A debut novel by an author whose writing drew me in kept me turning the pages.Characters that come alive a multilayered plot.Highly recommend this book this new author,#netgalley#simon&schuster

This book was a very pleasant surprise! I enjoyed Ivy's experience and i could relate to her even though I'm nothing like her. This was achieved through good writing. So, about the book:
Ivy Lin is a Chinese immigrant desperately trying to fit into the privileged world of her wealthy and mostly white peers from school. Ivy develops a crush on Gideon Speyer, the son of a wealthy politician (senator) family.

In her twenties, Ivy finds herself back in Gideon's life. Despite Ivy's striving to mirror the gentle, restrained, poise, and superior behaviors that she attributed to the upper class, we learn that this is a front and not at all who she really is. She goes into vivid detail about how she sees herself as lowly, ugly, and worthless. On the contrary, she sees her classmates as the perfection and "American Dream" she has always wanted to be and to achieve. Through premeditated schemes and manipulation, Ivy worms her way into Gideon's world and proves she is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect her newfound place in life as the girlfriend she has wanted to be for so long.

As mentioned above, the superstar of the book is the writing. Ivy's shared perception of the class differences were cynical and relatable in a way that makes the reader uncomfortable in a good way. Ivy's self-esteem issues were sometimes hard to read, but good writing has the ability to make us feel voyeuristic when done well.

White Ivy is a fast-paced read and that kept me mostly engaged until the last quarter when I found myself skimming a bit because everything that happened was so predictable (which is unfortunate because it was the real “action” of the book). The “twist” - if it can be called that, I’m not sure it was even supposed to be one - was so obvious throughout that it seemed impossible it could surprise Ivy when she realized. The ending felt rushed to the point of being almost ridiculous, and I felt the final dialogue and scene kind of undermined the more complicated themes Yang wove throughout the book, ending it on a trite note. Overall, though, this is an enjoyable novel for readers who can enjoy a book full of flawed and unlikeable characters. Speaking of characters, I think White Ivy is strongest when it is focused on the Lin family - their hopes, dreams, struggles, values, and secrets as Chinese-American immigrants. I would have enjoyed seeing more of them in the second half, and would have especially liked to learn more about Ivy’s father, Shen. Maybe this book didn’t need to be a thriller after all? Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the galley in exchange for my honest opinion!

This novel is rich and layered. It starts as a coming of age story for Ivy Lin and turns into a thriller, which was unexpected.

The first half of the novel was of Ivy's childhood and upbringing. Born in China and raised by her grandmother until the age of five, Ivy and her grandma joined Ivy's parents in the US, in a small town in Massachusetts. She spent a short time in a Prep School, where Ivy developed an ambition of being part of the upper social class. Ivy has a crush on Gideon Speyer, the son of a wealthy politician (senator) family. The earlier part of the novel details Ivy's character and her struggles growing up. Imagine the contrast of being raised in an immigrant family: the broken English, her father, an IT technician, her grandmother a farmer's daughter, and her mother with a secretive past, versus Ivy wanting to fit in with the elite circles whose families have summer homes. In her twenties, Ivy once again found herself back in Gideon's life. Despite Ivy's striving to mirror the gentle, restrained, poise, and superior behaviors that she attributed to the upper class, we learn that Ivy couldn't fall far from the tree or her darker instincts. (This feels a little bit like the novel Prep, the immigrant version).

The latter half of the novel was plot-driven, and Ivy's decisions and actions referencing back to those darker instincts that we know of from her childhood. Once "Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners and weekend getaways to the Cape," the coming-of-age-of-an-immigrant story took a turn into the thriller territory. Backstories, observations, dreams, and events unfold that made the next events or conclusions predictable. When the twist and turns revealed, I was not surprised.

I like Yang's writing. The insights that Ivy shared or her view of the class differences were cynical, more than I would have wanted to read, but they were sharp. Ivy's constant struggles with insecurity, shame, self-doubt were so pervasive from the pages that I had to remind myself this is the writer's creation, and not necessarily true of the world. In that sense, while I enjoyed reading the book and it's superbly written and crafted, it takes some time for me to shake off the gloom and self-destruction written into this complex character.

One detail that I wish the author provided in the book is the background of Andrea. If Ivy is Chinese, Gideon and his circle are white (blue-eyed), Una Kim is Korean, Roux is Romanian, then shouldn't her roommate (and best friend?) Andrea have an ethnic identity? Just a thought. I love the character of Andrea, for the small and contrasting part (from Ivy) that she brings and adds dimension to the novel.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster, for providing a free advanced ebook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel is remarkably assured and confident. The characters are dense, complex, and not "good," which made them both believable and intriguing. Ivy, the primary character, is fascinating-- I never doubted her choices or lost interest in why she made them. Highly recommend for an excellent character study.

