastic and self-deprecating humor. And although she had some dim moments, don't we all? Things that generally irked me about a character made me love Erin all the more.
Lack of passion in a novel is the bane of my existence, but Lauren Bjorkman has passion in spades. From the details that neatly frame Erin's tiny, shoebox apartment to the way Bjorkman carefully crafted Mrs. Liu's speech, I could sense the painstaking effort and heart that went behind the story. It made the exotic culture of Chinese-American lifestyles to come through loud and clear for me. (Also, I got a kick out of the presentation of Asian stereotypes that happen to be very true. One of my good friends from high school is Asian, and would probably get a real kick out of this book.)
With the humor, charming cultures, and wacky adventures, Miss Fortune Cookie is a real gem of young adult contemporary literature. And at just under three hundred pages, it's a short, fun read for anyone who wants a good story.
I picked up Miss Fortune Cookie in response to seeing it everywhere -- on blogs, on people's profile picture, on Goodreads status updates. Out of sheer irritation, I looked it up to see what the heck all the commotion was about, and I was surprised to see that it looked like a very promising, cute book. I immediately checked it out from my local library and buzzed in anticipation for the moment when I would finally be able to read it. It was worth the wait. Miss Fortune Cookie won me over with its instantly likable main character, Erin, and the passion behind the presentation of Chinese-American culture. But what really got me was that it felt true.
Truth in fiction may seem, at first, to be a bit of a paradox. Readers will tell you, however, that fiction is the best gateway to the truth. Miss Fortune Cookie, despite its...creative elimination of swear words (s***!), felt like something that could really happen in a way that differentiated itself to me from other contemporary novels. There was something there that really connected with me. Maybe it was the nerdiness of Erin in the way she compacted truths down to equations, or the love for her family and culture, or struggling with college choices. Whatever it was, there was a shard of truth there, and it resonated with me.
I think what won me over wholly, though, was the main character, Erin. I loved her innocently sarcastic and self-deprecating narrative, as well as her sarcastic and self-deprecating humor. And although she had some dim moments, don't we all? Things that generally irked me about a character made me love Erin all the more.
Lack of passion in a novel is the bane of my existence, but Lauren Bjorkman has passion in spades. From the details that neatly frame Erin's tiny, shoebox apartment to the way Bjorkman carefully crafted Mrs. Liu's speech, I could sense the painstaking effort and heart that went behind the story. It made the exotic culture of Chinese-American lifestyles to come through loud and clear for me. (Also, I got a kick out of the presentation of Asian stereotypes that happen to be very true. One of my good friends from high school is Asian, and would probably get a real kick out of this book.)
With the humor, charming cultures, and wacky adventures, Miss Fortune Cookie is a real gem of young adult contemporary literature. And at just under three hundred pages, it's a short, fun read for anyone who wants a good story.
November 15, 2012
This was a fun contemporary story told through the eyes of a high school senior at an elite public school. It is the story of friendship and cultural differences and understandings and misunderstandings.
Erin and Mei were friends from early childhood who went a bit astray from each other in eighth grade. Now they are reunited along with a new friend Linny in high school. While Erin was born in China and has lived in San Francisco's Chinatown since she was very small, she is actually Irish but says she has a Chinese heart. Mei and Linny are Chinese. And Erin has a secret. She writes an online advice column called Miss Fortune Cookie where she gives advice - some taken from actual fortune cookies - to those who write in.
Now that the kids are seniors in high school the problems are getting bigger. Mei's mother has worked very hard to provide for her daughter's education. Mei has been accepted to Harvard but her secret boyfriend has been accepted to Stanford. Mei is a dutiful daughter but having to choose between her mother's dreams and her own heart is not an easy choice. Erin has also been accepted at Harvard but she doesn't want to disappoint Linny who thinks that they are going to be roommates at Berkeley.
Erin is uncertain about going so far away from home and leaving her mother alone. It has been just the two of them since her father died when she was a baby. Erin also feels that she is lacking in poise and confidence. Her two friends have boyfriends but talking to boys makes Erin tongue-tied. That is, until Weyland enters the picture. At first, she can talk to him because she thinks he is Linny's secret boyfriend. When Linny straightens her out, she and Weyland have become friends.
