This is a hard review for me to write because I feel like there was a pretty equal amount of things that I liked and disliked about this book.

Let's start with what I liked!

1. I am a 30 year old and I love smut as much as the next person, that being said it low key gives me the ick when YA books start merging into smutty territory. I LOVE that this was a YA novel that actually felt age appropriate, while still being able to enjoy it as an adult. The romance was tasteful and something that I would let a younger teen read, but it still didn't feel juvenile to read as an adult.

2. I was so happy to see asexual representation in this, and I think it was written quite well. As someone who identifies as Demisexual, it was nice to read a story with Ace characters that still wanted the romance, just not the sex.

3. I think there are some really great characters in this book. I think my favorite were Bora and Josie. Bora showed true friendship, even when it came time to give Lynda some tough love. I also appreciated how she NEVER treated Josie like her "best friends stepsister" and was a friend to her as well. Josie was my favorite character though. By the end of the book, we learn of her internal battles and how it took so much courage to stand up for herself, despite all of her uncertainties. She felt realistic and relatable.

Now, let me address the things I didn't love!

1. For being a romance novel, I felt like there wasn't an awful lot of romance. The story focused on Lynda and her family issues more than the romance in my opinion. Which is fine, but it was more coming-of-age with a side plot of romance than an actual romance to me.

2. Don't get me wrong, I like Angela, but I feel like for being the love interest to Lynda, we actually really didn't get to know that much about her, or her past as a popular girl. I would have liked to explore her character more. For being the romantic inter of a romance novel, I feel like we know very little about her at all. I feel like I know more about Bora and Josie to be honest.

3. The story had me really invested at the beginning, then it felt like it started to drag a bit around half way through. It started picking up and bit and then ultimately the ending conflict felt like a let down. Lynda got upset because she felt she was treated unfairly, lashed out at her family, best friend, and girlfriend, said some truly terrible things out of anger, and then just apologized and everything was fine. We got no closure on the fate of the game or Lynda's future at RISD and it just felt a little disappointing.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, it was cute, I liked a lot of the characters, I just wish the ending would have tied up more loose ends and left us knowing a bit more of what happens in the future. I'm giving this 3 stars, but I would really give this more like 3.5 stars. I did really enjoy it, I was just left wanting more.

I received an arc from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte for the eARC.

This book is such a fresh and unique take on YA. There are so many YA books nowadays that are so filled with sexual content and swearing and big flamboyant personalities that overwhelm the reader and so much crude humor that you roll your eyes.

This book, on the other hand, is subtle. We have two protagonists who are asexual and they aren’t defined solely by their sexuality. It is a piece of their larger selves and combined they are both beautiful. What I love about the two is that they’re messy and imperfect. Especially our MC. Lynda is definitely an unlikeable protagonist: she is arrogant and stubborn. She butts heads with people: but she also chooses her battles. There are moments when she tries taking the mature approach and it backfires on her. She’s trying so hard to be responsible for herself that she forgets she’s still a kid.

What I also really love about this book is the focus on friendship and relationships with peers. I adore that Lynda and her stepsister, Josie, have a very good relationship. It’s so lovely to see that in a YA. And Bora, Lynda’s best friend, is a GEM. She was my favorite character 💕 I loved that she was loyal to Lynda but also called her out on her crap. 👏 Just like a good best friend should.

I did feel that this book lost a little bit of luster near the end. The overall conflict and resolution felt a bit underwhelming but it worked here. That’s why I went with a straight 4 instead of a 4.5. I do also think the middle was a tad slow.

Overall though, I ADORE seeing two normal teens going through their lives and trying to figure out their dreams and discovering more about themselves and each other. This was precious and I hope people aren’t turned off by the unlikeable protagonist because underneath… don’t we all have the same feelings sometimes? It’s our choice whether or not to voice them and Lynda works hard to figure out when that’s true for her..

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the arc and the opportunity to give my review. And without further ado, let's get into it.

Love Points to You starts with Lynda, a young teen artist with an ambitious spirit to get into her dream school but not the financial support. Her father, absent for a large part of her life, marries into a new family, turning her from a only child to sharing a room with her new stepsister. If that wasn't enough, all her parent's time and money goes into her stepsister's violin lessons, making sure she gets into one of the top music schools, but leaving Lynda to fend for herself.

Lynda, determined to make it on her own with her art skills, puts out a cute little comic series and commissions until an unfortune accident leaves her iPad, Henry, useless. Now unable to draw, she has to find a way to get a new tablet and continue making money for school.

In comes Angela. Beautiful, rich and stuck up classmate who offers her a chance to make some money, and a new iPad, by drawing characters for an otome game she is creating.

