This book was really kind of middle of the road for me; I didn't dislike it but it didn't astound me either. That could be because it is definitely more character-driven, more slice-of-life than it is plot-driven.

This book is about a woman named Audrey Zhou who spent her whole adolescence ready to get out of the small town she grew up in. Her relationship with her parents is strained at best, and she and her best friend had a falling out during college. It is now eight years later and Audrey and her new fiance are heading back to Audrey's hometown to stay with her parents.

A lot of the book is about Audrey being kind of resentful towards her Chinese immigrant parents who couldn't give her the type of life of luxury that she leads now. Living in NYC Audrey is busy and successful, she has reinvented herself and created a whole new identity for herself far removed from the small-town country kid that she was.

This book is a commentary on the difference between classes, and between urban and rural living. It also explored the micro-aggressions that Audrey and her family faced living in a very white small town.

I did like and relate to the book's complex family dynamics and often strained relationships. But couldn't bring myself to really care about the characters. Audrey likes to blame her mother for putting so much pressure on her and never seeming to be happy with Audrey's decisions but in truth, Audrey is pretty stuck and quick to anger herself.

I also didn't love the way that Audrey treated Ben her fiance. He did everything he could to please her and make a good impression on her parents and still, she spent the majority of her trip pining after her high school crush.

Overall, as I said, this was good but not groundbreaking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I just reviewed Central Places by Delia Cai. #CentralPlaces #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published January 31, 2023.

This book was difficult to read, but in a good way, meaning I was feeling all kinds of angst over the main protagonist Audrey. She returns home with her fiancée to visit her parents whom she hasn’t visited in 8 years. Being home of course triggers things from her childhood and high school and leads to uncomfortable situations.

No spoilers here but she needs to figure out the role of family in her life.

There is an underlying theme of racism in the book, as Audrey’s parent are immigrants from China.

Audrey is in her late 20's and seems to be living the dream life of a young New York professional. She has a steady, well-paying job and is engaged to Ben, a photojournalist and son of two Columbia professors. Her current life is a huge contrast to her childhood in Hickory Grove, Illinois, where she grew up and her Chinese immigrant parents still live (but she hasn't been there since graduating from college).
The story takes place over the Christmas/New Year's holidays when Audrey and Ben go to Illinois so he can meet her parents and she can help her father address a medical issue. As soon as she's home, however, the old tensions and resentments immediately boil to the surface.
Central Places epitomizes the Thomas Wolfe line about going home. Audrey's return to Illinois, even with her fiancee, brings up so many unresolved issues and broken relationships. I went from feeling sorry for Audrey to blaming her and wanting to tell her to grow up!
While this is her debut novel, Ms. Cai is an experienced writer and this shows in Central Places, where the writing is crisp and entertaining. I look forward to her next novel!
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Central Places in exchange for an honest review.

On the plus side, I found this book well written, and I had a hard time putting it down. I was invested in these characters. The author wrote very well developed characters. I liked the interracial relationship aspect, found the family dynamics sad, but interesting, and hoped for a resolution, but I did not like the "cheating" storyline that seemed to take a lot of time in the story. I didn't like Audrey's actions. I also think this book will resonate more with a younger audience. I'm almost 50, and the "angsty" things didn't resonate with me. Someone will practically buy her a house in NYC, but its not the exact one she wants, I would say oh well and gladly take it. Her fiancée needed her support for a while, which she gladly gave, and now is paying it off in many way, I'd be thrilled. So at my age, the things that bothered her, wouldn't bother me. I think the publisher should definitely target the 20something crowd.

Audrey Zhou grew up as one of the few Asian-Americans in the small town of Hickory Grove, Illinois. Tired of being "the different one" who has "different parents", she left town as soon as high school ended and hasn't been back in the eight years since. Now living in New York City, she has a successful, high-paying job, and a fiance, Ben. Ben is an affable and charming photo-journalist who seems able to make anything happen, if not on his own then with the help of his upper-crust parents. Audrey has never met anyone like him and is enthralled with him and her new life.

The couple heads to Hickory Grove to spend Christmas with Audrey's parents so they can meet Ben. Her father is very friendly towards and accepting of Ben (who is white), but it's a different story with Audrey's mother. Audrey and her mother have always had a very strained and contentious relationship, and it takes only minutes for her Mom to begin to find fault and voice her criticisms, taking Audrey back to her childhood and filling her with hurt, anger, and resentment.

Returning home also forces Audrey to deal with the high school friends that she left behind. There are broken friendships to fix, and an unrequited crush to resolve.

The story takes place over the course of one week; one week which has Audrey rethinking the decisions she has made, forcing her to identify what she really wants her life to look like.Though Audrey is 27, in many ways this is a coming of age story.

This is an impressive debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this author.

My thanks to Random House/Ballantine for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel via NetGalley. The book will be published 1/31/23. All opinions in this review are my own and are freely given.