The story was filled with wonderful characters. I was especially fond of Erin who was eager to help her friends but was uncertain about the best way to do so. But Linny, who was a champion always fighting for social justice, and Mei, the dutiful daughter who learned to stand up for herself, were also well-rounded and interesting people.
Fans of contemporary fiction who want to take a look inside another culture and read about kids who are nerds and darn proud of it will enjoy this story immensely.
Erin and Mei were friends from early childhood who went a bit astray from each other in eighth grade. Now they are reunited along with a new friend Linny in high school. While Erin was born in China and has lived in San Francisco's Chinatown since she was very small, she is actually Irish but says she has a Chinese heart. Mei and Linny are Chinese. And Erin has a secret. She writes an online advice column called Miss Fortune Cookie where she gives advice - some taken from actual fortune cookies - to those who write in.
Now that the kids are seniors in high school the problems are getting bigger. Mei's mother has worked very hard to provide for her daughter's education. Mei has been accepted to Harvard but her secret boyfriend has been accepted to Stanford. Mei is a dutiful daughter but having to choose between her mother's dreams and her own heart is not an easy choice. Erin has also been accepted at Harvard but she doesn't want to disappoint Linny who thinks that they are going to be roommates at Berkeley.
Erin is uncertain about going so far away from home and leaving her mother alone. It has been just the two of them since her father died when she was a baby. Erin also feels that she is lacking in poise and confidence. Her two friends have boyfriends but talking to boys makes Erin tongue-tied. That is, until Weyland enters the picture. At first, she can talk to him because she thinks he is Linny's secret boyfriend. When Linny straightens her out, she and Weyland have become friends.
The story was filled with wonderful characters. I was especially fond of Erin who was eager to help her friends but was uncertain about the best way to do so. But Linny, who was a champion always fighting for social justice, and Mei, the dutiful daughter who learned to stand up for herself, were also well-rounded and interesting people.
Fans of contemporary fiction who want to take a look inside another culture and read about kids who are nerds and darn proud of it will enjoy this story immensely.
December 4, 2012
Erin attends the prestigious Lowell High School, along with her best friends Mei and Linny. In just a few days they'll know which colleges they got in to, but the girls aren't sure where they want to go. Then Mei writes to advice blogger Miss Fortune Cookie and decides to follow her advice. But Erin is secretly Miss Fortune Cookie and not certain she gave her friend the best counsel.
I really enjoyed MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. Erin is a terrific main character. She jumps to conclusions, interferes in other people's business, and struggles with her own life dilemmas just as much as the people who write to her. At the same time, she's very loyal to her friends and family and almost everyone her age struggles with knowing themselves. And I loved the equations she came up with to describe the situations she finds herself in.
The cultural aspect of MISS FORTUNE COOKIE adds a lot of interest to what could be a standard tale of senior year angst and hijinks. Erin is white but was born in China and lived there for several years, before being raised in San Francisco's Chinatown. She struggles with reconciling her culture to what people expect of her based on her appearance. She also struggles with believing that her friends truly accept her as she is. There's some wonderful plot involving just how untrustworthy memory can be.
Lauren Bjorkman folds a bit of nonfiction in to the mix, as a real-life counter protest of the vile Westboro Baptist Church at Lowell happens during the course of the novel. Obviously, in MISS FORTUNE COOKIE it is fictionalized since the main characters are heavily involved. I thought it was an interesting touch, but I'm not sure it meshed well with the themes of MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. I can't say that I entirely mind a book stalling the story a little to say that hate is bad and God loves everyone, however. It's a point that needs to be made repeatedly.
MISS FORTUNE COOKIE will appeal to contemporary fans who like stories of female friendship with a touch of romance. All three of the girls have a love interest, and their romantic storylines ended up more realistic than I first expected. There's nothing particularly memorable about MISS FORTUNE COOKIE, but it does have an intriguing setting and charm.
