I really enjoyed this, what I would call, mystery. I really wanted to know where Sylvie Lee was and you don't find out until the end. I liked the chapters being written from the different character's perspectives, the back and forth of that.

Get a copy of this, you'll be glad you did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Searching for Sylvie Lee in exchange for this review. I was initially excited about this book. I love to read contemporary immigrant story lines, enjoy multiple points of view, and enjoy a bit of a mystery as well. That being said, there were some aspects of the book that I really struggled with. I understand the author's need to place us in Amsterdam and let us see the city through the eyes of a visitor, but I felt that the some of the things she chose to mention were ridiculous--telling us that the bathroom stall doors go all the way to the floor? Silly and irrelevant. Much of the rest seemed clunky and forced. Amy was a pathetic character who I didn't enjoy at all. The reveal of what happened to Sylvie was jolting, but it kept me reading to the end as I wanted to know how it happened. I saw the plot twist coming, and was a bit disappointed. I waffled between three and four stars, ultimately deciding on three.

I found a lot to enjoy in this story of a woman's search for her sister. I was quickly drawn in both because I wanted an answer to the mystery and because I cared about the characters.

The characters felt real. They were fully developed and flawed. There was also considerable character growth (something that's important to me), especially on the part of Amy. At the beginning she was shy and sheltered. The furthest she'd ever gone from New York was New Jersey. In search of her sister, however, Amy traveled alone to Europe, and that was just the start of her character's evolution.

The narrative style further helped me to get to know these women. Amy and Sylvie took turns doing most of the narration, though their mother occasionally took part, and each woman had a distinctive voice. Sylvie's storytelling begins a month before her disappearance while Amy and their mother pick up about the time Sylvie goes missing. The alternating points of view also served as an effective way to unravel the mystery.

The settings, primarily the Netherlands but also Queens, Brooklyn Heights, and Venice, were brought to life and felt a bit like characters in their own right.

However, what I appreciated most was the way the story incorporated real life issues such as obstacles immigrants face and struggles women sometimes deal with in the workplace. There was domestic drama too, showing the power of secrets to either destroy or heal a family.

Though this is the first book I've read by this author, it will not be the last. I would recommend it to those who enjoy mysteries or even just a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC.

Searching for Sylvie Lee was a fantastic page turner. What sets it apart from other thrillers is the thought provoking writing. “In love and life, we never know when we are telling ourselves stories. We are the ultimate unreliable narrators.” This line is an example of the writing that made me pause and consider.
The novel moves between Sylvie's perspective in the recent past, and Ma and Amy’s perspectives in the present day. It is a mystery, but it is so unique. Ma is a Chinese immigrant, so as the reader I gained an interesting perspective into her experience coming to and living in America. Meanwhile Sylvie, her daughter, has to navigate being a Chinese girl first in Amsterdam then in America. It starts off a little slow, but stick with it. The story picks up quickly and before you know it, you will be up all night trying to finish! As the story wrapped up, Amy thinks about life, “...we are all ultimately unreliable narrators of our own lives, whether we wish it so or not, whether we share a common language or not. The only reliable narrators are to be found in books.” This perspective made me think about how I see life. Great read, highly recommend!

To be totally honest, I found this book hard to get through. The majority of the characters were not very likeable to me. I was disappointed that the ending was given away so early on in the book. But the shocking family secrets and surprises at the end were what saved the book for me.

The story of an immigrant family sacrificing everything for the ones they love is gripping and emotional. Surprising family secrets upend this story of love and loss. I couldn't put the book down! This is a terrific read. I only wish the criminal activity would have had some consequences.

Sylvie Lee is missing. She flew to Holland to say her last goodbye to her dying grandmother who lived with her older cousin whose family raised her until she was nine. Her sister Amy is helpless, she has college degrees she doesn't use, she relies on Sylvie to pay her student loans, but she loves her sister fiercely and fly's to Holland to try and find her. Once Amy arrives in Holland she comes to realize that maybe she didn't know Sylvie as well as she thought. Complicated love and family secrets fill this new novel by Jean Kwok.

Jean Kwok has written another book that grabbed me from the first page. At it's heart is a mystery surrounding Sylvie Lee. But it is also a story of an immigrant family and the struggles they face living in places that are not their native land. They desire acceptance, a universal human emotion, which is taken for granted by many people yet denied to others. I was totally involved with the characters from beginning to end. As the leader of a book club I'm going to suggest this book to the group because I think this will make a wonderful selection to discuss.

thank you for the advance copy of searcing for sylvie lee..... I knew nothing about what I was going to read... so I just jumped in. the story is told from 3 different perspectives , amy, ma, and sylvie. at first I thought it was going to be just a light "chick lit" book, but 3 different mysteries evolved. I really enjoyed reading this book . the story flowed nicely and I couldn't put it down. I am going to put jean kwok on my list and check out her other books!

SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE by Jean Kwok is a captivating novel of family and culture. Set mainly in the Netherlands, it is told from three points of view, sisters Sylvie and Amy Lee and Ma, their Chinese immigrant mother who left China with her new husband to make a life for their family in New York. Oldest daughter Sylvie spent the first nine years of her life being raised in the Netherlands by her grandmother and cousin because her parents couldn’t afford to keep her with them in the United States. Years later, while visiting her dying grandmother back in the Netherlands, Sylvie goes missing without a trace and no one knows what has happened to her. Amy flies to the Netherlands to hopefully find Sylvie and unravel the mystery of her sudden disappearance. In the alternating voices of the two sisters and Ma, the reader gets a glimpse of the complex web of family and love relationships underlying the situation they now face. The author expertly portrays the barriers of language and culture as well as the power of love to keep a family together. There was plenty of drama and suspense to keep me engaged, but this is also a story of love, friendship and heartbreaking loss. I enjoyed this compelling book and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreaking novel about an immigrant family and choices that create trauma throughout generations. The ending was shocking.

This was an emotionally, gripping story. I was captivated by this fast-paced suspenseful read that was heartbreaking. Drama unfolds as Amy searched for her sister, Sylvie, when she didn't return home. There were secrets and the hardship of fitting in where one felt different or unwanted. I really felt for many of the characters as the truth came out. Beautifully written and engaging.

Two sisters of immigrant parents couldn’t be more different than Amy and Sylvie. But when Sylvie goes missing on a trip to pay her respects to their grandmother, Amy puts aside any differences and will stop at nothing to find her sister safe.
Interesting premise, but I found the narrative style difficult to follow at times. Would suggest to readers of Amy Tan or Diane Chamberlain.

The author does a great job weaving a compelling mystery in this tale of cultures, secrets, and love. It is the story of three women whose lives are governed by the words left unspoken. Sylvie, the older sister is missing and Amy, the younger sister goes to the Netherlands in search for her. This is told through multiple points of view which keeps the story moving and explains many of the cultural differences.

I loved Girl in Translation, so I was excited when I saw that Kwok had a new novel coming out. This novel focuses on the disappearance of Sylvie, who has traveled to the Netherlands to nurse her grandmother in her last days. The mystery is suspenseful and the conclusion is satisfying. On the whole, though, the novel itself feels more clumsily constructed than I had expected, especially in the beginning when the scenario is getting set up. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped.