What a wonderful, heartfelt book. The puzzles were truly engaging and beautiful, and the story was so thoughtful. This is a love letter of sorts to all the second- and third-generation Chinese Americans, to those with complicated stories with their family and their heritage. In many ways, the emotions in this story felt more true to the experiences of my loved ones than many other Asian American tales. Some second- and third-gen find themselves within their culture, yes, but there are also so many who don't because of the generational trauma it can bring. This welcomes all sides with understanding, and grace to those you know didn't do the right thing, but acknowledging the path and pain that still built that person.

This one is going to sit with me for a while for how genuine and earnest this story is.

What a fun ride this story was! I absolutely loved the underlying message about identity and self-discovery, especially for teenagers growing up in the US within Asian families. It hit close to home for me since I'm also a child of immigrants. This story beautifully mirrors the complex journey of figuring out who you are during those formative years. Gemma and Xander, our two main characters, embark on a thrilling adventure that's as much about exploring their cultural roots and their evolving relationship as it is about coming to terms with their grandfathers’ histories. All set against the backdrop of a scavenger hunt in Taiwan, conceived by Gemma’s late grandfather, this story weaves together a fast-paced, entertaining, and thought-provoking narrative. It’s a fantastic read for young adults, packed with moments that make you think and feel deeply.

This book is a beautiful journey of love, growth, and family discovery! (4.5 stars rounded up)

Gloria Chao's "Ex Marks the Spot" is a wonderfully crafted YA novel takes readers on a dual journey: one through the vibrant streets of Taiwan in search of an inheritance, and another through the hearts of exes and former rivals learning to see each other - and themselves - in a new light.

What sets this romance apart is the remarkable, but plausible, growth her characters' experience throughout the book. Gemma and Xander's journey from exes to something more feels authentic because it's built on genuine growth and understanding rather than merely rekindled attraction. As they work together to solve the treasure hunt's puzzles, they also unravel their preconceptions about each other. Their ability to acknowledge past mistakes, reassess old hurts, and appreciate how they've both changed shows a refreshing level of emotional intelligence. Their competition-laden history adds tension to their interactions, but it's their growing ability to be vulnerable with each other that makes their romance truly satisfying. By the time they reach their happy ending, readers can believe in the strength and staying power of their relationship.

Running parallel to the romance is an equally compelling story about family connections. Gemma's journey to discover her Taiwanese heritage through her grandfather's treasure hunt is beautifully crafted and deeply moving. What begins as a quest for inheritance becomes a profound exploration of identity and belonging. The way her grandfather designed the hunt to teach Gemma about her family history and cultural heritage creates a posthumous love letter that brought tears to my eyes. The cultural elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, enriching both the treasure hunt and Gemma's personal journey.

"Ex Marks the Spot" delivers a satisfying reading experience that goes beyond typical YA romance tropes. While it requires some suspension of disbelief around the treasure hunt, the payoff makes it more than worth it. It's a story about second chances - not just in love, but in connecting with one's heritage and understanding family. The strong character development, mature handling of relationships, and beautiful exploration of family made this a very enjoyable and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 9.5/10+ This book had just the right amount of everything to make a perfectly balanced wonderfully fun read. I finished it in two days because I couldn't stop reading!

The book follows Gemma as she's travels to Taiwan to follow a puzzle based treasure hunt her grandfather left in his will.

She ends up enlisting the help of her childhood friend/ex boyfriend (who is now her academic enemy) and obviously some sparks fly.

I loooove travel stories so that's was initially drew me into this one. l've never read a book that takes place in Taiwan so it was really cool to visit in the book. The treasure hunt took Gemma all over and as it unfolded it told the story of a family history mystery.

Speaking of family, the family storyline really made this story shine. It was truly moving and was interwoven perfectly with the more lighthearted moments. There was also a lot of complexity in how the MC grappled with her relationship to her culture. I through the book did a really good job keeping it light and fun while also having such great characters that brought in a lot of depth.

I don't have much to say about the romance but I did like it and was rooting for the characters to get together. Once again I thought it was balanced perfectly with everything else in the book. The author just had the best mix of romance, travel, family, friends, mystery, silliness, self exploration. All parts shined in equal measure making such a lovely read. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to netgalley and Viking Books for a copy of this book, I loved it!