I really enjoyed MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. Erin is a terrific main character. She jumps to conclusions, interferes in other people's business, and struggles with her own life dilemmas just as much as the people who write to her. At the same time, she's very loyal to her friends and family and almost everyone her age struggles with knowing themselves. And I loved the equations she came up with to describe the situations she finds herself in.
The cultural aspect of MISS FORTUNE COOKIE adds a lot of interest to what could be a standard tale of senior year angst and hijinks. Erin is white but was born in China and lived there for several years, before being raised in San Francisco's Chinatown. She struggles with reconciling her culture to what people expect of her based on her appearance. She also struggles with believing that her friends truly accept her as she is. There's some wonderful plot involving just how untrustworthy memory can be.
Lauren Bjorkman folds a bit of nonfiction in to the mix, as a real-life counter protest of the vile Westboro Baptist Church at Lowell happens during the course of the novel. Obviously, in MISS FORTUNE COOKIE it is fictionalized since the main characters are heavily involved. I thought it was an interesting touch, but I'm not sure it meshed well with the themes of MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. I can't say that I entirely mind a book stalling the story a little to say that hate is bad and God loves everyone, however. It's a point that needs to be made repeatedly.
MISS FORTUNE COOKIE will appeal to contemporary fans who like stories of female friendship with a touch of romance. All three of the girls have a love interest, and their romantic storylines ended up more realistic than I first expected. There's nothing particularly memorable about MISS FORTUNE COOKIE, but it does have an intriguing setting and charm.
December 10, 2012
Before I say anything, let me say that I normally don't read hat many contemporary, realistic fiction books. Those of you who have visited this blog before know that I am a fan of fantasy and paranormal books. Books where things happen that you can only dream of. Not books that you can dream but have a little chance of happening, like becoming prom queen and having a happy ever after with your king.
Miss Fortune Cookie is about a girl, Erin, with a blog. That was what initially drew me to the book. Here was this book about a teenage girl with a blog. Here I am, a teenage girl with a blog...Erin leads a comfortable life. People like her and she runs a popular blog giving out advice to people. Everything is going great for Erin until her ex-BFF sends her a letter through her blog asking for advice. Erin gives her advice and her unsuspecting old friend follows it, creating some troublesome...well creating some troublesome trouble. The story is about Erin's journey to fix it.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I really liked Erin and I found that it was extremely easy for me to somewhat relate to her. Her identity of Miss Fortune Cookie made it fun and interesting to read. I spent quite some time wondering how she would react if someone found out who she really is. She's really loyal to her family and friends, which I thought made her a likable character. Lauren Bjorkman did a fantastic job making Erin seem like a real person, rather than just a character in a book. Miss Fortune Cookie was a quick easy read, perfect for my busy schedule, but I didn't want it to end. I hope Lauren Bjorkman will write a sequel so I'll be able to see what happens to Erin and her friends after they graduate high school and start college. I really enjoyed reading MISS FORTUNE COOKIE and I hope you will too!
"I received a copy of this book for free to review from Crossroad Tours, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
This review was originally posted on my blog, Icy Cold Reads as part of a book tour at Crossroad Tours.
Miss Fortune Cookie is about a girl, Erin, with a blog. That was what initially drew me to the book. Here was this book about a teenage girl with a blog. Here I am, a teenage girl with a blog...Erin leads a comfortable life. People like her and she runs a popular blog giving out advice to people. Everything is going great for Erin until her ex-BFF sends her a letter through her blog asking for advice. Erin gives her advice and her unsuspecting old friend follows it, creating some troublesome...well creating some troublesome trouble. The story is about Erin's journey to fix it.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I really liked Erin and I found that it was extremely easy for me to somewhat relate to her. Her identity of Miss Fortune Cookie made it fun and interesting to read. I spent quite some time wondering how she would react if someone found out who she really is. She's really loyal to her family and friends, which I thought made her a likable character. Lauren Bjorkman did a fantastic job making Erin seem like a real person, rather than just a character in a book. Miss Fortune Cookie was a quick easy read, perfect for my busy schedule, but I didn't want it to end. I hope Lauren Bjorkman will write a sequel so I'll be able to see what happens to Erin and her friends after they graduate high school and start college. I really enjoyed reading MISS FORTUNE COOKIE and I hope you will too!
