Review: Loveboat, Taipei Duology
I have realized, that I have in fact, not given the blog that much time and attention like I had these past couple of months when 2022 began. I mean, I was really happy when I started it but then I realized that it was beginning to affect my mental health because my ADHD had decided to become hyper-fixated on it and then I felt like that I had to forcefully blog every book I read even if it meant terrible blogs. But then I took a break from it and decided, you know what? I have reserved the rights to not review a book, why not use it correctly for the first time in my 18 years of life? Dat's right, yaboy turned 18, WHOOOP.
1. BOOK ONE: LOVEBOAT, TAIPEi
So like very genuinely, I didn't think I would actually read this book this month, considering I had originally scheduled it for December. But then I was done with my tbr and I didn't want to deal with any of the standalones and nothing from my maybe list, so I like thought, hey, why not a series? So I read this one since this was right at the end. Gotta clear up space eh.
When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.
Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.
Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?
Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.
Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?
QUICK THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: 4/5, WISH I COULD GO TO A SUMMER PROGRAM LIKE THAT.
Possible Trigger Tags:
1. Racism
2. Toxic friendship
3. Sexual content
4. Racial slurs
5. Bullying
6. Misogyny
7. Mentions of self harm
WHAT DID I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK'S:
1. Writing Quality: So I'm like very happy with the writing quality because it flows so damn well. Like I've read a lot of shitty stuff over the past month and like none of the books that I have read this month flow so well, not even the books that I rated five star. It just glided like a new razor on hair that hasn't ever been shaved. That shit like glides smoother than butter. Maybe I shouldn't have made that analogy but my brain is like a gooey thing at one am. Eh. I'm blogging this at one am.
2. Image/ Illustration Quality: Will not lie, I kind of was interested in the summer program that lets you choose your subjects and have a fun time. Not gonna lie, I'll fucking jump on it if anyone actually lets me join a summer program like that. And I kind of want to be one of those programs. Please let me join one of those programs, invite me to one of those programs before I start college. Or better yet, do, I'll pass off as a high school teen [I really won't, I literally looked like a working person before I graduated high school].
3. Character Development: So this book was focused on quite a number of characters, but I'm going through the main quartet. Is that how the word is used tho?
Ever: So Ever's our protagonist and I do kind of relate with her to a sense that my parents tried to make me doctors too. Maybe there was a time that I wanted to be a doctor but then so many people told me that I had to become a doctor and tried to force it on me so I got fed up of it and decided, 'you know what? I'm gonna nip this in the bud' and didn't even take biology in my higher secondary out of spite. But yeah, I can feel what Ever is going through because her parents call her ungrateful for trying to choose for herself and my parents call me worse stuff when I even try to breathe in a way that I'm not supposed to. I feel you, Ever.
Rick: Even though he's like the male lead, I don't feel like I see much of him or his development. He is a nice guy and definitely not one from the category of 'nice guys finish last' because he's smart, he's determined and he's kind towards his girlfriend and doesn't leave her because she has no one else. But I can't point towards anything individualistic towards him. Sure, he has some very good qualities but I really can't find anything that makes him, him.
Sophie: So like Sophie becomes Ever's best friend, but I can't help but feel like she was a bit of a bad influence on Ever despite wanting the good for her. I'm not being narrow minded, but I think I do understand when I see someone being a bad influence on another, knowingly or unknowingly. Believe me, I've had experience and I've often been proven right without meaning to. But yeah, I do love her because she's like too much personality fit into a single body and she just bursts with it. She's awesome in her own way. What she does to Ever is unforgiveable though.
Xavier: Despite him not exactly being in the male lead but being one of the two open sides in the love corner [we should really normalize love triangles being called love corners if two people love the same person] but yeah. I think I see more personality in him than I see from Rick. Maybe because he shows his emotions more and I do kind of relate with him because I struggle with my ADHD to actually seem normal to other people so that they don't get weirded out or like hate me.
4. Couldn't put it down- Ness: 8/10, really interesting.
5. Plot: I really love the plot and I do think that this might be one of the most "teen-fic" of all the YA fiction that I have read so far because god damn, there's a lot of drama in there. And as we all know, nothing screams more teen or young adult than drama. While I do love the story that's revolving around everyone, I am not a fan of the love triangle that exists between Rick, Ever and Xavier? I'm really not into that trope because it hurts me and most of the time the girl ends up choosing the wrong one.
