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How We Fall Apart

How We Fall Apart

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Description

I think it's an important conversation to have, especially when introducing characters like Nancy, who do not come from money and face major barriers because of this. Zhao has written a modern Gossip Girl for the BIPOC set that serves up urgent insights on class, race, and the brutality of high school striving. How We Fall Apart has four main characters (Nancy Lou, Krystal Choi, Akil Patel and Alexander Lin), all of who were once close to Jamie Ruan, who is found dead. Nancy Luo, the narrator, has an accessible voice that makes her the perfect person to bring people into the story. This story includes scenes of drug use, excessive bullying, suicide, and a romantic relationship between a teacher and a student.

They are in a race against time as they try to uncover The Proctor's identity before their secrets are exposed to the entire school on a social app, Tip Tap. and I’ve seen quite a few of Katie Zhao’s books here and there but I’ve never actually gotten around to picking any of them up! In a YA thriller that is Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying , students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead. The petty drama surrounding Nancy and her friends was addicting to read about and left me wanting more.I did also really appreciate the author's descriptions of the major pressures that students, and especially Asian American students in private schools like Sinclair Prep, experience on a day to day basis. I felt for her initially, growing up in a low-income family, feeling like you need to make your family proud, despite the obstacles in front of you. How We Fall Apart was deliciously dark and gritty, featuring an Asian main cast and set in a private school (Sinclair Prep) with high stakes competition the moment you step in the doors (enough there’s even murder involved). Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.

While Alexander is another scholarship student whose brother’s expulsion years ago haunts him to this day. I’ve been getting really into dark academia recently and this book sounds ideal for the next time I’m in the mood for a fast paced mystery.

The consequences of their actions are rushed, and you don’t get to feel the impact of everything that happens. In her spare time, Katie enjoys reading, singing, dancing (badly), and checking out Instagram-worthy restaurants. It is a critical commentary on the toxicity of American academics and the pressure to be more than the best at all times (especially coming from Asian families).

I think we get a good glimpse of the issues between Asian students – rich and poor, the competition, the pressure to succeed that is put upon them by their families. They seem to entirely be ignoring the fact that there’s a fifth person clearly involved and manipulating things. However, I did really like the Tip Tap posts at the beginning of each chapter, since they framed the events nicely. It was quickly paced and tackled lots of real life issues especially in Asian culture pertaining to high family expectations/pressures and mental illness.Perhaps I might just be biased because I come from a similar background to hers and therefore her experiences resonated deeply at times.

Flashbacks throughout the novel shed light on the secrets Nancy and other members of her friend group are trying so hard to keep buried during the murder investigation. With everything to gain, and so much to lose, Nancy is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her spot at the school leading her to increasingly ruthless choices as the novel progresses. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book. In her spare time, Katie enjoys reading, singing, dancing (badly), and checking out new photo-worthy restaurants.When Jamie doesn't show up for Honors night, Nancy thinks it's her chance to step into the spotlight and finally claim her spot at the top. Katie Zhao's YA debut is an edge-of-your-seat drama set in the pressure-cooker world of academics and image at Sinclair Prep, where the past threatens the future these teens have carefully crafted for themselves. Nancy made sense, plot-wise, to be the main protagonist, but she was the most insufferable in this story. It’s funny but also not because phew how does anyone even find friends in that kind of environments? I liked that it was about that secret, but I think someone else being the person behind it wouldn’t have stretched my believability so much.



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

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