Ivy is a Chinese American who is selfishly thievish and a decent liar and we learn, in detail, how she learned and gathered these traits from a young age, and then we're shown how you uses them to get what she wants for the duration of her adulthood.

This one starts off slow, but does seem to get better as the book goes on and Ivy's relationships broaden and re-bloom. I like the writing which was detailed and cunning, and it does indeed have a very decent character development for the sly main character, Ivy, but I just didn't get any 'wow' moments from this one. I could definitely see Ivy as a serial killer in some life though, which is a plus for me! I would still say this Author is one to look out for!

Thank you to NetGalley, Susie Yang and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

#whiteivy #NetGalley

I spend the beginning of this novel falling in love with the story, setting, and our main character. However the longer I kept reading this novel the more I pulled apart from our main character Ivy. As for a writing standpoint it was rich and beautiful, but the story just wasn’t for me. But I would recommend for anyone who wants a novel with an unlikeable main character, and a slow build.

I started #WhiteIvy yesterday morning and found myself captivated from cover to cover, totally invested in the story of Ivy; from her complicated upbringing by her Chinese immigrant family, to her transformation into an insecure but manipulative young woman who will do whatever it takes to win the love of a handsome wealthy man she’s been pursuing since grade school. I loved the cultural specificity in this story, and thought the deep-dive into Ivy’s family and heritage really elevated her character and gave her depth and complexity. In particular, the juxtaposition between the generations of women in this novel, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters…was what really set this book apart from other similar titles in the genre. In addition, the love triangle between Ivy and her two love interests is complicated and dangerous and sexy and wicked fun.
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Fans of #PrettyThings, #NecessaryPeople, #TheTalentedMrRipley, #TheJoyLuckClub and #TheMajesties will really enjoy this one. White Ivy is officially out September 8th

White Ivy, by Susie Yang, is at its heart a character study rather than a plot driven novel.

It’s the story of Ivy, a Chinese-American girl, who wants everything that white privilege brings…and she’ll do anything to get it.

Very few characters in this book are likable – many are horrific. I did find that I loved Ivy’s brother, though I didn’t really get to know him all that well. After all this, and the world in general, is Ivy’s story. Everyone else is a minor player.

Ivy’s desire to be white is obvious from page one of the novel as she reflects on her ‘round eyes’. Later in the book, she revels in her pale skin and how the people in China consider her an ABC – not white, but close, right?

As you read, you keep hoping that one day Ivy will wake up to love her own skin and her Chinese heritage. This isn’t that sort of book. Instead, you read with a sort of horrid fascination as Ivy goes further and further in per pursuit of that perfect Caucasian life.

This is well written. While I did want more of a plot, Yang’s study of Ivy is so well done that she practically jumps off the page. I don’t want to know her in real life, but I devoured her life in these pages.

I liked that Yang chose to bring a perspective that wasn’t pretty, but was still all too real.

Five stars. Though I did want a bit more plot, this is truly excellent.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I must say I didn't really like Ivy much, but it was easy to sympathize with her after her upbringing. Ivy, an Asian-American immigrant, is determined to have all the things she sees others have in their lives, and will do whatever is necessary to get them. She stalks a boy from high school who was her first love, at least in her mind, while sneaking around with another who knows her well and I believe truly loved herI enjoyed the writing and would recommend this to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read White Ivy,

This book, although well written, was not for me. The main character is so unlike able—she lies, cheats, steals, kills, and complains about everything. I could not have cared less about her. Maybe that’s the author’s intent, but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read. I might perhaps recommend it to fans of Gillian Flynn, whose characters also have an incessantly dark world view and lots of self loathing.

This book started out really well, but then it turned into a kind of romance novel with a disappointing ending. Ivy who was born in China lives with her grandmother until she is six and is then sent to live with her parents and little brother who emigrated to the US. The book does a good job of expressing the struggles Ivy goes through trying to assimilate with her American peers. She wants to be more like "white' people and is convinced that everyone else is better off and has a better life. The book then becomes more of a love story and becomes a lot less interesting. All of the characters are unlikeable.

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

Wow. I got sucked into the plot and caught up in Ivy's life immediately. I both admire and am repulsed by her behaviors. I love the storyline and get choices are so diabolical and somehow relatable.

Fantastic novel. It will make you think.

A stereotype-defying exploration of identity and obsession of a young Chinese immigrant in today's America. Unusual and dark, "White Ivy" knocked me off my feet.

Ivy is a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the United States. Her parents moved to the US when she was just two, only managing to bring her in three years later. But her immigration story is not one of success and mighty American Dreams; Ivy's parents are extremely controlling, putting sky-high expectations on their daughter to become a doctor, which is certainly not one of Ivy's own dreams. She wants to live a life full of adventure, excitement and self-exploration. And in order to achieve that, she starts stealing things with her grandma, hoping to fit in with the popular girls at school and get the attention of a boy she loves: Gideon Speyer.

She is also a shallow liar with low self-esteem, constantly obsessing over other people's opinions of her. She hates her parents, economic standing, her looks, ethnicity (?), simply herself.