Although this at first reads like a fairly basic late coming of age novel centered on a love triangle, it circles a lot of deeper, complex themes for anyone who has migrated from a small town to a big city and from one class to another—or at least to a situation in which they are surrounded by people from upper classes. The racial component, of course, adds another layer… one that I can only respect and try to grasp from a distance… but it’s funny how books find you at specific times. Here I am preoccupied with many of these same themes in my personal life and then a piece of art hits you. Is this a formally adventurous novel? No. Would it slay at the Iowa Writers Workshop? Probably not. But who cares? What I’m saying is that it spoke to me at a gut level and sometimes that’s the greatest achievement a novel can make.

A successful young woman living in New York, engaged to an upper middle class white male, reluctantly makes a trip home to the rural Illinois town she hasn't seen in over 8 years. However, the culture class of NYC vs. rural Illinois pales in comparison to the culture class Audrey faces with her immigrant Chinese parents as well as those friends she left behind.. It is one long week that forces Audrey to confront her past, present, and future.

A delightful read that you won't want to put down!

This is a story of the difficulties being the child of immigrants, in this case Chinese. This was particularly difficult for Audrey because they lived in I very small town in Illinois where the family really stuck out as different. When Audrey went to college and then settled in New York City, she didn’t return home for eight years. The story takes place when she finally returns for Christmas with her fiancé. She has a difficult relationship with her mother. She has also burned bridges with friends. I found her and her mother a bit difficult to like. Things between Audrey, her parents, and her friends also get resolved too quickly for it to seem possible. Overall this was an ok read for me.

This is a great coming of age family drama. Audrey Zhou is first generation Chinese American who has a very difficult relationship with her parents and her past. The author has created some enigmatic characters. They are fierce and vibrant as they come alive on the page. She struggles with her present and her past as they collide in the small Chicago town. Reconciliation takes owning up to who she is and accepting her place in the world. This means letting go of certain people and things and holding on to others.

Audrey, the daughter of Chinese American immigrants, has left her midwestern Chinese upbringing behind and is living her best life in NYC with her perfect boyfriend, Ben. When Ben proposes, it's time for Audrey to return home after 8 years and introduce Ben to her parents and confront the past that she has tried to leave behind.

This novel started off great but I found Audrey to be a little bit bratty and her mother to be extra difficult. It felt like Audrey was always the victim but never took responsibility for the consequences behind her actions. And the ending felt a little contrived to me. I really wanted to like this one as I am also a first generation child of immigrants and it was hard to assimilate and I also suffered from identity crises. While the story was ok, I had a hard time liking the main character Audrey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine books for this advance reader's copy. This novel will be available on 1/31/2023

A tale of one woman’s journey on deciding which path to take in life. I liked the characters and easily engaged with them. Audrey’s plight was realistic and I could relate to many parts of it.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had to take a few days to think about Central Places before posting about it. I think a lot of people might read this and not like it because the main character isn’t very likable. But characters don’t have to be likable for a book to be good. In fact, for this book to discuss what it discusses, I do think that the main character has to be a little unlikable. She needs to undergo some change, have an attitude adjustment, see things differently. The characters here are complex and they make decisions that you might not necessarily like. But I think that’s the point. Human beings, in general, make a lot of bad decisions and learn from those decisions in order to grow.

Ultimately, Central Places is about returning home when home is a place you once fled. It’s also about reconciliation. Our main character, Audrey Zhou, hasn’t been home to small-town Illinois in eight years. She’s moved out of state and lives as opposite a life as she could in New York. She has a rocky relationship with her mother, a Chinese-American immigrant, and isn’t exactly keen on going home except that her fiancé wants to meet her parents and her dad is having some health issues. Audrey’s relationship with her mother is plagued by miscommunication, silence, and misunderstandings. By the end, though, Audrey begins to see that her mother’s actions come from a place of deep love; meanwhile, her mother begins to see that maybe Audrey needs love communicated to her in a slightly different way.

Audrey left her small midwestern town to attend college and create a life in New York. Eight years after leaving home, she goes back with her fiancé. She proceeds to show, Ben, her fiancé, around town. Eventually, she reconnects with the friends she had growing up and seems to make peace with her life before she left it to find something bigger in New York. This was a nice story, but a little bit too predictable for my taste. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

A coming of age tale about the difficulties of leaving one’s past behind and maintaining an authentic self. Real, moving, and relatable.

If I had to describe Delia Cai’s debut, Central Places, in a few Taylor Swift songs, it’d be a mashup of Midnight Rain, ‘tis the damn season, and this is me trying. Central Places follows Audrey Zhou, who left Hickory Grove, Illinois, and never looked back. Her life is seemingly perfect, with a well-paying job (despite it being high-pressure) and a wonderful fiancé, Ben — until she has to go home for the holidays, per her father’s request. Going home is always complicated, and that certainly is the case for Audrey. Her relationship with her parents are tumultuous and complex, at best. Returning to Hickory Grove also stirs up unpleasant memories, and ghosts of her past — lost friendships, and people she’s left behind in the dust. But as she spends more time in Hickory Grove, Audrey’s forced to confront her current reality, and her past.