OVERALL, A NICE READ, glad I actually decided to read it.
2. Book Two: Loveboat, Reunion
You know, I have been getting back into my DJ-ing phase again. It's not really a phase that I am proud of, but it feels good to be back. Also it kind of helps me to recognize beats in a song faster and easier and it kind of helped me get through reading books because man, that shit does wonders to your brain.
Sophie Ha and Xavier Yeh have what some would call a tumultuous past.
Hearts were broken, revenge was plotted—but at least they're friends now. They left the drama behind them back in Taipei—at their summer program, Loveboat—forever.
Now that fall is here, they're focusing on what really matters. Sophie is determined to be the best student Dartmouth’s ever had. Xavier just wants to stay under his overbearing father’s radar, collect his trust fund when he turns eighteen, and concentrate on what makes him happy.
But the world doesn’t seem to want either to succeed. Sophie’s college professor thinks her first major project is “too feminine.” Xavier’s father gives him an ultimatum: finish high school or be cut off from his inheritance.
Then Sophie and Xavier find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, hatching a joint plan to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together . . . or are they destined to combust?
Hearts were broken, revenge was plotted—but at least they're friends now. They left the drama behind them back in Taipei—at their summer program, Loveboat—forever.
Now that fall is here, they're focusing on what really matters. Sophie is determined to be the best student Dartmouth’s ever had. Xavier just wants to stay under his overbearing father’s radar, collect his trust fund when he turns eighteen, and concentrate on what makes him happy.
But the world doesn’t seem to want either to succeed. Sophie’s college professor thinks her first major project is “too feminine.” Xavier’s father gives him an ultimatum: finish high school or be cut off from his inheritance.
Then Sophie and Xavier find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, hatching a joint plan to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together . . . or are they destined to combust?
QUICK THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: 4/5, NOT AS DETAILED AS THE FIRST BOOK, BUT IT GETS POINTS FOR THE STORY.
Possible Trigger Tags:
1. Emotional abuse
2. Physical abuse
3. Misogyny
4. Ableism
5. Child abuse
6. Gaslighting
WHAT DID I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK'S:
1. Writing Quality: Writing quality wise, it was good as expected, because the previous book had a smooth writing style too. I was legit gliding through the pages like it was melted butter. Okay never mind, butter is slippery even when it's solid, my analogy didn't actually make sense. But yeah, the writing style was good, it was pretty interesting. And also unlike the first book which had only Ever's POV, this book has dual POV in first person. Lots of stuff.
2. Character Development: So, here are my thoughts yet again. Now unlike Loveboat, Taipei, that had like focus on a lot of characters at the same time, the focus this time, is mostly on Sophie and Xavier with Victor and Mr. Yeh in the background.
Xavier: By the end of the first book, we can see more from Xavier and are able to look past the fact that he's an asshole but instead he's an actual puppy. Also we get to know that he's dyslexic and has dysgraphia but he hates to show weakness, so he just tries to hide it by acting like an asshole and it's kind of sad. Man, Xavier might be one of my comfort characters now. But yeah, he's talented, he's a 2e on an IQ test, which means there's definitely more to him than his learning disability. And it's not like he doesn't want to he just has difficulties. Little bean.
Sophie: Unlike the previous book, we can definitely see more of Sophie in this book. I kind of feel like that she's suffering from ADHD, which might explain the hyperfixative tendencies, and also Sophie describing herself as a tornado. She definitely is smart, and she is also good at organizing. It's also a reprive from seeing the shallow way Sophie is portrayed as looking only for a husband that she needs.
The background characters aren't focused as much this time, which is a bum, kind of.
3. Couldn't put it down- Ness: 9/10. Pretty much good for one sitting.
4. Plot Twists: Now plot twists are very much present in this book unlike it's prequel and I do love how they turn out. They are mostly character based, which isn't common in major fiction that I have read, like a good chunk of it. I have read over 250 books since I began this blog and I can really say that most plot twists that happen are a result of situations and not because of actual reveal of characters. So a plot twist brought about via a change in character? Now that's something.
5. Plot: Well, considering the title does contain the name "Loveboat" I thought that it would take place at Loveboat again. It does disappoint me a little bit that it does not, but hey, at least the story happens in Taipei. Also the fact that it's like a tiny little reunion but yeah, the plotline is a bit disappointing.
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