I loved this story and was immediately sucked into it off the bat. I feel like the climax happened too soon and the denouement was longer than it needed to be. But I loved Mei, Henry, Anna, laoye, and Mei’s mom all very very much. Mei’s character dev and relationship with her fam were my highlights of the book.

A compelling and thought provoking debut novel. The writing is crisp and engaging with moments of humor and emotion. There are twists along the way, making it an entertaining read, and Mei an interesting character.
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

It was okay. Not what I was expecting sadly. Well-written but just not my personal cup of tea. I thought it would be more light hearted but it was more serious and not what I was looking for at the time.

It's not often you get humor in a suspense novel but this book had some which I definitely enjoyed. This was an interesting read, following the main character's adventures and encounters on her road trip. It was an interesting concept and I in particular liked her flashbacks to her life growing up with her Mom and Dad.

In our troubled times, it's refreshing and needed to have those books that renew our belief in the goodness of people, and Off the Books does just that. As a fan and avid reader of Great American road-trip novels, this enthralling debut is beautifully crafted twist on the subject and truly one of the best books I read all summer! It's a perfect balance between scathing, sarcastic humor and skilled social commentary.

I was so looking forward to this one, as I do with any novel that features a white/Asian protagonist (#representation, dontcha know?). The way the book is pitched as a mystery, with FMC Mei needing to suss out her limo passenger Henry’s deal as they drive across the country. With a romance hinted as well, what’s not to like?

Let’s start with the aspects that I did, in fact, love. Mei was a super quirky unique character. I adored her relationship with her grandfather, and every scene featuring the two of them was heartwarming and amusing. I also loved the frequent usage of Mandarin, left to be untranslated and normalized within the narrative. More of that cultural inclusion of novels in the future, PLEASE. I also truly admired the political commentary of the Uyghurs in China, as it is something often siloed in silence, and I respected the author immensely for clearly prioritizing this spotlight.

Here’s where parts of the novel went wrong for me: the ratio of the political content far outweighed the general plot of the story, to the point where it began to feel far more heavy-handed, to the point where I wished the author had just committed to that storyline as the CENTER of the plot, and didn’t try to keep forcing it in through the side. Also, the “surprise!” of what was in Henry’s oversized suitcase was not believable and felt outlandish for the serious tone the author was attempting to achieve. Lastly, the oscillating between flashbacks and the present was really distracting, and felt like it tugged away from the central narrative. At times, with scenes featuring the grandfather, I appreciated them, but they became overloaded at random times and I struggled to switch my mind between the two parallel timelines of past and present.

On the whole, the book is well-written with some beautiful writing, but it seems to be trying to do too much in 300 pages, and the novel gets clunky and a bit chaotic in its jumping focus from page to page. I give it 2.5⭐, rounded up to 3 on Goodreads.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

this was an impressive debut, but i feel it tried to do too much in a short amount of time. it's only 224 pages long, but it has 4-5 plots going on at any given time, and i felt confused a lot of the time.

Henry has baggage.

The start of the book, when we meet the mysterious Henry and his extra large suitcase, reminded me of Lone Woman. So much suspense and wonder about the contents of the case these characters are lugging around. And why is he so secretive about his suitcase?

This book is more than a mystery, love story, or summer road trip escapism, it's a vehicle for learning about the humanitarian crisis in China, which plays significantly in the story.

And you should 100% read it for Mei's grandfather.

Thanks to Henry Holt and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

What a fascinating story of a college drop out driving a man and a mysterious suitcase across the US! The characters were so interesting and I appreciated the author's attention both to the experience of Chinese persons in the US, as well as Uyghars in both China and the US. I loved how the author set up the story, dropping bits of backstory until we have a clearer picture of what motivates Mei and Henry on their road trip. I look forward to more novels from Frazier!

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an ARC of this book! Off the Books by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier was a fun read that kept me interested all the way through!

What I liked - Soma Mei Sheng Frazier did a great job telling a story that slowly unfurls. The revelations about a family members untimely death really pulled at my heartstrings. This story did a great job evoking strong emotions. The characters in this story are diverse, and by the end of the story Mei’s grandfather was my favorite.

What I disliked - it’s interesting to me that this story did such a great job discussing tough topics, yet when it came to Mei I found her childish or immature. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but at times I couldn’t stand Mei’s line of thinking!

Ultimately I would recommend this book, especially for someone in the mood for a story revolving around a road trip.

I always enjoy a book that draws me in and also encourages me to expand my knowledge base of other cultures. Off The Books does both. The characters are extremely interesting and getting to know them, and their relationships was captivating. They mystery aspect had me hooked immediately. Thanks #NetGalley

I thought this book was going to be a thriller kind of book, but it ended up being far more serious and political than I expected. I kind of see why the book was marketed as a mystery/roadtrip thriller, but it was a lot more intense than that in a different way. I wouldn't want to spoil the main themes of this book to people. The prose was good, easy to read, but sometimes it was hard to follow along because the narration weaves in and out of the present events and memories. There was a lot of Chinese in the book that is easy to infer the meaning of based on the rest of the text, but it was distracting at times. It felt like the author had a lot to say, but the characters fell flat at moments. Like Mei wasn't necessarily a compelling character and not particularly likable, but I still did root for her. I think her grandfather, mother, and Anna were the most interesting characters in the book. Henry simply felt like a prop rather than a fleshed out characters. Things felt like they were told instead of felt, and a lot of the messages felt very on the nose instead of eased in. I thought this book was going to be a pleasant, fun read but instead it turned out to be a bit of a humanitarian thriller. The book could use a different kind of marketing to find the right audience. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review!