One of the highlights for me was how Central Places explores complicated family dynamics; particularly, the strained relationship between Audrey and her mother. The love, hopes and worry that Audrey’s mom has for her daughter and how that masquerades as criticism was explored in such a poignant way. There were several moments between Audrey and her mother that left me teary-eyed, or even weeping. That being said, I do wish that Audrey’s mother didn’t fall into the tiger mom stereotype, and I wish that Audrey took more responsibility in her actions.

I really loved Cai’s commentary on how people frown upon small towns, and also how Audrey’s experience being one of the very few people of color in her town was written. The juxtaposition between Ben, a wealthy New Yorker, and the rest of the people we meet in Hickory Grove, was striking, and done beautifully.

Audrey, the only child of her Chinese immigrant parents, returns to her small midwestern town for the holidays after being away for eight years. She apparently left home right after high school graduation for college then a career in NYC, making it known that her priority was to “escape” the oppressive small town atmosphere as well as her hyper-critical mother. On her holiday visit, Audrey is accompanied by her upper class fiancé, Ben for his introduction to her parents as well as the life she left behind. Audrey manages to give Ben a quick taste of midwestern life before he decides to leave early to travel to California to cover wildfires as a freelance photographer. Even while Ben is still with her, but especially after he leaves, Audrey becomes torn between her glamorous life in NYC and her high school memories and old friendships.
I think this book is very well-written, especially for a debut novel. I agree with other reviewers who described Audrey as unlikable but I think the author did a terrific job of portraying Audrey’s ambivalence and seeming immaturity. As a reader, I got emotionally involved in the story, often feeling extremely frustrated with Audrey and her choices. She seemed to regress right back to a rebellious and selfish teenager. I do think that Audrey’s decisions were somewhat based on the divides between her culture, the small town atmosphere and her city life. The cultural aspects are something that I can’t pretend to understand. Her mother did seem very harsh and critical but I’m guessing that this is a cultural component that many of us can’t relate to. Audrey’s regression back to her crush on Kyle and her riff with Kristin were disappointing but probably demonstrated several things - Audrey’s immaturity and selfishness, places and people change very little and it is very difficult to “go home” after being away for many years. Even her abrupt decisions towards the end of the book were disappointing but she was able to show more maturity around her father’s health concerns and came to a better understanding with her mother. Overall, a thought-provoking and enjoyable read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers - Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

After leaving Hickory Grove, Illinois, for college and then moving to New York City, Audrey Zhou never returned home for eight years. Her fiancé Ben, born and raised in wealth in New York City, accompanies her back home when her father must undergo some diagnostic tests.

Audrey believes she had good reasons for the separation. As one of the handful of people of color in high school, she never felt welcome nor comfortable in Hickory Grove. And the stern and demanding nature of her mother did not lend to a homelife that was comfortable or comforting. Once back, though, Audrey encounters her unrequited crush from high school, runs into a best girlfriend who no longer has time for Audrey, and discovers that Ben may not be exactly the person she is hoping to find.

I found it nearly impossible to care about Audrey. She acts like a spoiled 16-year-old ... certainly not a young career woman in her late 20s. And she seems pretty much stunned to learn that cutting off all ties with people for 8 years makes it hard for them to even care about you. And I have no idea why either her former crush or her best friend are willing to take her back.

Central Places by Delia Cai is the story of Audrey Zhou: a Chinese American who leaves behind the small Midwest town she grew up in to prosper in New York.

Audrey Zhou comes home to visit her parents during Christmas so that her parents can meet her white fiancé. If that's not stressful enough, Audrey's dad has a doctor's appointment, which leaves her in Hickory Grove longer than expected.

While there, Audrey runs into an old crush and a former best friend who she ditched eight years ago. Where's Ben in all of this? He left for a work thing.

The drama!

I liked the book: well-written, realistic, and relatable.

Something was off: it could be the age gap. Audrey is in her late twenties.

A little predictable as the story develops. I didn't care for the ending. The story just slowly peters out.

Despite all of that. It's worth a read.

Central Places begins as Audrey, a Asian American woman, brings her white fiancé home to meet her Chinese immigrant parents. She could not get out of her tiny home town fast enough, as soon as she graduated high school she hightailed it out of there! But now that she's engaged she must return to her complicated past.

Wow, Audrey was a very unlikable character for me! I thought she was extremely selfish, especially when she was calling other people selfish. I thought she made everything about herself and acted like everyone was out to get her. And I can't get over the fact that she held on to a crush for 8 years!!!

Besides the character flaw, I thought Cai did an excellent job in portraying the complexities of children of immigrants. For Audrey everything came back to race, and how can you blame her when she's constantly judged by her race. Audrey has to balance being a good Chinese daughter with her own American values and Cai did a great job at bring to light that specific difficulty.