If you're looking for a lighthearted, uplifting read White Ivy is not for you. Despite the title, White Ivy definitely leans toward the dark side. Ivy Lin is a Chinese immigrant desperately trying to fit into the privileged world of her wealthy and mostly white shoolmates. Despite her working class background Ivy is able to attend the prestigious Grove Preparatory Day School tuition free because her father works there. At Grove Ivy meets Gideon, and she is smitten with the shy, polite, senator's son. Ivy is on the cusp of getting close to Gideon when her parents move the family from Boston to New Jersey, leaving Ivy bereft. Years later Ivy runs into Gideon's sister Sylvia and she reunites Ivy and Gideon. Once Ivy is back in Gideon's orbit she is determined not to let him slip from her grasp. Ivy's relationship with Gideon is a mystery-although Gideon is affluent and cultured, his demure personality doesn't mesh with the headstrong Ivy. What's really up with Gideon is obvious as the nose on his face (to everyone but Ivy), yet this revelation is used as White Ivy's defining moment. The disclosure of Gideon's true intentions doesn't deliver the punch Susie Yang might have hoped for, but it certainly sums up the book's message-be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it. White Ivy is gritty, slick and bitterly ironic, but much like the title character there's not a lot going on underneath the lily white surface.

I loved this book, which is about a girl who immigrates to America from China and falls deeply in love...with consumerism. And also two very different men.

This book is so beautifully and lyrically written. It has echoes of The Great Gatsby and The Secret History. I was completely consumed by this book, so that I was unaware of anything else happening around me. That’s how obsessed I was with Ivy.

No spoilers but there is a moment in this book that is so genuinely shocking, I gasped aloud. I am not really sure how else to describe this book except that it’s gorgeous, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Susie Yang for an advance copy of this arresting and beautiful book in exchange for my honest review.

Susie Yang’s debut novel, White Ivy, is a gem! The tale follows five year old Ivy Lin and her journey to America to join her parents. This is a charming, at times cringe worthy coming, of age tale. Struggling to fit in with classmates and then colleagues, Ivy is self critical and self sabotaging. After reconnecting with her girlhood crush, she obsess about him. How far will she go to win the man of dreams? Everyone is hiding something. How far will Ivy go to keep her secrets.

WHITE IVY by Susie Yang is a novel about a Chinese American woman, Ivy, finding her own identity amongst her immigrant family, American society and her lovers. I really expected to love it after reading the beginning. I feel always a connection reading about Chinese women in North America but Ivy isn’t a character to love. This is a literary thriller and that felt disjointed. The first half is literary fiction and the second half is more thriller. Still overall an enjoyable read and I would definitely read Yang’s next book.

Thanks Netgalley for this book. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Ms Yang’s style of writing. It flows like you’re watching a movie. It didn’t think it was for me, but I got caught up it the story and then couldn’t put it down. It’s a story that you keep thinking of, days after you’re finished.

BLOWN AWAY. This was completely and totally INCREDIBLE. An engaging character study, and a thrilling page turner (so rare to find that combination!) I adored every second of this, and found myself stopping for deep breaths occasionally. My favorite quarantine read of yet!

Thank you Netgalley as well as the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. For a debut this book was written extremely well and the story had a lot of depth so that's why I gave it 3 stars however, I did not like the book at all.

This is promising coming of age, thought provoking immigrant story slowly grows on you but you got to be patient enough for getting into Ivy’s world, her family dynamics, reasons behind the shame and motivations triggered her wrongdoings, her dreams to jump to her upper social class and her desire to have a wealthy life which makes her a liar and a thief.

I have to admit at first: I had hard time to get into the story and live inside Ivy’s mind to connect with her life but after a few attempts later, I get really happy to give more chance to this read. As I said before as long as you read the story and the characters make you root for them. At the second half: I start to dislike choices Ivy made and I didn’t approve some of her decisions but I still get the reasoning behind them even though I didn’t like the consequences she created.

At first she hides behind the shadows to be invisible to accomplish her mission. And she was so close to reach her dreams. Gideon Speye, coming from wealthy politician family is hooked by her charm. When she got the golden boy, she may change her own life, getting rid of poor Chinese family but a ghost from her past is so adamant not to move on her life. She can lose everything she perfectly built and worked so hard to earn. She may get extreme decisions or she may give up and face her life consisted of lies and secrets. What she is going to choose?

I liked the story telling and even though at some parts I truly dislike Ivy, I still wanted to know how her journey will shape. The final twist is predictable but it was the best conclusion we get. It was promising, exhilarating and realistically developed story which stays in your mind and after you close the book, you keep thinking more and you like the taste it left in your mind. It was still unique, original and a great start for a debut author! I’m looking forward to read her future works as well,

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for sharing this interesting ARC in exchange my honest review.

I was so looking forward to this novel and its exploration of identity and obsession. I enjoyed the beginning part of the novel, although a slow burn, as it steadily built up the layers of Ivy’s identity and fleshed out the immigrant Chinese American experience in human and plausible detail. When we return to Ivy after she’s graduated college, I expected a more developed human being, but still felt lacking on who she was as a character, and she didn’t appear to have many redeeming qualities. I stopped reading at 40% because I found that Gideon, the centre of Ivy’s obsession, was a very two-dimensional character and I couldn’t get a good sense of who he was, and why he was the object of her desires and the person upon whom she pinned all her hopes and dreams. There also wasn’t any real chemistry between the pair so I found it hard to believe the relationship, which was central to believing the trajectory of the story. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

This was a quick read - the story was engaging, almost thriller-like in a way. While I'm not sure some events were necessary, I suppose they serve a point.