Ivy is totally unlikable, and yet, I was completely absorbed by her story. I'm very interested in the Chinese American culture and history, and I think that this book masterfully defies many stereotypes associated with the "model minority." Ivy just wants to be a popular girl like the white girls in her school, and she wants to be loved by Gideon who's wealthier and more attractive than herself. The title itself is absolutely intriguing because there is no mention if a "White Ivy" in the story; it is clear that the word "white" represents what Ivy subconsciously believes would allow her to have just the life she wants, but can't have.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy was two years old when her parents moved from China to the United States and left her in the care of Meifeng, her grandmother. It took three years for them to save enough money to send for her so, when she arrived, they felt like strangers. Two years later Meifeng joined the family, but Ivy felt caught. In their world she was expected to become a doctor, and to be obedient but she was definitely not obedient and didn’t want to be a doctor. She wanted an exciting life of her own so filled her days reading about beautiful sad heroines.

In 6th grade her father became a technician at a prep school so her tuition was free. By that time she had become a petty thief with her grandmother, and stole the things she needed to fit in at school. Though she worked hard to emulate the lifestyles of the beautiful, rich girls who were now her classmates, and had fallen hard for Gideon Speyer the local heartthrob, she was always on the outskirts of school life.

Through college and beyond Ivy flits from relationship to relationship, refusing any involvements, but is thrilled when she runs into Gideon’s older sister. She makes sure she and Gideon rekindle their acquaintance, and becomes so ruthless and single minded in her pursuit of him that she loses track of the definition of true love.

The author made you really think hard about the characters, and threw in a few twists and turns I didn’t expect. I will highly recommend this book for Adults.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was really a wild ride. There are few books where I don't quite know where it is going and this was one. It was sort of the story of a low level social climber then suddenly there was murder! I enjoyed it and thought the main character was very fleshed out but the male characters were less so. That might have been on purpose but it wasn't 100% clear.

An interesting debut novel about a young Chinese woman who is ashamed of her family and yearns for the life of the wealthy. This is her story from her middle school years through to her wedding. Lin envies a family during her youth and reconnects with them in her later years. The ending is surprising.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of White Ivy.

The premise sounded intriguing and I don't see many books that feature an Asian female protagonist so I was pleased when my request was approved.

The best thing about White Ivy: the writing. The author is a wonderful writer; the prose flowed, it wasn't too wordy or flowery and there were some beautiful metaphors.

White Ivy is a character study of the main character, an Asian female immigrant struggling to fit in with her adopted country and desperate not to be more than she was born into, and more of a literary novel than a thriller.

There's a twist at the end, but its not enough to categorize White Ivy in the thriller genre.

The worst thing about White Ivy: Ivy.

She is unlikable, shallow, superficial, self-centered, and those are the first adjectives that came to mind.

She is also unambitious, lacks wit, personality, self esteem, and cares too much about what others think of her, especially Sylvia, her boyfriend's sister.

Every time Ivy is caught in a tense moment whether with her parents or her lover, she imagines what Sylvia would do.

That's the constant refrain in her head: What would Sylvia do? What would Sylvia do? What would Sylvia do?

Ivy spends much of her time obsessing over Gideon, ingratiating herself with his family and shallow friends that it became redundant.

Then, her thoughts would ping pong to the contempt she feels for her parents, her grandmother, and the narrative would sound disjointed, confusing.

You don't really know Ivy. What does she really want? To be white? To be married? Have sex? To never want for money? She has no firm objective and spends most of her time whining about Gideon.

The second worst thing about White Ivy: everyone else. Everyone was one dimensional and not vaguely interesting, except perhaps Ivy's grandmother.

I don't mind unlikable characters, but no one was devious or clever or sly, qualities I would appreciate and admirable. Like Ivy, no one possessed admirable qualities and no one evolved or became a better person.

The writing was great; I wished the characters and plot was of the same quality.

I've let myself ruminate on this one for multiple days, partly because I wanted to see just how much Susie Yang's characters from <i>White Ivy</i> clung to me still, to see how ivy-like they really were.

Ivy Lin is a liar. A thief of sorts, too, but kind of a pesky one more than a big bad robber. But she is most definitely a <b>L I A R</b>, down to the deepest part of her marrow. She's one of those characters who iare immensely detestable, but thanks to Yang's addictive and easy-flowing writing style, your eyes stay glued to the trainwreck that she is.

Ivy is raised by poor Chinese immigrant parents and her grandmother just outside of Boston. She is a desperate girl who becomes a desperate woman, tragically placing her ideals almost single-handedly towards a pursuit of a man and its accompanying wealth. That has never turned out well, and her web of lies grows thicker and more disturbing as time passes.

There is no reformation to goodness, but that isn't necessarily problematic. I remember watching Walter White spiral turn to a point of no return, but the most riveting part was seeing the change. Unfortunately, Ivy does not grow, either for better or for worse. She is the same snobbish, irresponsible, and selfish girl she always was, to the very end, and the stagnation of her character development left me feeling dissatisfied and out of touch with the choices and emotions she was feeling.

