Ivy Lin just wants the best for herself. She is a liar and a thief and understands that sometimes, those are the tools that are needed to get by in this world. Susie Yang's debut novel about a dark young woman and her obsession with her classmate will leave you on the edge of your seat and up reading till 2am, as it did to me.
I loved the deep dive into her background, as a young immigrant trying to find her place in the world, between her family's overbearing nature and the rich, privileged classmates that she goes to school with. Ivy has grit, charm and an understanding about how the world works and will not let anything get in her way of getting what she believes is rightfully hers.
This book hit all the check marks for me. Privileged people? Check! A story told from a perspective not usually heard? Check! Intrigue? deception? Lost sense of morality? Check, check and check! This book really had it all. The prose was wonderful, Susie took the time to set up a whole world and it was worth it. I really did love this book and I think that it was well worth the read.
I definitely did not like Ivy through the book. I thought she was scattered, lazy and lacked focus within the book. But I realized that those characteristics are what made this book interesting and so readable. As well as the love triangle that Ivy finds herself in between her two love interests.
This was a fun, sexy and quick read and I thank both Net Gallery and Susie Yang for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

WOW! Thank you Susie Yang for this incredible book! This story immersed me into Ivy's life - a young Chinese American dealing with her Chinese family culture, and the American way of life. We see her involved with two men who are complete opposites, and we see how she struggles with those relationships. And we also see the difficult development of her own character. Ivy grows up with many secrets which sometimes haunt her.
This book has long chapters, but with reasonable breaks. I had trouble putting it down! It was quite disturbing in parts, and quite satisfying in others. Ultimately, I loved the ending. Highly recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me on several levels. Readers who want a "rich people problems" story told from an outsider and filled with unlikeable characters might appreciate it more than I did. I also found the ending a bit problematic but will not detail here to avoid spoilers.

This novel about insiders and outsiders was compelling in many ways, but didn't quite fit into the mystery/thriller genre for me. The characters were real in that they were flawed, but I didn't quite make a connection to them.

I was completely drawn into the plot of White Ivy from the start. The story line seemed to be going one way as the author detailed the upbringing of Ivy in the Lin household. But as Ivy matured, the story seemed to take another twist. I was eager to find out how Ivy's life would ultimately unfold. There was a bit of a lull in the plot during the time Ivy spent at the beach house with Gideon and his family. Once Gideon proposed, I felt as though a second wave of the story was about to be revealed. I was not disappointed, and though the story could have had so many endings, Yang tied off loose ends and made White Ivy a satisfying novel.

This novel really surprised me! I love reading about the "immigrant experience" and this one was so unique. Ivy was born in China and grows up in the U.S. Early on, she sets her sights on the "perfect" golden boy named Gideon. But of course Ivy is different from the other kids and she is continually torn between her parents' expectations for her and her own aspirations and desires. We follow her to college and beyond where a chance meeting with Gideon's sister causes her to re-unite with her crush. There are so many layers to this novel and many are unexpected and some depressing and cringe-worthy, but I loved the writing and the storyline kept me guessing until the end. I think we will hear more from this fresh voice of Susie Yang!

Most of us have experienced a moment or years being on the outside, looking. We all yearn to belong somewhere, to “fit in”. As a child of Chinese immigrants living outside Boston, Ivey is caught between two worlds. Culturally, financially, physically different from her classmates, she forges her own path to be accepted into the life of her American peers. It takes her years to do so, coming full circle when she eventually marries her high school crush. Her journey takes her many places including a trip back to visit relatives in China. Ivy spends her teens and twenties anxious and confused, taking risks and behaving in ways best kept secret from her family and friends. She comes to learn that everyone in her life hoards secrets and she is able to get what she wants by choosing to remain silent about what she knows about others. Even better, she knows how to hide her own truth to guarantee her place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Ivy is a girl who is trying hard to fit in with people from her fancy school, and she's not in their league financially. She has a crush on a boy who doesn't seem interested in her the same way, but she tries desperately to get his attention and become his friend. She ends up getting involved with someone else from her lower class neighborhood and becomes a shop lifter. You want her to be different the whole book and it never happens. She ends up years later in a relationship with both of the men from her childhood and once again see that she's not a normal person. This is a character who definitely has psychological issues and is more frightening than you'd realize. She will do anything to keep her relationship with her childhood crush. This isn't a quick paced action thriller but has some interesting developments and moments. I recommend it.