I was immediately drawn into the book with the cover and the premise of the story. Cute writer/drawing duo creating a game and make it gay?? I'm in. But as the story went on, I started to have some ehh feelings. I struggled to stay interested in the story. The book reads more for younger teen, almost middle school age. The saying "Holy hot dog on a bun" still haunts me. Not that I think there should've been more cursing or abrasive actions, but I definitely didn't feel like I was reading about juniors in high school but a version that a grandma thinks her teenage grandkids act like.

The ending felt rushed and unsatisfying, a rush string of apologizes after a massive blow up. And Lynda, honey, you were doing so well but the massive tantrum at the end doesn't look good. Like, I get it, you're upset for your parents favoring your stepsister, but my god, the world doesn't revolve around you. I felt like there wasn't any real resolution with Angela and Lynda, with Angela seeming to have already forgiven Lynda when they met again. (Because, let's face it, Lynda was being an asshole.)

Anyways, overall, it wasn't a terrible read. The premise was cute idea, but it felt a bit far fetch. Teenagers that just have money to throw around, buying other kids iPads and tossing them a ton of money, and say things like holy hot dog on a bun??? I'm sorry, but how many teenagers have you actually been around that say that unironically?

Wrapping it up with a "it was cute, but definitely not buying it for my shelves".

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!  

I was immediately drawn by this book. It follows Lynda, a 16 year old artist trying to get into an art college she doesn’t have the funds for. It doesn’t help that she had her iPad broken, which was the source of all her art and funds. Along the way she bumps into Angela, a smart yet enigmatic girl, who helps Lynda replace her iPad and hires her for a game she’s creating. The story only escalates, highlighting Lynda’s struggles, worries and challenges.

I found it a bit cheesy, in the way romcoms often are, but it’s extremely easy to read. Lynda’s character is so vivid, I could easily resonate with her despite being in the wrong. I liked how her flaws were recognised without making her unlikable. The other characters were really developed as well, despite often being in the background. I especially liked how they helped Lynda grow as a person while also achieving the same result themselves.

However I had to stop reading multiple times because I found it a bit underwhelming. Everything was built around the main character’s desire to get into her dream college, but in the end it felt forgotten, despite being a major plot point. The third act felt a little rushed and I wish it was a bit more even paced like the rest of the book.

In conclusion, Love point to you is a good read for those who are interested in lighthearted romances. While it had its ups and downs, I’d definitely recommend it!

Such a fun premise, but I was unfortunately disappointed. The pacing felt a little too fast, so the romance was rushed, although the cute moments were very cute.
Angela was a fine love interest, but I did not like Lynda. She was so self-centered and rude to others, that I disliked her more as the plot progressed. Yes, she was kind of self aware, but still.
Idk, I'm rating this three stars mostly for the concept and the otome game references.

┈ 🎐 3.75 stars ༊*·˚

「spoiler free review, rounded up」

✩°｡⋆⸜ “‘Even the everyday stuff is a lot more colorful with you around.’"

➳ thank you to netgalley and delacorte romance for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

➳ this was my third arc ever, and im delighted to say that this one did not disappoint!! my first two were pretty bad and i gave them both around two/five stars 😞. i had fun reading this one, and loved the concept :)

✧˖*°࿐ plot

➳ love points to you begins at a pivotal part of lynda(our fmc)’s life, her father’s second marriage. lynda’s mother had died years prior, and her dad was ready to remarry, to lynda’s stepmother amy. lynda and her father move into amy and her daughter’s (lynda’s stepsister), josie’s, house.

➳ lynda loves art and to draw digitally on her ipad, henry. she posts her art online and makes money from her social media. one day, josie’s aunt and younger cousin visit lynda and josie at their house, and her younger cousin, luke, “accidentally” <s>bro fs knew what he was doing</s> destroys henry. distraught over the loss of her treasured drawing ipad, lynda appeals to her family to buy her a new one, which they don’t. as she’s venting about the situation to her best friend, bora, their schoolmate angela overhears and offers to buy lynda a new ipad and pay her if she’ll draw the characters for an otome game she’s creating (from what i gathered, it’s somewhat like episode).

➳ lynda agrees, and the start of a new partnership (and something more) begins between her and angela.. 🤭

✧˖*°࿐ characters

➳ lynda: a very artsy person and determined to achieve her goals of going to RISD for college and making art her career, i liked her at the beginning of the book, but my opinion of her changed over time. how she acted during the largest conflict in the book really aggravated me, and i’m not sure if that was the author’s intent. if it was, it worked, and if she was supposed to garner sympathy from the readers, it definitely did not..

➳ angela: a hardworking, closed off (at the start), and smart classmate of lynda’s, i didn’t really have any strong feelings for angela. she was a good character, but i didn’t love her.