Fast, fun read. I loved the banter between the characters. The treasure hunt aspect was a cool way to keep the story moving. It's a fun YA read.

I can’t review it because I could never download the file, let alone read it. I only use kindle for files.

tl;dr
Second chance romance and a treasure hunt in a will propel a story about coming-of-age and finding one's identity in the diaspora.

Thoughts
I've seen people compare this to The Inheritance Games, and there's definitely a series of puzzles left in a will that may lead to a grand inheritance, along with a complicated family history and a mother/daughter pair making it on their own. But the core of this story is about growing up in the diaspora, coming-of-age, and finding one's place in the world. I think most readers will find something to relate to - that awkward sense of not fitting in, or not being understood is universal. But there will be some readers who immediately click in to the alienation of not knowing the language or the food or the inside jokes from the culture you're from. It's a frank look at living between worlds, and probably my favorite part of the story. The contrast between Gemma's longing to be more connected to the past versus her grandfather's look toward the the future is well-balanced, and I found their stories to be bittersweet. The puzzles were fun, especially the ones that mix languages and math, and the treasure hunt aspect is nicely plotted. For me, the weakest part of the book was the romance, but I've never been a second chance romance enjoyer, I really dislike miscommunication tropes, and love triangles have never done it for me. Yeah, I'm gonna assume that I'm the problem here. Be aware if your romance tastes run in the same direction as mine that you're in for a rough time. But the good news is if you like that stuff, you may have found your next read.

An interesting and heartfelt look at lost and found family. The puzzle aspect that provides info on Gemma's grandfather is intriguing, and the (re-)awakening of the romance between Gemma and Alex is gentle, though we don't learn the reason for their falling out until later in the book and that frustrated me a little (that or I was just forgetting parts I read over the longer period I took to read this one). Thank goodness for in-book translations. I feel a lot like Gemma in that I know very little about my Chinese heritage so it was nice to see that reflected in a book.

The treasure hunt definitely has an ending but it's perhaps not the one I expected, though it has me wishing I could go on one of these for my own knowledge. Also, I've been craving Chinese food ever since I finished the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

Lovers-to enemies - to lovers!! The twist and turns in solving the puzzle for this book was amazing. I read it in two days and it only took me that long because I had to work otherwise I wouldn't have put it down. Definitely a great ya mystery romance

I read this so fast! It was very fast paced and I loved their banter! The treasure hunt was so fun to read and this definitely got me out of my slump!

I had so much fun reading this. There was a lot I could relate with Gemma. I am also a daughter from immigrant parents, I understand not feeling like I belong or not knowing much about my culture. I could also relate to focusing much on work and school. Seeing your parents sacrifice and work so hard to give you better opportunities makes you grow up.

In terms of the romance, Gemma and Xander were so cute. You can tell Xander cares about her with his actions despite being annoying and teasing her most of the time.

As for the scavenger hunt, it was amazing! The clues and answers were perfectly written that I was on my toes trying to see what else would be in store. And let me just say one thing, those plot wrists shocked me! As for the journey, it also made me feel as I was with them. It also made me reflect to enjoy life at the moment and be present with my loved one. Something I am still trying to work on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin teen for the opportunity to read this book. I loved it,

Thank you so much @netgalley for this ARC!
It honestly blew my mind. I finished this book in one afternoon.
The story follows Gemma, a Taiwanese girl living in America. She feels alienated from her culture, since her mother has tried her hardest to let go of the past, including Gemma's grandfather. When he dies, she receives a letter informing her of a secret treasure hidden in Taiwan. So, joining her ex-boyfriend's cultural program trip, she embarks on a journey to find her roots and who her grandpa really was.
I honestly love how this book handled its story. It's a story about people, how imperfect they are and how their mistakes and experiences change their lives.
Gemma and Xander's families hate each other, over nothing. In the end, none of it matters. It was time to let go of the past and start something new.
Xander never stopped loving Gemma, never stopped trying to support her. He's completely besotted with her, and her with him. It takes them a while to get over past mistakes, but this journey through their grandfathers' past, which are much more entangled than anyone would think, changes their perspectives on life and love.
This book also handles the topic of being a homosexual in a time where it was forbidden very tactfully. Two important characters have a forbidden relationship, and it pained them greatly to not be able to be together the way other couples were. Their love shaped their lives.
Gemma's grandfather was a flawed man. He tried to do the best he could, but he was also influenced by his time and their prejudices. He regretted that and was never able to quite reconcile with Gemma's mom, which is very tragic since they did care for each other.
Many of the riddles in the treasure hunt include the Taiwanese and Mandarin phonetic alphabets, which was super interesting to learn about. The book also shows a lot about Taiwanese culture!
It's a beautiful book that speaks mostly about people, their flaws and their love. I loved it!