"if there was anything she prided herself on other than being a thief, it was being a first-rate liar"

White Ivy was a marvelous debut!
The writing was great and the story utterly compelling! I read this in one day because I couldn't put it down!

Ivy herself was an unlikable person and yet despite her countless terrible decisions I couldn't help but route for her. I really liked reading about her family's background --her grandmother was my favorite character!

There were plenty of twists to keep me interested and although I didn't enjoy the ending I can't imagine it having ended any other way.

4.5 stars out of five only because one of the bigger twists was annoyingly predictable and made me roll my eyes in this age.

Following Ivy’s story I just wanted to understand her thought process. She’s not exactly a likable character but watching her story unfold I was captivated and curious to whether it was all going to come together in a “wow! I found my way” moment or it was all going to fall apart with a “she done” moment.

The author did a great job helping to understand why Ivy feels and behaves the way she does. Seeing little glimpses of softness and love here and there I really was rooting for her in different parts of the book.

My favorite parts of the story were getting the back dialogue of Ivy’s mother and grandmother. Learning about their hardships that they endured in their pasts gave me a great understanding to their actions with Ivy.

If you enjoy dissecting characters and figuring out their what and why like myself you should definitely pick this one up!

"Filled with surprising twists and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story, as well as a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost."

I'm not sure I could say it any better than the paragraph above. This is the story of Ivy, a Chinese immigrant who really wants to be American and is embarrassed by her family. In middle school she attends a private school and meets and falls for Gideon Speyer. After disappointing her parents, she is sent to China for the summer and when she returns, they have moved from MA to NJ. After college Ivy meets up with Gideon again and definitely sinks her claws into him.

This book is both a great read and totally frustrating because you just want to reach into the book and slap Ivy on numerous occasions. Ivy makes some pretty terrible decisions, but I'm not even going to hint at any of them because I don't want to spoil the book. I thought the ending was perfect - I don't see how it ends any other way and stays true to the character, although I'm sure it will disappoint/frustrate a lot of readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Susie Yang's writing is rich, deep and compelling, however I felt the pacing was all over the place and the characters were hard to connect with. Ivy's time in China was rushed into what felt like about 10 pages and she met a boy who she dated and got told, "I love you" in less than two pages. I would loved to have had a stronger sense of place and more developed and layered characters. The story itself was gripping but I just had some structural problems, personally. I think for the right reader this would be a 5 star book, but for me it would be about a 3, so I will give it a 4.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one took some dark turns. It stays with you for a long time. Not for the faint of heart. Not what you’d expect. Need to shower after this one.

What an amazing debut!

This is such a good coming of age immigrant story. It starts slowly but I was completely hooked and invested in Ivy and her life, her thoughts, her fears, her insecurities, her family. What an incredibly realistic voice. I could connect and understand on so many levels.

All the characters are so well etched out and defined. You feel them, hear them because this is such a realistic portrayal of them. Ivy, her family, the boy she likes, his friends and family. All just add to the richness of the story.
I liked how the story panned out and the fact that many a time you want to shake Ivy and yell at her, I was still fully invested in her and her journey.

The ending was a little predictable but having said that it was definitely the one which was in a strange way realistic.

What a thought-provoking, realistic and unique book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And definitely recommend it.

