It took me so long to read this book because even though it was enjoyable I could not really connect with the story and the characters.

I get what the author was trying to do, but her characters felt diluted and stereotypical.

Being that this is a debut novel I would give this author another chance in the future, the potential is there.

Underwhelmed by the story itself. I am a fan of immigrant stories and struggles of first generation Americans, being one myself, but even with all the "typical" scenarios thrown in, I did not like this. Almost added this to my DNF pile, but devoted so much time to it, it felt only right to finish it and never look back.

I read this a while ago, but I remember being a bit disappointed in this one. I loved the idea, and it started out strong, but it kind of fell apart.

Lillian Li’s Number One Chinese Restaurant is full of family and coworker drama, all set in a mid-range Chinese restaurant in a mid-range suburb. Not everyone is very likeable, at some points, I wanted to scream at characters not to do whatever stupid thing they were going to do! There’s an enjoyable dark humor, though, and some parts of restaurant life felt so alive. (Although my Jade Palace coworkers and I did not have nearly this much drama.)

I've started this book a few times since I was approved for it, even trying again a few years later, and I just could never get into it. The premise sounds great, I just couldn't connect with it. I'll definitely keep it in mind in case anyone ever asks me for a rec that it would fit with, as I'm sure this is the perfect book for the right person.

I have never been in the restaurant business - but I feel like I had a very clear look into from reading this book.

The characters were very realistic and I felt the writer has personal experience with the business.

I just felt that the book took a long time to get through.
It wasn't the writing- I just wasn't as interested in the lived of the characters as I should have been.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted galley - I was pretty bored while reading this one. I thought that this book relied heavily on characterization (There's a ton of characters to keep track of) more so than plot (not much happened in my opinion)....Don't get me wrong things happen, but it just wasn't captivating. A father dies, who owned a restaurant. The family is tasked with continuing his legacy, but his son wants to create his own. Boom. that's the book.

This book was really... mid-level, if you know what I mean. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I think this may have to do with the characters. Every one has deep flaws. This isn’t something that’s usually highlighted in books; character flaws are usually cutesy things that pop up every now and again, but this novel really is about these defects. In fact, it’s what drives the plot.

I can’t lie and say I loved it. I really didn’t have a character that I loved and I didn’t feel that at any given moment I had to know what happened next. The problem is probably my love/hate relationship with literary fiction. But it’s written brilliantly and I was never bored. Lillian Li has a LOT to offer.

I have finally read this novel. It took a few tries. It, for me, was easy to put down and not think about for a few books. Overall a good read.

Chinese food and family drama? Seriously, sign me up. I absolutely loved the food descriptions and immediately set out to eat all the Chinese takeout I could muster (sorry, waistline, it was nice knowing you), however, I did find the family dynamics to be a bit slower paced. Overall, the positives outweighed here for me and I’ll be eager to read more from Lillian Li in the future.

I could not get interested in this book. Though I tried a few times to start reading it and the description was a topic that really interested me I could not connect with the book and subsequently put it down.

I do feel bad not finishing it and being able to give a good review for this novel. I also am sorry that I did not keep reading so that I could at least give a detailed explanation for why I did not enjoy it.

This story is written in such a complex way, which is maybe reflective or true human relationships; but it made following and engaging much more difficult than it had to be.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

It took me such a long time to finish this book! There was nothing terribly wrong with it, but it was not memorable. My biggest issue is that there are too many characters in the book and most of them were underdeveloped so that they came across as caricature or stereotypes. The story mainly centers around a family that owns a Chinese restaurant that succumbs to fire. Unfortunately, the authors tries a little too hard to jazz it up instead of dealing with the intricate family dynamics more deftly.

I think I thought this book would have more humor to it than it did. I’m not sure where that expectation came from but I was wrong. However it WAS a very interesting character that was fascinating, watching these people clamber to do what is best for them.

I was very excited about this author and this book, but I don’t think the latter does the former much justice. The book felt rushed, as if it wasn’t ready to be a novel, and the characters veered towards cartoonish. I would look for more from this author based on recommendations of readers I respect, but this book fell flat.

3.5 Stars

It’s taken me a while to write this review because although I thought the book was well written and perceptive, it was also painful to read.

Characters struggle with addiction, toxic family members, ungrateful children and unrequited love. It’s hard to get through so many misunderstandings, unspoken emotions, and unfulfilled dreams.

The strong point with this one is it’s well drawn characters and their true to life emotional reactions.

Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I would have liked, in this case, this is totally on me as it’s beautifully written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of the book.

The novel had an intriguing description and plot, but I couldn't bring myself to emphasize or care about any of the characters. The pacing seemed to slow down, as opposed to building up, and I found I no longer cared to see how the plot developed.

I love a good story of a family at war, and this novel provides several characters who are willing to do anything it takes to achieve their own personal goals. Although it's hard to really root for anyone, Li does do a great job describing the motivations of the members of the Han family who run a well-respected and popular Chinese restaurant. As ambitions and greed take over, they soon see all of their hard work decimated. I enjoyed the inside look at immigrants trying to tackle the American dream, but there wasn't a lot of suspense to keep me inherently interested the whole time. I would probably give Li's future works another look through.

The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Md., was the vision of Chinese immigrants Bobby Han and his wife, Feng Fei Wang. Though uprooted from a vastly different culture than the one in which they landed, they found success through fierce dedication and hard work.
After Bobby’s death, his son Jimmy becomes the restaurant’s owner. On the surface, all flows smoothly.
But when two teenage employees, children of Chinese immigrants with a vested interest in the Duck House, act on their abhorrence of the restaurant’s demands, their tragic choice irrevocably changes the lives of all those connected to the enterprise.
In this intriguing, culturally sensitive novel for adults, which contains some vulgar language and several sexually explicit scenes, author Lillian Li explores the ramifications of immigration; the cost to relationships when work, for whatever reason, takes precedence over spending time with family; and the length to which parents will go to save their children from self-inflicted ruin. Li’s characters are remarkably well-drawn, and her complex plot reveals layer upon layer of reasons for the characters' actions.