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Loveboat, Taipei
(Loveboat, Taipei #1)
by
A wise man once said, When at Loveboat, party like the prodigies do.
When Ever Wong's parents send her away for the summer, she's expecting Chien Tan: a strict, educational immersion program in Taiwan.
Instead, she finds the infamous "Loveboat."
There, Ever is surrounded by prodigies: like Rick Woo, Chinese American wonder boy and longtime bane of her existence; Ever's roomma ...more
When Ever Wong's parents send her away for the summer, she's expecting Chien Tan: a strict, educational immersion program in Taiwan.
Instead, she finds the infamous "Loveboat."
There, Ever is surrounded by prodigies: like Rick Woo, Chinese American wonder boy and longtime bane of her existence; Ever's roomma ...more
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Hardcover, 432 pages
Published
January 7th 2020
by HarperTeen
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Leah
There is sex, not graphic, but it is there.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Loveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei, #1)

This was an excellent debut! I loved every bit of it. It's such an addictive read full of well built up characters & a plot full of surprises. There was so much drama going down and that's honestly what kept me reading. There was a great display of character growth with each of the characters and all the complicated relationships. I loved the group of characters that we spend time with & seeing how they all had come into their own by the end of the book. I can't say this book is perfect by any m
...more

Apr 18, 2020
emma
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
diverse,
1-and-a-half-stars,
gorgeous-covers,
comments,
unpopular-opinion,
contemporary,
ya,
nope,
reviewed
I NEVER INTENDED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
The only reason I even looked at this book was to possibly add it to my wishlist, and then I saw the ebook was on sale for $4…
It all happened so fast.
It never should have been like this.
Mostly because this book was awful and I never should have read it.
This story is so unrelentingly dramatic that I had to take breaks. Like, I probably could have read it in 2-3 hours, and I was in a reading mood so I wanted to, but then I would catch myself frowning enormously ...more
The only reason I even looked at this book was to possibly add it to my wishlist, and then I saw the ebook was on sale for $4…
It all happened so fast.
It never should have been like this.
Mostly because this book was awful and I never should have read it.
This story is so unrelentingly dramatic that I had to take breaks. Like, I probably could have read it in 2-3 hours, and I was in a reading mood so I wanted to, but then I would catch myself frowning enormously ...more

Jul 08, 2019
Melanie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Melanie by:
lily ☁️
I loved this so much. This really is a love letter to belonging and seeing all your different parts, and the parts you came from, and exploring those parts and connecting deeper to your culture. This is also a story very much about what it means to be asian american and how sometimes those two parts can make you feel not enough for either half. This was beautiful, and the story was so good, the romance (and love triangle) was everything, and I feel so honored to have read this. <3
Youtube | Blog ...more
Youtube | Blog ...more

im so torn with this. while this definitely has some positives to it, there are some major negatives which i cant ignore like i usually would.
lets talk about the positives first. this has some great messages - its all about finding yourself, following your passions, and discovering your roots/culture/where you come from. it also talks about mental health, stereotypes, racism, being a first generation american, the pressure of pleasing your parents, feeling like you don’t belong, and first love. ...more
lets talk about the positives first. this has some great messages - its all about finding yourself, following your passions, and discovering your roots/culture/where you come from. it also talks about mental health, stereotypes, racism, being a first generation american, the pressure of pleasing your parents, feeling like you don’t belong, and first love. ...more

Jan 26, 2020
Warda
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author-of-colour,
characters-of-colour
Well, I’m glad this is now over.
In reality, I should’ve DNF’d this book. I knew it wasn’t going to be for me, but I thought the story would’ve developed more substance as it went on. But it didn’t.
It felt so lacklustre overall, even though I appreciated what this book was trying to do.
I related to Ever in a way. The immigrant story, the guilt, your parents, the expectations they place on you, identity, the disconnect etc. All of us who come from an ethnic background have experienced this in o ...more
In reality, I should’ve DNF’d this book. I knew it wasn’t going to be for me, but I thought the story would’ve developed more substance as it went on. But it didn’t.
It felt so lacklustre overall, even though I appreciated what this book was trying to do.
I related to Ever in a way. The immigrant story, the guilt, your parents, the expectations they place on you, identity, the disconnect etc. All of us who come from an ethnic background have experienced this in o ...more