"I received a copy of this book for free to review from Crossroad Tours, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
This review was originally posted on my blog, Icy Cold Reads as part of a book tour at Crossroad Tours.
December 10, 2012
What a breath of fresh air Erin is! She's not the usual brooding, complicated protagonist we get in so many young adult contemporary novels. She seems to genuinely love her school, her friends, her mom. Life in general! Her friends aren't quite as bubbly and content. They are more caught up in typical teen issues of romance and identity so it seems natural that Erin should give her conflicted friends a little push in the right direction. When Erin feels her Miss Fortune Cookie advice might have caused her friend, Mei, to run away with a boy, she sets off on a whirlwind jaunt around The San Fran area with a cute college guy as her sidekick. This is when we really get to see Erin shine in all her quirky glory as she rescues a woman by acting as a get-away driver while getting an impromptu driving lesson from her passenger, befriends an overtly honest little boy who follows her around like a lost kitten, nervously shares a hotel room with her crush and inadvertently hooks her mom up with a homeless man named Cigarette Willie.
Erin also has to face down a hard choice about her future. Should she go to a more local college to be near her mom and the best friend she's relied on through high school? Or should she step out of her comfort zone and leave her beloved Chinatown? This novel very subtly deals with the issue young people are facing: Growing up! There comes a moment when we have to choose between keeping the good times, the status quo, going for as long as we can or leaving the nest. Ms. Bjorkman is able to present this idea slowly as it's weaved through all the head-spinning humor.
Miss Fortune Cookie is pure sweetness. It's fast-paced, dizzying and joyful, like youth itself. If you're sick of books with agonizing conflicts, characters who take themselves far too seriously and unbelievable protagonists, then Miss Fortune Cookie is your antidote. This book does what so many fail to do: Celebrate life!
January 26, 2013
Lauren Bjorkman studied Mandarin Chinese at UC Davis - Aggies, holla! - and you can tell that she seriously absorbed everything she was taught. She puts a significant amount of detail and thought into everything from the language used, to the food described, to just daily life things.
Miss Fortune Cookie is a rich love letter to the Chinese culture, and to Northern California in general. I read this immediately after reading Smart Girls Get What They Want, and it was nice seeing a different high school-aged trio also deciding their future, and crossing over the threshold of adolescence into adulthood.
The only reason I'm not giving the book five stars, was because I was slightly put off by Mei's elaborate plotting to get out of going to college, so she wouldn't have to leave her boyfriend. I spent a lot of time thinking "Girl,please. You're smart, sassy and cute. There are more fish in the sea! You're going to give up a kick-ass, bad-ass school for a BOY?"
However, please note: this is totally just a me thing, verses a plotting/writing thing. I know plenty of girls who have done silly things in the name of high school boys - myself included - and I think that my (slightly strong) reaction came more from knowing how things like this usually end up, verses disliking that plot line.
So I guess you can say that Lauren Bjorkman remains very true to the adolescent experience in that respect!
Final verdict: This is an adorable, well-written, very well-researched story, about what it's like for three girls growing up in Northern California.
ETA: I actually need to reread this, to give a longer review. :)
Miss Fortune Cookie is a rich love letter to the Chinese culture, and to Northern California in general. I read this immediately after reading Smart Girls Get What They Want, and it was nice seeing a different high school-aged trio also deciding their future, and crossing over the threshold of adolescence into adulthood.
The only reason I'm not giving the book five stars, was because I was slightly put off by Mei's elaborate plotting to get out of going to college, so she wouldn't have to leave her boyfriend. I spent a lot of time thinking "Girl,please. You're smart, sassy and cute. There are more fish in the sea! You're going to give up a kick-ass, bad-ass school for a BOY?"
However, please note: this is totally just a me thing, verses a plotting/writing thing. I know plenty of girls who have done silly things in the name of high school boys - myself included - and I think that my (slightly strong) reaction came more from knowing how things like this usually end up, verses disliking that plot line.
