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 had potential, but I felt there were two big problems.

1. As someone who has zero knowledge of the Chinese language the explanations of the symbols/words and their meanings felt confusing and after awhile I would just skip those paragraphs and trust whatever the characters decided the clues meant. It was a little far-fetched that their guesses were always correct and they never looked in the wrong spot.

2. The love triangle was ANNOYING and the romance between Gemma and Xander was completely unbelievable. Xander was mean (constantly calling her a wet blanket) and Gemma's instant forgiveness was insulting. He was horrible to her. I liked the other guy better and the explanation that made the Xander/Gemma pairing work was awful. Lame.

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.

Gemma grew up thinking that the only family she had left was her mom, but shortly after high school graduation she finds out her grandfather had been alive until recently. When a mysterious man shows up one day with the news and a clue for a treasure hunt Gemma’s world is thrown upside down. Now she takes on this puzzle, hoping at the end of the search is an inheritance to help her get by. Along the way Gemma will learn about her heritage and the grandfather she never got to know. In order to find her way through this mystery Gemma might just have to join forces with her high school rival, Xander, who also happens to be her ex. Together Gemma and Xander might just uncover more than they were looking for.

The premise of this book really intrigued me and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the idea of a YA book that took you on a scavenger hunt and this book did just that. Gemma and Xander were a fun lead pair and I enjoyed getting to see them stumble through clue after clue as they searched for the prize at the end. This was an entertaining book that takes the reader on a fun and intriguing journey as Gemma makes her way through Taiwan learning more about her heritage. I was pulled into this book from the beginning and found it easy to get lost in. I really enjoyed this book and the journey it takes the reader on. I think this is a good recommendation for anyone looking for a fun, intriguing read fully of mystery and finding yourself.

This book was a lot of fun with a bit of everything.
Rivals to lovers, discovering yourself, a treasure hunt, friendship.
Gemma finds a puzzle in her estranged grandfather's will that takes her to Taiwan to discover her roots and her grandfather's story.
This was a fast paced story with a fun cast of characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for an early copy for review.

4.75 stars

This YA book features Gemma Sun, who never knew about her ties to her Taiwanese roots as she was raised by her mum submerged in American culture. After high school graduation, she found out that her grandfather, whom she never knew, passed and left her a box of clues for a treasure hunt that she hoped would lead her to a family inheritance she could use for her college funds, having a poor upbringing. However, to resolve the clues left, she will have to go to Taiwan and will need the help of her school nemesis and ex, Xander, for help…

Okay, I ADORE this book. This was my first book by Gloria, and it did not disappoint. Gemma is such a relatable character. She grew up in America, never knowing anything about her Taiwanese roots, and never really had an interest in learning more about it, especially when all she wanted to do was be able to fund her college tuition. The unexpected gift that her grandfather, whom she never knew, left her was a shock, especially when she realized that her mum had lied to her about her family's past. She is determined to solve this puzzle and hopes that the inheritance will be able to offset her college tuition fees that she may not afford. I empathize with her. As a first-generation immigrant, you sometimes feel like you are outside looking in. I also love how the character blossomed from being a very closed-off character who assumes that she is the only person in the group not knowing Mandarin and her culture to realize that there are similar people who may have the same upbringing as hers if she opens herself up to people.

Her relationship with Xander is very complicated, bringing in some rivals-to-lovers and second-chance romance vibes. I found their interactions amusing to start with, and it was wonderful to see both of them realizing that there were misunderstandings in play, especially with their unexpected discovery of their complicated family past.

Through the food and the places they visited, I could picture the vividness of Taiwan. I love the unexpected twists that the author throws at me, keeping me guessing. It made this a fast and enjoyable read for me. This story is about Gemma’s self-discovery, love of her roots and culture, and many treasure hunt adventures. It's a great YA story about self-discovery of one's roots written so wonderfully with an ode to the Taiwanese culture.

Thank you. Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking for the eARC!

If you are looking for a fun YA read with a slight mystery/treasure hunt twist this is a good option! I read a lot of YA and sometimes i really like it, and sometimes it feels a bit young for me since I am no longer YA aged. This is one I think would be best for middle aged readers, like middle to high school. It had an interesting premise and story, and well developed characters.

Calling all Hawthorne Legacy fans! Gloria Chao’s Ex Marks the Spot is a fun romcom with a treasure hunt mystery pushing and pulling two exs (with a hint of a Romeo and Juliet family dynamic) around Taiwan and back in their hometown. Gemma is driven to be her best and make the people that matter proud, what else do you expect from the only daughter of a single immigrant mother? Xander is her pampered rival and ex. He’s perfect: great grades, speaks perfect Mandarin, knows his Taiwanese heritage, and has his entire family to love and cheer him on at everything. But learning that her grandfather has been alive and left her a great puzzle that might be the answers to her tuition struggles, Gemma has to ask Xander for a favor. The opposites attract and ex rivals-to-lovers romance works beautifully with the clues and hints left behind by Gong Gong. It was fun trying to see if I could figure out the clues before reading. The twists and turns of each riddle, puzzle kept me reading past my bedtime.