3.5 stars*

So, I am seriously torn!
This book does not sound like the type of book I usually enjoy but then it takes place in Taipei! 😍 Taiwan is one of the best places I've ever visited. And I'm a bit considering reading this book just because of Taiwan but then I worry a bit that I won't like it because of the topic... And I don't know what to do! ...more
This book does not sound like the type of book I usually enjoy but then it takes place in Taipei! 😍 Taiwan is one of the best places I've ever visited. And I'm a bit considering reading this book just because of Taiwan but then I worry a bit that I won't like it because of the topic... And I don't know what to do! ...more

Pretty girl on the pretty cover, why did you have to disappoint me...
Loveboat, Taipei follows a Chinese-American girl named Ever, who is crumpling under the pressure of her parents’ expectations. She wants to pursue dance, which has been her constant passion throughout life, but her parents’ dream is for her to become a doctor instead. She is sent on a summer program in Taipei, where she ends up making friends and having a lot more freedom than she thought she would—freedom to explore herself an ...more
Loveboat, Taipei follows a Chinese-American girl named Ever, who is crumpling under the pressure of her parents’ expectations. She wants to pursue dance, which has been her constant passion throughout life, but her parents’ dream is for her to become a doctor instead. She is sent on a summer program in Taipei, where she ends up making friends and having a lot more freedom than she thought she would—freedom to explore herself an ...more

Actual Rating: 3.5/5
I’ve read it about 5 times already and I think I’ve finally settled on a rating. This is a book that I have a love and hate relationship.
Everett Wong (also known as Ever) is the main character. She loves to dance and has been doing it since she was young. Her parents, like every other Asian American parent, want her to go to Med School. Ever has applied to colleges that would help her get into Med School, but she has also applied to Tisch, a school of arts, without her parent ...more
I’ve read it about 5 times already and I think I’ve finally settled on a rating. This is a book that I have a love and hate relationship.
Everett Wong (also known as Ever) is the main character. She loves to dance and has been doing it since she was young. Her parents, like every other Asian American parent, want her to go to Med School. Ever has applied to colleges that would help her get into Med School, but she has also applied to Tisch, a school of arts, without her parent ...more

DNF @ 80%
I wanted to love this book more than anything, which is why the outcome has left me slightly bitter. Forgettable/cookie cutter characters paired with over dramatic writing and glossed-over serious issues became unbearable for me.
Loveboat, Taipei follows Ever Wong, a girl that’s becoming rapidly fed up with her strict Asian parents. When they reject Ever’s passion for dance and instead ship her off to Taipei for a mandarin program, she expects the worst. Except Loveboat isn’t the inesca ...more
I wanted to love this book more than anything, which is why the outcome has left me slightly bitter. Forgettable/cookie cutter characters paired with over dramatic writing and glossed-over serious issues became unbearable for me.
Loveboat, Taipei follows Ever Wong, a girl that’s becoming rapidly fed up with her strict Asian parents. When they reject Ever’s passion for dance and instead ship her off to Taipei for a mandarin program, she expects the worst. Except Loveboat isn’t the inesca ...more

This book very lovingly stressed me out and I appreciate that. It has the kind of romance that you have no idea which way it'll go, so obviously I had to keep reading forever to find out. 😂It's also eternally excellent to see #ownvoices stories ruling the shelves (this hit the bestseller list I believe!) and weaving stories of love and cultural identity. At first Ever totally baulked at the idea of being shipped to Taiwan for a 6-week stint to learn Mandarin and take pre-med classes and reconnec
...more

Sep 24, 2020
Mrinmayi
marked it as has-cheating-so-won-t-read
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
My enemies...suffer you morons
At first, I was REALLY excited to pick this book
AWESOME cover & the story sounded interesting
BUT apparently, the story has cheating in it *facepalms*
AND NO TRIGGER WARNINGS !!!
When will authors realize that cheating is a TRIGGER & NOT A SPOILER!! *frustrated Mrin shouting*

If some of my friends on GR hadn't read this book & mentioned the cheating...I would have assumed this was a safe read *double facepalms*
And apparently, the cheating is excused because the girlfriend of the LUUURVE interest is ...more
AWESOME cover & the story sounded interesting
BUT apparently, the story has cheating in it *facepalms*
AND NO TRIGGER WARNINGS !!!
When will authors realize that cheating is a TRIGGER & NOT A SPOILER!! *frustrated Mrin shouting*

If some of my friends on GR hadn't read this book & mentioned the cheating...I would have assumed this was a safe read *double facepalms*
And apparently, the cheating is excused because the girlfriend of the LUUURVE interest is ...more


