"Real Americans" is a heart-wrenching and deeply moving portrayal of the immigrant experience. It's a story that resonates with every fiber of my being, as it echoes the struggles and triumphs of my own family's journey to America.

The characters' experiences are so vividly rendered that it feels like looking into a mirror, seeing my own family's story reflected back at me. The pain of leaving behind everything familiar, the struggle to adapt to a new world, and the resilience that comes from within - it's all here, laid bare in these pages.

This book made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me feel seen in ways that few books ever have. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to heal, to connect, and to remind us that we're not alone in our struggles.

Khong's writing is masterful, weaving together themes of identity, belonging, and family with a deft hand that's both delicate and powerful. The characters are so fully realized that they feel like family, their struggles and triumphs achingly familiar.

"Real Americans" is more than just a book - it's a gift, a reminder, and a tribute to the countless immigrant families who have shaped this country into what it is today. It's a reminder that our stories matter, that our struggles are worth telling, and that our resilience is something to be celebrated.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a must-read for anyone who's ever felt like they don't belong, for anyone who's ever struggled to find their place in the world. It's a book that will break your heart and put it back together again, leaving you forever changed.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley and publisher for generously providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

QUICK TAKE: this multigenerational family drama/mystery is so well-done. I honestly couldn't put it down, and the final act is heartbreaking and so emotional. I can't wait to discuss this one with other readers when it publishes in April.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this advanced reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. "Real Americans" delves into a multi-generational family narrative, raising profound questions about the intricate navigation of individual identity amidst challenges such as class, racism, cultural identity, and inheritance. Divided into three parts, the book unfolds through distinct perspectives within the family, inviting readers to ponder profound concepts and engage with thought-provoking questions.

Khong's prose vividly paints a detailed picture, offering a clear window into the characters' inner thoughts. Although the choice to tell the story in three parts adds depth, it does make for an uneven reading experience as there are some stories or characters that will suck you in more than others. For me, May’s story, while I sought that context and closure, it didn’t grip me as much as the first two parts, leaving the book to end on a bit on a lower note. Despite those considerations, the exploration of themes related to inheritance and forging one's path offers compelling food for thought. The author demonstrates a keen understanding of these themes, with well-defined emotions portrayed by the characters. The inclusion of magical realism, while not fully realized, did not significantly detract from the overall reading experience.

In summary, "Real Americans" is a worthwhile read, especially for group discussions, as it provides ample material for unpacking layered themes. Recommended for literary fiction enthusiasts and those drawn to family sagas.

I read 69% of this book, so just over two-thirds of the novel. The first third was really very good, Lily finding her place in the world and finding love with Matthew. The second third, Lily and Matthew's son discovering himself despite never having known his father, was pretty good. The final third seems to skip to the future where Lily's mother is explaining her history in China and how it led to Lily and Matthew's son not knowing his father.

It's kind of an odd set-up for how to tell a story and it's left me not all that interested in the resolution. I loved what I read though, and I only wish the potential had been more fully realized.

I loved the multigenerational and immigrant perspectives of this book! It had a really strong start and middle with Lily’s and Nick’s stories, though the momentum got lost in the end. I thought there would be a more magical aspect to the stopping of time from Lily’s and Nick’s perspective (maybe there was but I missed it in Mei’s story?) The themes of science and ethics were interesting. Overall good story but ending was okay.

This is one of those stories that made me feel lucky to be born where I was. I felt that the beginning of the story was really strong and things started with a bang. It had a lot of depth and there were so many directions that things could go. However, as we got into Nick and Mei’s stories, things fell apart for me a little bit. Nick’s story felt a little disjointed and discombobulated for me. I felt that there was a lot of filler that was included that didn’t really add to the overall plot or give meaning to the story. Mei’s story was good, however I wanted a little more from certain aspects of it, so I don’t think that it was developed enough. I think that this book did highlight the unique and complex tapestry that makes up a family and it was an interesting family saga however things got so speculative and that is where I stopped enjoying.

I do think that this is an interesting read, I just wish that I would have enjoyed it more. I appreciate the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I give this one a strong 3.5 stars from me.