Gideon, Roux, and her family each presented as interesting and complex characters, but too much was withheld or not enough time was spent for me to become attached to what happened to them. The story was told purely from Ivy's perspective, so perhaps her inordinate self-absorption made it impossible for me to get a proper glimpse of these flawed characters. What I certainly know is just how toxic this ivy is—Yang certainly knew how to mix in the love triangle, the devious lies, and the machinations and manipulations in a spell-binding combination.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A tough decision on rating because initially entranced and thinking a solid 4, then interest waxed and waned becoming a solid 3.5. Ultimately decided to round up because this book is so hard to categorize. Credit for being well written--no grimacing prose.

The setting as described by the publisher: "... a young woman’s dark obsession with her privileged classmate and the lengths she’ll go to win his love. Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her...Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family...just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build." [this last part--ghost--a huge hint of a trajectory],

First, why is this book called "White Ivy"? I didn't see any reason as to the "white." [and i searched "white Ivy"]

Second, some reviewers have mentioned the unlikeable characters. Yes, that is true--particularly Ivy, Nan, Roux, and Sylvia [I give the others a pass]. But all flawed. And some saw this book as a thriller, I did not,

Third, approximate 15% of the book--spoilers I will not reveal. One I saw coming miles away; the other I did not.

Very much a combination platter: immigrant story, coming of age, clash of cultures. Definitely a tale of obsession, self-loating, desperation, depravity, deviousness, wealth and privilege vs. not. And dark, dark, dark!

Many descriptions that were wonderful:

"brick-faced people"

"...even though Mrs. Roman spoke Romanian and Nan Chinese, now similar they sounded when shouting, like a flock of angry ravens, the consonants clipped and hardened by anger. Maybe anger was the only universal language."

"Ivy watched, mesmerized and her mother's nostrils flared out like door flaps each time she inhaled."

"The air was so dank you could open your mouth and taste its poisonous residue."

"His skin was pink and pale, like ham..."

"Honest duplicity, instead of the infinitely more exhausting duplicitous honesty,"

and many more.

One that threw me--twice--the description of eyes as "swarthy"--I think of a complexion as swarthy--not eyes!

That said, this book kept me going though at times, I was less interested than I was at the beginning, And the very end--did not care for, So a cautious recommend--not for everyone,

Suspenseful, disturbing and totally compelling, this will appeal to fans of other literary thrillers like You, Luckiest Girl Alive and Necessary People.

I’m not even sure how to write this review, but I really loved this book way more than I expected to.

It’s the story of Ivy, a Chinese American who grew up learning to steal (taught by her grandmother), and always dreaming of having the finer things in life. She becomes infatuated with Gideon, an American classmate whose family is rich. Soon after, her parents ship her off to see relatives overseas. When she returns five weeks later, she learns her family has moved to a new home in a new state...and away from Gideon and another friend she hung out with.

Now as an adult, after having a run in with Gideon’s sister, Ivy finds herself in his life like never before. Her greed and desire for this new way of living will push her to places she’s never known, and will undoubtedly change the course of her life forever.

This book is not a heart-pounding thriller. It’s a coming of age drama that has a low simmer of suspense throughout, and is beautifully written by Susie Yang. After a bit of a slow start (15% or so), I found myself fully engaged and committed to the tale I was reading. It’s a slow burn but my no means boring. I highly recommend for those who can stay invested in a book and want to peel back the layers of the characters. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Susie Yang, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given this ARC for an honest review. I struggled with it and I really wanted to love it. I couldn’t feel any chemistry between the two main characters. Ivy tried hard to make something of herself in America but she got caught up in material things. She was trained as a child to steal what she needed and this carried on as an adult. She was consumed by what she saw the rich people had and tried to pull off that she had more than she actually did. She was so conflicted by life and trying to keep her family happy by sending them money every month. That part made me sad.
There will be people that will love this book I can’t say that but I liked it.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

While billed as a thriller, this book is more of a character development. While very well written, the main problem is that none of the characters are particularly likeable or relatable.

The main character, Ivy, is self centered and extremely selfish. In actuality, while characters, such as Roux, have had miserable childhoods, they don't grow unto sympathetic people. In fact, all of the characters, despite their backgrounds, are unlikable and unrelatable.

There is a plot twist at the end which I suppose can categorize the book as a thriller.

The author is a terrific writer. If only her characters and plot were terrific as well.

I was given an advance copy of this book. I am leaving my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is being billed as a "mystery/thriller," which I don't think is accurate. I went into the book thinking it was going to have surprises, twists, and suspense, but there's just...not. Don't get me wrong; it's clear that the author is talented. The writing is good and the characters are well developed. But the main character, Ivy, is extremely unlikeable and I just wasn't that interested in her story. There is a "twist" at the very end of the book, but I was so uninvested in the characters and the plot that it didn't even faze me. If you pick up this book, know that you're not getting a thriller, but rather a slow-moving story about a woman who will lie and steal to get what she wants, but never in a very dramatic way.

Review posted on Goodreads on May 12, 2020.