Member Reviews

The inspiring tale Clementine and Danny Save the World gives young people a meaningful and strong voice and demonstrates how they may each contribute in their own unique way to improving their communities. Blackburn added an element of suspense between BobaBoy888 and Hibiscus, who also happen to be Clementine and Danny, in addition to the tastes of romantic romance.

How they will change their online personas as their relationship develops and whether they will be able to look past their online arguments are the key questions.

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This is a cute teen romance. I loved all the tea shops and getting a feel for them through Clementine's blog. I liked how she and Danny worked together and how things progressed and changed between them as they learn more about each other.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

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A delightful story, Blackburne’s novel is about family, community, and finding your voice to stand up for what you believe in, even when the odds aren’t in your favor.

Clementine and Danny Save the World is an empowering story, giving a meaningful and powerful voice for young people and how they, in their own way, can make a difference in their own communities. Nott only did Blackburn add flavors of sweet romance, there’s this added layer of suspense between BobaBoy888 and Hibiscus who happen to be Clementine and Danny.

The question is, as their relationship unfolds, how will the rectify their internet alter egos, and will they be able to see past their online bickering.

Simply put: a great story.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

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4.25/5 stars! You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies so hearing this was a YA take on that pulled me in. Loved the representation in this story and liked learning more about the harms of gentrification through this POV. I think I enjoyed the characters and their journeys more than the romance plot of this book. I was pulled into the story more by the description of the neighborhood and their battle against corporate America and getting to see them interact with friends and family more than the romcom angle.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

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I typically read thrillers, crime novels, or romance. But every once in a while a YA novel will catch my eye, that's what happened with "Clementine and Danny save the world (and each other)" by Livia Blackburne. The cover pulled me in and made me want to know HOW they saved the world. I really enjoyed the writing style, the back and forth between the two main protagonists, Celementine and Danny. They are high school students who know of each other in the beginning, they have some classes together, but it's their outreach involvement with Chinatown Cares that brings them together. With some heart break, and laughter, can they bring the Chinatown community together in time to stop Kale Corp from buying out the old shops? I really enjoyed the outreach of the novel as well, it brings awareness to the fact that major corporations ARE pushing out small businesses left and right in real life. I like that Livia Blackburne made it about the fundraiser AND added some romance in as well. By the end I was rooting for Clementine and Danny, and wishing I had a tea house to go play Mahjong in. I would reccomend this book to my teenage daughter and all of her friends, very well written Livia! I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

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This book was amazing! Thank you to Harper Collins Children's Books and Quill Tree Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. This story has "You've Got Mail" vibes on the surface, but delves into so much more. This book deals with familial expectations, traditions, trauma, drama and so much more. The central story is interesting and well-paced and the ending was what I didn't know I wanted until I got it. Please check out this book!

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Fun YA Contemporary read, with both narrating characters, Danny and Clementine, being relatable characters.

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this was a good book. i definitely enjoyed it.

i think i was a little nervous to start it because it felt stereotypical. asian people who like tea being the premise of the story? come on. plus, i was aggravated by the emergence of another story about oppression. as people of color, we already face oppression in the real world. most people use media and books as a form of escapism, so to see oppression in the one escape we have is slightly disappointing. i enjoyed the book—don’t get me wrong—but i just wish we could have had a book about asian people that wasn’t about school, oppression, or stereotypes. i wanted a cute romance novel between two characters that just happen to be asian.

regardless, it was a nice story. i enjoyed their dynamic and the passion they felt towards their fight against kale corp. seeing the two different ways of parenting between danny and clementine’s parents is nice. danny shows the way most asian people are raised: with strict rules and high expectations. his parents love him, which is nice to see especially since the lack of “i love you”s is part of asian culture. you also get clementine’s parents, progressive and accepting journalists. it’s nice to see children be openly encouraged to follow their dreams and to see parents show their love, especially since many asian readers don’t get that at home. it’s a nice balance.

i really enjoyed clementine’s character. i’ll be honest, i definitely was a little scared of a character named after a fruit, but i grew to like her. she didn’t get mad over unnecessary reasons—some books make the protagonist get angry at others over things that are her own fault—and she stood her ground on things she believed in. even when things didn’t have a good outlook, she kept going.

the ending, while expected, was nice. i enjoyed the slightly open ending. after being confined to a definite future for so long, i know that it was nice for danny to be able to just see where the wind takes him next.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher of HarperCollins, and the author Livia Blackburne for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Blackburne writes an entertaining YA story about Chinese/Asian Americans and the importance of Chinatowns/Asian ethnic enclaves and community. Blackburne's usage of the internet, social media, and social media activism remain topical and relevant to contemporary Asian/Chinese American activism. Blackburne's discussion of cultural tradition vs modernization/Westernization/fusion/adaptation echoes past debates within the Asian/Chinese American space and scene. Blackburne's discussion of these themes occurs with the main protagonist, Clementine Chan, and her love interest, Danny Mok. If readers are familiar with Chinese American history, they'll know and understand Clementine Chan as Chinese Americans have engaged in modernization/Westernization/fusion/adaptation throughout history. That's one of the ways in which Chinatown has been created and how Chinese Americans have survived in America. Think of Westernized Chinese food like chop suey, PF Changs, or General Tso's Chickens. Readers will also appreciate learning more about traditional Chinese tea culture. One minor critique is exploring more of the class dynamic between Clementine and Danny and how class as well as gender inform their lived experiences. I wished Clementine could unpack her class experience more and Danny with misogyny and being an Asian man. Nonetheless, this was a quick and fun breeze to read through.

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This book was pretty boring..I was looking forward to it based on the blurb but it fell really flat for me :/

The book was really focused on the community action plot (don't get me wrong, this is great!) but it was more about that than the actual characters and their relationships so I was pretty bored. The whole blog thing and commenting seemed unrealistic (I could be wrong) but I just wasn't sold on it all.

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Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other) by Livia Blackburne was the perfect enemies-to-lovers YA romance novel!

This is a page-turner about love, culture, community and standing up for what you believe in.
I couldn't put my Kindle down.
The story is smart and well written, never boring, kept me engaged and had me up till after 12am finishing this amazing read.
I love that Clementine and Danny are fully-formed, believable, sweet, but sometimes flawed, characters.
This book was adorable and I loved every page of it.
The author's attention to detail and realistic writing style was done so well here.
The setting was vivid and the characters were dynamic and memorable.

My first time reading Livia Blackburne's work and I'm very excited to read more.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's & Quill Tree Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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What a gorgeous novel full of loveable characters and a storyline that I couldn't put down. This one is a must read!

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