4.5 stars
This was a fantastic ride and a serious, heartfelt novel hiding behind the persona of a party narrative. New favorite!
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★ 1/2
Overall enjoyment ★★★★★
Loveboat, Taipei was honestly a surprise for me. I'd heard mixed reviews and wasn't sure if it was for me, but I decided to go with my gut. I'm so glad I did. This was such shock—like a Taipei-based Gossip Girl, with better themes and refreshingly original cast. Loved it.
Ever Wong is 18 years old, and she's ready to s ...more
This was a fantastic ride and a serious, heartfelt novel hiding behind the persona of a party narrative. New favorite!
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★ 1/2
Overall enjoyment ★★★★★
Loveboat, Taipei was honestly a surprise for me. I'd heard mixed reviews and wasn't sure if it was for me, but I decided to go with my gut. I'm so glad I did. This was such shock—like a Taipei-based Gossip Girl, with better themes and refreshingly original cast. Loved it.
Ever Wong is 18 years old, and she's ready to s ...more

I had heard mixed reviews for this book, and went into it with lowered expectations. So I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up really enjoying it!
Loveboat Taipei follows Ever Wong, a Chinese-American teen who is sent to Taipei for the summer by her parents. Little do they know, the program Ever is signed up for is known secretly as 'loveboat', and Ever vows to break the rules her restrictive parents had placed upon her.
I loved the setting of this book! It felt like a boarding school mixed ...more
Loveboat Taipei follows Ever Wong, a Chinese-American teen who is sent to Taipei for the summer by her parents. Little do they know, the program Ever is signed up for is known secretly as 'loveboat', and Ever vows to break the rules her restrictive parents had placed upon her.
I loved the setting of this book! It felt like a boarding school mixed ...more

Sep 23, 2020
human
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
ABSOLUTELY NO ONE! NOT EVEN MY WORST ENEMY DESERVES TO SUFFER LIKE THIS!! SAVE YOURSELVES!!!
Recommended to human by:
nivedha
(i related to the whole being forced to be a doctor thing, but hated the rest of it, so 1 sympathy star)
(this book might have the greatest amount of shelf tags in any book i've ever read. if you're confused... i am too.)

This gif pretty much sums up my feelings toward this book. Surprisingly accurate yet succinctunlike this review.
Anyway. Disclaimer and stuff. If you liked this book, you probably shouldn't read this. If you don't want any spoilers for the book, don't read this either, because SP ...more
(this book might have the greatest amount of shelf tags in any book i've ever read. if you're confused... i am too.)

This gif pretty much sums up my feelings toward this book. Surprisingly accurate yet succinct
Anyway. Disclaimer and stuff. If you liked this book, you probably shouldn't read this. If you don't want any spoilers for the book, don't read this either, because SP ...more

I really wanted this to be as beautiful as that cover, but I was sadly disappointed. I seriously felt like I was maybe too old for this and most of the scenarios that take place in this book.
I was all for our main character Ever for about 40% of the book. From there I went from being hesitant about what her character would do to straight up disliking her. That’s right, I don’t like our main character. She does a few things that rub me the wrong way and I have no shame saying that I wanted to sl ...more
I was all for our main character Ever for about 40% of the book. From there I went from being hesitant about what her character would do to straight up disliking her. That’s right, I don’t like our main character. She does a few things that rub me the wrong way and I have no shame saying that I wanted to sl ...more

this was wildly more dramatic than i was expecting. there were a lot of aspects that i enjoyed but there were also some scenes that just,,,,,,,,,,were SO WRONG
(view spoiler)
i feel like i've read this story many times and sadly ...more
(view spoiler)
i feel like i've read this story many times and sadly ...more

Update!Here's my full review: https://bookishrealmreviews.blogspot....
I had to take some time to think about this book because it was so intriguing. There were a few sections that I thought were too long considering the nature of the story but overall I thought it was good! I loved that this was written in a voice that we don’t hear that often in YA. I don’t know much about Asian culture and traditions but this definitely taught me a lot. As a person of color I’m always interested in how other r ...more
I had to take some time to think about this book because it was so intriguing. There were a few sections that I thought were too long considering the nature of the story but overall I thought it was good! I loved that this was written in a voice that we don’t hear that often in YA. I don’t know much about Asian culture and traditions but this definitely taught me a lot. As a person of color I’m always interested in how other r ...more

The teen crazy rich asians.
but give all the characters highly questionable morals.
My mind wandered a lot in this book too. I have just not been enjoying the contemporary books I have been picking up recently which is a bummer.
after all the screaming and complaints in my updates we shouldn't even be surprised with my rating. I am really sorry to everyone who loved this.
STOP WITH THE ASIAN STEREOTYPE. I was really trying to forget about the contribut ...more
but give all the characters highly questionable morals.
“When my mind wanders, it is always to you.”
My mind wandered a lot in this book too. I have just not been enjoying the contemporary books I have been picking up recently which is a bummer.
after all the screaming and complaints in my updates we shouldn't even be surprised with my rating. I am really sorry to everyone who loved this.
STOP WITH THE ASIAN STEREOTYPE. I was really trying to forget about the contribut ...more

