This is a well written memoir, but very repetitive. This book really tugged on my heartstrings, but the author tends to repeat herself when it comes to scenes and moments with her birth mother. I'm glad this was a short memoir because I meant have given up on it since there isn't a lot of substance. Since Beth has hardly had many moments with her birth mom, there wasn't much ground to cover. I did enjoy reading about her experiences as a refugee, even though she was an infant when her family came to America. There were some lovely and emotional moments sprinkled here and there, but overall I was mostly indifferent once I finished reading this book. Good memoir, but mainly forgettable.

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.

I always love her memoirs and this one filled in some gaps in her life’s story. I love how she writes about her biological mother and how fraught that relationship is. She writes very honestly about her father and how he has changed into a very different man with her children than he was as a father to her. She writes with a lot of depth and the stories she chooses to share really illuminate what she is talking about and the greater theme of the book as well. Nothing seems random or out of place which is more common in memoirs and personal essay collections than you’d think!

4/5 stars! This is a powerful and moving memoir. It hit my heart extremely hard and the loneliness and loss of that parental connection was very genuine. Truly a beautiful story and enlightening about the challenges and rewards of life as a refugee.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

A great memoir. I love when a story is told with heart and this one most definitely was. Such a heartbreaking, heartwarming, tale.

Memoirs are my most requested books from NetGalley and I was so happy to have an advanced copy of Beth's. She has crafted a really beautiful book that tells her story in a great way. Chapters are vivid and personal and I was invested in her truths. Five stars.

I love a good memoir, and there were moments in this book that caused me to pause and reflect: about my own childhood, my own relationship with my mother, and - as a mother myself - how I would feel if I were in the same position as Beth's "Boston mother" (her phrase).

However, I found as the story went on, the narrative became a little disjointed and meandering. We circled back to certain moments time and time again, but without really delivering any further insight. I think it was a beautiful premise that fell short of being a full memoir, and as such, the author was required to stretch the premise to it's limits.

All of that said, I think it's a great memoir for anyone hoping to learn more about the experience of Vietnamese refugees who came to America in the 70s. I was hoping it would also provide a powerful story about motherhood, but ultimately it felt short (for me!) on that front.

3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

I loved this book, which is a candid, vivid and clear-sighted look at family, inheritance, race and country. The book is beautifully written and full of gorgeous details.