So I guess you can say that Lauren Bjorkman remains very true to the adolescent experience in that respect!
Final verdict: This is an adorable, well-written, very well-researched story, about what it's like for three girls growing up in Northern California.
ETA: I actually need to reread this, to give a longer review. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2012
Miss Fortune Cookie presents readers with a story of three charming young women transitioning from high school students, unquestioningly obedient daughters, and best friends; to free thinking young adults, ready to challenge expectations and follow their own diverging paths.
The thing that makes this story stand out is the fact that the narrator Erin, presents her world to readers from the point of view of an outsider looking in. She is Caucasian, and though she was born in China and now lives in San Francisco's Chinatown with her mother, she never quite feels as though she belongs.
Add to this, the fact that her two best friends are Chinese and as such are subject to the demands for success and traditional beliefs and attitudes of there families, coupled with the fact that all three girls are students at a very competitive school and all vying for places at prestigious colleges and this story screams "great read".
The further that you go into this book, the more that it becomes apparent that there is some serious role reversal going on. While Erin tries her best to embrace the Asian culture, her friends who are indeed Asian, do their best to go against the grain.
The bright and unpretentious writing style and effervescent humor found within these pages is very relateable for both younger and older audiences. Watching these characters deal with issues such as personal desires vs. family expectation, friendship, love, choices and their consequences is bound to strike a chord in the hearts and minds of all readers.
December 12, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book…it’s true “young adult” without all the gimmicks that the genre brings. 3 girls are about to graduate from high school, they’re worried about their grades, which universities they will be accepted to and, of course, boys.
I loved Erin’s character – she was a little bit sweet, a little bit sassy and VERY funny. She’s the kind of girl that I’d actually want to be friends with if she wasn’t a character in a book. Mei and Linny were a good addition to the story, most of the drama revolved around them more than Erin, actually, but it was pretty true-to-life in that way. I also loved Lincoln, he was so spunky I just wanted to hug him!
I thought the parts with the advice column (Dear Miss Fortune Cookie) were great – Erin’s responses to some of the letters (even ones she didn’t post, but wrote out anyway) were too funny. I also liked the “fortunes” posted at the top of each chapter – they weren’t what you’d hope to find in a fortune cookie! The Chinese theme is explained early in the book, and made me love the book just a little more, since it’s something different than most YA books.
Overall, I thought the book was well-written, so if you’re in the mood for a true YA book with quite a bit of humor in it, you need to check this one out.
I loved Erin’s character – she was a little bit sweet, a little bit sassy and VERY funny. She’s the kind of girl that I’d actually want to be friends with if she wasn’t a character in a book. Mei and Linny were a good addition to the story, most of the drama revolved around them more than Erin, actually, but it was pretty true-to-life in that way. I also loved Lincoln, he was so spunky I just wanted to hug him!
I thought the parts with the advice column (Dear Miss Fortune Cookie) were great – Erin’s responses to some of the letters (even ones she didn’t post, but wrote out anyway) were too funny. I also liked the “fortunes” posted at the top of each chapter – they weren’t what you’d hope to find in a fortune cookie! The Chinese theme is explained early in the book, and made me love the book just a little more, since it’s something different than most YA books.
Overall, I thought the book was well-written, so if you’re in the mood for a true YA book with quite a bit of humor in it, you need to check this one out.
May 26, 2013
Reading this book brought back wonderful memories! Like the main character, Erin, I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area Area and went to Lowell High (Go Cardinals!). I totally found myself going "Yup, that's what it was like" with the academics, the pushy, hopeful parents, and the accepting, but crazy at times city atmosphere. The best thing was that I could relate to the Irish, brought-up Chinese Erin, since I am full Chinese myself, but look as if I'm of mixed descent, and had friends questioning my background and how I knew the Chinese culture so well. Definitely have to give this story five stars with the heartfelt coming-of-age plots of graduating and deciding your future, standing up to your parents, and saying goodbye to best friends going separate ways. Highly recommended for teens navigating high school and beyond, as well as adult readers wanting to reminisce on the good ole days!