It's a very cute YA novel that focuses on themes of love, identity, and perspective. I really enjoyed how each character in the TARP group had different experiences with how their family celebrated their Taiwanese heritage, and there was no "right" way to do so. Also, the enemies-to-lovers didn't feel forced, and there were some very cute moments between the protagonists. The riddles and adventures were also quite fun!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me AT ALL. DNF at 42pgs.

There’s so much about this book that I hate within the first 42 pages. Prepare for a rant!

First let’s talk about the overused “I’m SO poor and have to have two jobs to help pay for college and help mom with expenses!” She is so poor she has ONE nice dress that she’s been wearing since 9th grade with a stain on it. I’m sorry - what? What is the obsession with dirt poor FMCs??? And if her grandfather was alive, why didn’t her mother SUCK IT UP and go apologize to her dad so she could get money for her daughter?????? Instead you let your daughter work two jobs??? No. No.

Then we have the overachiever FMC and the also-overachiever but charismatic MMC. That’s not overdone at allllll /s

Also did it annoy anyone else that the FMC says she is “on a different wavelength” than other kids and says she interprets things differently, is bad at social situations, etc. Okay. So is that what we are calling autism now? A “different wavelength”? 🙂‍↔️ No. “I want to be like everyone else” No.

Then she needs money for college right? Cool. Why is this poor child going to a PRIVATE LIBERAL ARTS college?!?!?!?! College is important but not if you go into major life debt in the process!!! And you can get many great jobs going to a public college in-state!!! Come ON.

I just…. I can’t continue with this book. I just hate all the ideas presented above.

*4.5 stars*
Ex Marks the Spot was one of those books that I just couldn't put down and really enjoyed reading. At first I thought Gemma, our main character, felt a bit young and was a little petty in her rivalry against her ex, Xander, but it allowed for an incredible amount of character growth. I really enjoyed the treasure hunt feel of the story, with various puzzles presented along the way. I couldn't fully appreciate all of them since I don't know Mandarin, but since Gemma doesn't either, it didn't take away from the story at all. I loved all the vivid descriptions of landmarks and food in Thailand, and found myself looking up more information along the way since it all sounded so amazing. While there's a romance that develops along the way, I think the themes of finding heritage, learning family history, the true meaning of family, learning to understand others, and figuring out who you are were the shining themes of the book. I also enjoyed the story within the story while Gemma learned about her grandfather's past and the challenges he faced in life. After reading this book, I definitely want to read more by author Gloria Chao.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Ex Marks the Spot! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

This was such a cute read!! I love how we get to see the Taiwanese culture through someone who's experiencing it for the first time. Makes it easy to relate to the character as she learns all about this new culture that she was denied while she was growing up. The scavenger hunt was fantastic too. And the food?? That alone makes me want to book a flight out!!

This book is great for the younger group of YA readers and felt very "the amazing race" with all the reluctant working together and fast paced moments. I enjoyed the characters and the look into Taiwanese culture. I'm actually going to recommend it to my 16 year old niece who loves action. packed YA books. 3.5 stars rounded up

This was an absolutely delightful story. Fun characters, engaging plot, adding up to a great read.

The rival main characters are each such distinct voices - which makes forcing them to work together such a fun plot device. Obviously, sparks fly. And neurodivergent rep? Count me in. And my favorite found family trope? Done and done.

"People talk about love goggles, where they can't see a loved one clearly, but I have the opposite problem. Hate goggles."

I think this one will fly off my library shelf.

Thanks so much to Gloria Chao and Penguin Group for the eARC of this book.
This book is primarily for middle school age group. It has well developed characters and great premise to the story. I would recommend anyone with kids.