Will definitely be reading more from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age immigrant story that has a lot to offer. This is a story about a Chinese immigrant family's upbringing. The story focuses on our protagonist Ivy. The readers learn about the life between two worlds through Ivy's lens. A close family portrait that explores familial traditions and the question in forming one's identity. But this isn't just about an immigrant experience but a coming of age story that follows our protagonist's adolescence to adulthood.

Ivy is not a likable nor a noble character. However, as the readers witness Ivy's upbringing we do get a glimpse of why Ivy is the way she is. This novel is surrounded by a pool of unlikable characters but this is what made the novel stand out. We are surrounded by rotten characters and we are witnessing a survival of the fittest inside this pool. The more terrible a character's deed the better chance of success and survival. The characters are gritty, heavily flawed and complex. But in a way, these characters felt very real. Life and relationships are messy and this novel reflects this notion. Ivy's drive is through her underlying philosophical questions on her desires, greed, love, acceptance and identity. The tremendous attribute the author brings to the table is empathy. We may disagree with Ivy's decisions but she provides at least for me a empathetic view on Ivy's life choices through her experiences. A pleasantly surprised debut novel by Susie Yang. This is the author's potential beginning and will continue to keep an eye out for her future works.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this amazing ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It would be difficult for me to put this book into one genre. It has some elements of suspense but it's very character-driven.

The book is told from the perspective of Ivy Lin. Ivy's family and Ivy herself were all born in China. Her parents immigrated when Ivy was a baby, and they left Ivy behind for a few years in the care of her grandmother. Eventually they sent for Ivy so they could raise her in America. Upon her arrival at the airport she discovers that she has a baby brother, who obviously was born there in the States. As a young girl, Ivy struggles to fit in with her American classmates. She wants to assimilate but she feels her family is holding her back from doing so. A little later in Ivy's childhood, her grandmother also comes to America to live with the family.

I don't want to post spoilers so I won't go too much into the rest of the plot, but what I enjoyed was seeing how hard it was for Ivy to fit in anywhere and how difficult it was for her to find direction in her life. And I also think this book reflects how much our upbringing can affect our choices, even as adults. I really recommend this book. It's very compelling.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not quite sure how to start or even how to write this review. I have too many thoughts about this book. As someone who is part-Asian and growing up in white suburbia, I know what it feels like to be attracted to not only the caucasian face but also the, almost mythical, way of life. How everything is just a bit cleaner, a bit shiner than what you are used to, and the desire for that is strong. Maybe not as strong as Ivy Lin's, but strong all the same.</p><p><i>White Ivy</i> was definitely a character study. Ivy Lin knows what she wants, and because of this, there is a lot of internalization. We <i>really</i> get to know Ivy, and what makes her tick. Saying this, I didn't really like the characters. Gideon was like a Ken-doll; just molds of plastic where the parts should be. Sylvia and Andrea were annoying, Sylvia in that mean-girl kind of way, while Andrea like a stereotypical loud-Chinese. Ivy, although more fleshed out, was not likable. You continued to read because she was interesting and had the nerve, no matter how immortal, to get what she wanted, but being someone you could root for? Nope. I found the ending a bit predictable, I can only guess that, despite homosexuality being more readily accepted, it is still considered on the fridge, less than 6% (Gallup.com, 2018) of the US population identified as homosexual, and maybe that's why authors incorporate it in their stories... to add a little something extra (??).</p><p>Overall, it was well-written, and entertaining in parts, but not my favorite.</p>

Wow! And Wow, again! A fabulous book about a young Chinese girl looking for love and riches. Her journey from poverty to marrying into one of the blue blooded elite families.
It is written in a raw expressive manner. You get to know the individual characters. You feel for them, you want them to succeed.
The storyline is exceptionally intriguing and intense. Once you start this story you are drawn in and can't put it down.
Full of surprising twists and turns, right up to the final page!
Highly recommend!!

I loved this book! From the descriptive views of how it was to live in China and how difficult it is for Ivy to assimilate to America. I completely ignored the dishes ( and my husband !) because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Excellent and hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I definitely look forward to more from this author! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!