February 28, 2013
This is a little closer to a 3.5 than it is to 3. A very cute story, but some of the plot elements didn't make sense together. A full review to come some time in the next century:D
November 20, 2012
I really enjoyed being inside Erin's head. She's smart and funny. The book gave me some serious Lane Kim flashbacks, and you know how I love Gilmore Girls!
May 12, 2013
it has great advice
March 19, 2025
Read the first five chapters and stopped, dnf. Giving it 3 stars though just because I'm not a teenager so it seems unfair to judge it as if I'm the target audience. Generally it seems to be a well-paced high school drama about the unhealthy complicated dynamics of teenager relationships.
The one part I really liked about this is the main character is culturally Chinese (but white-skinned), which sets it apart from other YA contemporary stories, as well as the Miss Fortune Cookie blog narrative that ties things together.
That said:
-- there were *several* typos and missing words in the first few chapters.
-- The pop culture references are now very outdated (like Avril Lavigne's eyeliner - you'd know them if you're in your 30s now), and I think they may have been on the outdated end when it was published.
-- The reason I stopped is because there are some concerning ethics here around lying and general life lessons and relationship messages. Teenagers generally don't have healthy relationships with anyone, granted, but I don't want to read a book about those when they aren't lifted up problematically (e.g. the book opens with her best friend teasing her about her blog in public, despite that she asked for it to be kept a secret, and that is not consent or friendship, but it's not lifted up as a relationship problem). If you like the idea of reading a contemporary fiction book about high school relationships between insecure people who don't understand boundaries and think not-so-healthy relationships are normal (which I imagine many teenagers who know they like contemporary fiction would), then you might like it. Apart from the typos, it's well written, just not mature enough for me.
The one part I really liked about this is the main character is culturally Chinese (but white-skinned), which sets it apart from other YA contemporary stories, as well as the Miss Fortune Cookie blog narrative that ties things together.
That said:
-- there were *several* typos and missing words in the first few chapters.
-- The pop culture references are now very outdated (like Avril Lavigne's eyeliner - you'd know them if you're in your 30s now), and I think they may have been on the outdated end when it was published.
-- The reason I stopped is because there are some concerning ethics here around lying and general life lessons and relationship messages. Teenagers generally don't have healthy relationships with anyone, granted, but I don't want to read a book about those when they aren't lifted up problematically (e.g. the book opens with her best friend teasing her about her blog in public, despite that she asked for it to be kept a secret, and that is not consent or friendship, but it's not lifted up as a relationship problem). If you like the idea of reading a contemporary fiction book about high school relationships between insecure people who don't understand boundaries and think not-so-healthy relationships are normal (which I imagine many teenagers who know they like contemporary fiction would), then you might like it. Apart from the typos, it's well written, just not mature enough for me.
February 26, 2018
Although it started slow Miss Fortune Cookie was an absolutely unexpected adventure.
First of all, I was so pleasantly surprised at how this book went from a run of the mill contemporary YA story to car chases, almost elopement, fighting crack dealers, and stays in shady motels. Although none of it felt realistic it was fun and kept me wanting to read more.
Most of all though I loved the characters. Erin was a fun narrator. I loved the mixture of standard inner monologue and dialogue with her advise blog, but I could’ve done without the math problems they just seemed out of place. Mei and Linny felt like very realistic friends with some grudges and the struggles of finding balance in a 3 person friend group. I loved the moms and how they were best friends but will had very different approaches to parenting. Erin’s mom reminded me of a mixture of the mom in Ponyo and the mom in What a Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes.
Although it seemed unrealistic that a mom would just bring in a homeless man and let him live with them (even though it did turn out that she knew him) I loved that he became part of the story. I also fell in love with Lincoln and how the four of them became like a weird little family.
Overall I felt like this was a perfect feel good book with lovable characters.
First of all, I was so pleasantly surprised at how this book went from a run of the mill contemporary YA story to car chases, almost elopement, fighting crack dealers, and stays in shady motels. Although none of it felt realistic it was fun and kept me wanting to read more.