You KNOW a book is going to be good when:
-The editor has a note in the beginning saying they don't have a cover for this one yet but they wanted to send it to ARC readers ASAP because it's so good.
-The person in charge of publicity for the book emails you to tell you about it and says they spent the whole weekend reading it despite it being the weekend of their baby shower.

So, needless to say, expectations were HIGH. But my goodness, they were MET.

Real Americans is the story of family. It splits into three parts: Lily, her mother, May, and Nick, Lily's son.

Lily is a recent graduate living in NYC, unsure of what life holds for her. She struggles with her parents, who are immigrants from China. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and feels like she is perpetually letting her mother down. When she meets Matthew at a party, she's brought into a world that seems unreal--spontaneous flights to Europe, dazzling parties, more money than she's ever imagined. But when something comes to light that she didn't expect, Lily's life changes immensely, and she must make a decision that affects her entire family.

I loved this book. Every page contained beautiful descriptions and lush prose. I found myself sympathizing with all of the characters, even when they made bad decisions.

Khong did a masterful job of weaving together the complexities of immigration, family, and what we get to choose for ourselves vs. what is chosen for us.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

This novel is so lovely, and it also feels like three novels in one. The multigenerational story of a family about genetics, love, and ambition. I was hooked from the first chapter onward, and it's the kind of novel I plan to return to again, knowing the characters so well afterward. Gorgeous prose.

I’m a big fan of both multigenerational stories and stories that are written from different perspectives and narratives and I feel like this book did both with grace! I really enjoyed this book and thought it really does have a little of everything and it’s all written really well and keeps you interested the whole time. I felt like it did drag at times, but overall, I thought it was a fantastic read!

Inherited trauma is a popular literary theme as of late. Real Americans explores the idea of inherited drama through three generations of a Chinese-American family. Lily is the daughter of two Chinese scientists who fled China under Mao's rule. Lily's son, third generation Chinese, tries to connect with his father, a wealthy white American. Lily's mother, born in China, deals with choices she made in a communist country she no longer believed in. Kong definitely blends the themes of racial identity and inherited trauma. Humans do not choose their ethnicity or genetic makeup. We are forced to live every day with other people's perceptions of race and culture. Choices of generations before us are in our blood, especially the choices made under circumstances beyond anyone's control. Family shapes our identity as well as our experiences. Real Americans conveys the idea that the past may be our blood, but family is our bones.

Preface: thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ahead of the release date of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book because I love a multigenerational saga, but I have to give it a 3 star rating because of a few things that fell short for me. The beginning of the story was incredible, I became really invested in Lily’s story and her journey of meeting Matthew and giving birth to Nick. Things took a turn for the worse when bringing in Nick’s and Mei’s stories. Nick’s experiences with Timothy and different girls were overall irrelevant to the plot and his story flattened completely when we get to Mei’s perspective. I enjoyed hearing Mei’s story but I didn’t feel like there was enough discussion on the ethics of what she got involved in, no resolution to the story about Mr. Ping, and generally a lot of plot points left unresolved. I also didn’t like how Lily totally flattened out after her part of the story. I would have liked to see more interweaving of all of the stories and less focus on the in-moment happenings for each character. I would have liked to see more insight into Matthew’s and Otto’s lives. In the end I felt like it was “almost” an amazingly epic multigenerational saga but just felt incomplete and the wrong parts were emphasized. Also, I didn’t understand the “time standing still” trope and maybe I missed it but that, too, felt unresolved.

Overall I love the idea. Some key parts should be reworked to develop some of these great characters more and remove the fluff and unnecessary stuff. Once that’s done, you’ll have a masterpiece!

I greatly enjoyed this multigenerational family story. Rachel Khong has filled it with interesting and thought provoking themes - from biotechnology to race to family and communication and questions of identity. I was invested throughout the novel. I do wish the book had circled back more to the earlier stories of certain characters. It shifts to different narrators and tells of past narrators from the other narrators' perspectives, but I kind of wanted to know more from the original narrators' viewpoints. Yet as a whole, this was a very good read and I am very glad I had the opportunity to read an early copy!