➳ josie: lynda’s stepsister, also another classmate in their year level. i felt so bad for josie. all the pressure she received from her family, and herself, to be perfect at playing the violin so she could be accepted into curtis, a prestigious musical school impacted her so heavily. i don’t know if i would’ve been able to go through all of that, and i did respect her decision in the end, just maybe not how she did it. i liked her personality, and i thought she was funny and nice.

➳ bora: i think she was a super supportive and funny friend. she offered lynda much needed advice multiple times through the story, and i liked her!

✧˖*°࿐ angelalynda

➳ i really liked this lesbian couple, it was so adorable 🥹🥹💓. i don’t read many sapphic books, so that just makes the ones i do sm better! that being said, i do think their attraction for each other felt a little forced at first. and because of the book’s title and cover, i was expecting a bit more romance, but i did enjoy what i got!

✧˖*°࿐ final thoughts

➳ although i didn’t love this one, i did really enjoy it! i do recommend reading it when it comes out, and maybe by then some of the critiques i mentioned will have been changed? i hope yall will give it a shot ☺️

i wanna be your girlfriend – girl in red
𓆩♡𓆪 “I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips
I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath”

#LovePointstoYou by Alice Lin is a very sweet book about two teen girls from very different worlds. Each girl goes through their own difficulties, however, we mainly know of Lynda and her struggles. Living in a new home with a new family is a lot to deal with for any teen, but it’s important to remember things aren’t always as they seem. I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you #netgalley and #RandomHouse for this ARC

ੈ♡˳ rating: four of five
ੈ♡˳ thoughts:
essentially, i enjoyed this book. when i first began reading it, it was a five out of five for me. however, reading more into the main character began to annoy me more and more. i understand the teenage, coming of age aspect that every YA romance book seems to have, but coming from someone who looks back on that time of my life and cringes, the main character did that for me.

the climax of the book was just the main character being blatantly rude to everyone in her life: her father, her step mother, her step sister, her best friend, her aunt, and her girlfriend; essentially because she wasn’t getting what she wanted and she threw a temper tantrum because everyone in her life believed she was wrong in her thinking. instead of listening to them and trying to be understanding, for about 20 pages she completely isolated herself from everyone in her life. her father, after his scare, we learn was essentially not telling her the things that drove him to be sick because he was scared of how she would react. that’s not coming of age; that’s just being an asshole.

overall, this is a cute and sweet read. it is extremely fast paced, and while marketed as an enemies to lovers that’s not the case. they’re more “i’ve read about you through the grape vine” to lovers than anything else.

also me and the author got the same degree from the same university, which is so cool!

ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ “enemies” to lovers
ꕥ asian american rep.
ꕥ ya romance.

ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes because it’s an arc and everything is subject to change! 💓

◡̈ ◡̈ ◡̈

Wow. Where to start.

1. This book has extremely dynamic characters. Every character was unique and seemed to jump off the page with their own personality. The main character was deeply flawed (much like all 16 year olds) and while it made it hard to like her at times, she was also someone you were rooting for. I wanted her to see her errors and change. Her feelings were so raw and realistic, if a bit cringy at time, but it's what made them REAL. I love it when characters come alive like this.

2. The ACE REP. The BI REP. I was so excited to see it in a book.

3. It's a quick and easy read. I would have finished in one sitting if I hadn't been interrupted.

4. There are some big questions left unanswered for the audience, like RISD and the game they were developing, but I still feel that it wrapped up in a satisfying way. Like I'm not craving answers to those questions, but if the author added an epilogue that was 5 years later, I would love to read that.

Thank you to NetGally for this EArc.

I love the ace rep and having them have romantic interests. I wasn't overly found of the family dynamic, but I did enjoy the sisters getting closer through it and the friends.

Ty to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly this was such a delight!! I love a silly queer coming of age novel so much, and I love how much the book delved into Lynda's flaws and her complicated relationship with her family. Honestly, my main gripes are that I would have loved more of Angela's side of the story, as well as a slightly less rushed ending. All of that being said though, I adored these characters so much. It was such a charming little story and felt so lived in for all of the characters, and honestly, if there are ever books focusing on the lives and problems of the side characters in this, I would read it in an instant.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Love Points to You was a quick and easy read. The characters were dynamic, complete with their own flaws and problems, with the main character having a handful of flaws that almost made it hard to like her. Lynda is selfish, jealous, and short sighted, but weren’t we all at 16? Her childish behavior provides an accurate teenage thought process, which makes her feel more raw and real. Her jealousy toward her new stepsister and the craving for equality within her new family dynamic all feels very realistic. I also really appreciated the ace representation! Overall a four star read, and I would recommend to younger teenagers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me the opportunity to review this book!

