*Spoiler free*

I really loved American Panda. It was such a light, fluffy, funny, and amazingly written book. I was really looking forward to reading another one of Gloria's books! After American Panda, I will honestly read anything that she writes. This one sounded different than her debut, more secrets and more delving into characters, but I was still really, really looking forward to it.

This book is very different from American Panda. It's a realistic look at life. It's not as light, but it definitely still has the signature humor sprinkled throughout! I wasn't expecting what this book was. It took me a bit to get used to, and I don't think I loved it as much as I loved American Panda, but it's still a really fantastic book. I think a lot of people are going to fall head over heels for it and I'm really glad it exists.

Since this book is so different than what I expected, it took me a bit to get used to. It sort of threw me for a loop at the beginning and it took me a bit to get into it. I never feel completely into the rhythm of the book, but I was still able to fly through it. It keeps you entranced.

I am so completely different from Ali. But I was still able to connect with her and I still really, really loved her character. She's a badass. She's fed up. She's angry. She's working on communicating better. She's weird. She's awkward. She's frustrated. Her journey, both physically and emotionally was so amazing to read. She wants to make her life her own. She wants to make her choices herself. She's swamped in secrets and she wants that to stop. She's a really special character. She's so complicated because she's so human. I loved that that was able to shine through so much.

Ali's family has so many secrets. I was honestly shocked when they all came to light. It's a family mess. Everything got so tangled up through life that nobody really knew where to start untangling. I really liked that aspect of the book. It allowed Ali to delve into what she wanted in life and examine her emotions toward her parents, to herself, and to everything really. It allowed the book to have so much depth.

Gloria Chao has a way with humor and this book is another showcase of that. Though, I felt like some of the jokes were kind of stilted and kind of awkward. Some of them just missed the mark for me.

I didn't love the romance aspect to it. It happened so fast. It wouldn't call it insta-love, but it was in that kind of realm. Then again, so much was involved in their meeting and their early conversations. They connected so deeply, so fast. I'm just not personally a fan of romances that happen in the blink of an eye!

There was a lot of this book that happened really fast. But honestly, I think that happened because a lot of stuff flew over my head. Which I completely fine with. It was written for Asian American teens, and me, a whiter than white teen, was going to miss some stuff and not be able to connect with certain elements. I know this book is going to mean the world for some people and I so hope this book makes its way into their hands. It's such a real look at racism, microaggressions, anger, miscommunication, secrets, and familial turmoil. It's incredibly written and Ali, Chase, and Yun are easy to fall in love with. This is just a really important, really good book.

Our Wayward Fate follows Ali, a Chinese-American teenager living in "white bread" middle America. When another Chinese student, Chase Yu, shows up at her high school, her world is turned upside down. When Ali's mother forbids the relationship with no explanation, Ali starts digging into her mother's past to find out why she is so secretive and closed off. Ali's story is interwoven with short chapters retelling The Butterfly Lovers, a Chinese folktale, that may have more to do with her life than she knows.

Gloria Chao's writing has matured in her sophomore novel, providing more nuance to her exploration of discrimination, straddling two cultures, familial dysfunction, and the Asian experience in middle America. Ali's anger and hurt is visceral; her peers don't accept her Chinese heritage, her mother can be cruel and secretive, and her father has checked out of life. The book shines while exploring the tense relationship between Ali and her family. The novel's biggest fault is the jarring insta-love between Chase and Ali, though their relationship becomes more believable as the novel progresses. Overall, the novel shows great growth in the author's writing and provides a unique and important addition to the small-but-growing canon of Asian-American YA. Chao has much to say, and will leave readers wanting more of her unique perspective and strong female characters.

I would love to have been able to read this book but sadly could not access it due to the format of the file I had to download.