I've loved all of Gloria's rom coms before and this one is also super cute!

The romance was sweet and soft and I liked that it explored an emotional connection in regards to the scavenger hunt.

Overall, a really fun time and I highly recommend.

This was fun and a great enemies to lovers plot with a fun treasure hunt! This was just fun! And delightful! And the puzzles were actually good and not ones where you shake the book and go "IT IS SO OBVIOUS C'MON!"

So what a fun story this was. Ex-Marks the Spot takes us on such a fun ride through Taipei and feeling like you get to be there with the characters.

I enjoy stories set in different countries. For this particular book it was fun to look up the locations they were traveling to. Even though it’s distracting, like pictures of a Whale that appeared to be made out of plastic jumping from the River. There is so much and the element of the scavenger hunt shrouded in mystery just made the story so fun to read.

As far as the secondary characters, we don’t delve too much into them. It was obviously mostly focused on Gemma and Xander but we do get glimpses into what other people go through. Gemma unfortunately ends up in Taipei and had hardly known anything about her culture previously. Where different characters have different takeaways for what it means to them to be in Taipei. It was interesting to learn about others' journeys.

Ha the scavenger hunt was fun and if you like books like that, this is definitely one you would want to check out. I also really liked Gemma and Xanders chemistry as well as the tension that happens between them. Sometimes you want to smack Xander and sometimes you are like umm can you guys please get together already.

I don’t want to spoil anything but the elements that have made me love Gloria Chao’s other books are definitely in this one. Loved it, such a fun read.

I went into this for the cute romcom and treasure hunt hijinks, I was not expecting for a sucker punch of feelings!

Overall, I had a really good time with this. The clues and how they all kept coming together was so cleverly done and kept the story moving forward even if half the time (okay much more than that) I had no clue about what the solution was going to be.

I really appreciated Chao’s decision not to translate all of the mandarin, because that made me feel even more connected to Gemma who didn’t understand unless it was translated for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

super sweet/cute enemies to lovers which is a type i reallhy like and this one was a super good example of it. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

First off, thank you so much to NetGally and PenguinTeen for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on this book before it comes out!

Now onto my review
4.5 ⭐️
The book follows Gemma as she solves clues left by her grandfather, that she believes will lead her to a massive inheritance, that will help her to cover her collage funds.
Along the was she has to work with her annoyingly charismatic rival and ex Xander. As the two of them work together solving challenges and unwittingly bonding. Gemma discovers that her feelings are not as dead as she thought…

This book was such a fun read! The plot was interesting and fun to tag along with, by chapter 4 I was already so invested in the characters. The banter was on point and I loved solving the puzzles. It also had very strong messages of familial love witch I love to see in books. The setting was so beautiful! Taipei sounds like such a gorges city and the food don’t even get me started on the food! I was drooling 🤤
The romance was adorable! The only was I can think to describe it is corny in the best posable way. The banter as I mentioned was so much fun, but I think my favourite bits were the personal jabs. They just hit so well and thats one of the things I love about the second chance trope.
It was wholesome and cute, and the whole ‘family feud’. And them having to work tougher. Just the best.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gloria Chao, and Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for my free ebook ARC copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I wish I had had more books like this one to read when I was back in the YA demographic and I'm so glad it is here now. This novel by Gloria Chao has so much to love.

Gemma Sun is graduating high school with her ex and now rival Xander when she learns of an inheritance from a grandfather she had never known. Gemma is confused as said grandfather is supposed to have died a long time ago but it appears he passed recently and left her with a box.

Needing answers, Gemma asks her mother for the truth and finds out that they were both shunned by her grandfather. So, why did he leave her this box and would it lead to being able to afford college and financial security for her mom?

Unfortunately, in order to find out, she will need to team up with, you guessed it...Xander. He has a way for her to get to Taiwan and follow the clues her Gong Gong left her to get to her inheritance.

Also, unfortunately, Gemma doesn't speak Mandarin and Xander does.

The story literally takes off from there as Gemma becomes immersed in Taiwan with its amazing food, scenery, and traditions. She follows the clues her Gong Gong left her with confusion about why he would go to the trouble of having her go on a wild goose chase in the first place and confusion about a boy named Brett who seems to have eyes for her.

All the while, Xander is there to help translate and decipher clues that will bring Gemma closure and both of their families together in ways they never imagined.

This novel was like a quick trip abroad with a sassy heroine, love triangle, puzzle-solving and mouthwatering images of the most delicious food. It was a hybrid of travelogue, Duolingo app, recipe book, romcom with banter with The Inheritance Games vibes and sooo much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the elaborate quest and look forward to more from Chao.

I have been loving all of these treasure hunting books that have been coming out, and this one was no exception! This is an enemies to lovers book that includes puzzles and lots of adventure. The description of Taiwan and the food was irresistible. The characters fit perfectly into this book and I loved them. I would highly recommend this to anyone to read!