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

Love Points to You follows Lynda, a 16 year old artist who desperate to get into the art school of her dreams, which are being glossed over in favor of her new stepsister, a musician.

I really enjoyed most of the characters and the character dynamics in this book. Josie and Bora were both really fun characters and I enjoyed their interactions with Lynda. The plot was also really interesting, with the otome game and Angela, and I especially liked the class differences between Lynda and Angela. However, Lynda was a rather selfish and immature main character so was difficult to stay engaged with the story. While she does grow and change it was I found it hard to believe after so many pages of selfish actions. But, the plot and the other characters were enough to continue reading the book and even enjoy it!

Thank you Random House Children’s and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

i loved this book! it was so quick and easy to read and i definitely think about the concept often! i loved the ace representation and how it centered around the art. so good!

This one gave me some mixed feelings. On one hand, I really liked a lot of the characters like Angela, Josie, and Bora. However, I struggled sometimes to like the main character, Lynda. She's very selfish, jealous, and flawed, and the way she treats those around her isn't the greatest. However, she's very young and some of the situations she's put in make her anger if not justified, then at least understandable. As well, there were a lot of cute moments between her and Angela, and some great bonding between her and others like Claire and Josie. While there were a few pretty big things left unresolved (RISD? The otome?), I still felt like the book was satisfying enough to end as it did. Finally, I loved the ace representation and the scene where Angela and Lynda talk about their coming outs. I think those discussions between them are relatable and reflect realistic experiences from the LGBTQ+ community. Overall, the book was a quick interesting read, 3.9/5 stars rounded up.

It was a quick and easy book with was amazing. I enjoyed the characters interactions with each other and for the most part they felt pretty relatable.

Lynda Fan is driven to produce art. She desperately wants to get into art school, and doesnt’ care what her father thinks. She is self taught, and works very hard to be the best she can be.

Angela Wu is an enigma. She was bookish for a while, then became popular girl, star cheerleader type, and then reverted back to being a nerd again. Lynda doesn’t think much of her, at all. That is, until her cousin ruins her tablet, and she doesn’t have the money to get a new one.

Because that is when Angela proposes that they work together. She is creating an Otome game, and she needs Lynda to do the character sketches. She will get paid, and a new table to boot. How could she refuse.

I love how this story sneaks up on you. Since Lynda is ACE, she doesn’t think about anyone romantically, and it turns out Angela is also ACE. It is rather refreshing to have two characters in a book that aren’t mooning over each other all the time.

I also like how the families in this book are very real and flawed. Not everyone has it all figured out, and parents make mistakes.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this novel, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Really well written.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 4th of March 2025.

This was a 4.5/5 star read for me. I really loved the characters and could relate to them all in certain ways, especially Josie. I loved the plot and thought that this was a cute teenage romance. Yes, some parts of the book felt cringy and I know that some people rated it lower because of that. However, that is what really helped make it authentic in my opinion. That is how teenagers are and by adding that in the book, I think that it helped make it relatable especially for teens and what they may struggle with. I definitely enjoyed the book and read it so quickly! I would recommend it.

thanks to netgalley & random house for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

this was fine. it was cute, a good palette cleanser. my main issue was the lack of real substance the story had.
ya romance tends to stray towards formulaic - a simple mashup of coming-of-age, first love, and the main character doing something stupid, realizing it, and then rushing around apologizing to everyone. this book definitely fits into that.
something to note is that this book is EXTREMELY fast paced, and not in a good way - in the way that limits character understanding & development, and leaves you feeling completely removed from all of the characters. this is the type of book that, if you read regularly, you'll forget within three days.
additionally, this book is marketed as something akin to enemies-to-lovers, which is definitely not the case. angela and lynda are essentially strangers at the start of the book, and their relationship is so rushed its ridiculous.
overall, this was fine. read this if you want something cute, but you'll forget quickly.

Alice Lin writes a modern love story and it’s absolutely adorable! When I say modern, I mean it’s definitely modern. There’s references to Legend of Korra and anime characters that come from this day and age. This story was right up my alley.

We follow Lynda Fan as she navigates her way through love, art, and family issues. Her love story with Angela Wu is the cutest thing ever and by the time they go on their first date, I’m mentally screaming. It’s just so cute.

Her family issues do get resolved as she finds her way through them but boy, are they a pain in the butt. Her dad especially really annoyed me. But it’s okay, as I said, it’s resolved.

Her art is the main focus of the story. You can see how she evolves through it and takes her time to really find herself through art. It’s really heartwarming to read.

Overall, loved this story. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out other books by Alice Lin if they’re as cute as this one. Loved it!