What an interesting read. Dartmouth dropout turned driver to unquestionable passengers, Mei goes on a roadtrip filled with adventures and mysteries. While transporting a passenger with mysterious contents in his suitcase, Mei takes us on a cross country trip filled with history lessons and flashbacks to her life with her mom and dad. Interesting concept of story telling.

Thank you Henry Holt for the free review copy! I loved Off the Books, it was an unexpectedly great coming of age road trip story, one that wove in wonderful depth and richness with cultural themes and themes on Asian and Asian American identity as the story developed. I loved getting to see how Mei and Henry got to know each other along with learning more about Mei, her character. The use of the road trip here was a powerful device to help literally (sorry) see how the self growth moved forward and how their connection and understanding of each other, how the story became one of doing the right thing, emerged as the miles and hotel rooms passed by. This is a quick and delightful read, one that I think would be great for a bookclub looking for a thoughtful coming of age story. I read this in a few hours as I got drawn in to the writing quickly (and the book was wonderfully short but satisfying).

I also think this is a perfect read for anyone with one of those long airport layovers or long flights, captured my attention nicely and was quick enough to feel happy to have marked a book off the TBR at the end of a trip. :)

Off-beat and vivid, OFF THE BOOKS by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier drew me in with a culture, environment, and way of life I do not know, but feel as if I have been graced a rare and wonderful understanding through her story. The sense of place is particularly powerful, transporting me from my armchair into a story that is powerful, fascinating, and so well done. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I found this book really interesting! Měi is a limo driver known for her discretion, so her grandfather sets her up with a passenger to take all the way to Syracuse without much detail. Along the way, some secrets are revealed and her trip becomes more of a mission. The author also brings in what is happening with the Uyghur group in China, which I hadn’t heard of before reading this book.

I did find myself rereading a couple times because the switch to talking to her mom messed me up a couple times where I wasn’t sure if she was on the phone or if it was a flashback, so I wish that was a little clearer. And then I didn’t quite understand the ending so I’m still lost! I also wish there were translations in the book because Měi and Anna have conversations that I sadly can’t understand.

Would recommend. I will be looking for other books from this author in the future.

"Off the Books" turned out to be more serious than I expected. The story revolves around Mei, a Chinese-American woman who dropped out of college after a family tragedy. Her pot-smoking grandfather buys her a car and arranges for her to work "off the books" as an unlicensed driver who doesn't report her earnings. Her current job is to transport a handsome young man named Henry from Oakland, California, to Syracuse, New York. The contents of Henry's large black suitcase put both him and Mei in danger.

As Mei drives Henry, she reflects on her complex relationship with her mother and learns more about the persecution of Uyghurs in China. She also develops feelings for Henry in spite of her firm belief not to get involved with her clients.

Soma Mei Sheng Frazier is a talented writer, and this is a gripping story. One minor issue I had was that some dialogue in Mandarin was left untranslated, which could be confusing for readers like me who don't understand the language.

Mei is a Dartmouth dropout who drives a limo to make ends meet. Her grandfather has arranged for her to drive a client Henry cross country from Seattle to Syracuse. When Henry is found lugging around a huge heavy suitcase which he won't let out of his sight or hands, Mei's curiosity is peaked. This is as much a story of a road trip as it is about family and relationships. The book is based around a Chinese immigrant family and there are lot of references to Chinese culture and way of life. The book also throws light on the horrible atrocities being committed on the Uyghur community by the Chinese Communist Party and this was one of the more interesting parts of the story. I admit I struggled with reading the Chinese phrases liberally mentioned through the novel. I wish there had been a translation. Overall a quick interesting read.
Thank you Netgalley, Henry Holt Publishing and Soma Mei Sheng Frazier for the ARC

Recent Dartmouth dropout Mei, in search of a new direction in life, drives a limo to make ends meet. Her grandfather convinces her to allow her customers to pay under the table, and before she knows it, she is working as a routine chauffeur for sex workers. Mei does her best to mind her own business, but her knack for discretion soon leads her on a life changing trip from San Francisco to Syracuse with a new client.

Handsome and reserved, Henry piques Mei’s interest. Toting an enormous black suitcase with him everywhere he goes, he’s more concerned with taking frequent breaks than making good time on the road. When Mei discovers Henry's secret, she does away with her usual close-lipped demeanor and decides she has no choice but to confront him. What Henry reveals rocks her to her core and shifts this once casual, transactional road trip to one of moral stakes and dangerous consequences.

Special than\ks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for this e-arc.*