Most of all though I loved the characters. Erin was a fun narrator. I loved the mixture of standard inner monologue and dialogue with her advise blog, but I could’ve done without the math problems they just seemed out of place. Mei and Linny felt like very realistic friends with some grudges and the struggles of finding balance in a 3 person friend group. I loved the moms and how they were best friends but will had very different approaches to parenting. Erin’s mom reminded me of a mixture of the mom in Ponyo and the mom in What a Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes.
Although it seemed unrealistic that a mom would just bring in a homeless man and let him live with them (even though it did turn out that she knew him) I loved that he became part of the story. I also fell in love with Lincoln and how the four of them became like a weird little family.
Overall I felt like this was a perfect feel good book with lovable characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2017
This book was such a cute read! Picked it up for a challenge (needed something with a scene in Chinatown) and got this little gem.
Erin is a non-Chinese girl who was born in China now living in Chinatown. She wants nothing more than to be Chinese. She even dyes her hair black to try to fit in. But she's also super smart; and she also runs an advice blog called Miss Fortune Cookie. I loved the characters, especially Erin's. I felt I could really relate to her...not in wanting to be Chinese, but in wanting to fit in and not being comfortable with herself yet. She really grows in this book and I love when one of her friends tells her something about how she used to be in the past that shows her flaws. Well-written flawed characters are great :)
Erin is a non-Chinese girl who was born in China now living in Chinatown. She wants nothing more than to be Chinese. She even dyes her hair black to try to fit in. But she's also super smart; and she also runs an advice blog called Miss Fortune Cookie. I loved the characters, especially Erin's. I felt I could really relate to her...not in wanting to be Chinese, but in wanting to fit in and not being comfortable with herself yet. She really grows in this book and I love when one of her friends tells her something about how she used to be in the past that shows her flaws. Well-written flawed characters are great :)
June 12, 2018
2.5/5
This book is so cringey. Like it's one of those books where it only reads well if you're like 12 years old because you don't know any better. ugh, the story was a lot different then what if imagine it to be, but it was worse! Erin's thought process is portrayed like she's literally 2 years old. It was too childish to be believable.
This book is so cringey. Like it's one of those books where it only reads well if you're like 12 years old because you don't know any better. ugh, the story was a lot different then what if imagine it to be, but it was worse! Erin's thought process is portrayed like she's literally 2 years old. It was too childish to be believable.
August 10, 2020
I had to make myself read the book. The story did not flow well and I found myself bogged down. I guess I read the book at the wrong time because the review were much more interesting than I found the book to be.
February 26, 2018
3.5 stars...cute book :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2025
Worst book ever! I was excited to finish it so I could throw it away rather than donate it.
September 28, 2014
Okay, so I won this book in a giveaway, so I cherish it anyway. Because yay, I won something. Not even going to lie, I entered the giveaway because of the pretty cover and no matter how the content actually turned out, five stars in my heart just for winning and being super pretty.
I read some reviews before I got it and was marginally upset that some people were complaining that they couldn’t foresee the next events of the plot, which struck me as an odd thing to say because I feel that I don’t need to read a book anymore if I can guess all of the plot. In hindsight, I can see what they meant, but let’s roll it up from the beginning. Spoilers ahead, not everything is a spoiler beneath this but better safe than sorry, right?
All in all, I did like it though and I did enjoy several parts of it. Especially the last third raised the other two from perdition — I kid, it would’ve been still ok if the book had continued in the same way throughout the last third, but still, it got a little better there.
I read some reviews before I got it and was marginally upset that some people were complaining that they couldn’t foresee the next events of the plot, which struck me as an odd thing to say because I feel that I don’t need to read a book anymore if I can guess all of the plot. In hindsight, I can see what they meant, but let’s roll it up from the beginning. Spoilers ahead, not everything is a spoiler beneath this but better safe than sorry, right?
All in all, I did like it though and I did enjoy several parts of it. Especially the last third raised the other two from perdition — I kid, it would’ve been still ok if the book had continued in the same way throughout the last third, but still, it got a little better there.
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