Loveboat, Taipei is like Crazy Rich Asians meets American Panda, but is also very much a contemporary YA that stands all on its own. Ever Wong’s summer plans are completely disrupted when her parents send her off to Taipei to attend Chien Tan, an educational program meant to help Ever with her Mandarin skills and appreciation of her culture. But what Ever discovers is that the program is affectionately known as Loveboat, a summer-long party where adults turn a blind eye and teens have the freedo
...more

Feb 22, 2020
alexandra
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
asian-rep,
diverse,
harpercollins,
ownvoices,
frustration,
release-2020,
audiobook,
read-2020
fat oooooooof. maybe closer to 1.5/5.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Jul 08, 2019
lily ☁️
marked it as 2020-pub

well. that was a disaster.
it has more tropes and drama than one of my mom's desi soap operas (that's saying something).
why do i hate this book?

SPOILERS AHEAD
i want ever to be a real person just so i can slap her out of this solar system because BOY, this girl is awful. she basically uses and discards xavier but somehow he should be okay with that because he's a "player" and she was with rick despite the fact that he had a depressed girlfriend who had suicidal tendencies? none of the characters ...more
it has more tropes and drama than one of my mom's desi soap operas (that's saying something).
why do i hate this book?

SPOILERS AHEAD
i want ever to be a real person just so i can slap her out of this solar system because BOY, this girl is awful. she basically uses and discards xavier but somehow he should be okay with that because he's a "player" and she was with rick despite the fact that he had a depressed girlfriend who had suicidal tendencies? none of the characters ...more

I got this book as a present and I couldn’t be more happy 😊 This book is about this Asian-American girl called Ever, she have a dream to become a dancer, but her family wants her to become a doctor. One day she discovers her parents are sending her aboard to Taipei, so she can learn her culture and study Chinese, but what her parents don’t know is the place is also known as “ loveboat” where everything can happen , and Ever promise herself to break every single family rule.
I gave this book 4 st ...more

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
I was beyond excited to be one of the first chosen to read this ARC. I have been waiting for something like this to be written, specifically about the young adult Taiwanese American experience - not just about the Chinese or Asian experience growing up in America, but as a Taiwanese specifically and to have it written ever so accurately by someone who understood, is pretty special.
College bound Ever Wong was sent to Taiwan the summer before entering college ...more
I was beyond excited to be one of the first chosen to read this ARC. I have been waiting for something like this to be written, specifically about the young adult Taiwanese American experience - not just about the Chinese or Asian experience growing up in America, but as a Taiwanese specifically and to have it written ever so accurately by someone who understood, is pretty special.
College bound Ever Wong was sent to Taiwan the summer before entering college ...more

SECOND READ 2/2/2020 - 2/28/2019
FIRST READ 11/2/2019 - 12/18/2019
FULL REVIEW
When I first heard the plot and storyline for Loveboat, Taipei, my heart immediately grew 10x as this was the representation I had always been dreaming of my entire life. 💖
After flying through the pages in less than a day, I’m so happy to say that Abigail Hing Wen’s story not only met my expectations, but she went above and beyond, crafting a plotline that kept me continuously on my toes and yearning for more. 😍 From ...more
FIRST READ 11/2/2019 - 12/18/2019
FULL REVIEW
When I first heard the plot and storyline for Loveboat, Taipei, my heart immediately grew 10x as this was the representation I had always been dreaming of my entire life. 💖
After flying through the pages in less than a day, I’m so happy to say that Abigail Hing Wen’s story not only met my expectations, but she went above and beyond, crafting a plotline that kept me continuously on my toes and yearning for more. 😍 From ...more

It's hard to know where to start with this review - I usually have the hardest time reviewing books I love (knowing I'll never do them full justice), but I'm going to try my best. Because I need to convince EVERYONE to read this book! Yes, that means you.
I'm going to go with a totally cliche line, but it's so so true. This book made me feel seen. Growing up, I never thought about the lack of Chinese American characters in books... until I read my first Amy Tan novel. And still, every time I read ...more
I'm going to go with a totally cliche line, but it's so so true. This book made me feel seen. Growing up, I never thought about the lack of Chinese American characters in books... until I read my first Amy Tan novel. And still, every time I read ...more
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