The characters seemed fairly one-dimensional. I can tell a lot of thought went into Ivy and her background, but she seems so... unrelatable and one-minded (or many-minded, in that she doesn't really stand for anything). Ivy's characterization reminds me almost of Casey's in Free Food for Millionaires.

Gideon fell flat, miserably. Sylvia speaks "coldly" a lot and has a lot of anger shooting from her eyes. But that wasn't really touched on, beyond Roux's comments to Ivy. Felt like the Speyer family had a lot of skeletons, in addition to the last reveal, that could have and should have been explored further. (Why is Sylvia so, seemingly, anti-Ivy sometimes, but so normal other times? The reveal doesn't quite explain that.)

I think the ending was fitting.

Overall, this was intriguing. To go back to the thriller comment - at times, I could see Sylvia turning into a serial killer or something, with her fiercely angry eyes.

Thanks to Simon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!!

A coming of age story with a multi-layered protagonist - thought-provoking and insightful.

Ivy Lin steals and lies to get what she wants. She is the ultimate striver, hoping to to build a perfect, moneyed life and hide her humble immigrant upbringing. When she reconnects with Gideon Speyer, a former prep school classmate, she sees her opportunity to join his Boston Brahmin family, with their Cape house and loads of antiques. But all that glitters is not gold, and appearances can be deceiving...

There's a lot going on in this book - an immigrant story, commentary on ethnicity and class, deception and trickery. I wouldn't call this a true thriller - it's more of a coming of age novel with some suspense elements. Each time Ivy appears to be down for the count, it's never clear exactly how she'll get back up again, but the author managed to surprise me with a few twists. I was pleasantly surprised by the varied fates of the characters at the end of the story. I would recommend this book to those interested in coming of age and #ownvoices novels.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chinese American coming of age. I enjoyed the first half the most. The Lin family dynamics were fascinating and captivating. However the second half of the novel just didn’t hold my interest. I didn’t feel that Gideon was well developed and I couldn’t understand what really drew Ivy to him. The twist at the end was flat.

Chinese American #ownvoices literary thriller.
Synopsis that starts with Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar.
Posh high society, immigrant experience, AND an ambitious AF MC.

Yes, yes, YES I am self-centered enough to think this book MUST have been written for me! Now excuse me while I spend today screaming and squealing because I'VE BEEN APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: OKAY I'VE READ IT. And OMGGGGGGG I am so so so thrilled that this actually lived up to my extremely (and unreasonably) high hopes! This story was clever and well-layered. Full of terrible, ambitious people with secrets. An absolute joy to read. I had insomnia last night and decided to start the book, thinking I'd read a few chapters and then go to bed. WELP. Let me tell you, this book did NOT help with insomnia because soon enough, I was wide awake and reading as fast as I could. Finished the book up around 4am and then just sat there thinking about the ending! Because OMG.

I loved the cynical look at wealth gaps. The subtle nods and little details, especially regarding the Chinese American identity. As a Chinese American woman myself, I appreciated so many of those little things. I don't even know if everyone would notice them, but I did, and they were incorporated in such a clever way! For example, at one point, teenaged Ivy goes to a Caucasian American boy's house and he says she can keep her shoes on. She blushes and then follows him in. It's things like that. They're not spelled out plain and clear. If you get that it's a Chinese thing, you get it. I just... loved that so much. (Maybe because it helped me feel like I was in on a clever little secret.)

I think some will likely find parts of the story slow, but I loved every second of it. I am happy to savor writing this good! This is a slow burn thriller. We follow Ivy through her entire childhood and then her adulthood up to one pivotal moment.

Since I only got four hours of sleep, I don't think I'm doing this book justice with my review, but I couldn't wait another minute to write down how I felt. The ending was powerful and interesting. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt, but then I realized how much it made me think. How well it fit. And the more I think about it, the more I love it. This isn't a story meant to be neatly tied up with a bow. This is the kind that provokes thought and discussion. It would actually be quite an excellent book club read!

If you couldn't tell already, I highly, HIGHLY recommend pre-ordering this clever, brilliant book! Out Sept 8. Thank you Simon Books for providing a free advanced copy of the book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to write feedback for a book you truly couldn't get into. I tried and I tried but I couldn't connect to the writing or the characters. I felt like I was plodding along for too, too long. I actually did not finish this title, sadly; with that being said, however, I would urge you to give it a try for yourself. Different writing appeals to different readers.. so please do not take this as a "one size fits all" proclamation. Read this title and decide for yourself!

Ughh I have such mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved the journey of reading it, yet I highly disliked the characters and the outcome. It's almost a book you love to hate. I was frustrated but could not put it down. I can appreciate that this book left me conflicted because it won't be a book I soon forget.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this debut novel. I give this review voluntarily.