I have mixed feelings on this book but, ultimately, I think it's a solid 4-star read. To me, it read like three separate books and I didn't enjoy them all equally, so that was tough. I LOVED the first section (Lily). And I enjoyed Nick's section enough, but was a bit confused as to why Lily left Matthew in such an extreme way when he apparently didn't have much to do with what happened. That did not seem believable. I wasn't that interested in the final section (May/Mei) because we pretty much already pieced together what happened and this just confirmed it, so it felt a bit repetitive. One plot point that continues to bug me: I thought for sure that the meeting/relationship of Matthew and Lily was arranged, but it doesn't seem that was the case... so we are left to think their first encounter is a coincidence? I also didn't love the magical elements with the seed... too little was said about this so it felt random and underdeveloped. I did enjoy the book as a whole and felt it was a compelling read. It just had some problematic elements. Also, it read a bit long toward the end.

Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when twenty-two-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media company, meets Matthew.

I really loved Goodbye, Vitamin so I was very excited to be approved to read this advanced copy of Real Americans. Multigenerational family sagas have the ability to become lengthy and boring very quickly, but Rachel Khong's use of multiple narrators keeps everything paced perfectly. Everything in this book is a lesson on skilled writing. Not one story line is heavy handed or exaggerated.

This one is really good. It'll make you think and feel and want to discuss.

A story told from multiple perspectives from multiple perspectives from multiple generations of a family that explores race, class, and identity. There’s a bit of family drama, a bit of romance, a bit of sci-fi—it has it all!

How far would you go to shape your own destiny? This moving and thought-provoking story about race, class, identity, and family follows three generations of the Chen family. Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a media company, meets Matthew, who is easygoing and effortlessly attractive, a native East Coaster, andheir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. Despite their differences, Lily and Matthew fall in love. In 2021, fifteen-year-old Nick Chen has never felt like he belonged on the isolated Washington island where he lives with his single mother, Lily. He can't shake the sense she's hiding something. When Nick sets out to find his biological father, the journey threatens to raise more questions than it provides answers, and leads him to his maternal grandmother and a hidden family secret.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @rrrrrrrachelkhong, and @aaknopf for the ARC! This was a beautiful and incredibly well-written story that gripped me from the start. With a touch of magical realism and foundations in science, the book raises important questions about choice and identity. The story also addresses the moral boundaries of gene modification and whether you can truly ever change who you are. The theme of trust and forgiveness was well explored in all of the relationships between the different characters, and they were each so well developed. The prose was powerful and pretty, and really set the tone for each character and their inner thoughts. I definitely recommend adding this to your 2024 TBR!

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a beautiful novel about family, relationships and the choices we make in our lives. In the acknowledgements, Khong says that this a book about fortune. It certainly does explore fortune and all of its varied meanings and definitions. The book also forces us to look at the choices we make to create our own fortunes, and the fortunes of our family members. Underlying all other themes is the question of what does it mean to be a "real American".
The story revolves around 2 characters- Lily a Chinese American daughter of scientists, and Matthew, the son of a mega- wealthy established American family. We then learn the stories of their extended families, and the secrets that were kept for generations. The book switches perspectives and we hear the story from many different viewpoints. In the end it all comes back to the same idea- who are we as individuals and how do we show love to those most important to us?
This is a book that will grab you on the first page, and will keep you reading until the last line. It is perfectly written and the characters are real and relatable. I loved every minute of it!

This is a wonderfully written book about family and the choices we make. The characters are beautifully layered and I wanted the book to go on and on! Very good book!

I wanted to read this because I loved Rachel Khong's last book, Goodbye Vitamin. This book has a genre problem. Part one, Lily's section, is fine, but nothing remarkable. It reads like new adult contemporary fiction. The second part, Nick's part, I had a hard time getting through. It was much too long with various pointless side characters & tangents. The voice was also very YA. The last part, Mei's part, I really enjoyed, but then when Nick came back into the story, it felt tedious again and it turns more into speculative fiction. The science/speculative fiction parts did not feel developed enough as a whole, I just don't think the 3 parts work together cohesively.

I absolutely loved this book! Khong is a brilliant writer and the way she weaves the different POVs kept me engaged through to the last page. This is going to be one of the best books of 2024 and I can’t wait to reread it when it comes out in April.