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Book Summary

Reviewed by Kate Pavao

Patty Yoon's parents pressure her to get into an Ivy League college, and she works hard to meet their expectations. Her life revolves around studying, taking practice SAT tests, practicing the violin, and hanging out with the other overachievers at her Korean church. But an unlikely friendship helps spark something new in her: The idea that she could choose a life of her own.

Is It Any Good?

4

The story takes a pretty predictable path: A nerdy girl learns to stop letting her parents dictate her life and becomes her own person. What's special about the story is that protagonist Patty is a really believable character, unlike a lot of today's young adult narrators who are described as pretty, rich, and ruthless. Patty really loves both the violin and academics, she loves her parents, and even the kids in her church group -- and when she finally tells her crush, Ben, her true feelings, he tells her he only likes her as "a friend."

Her transformation into a girl who can stand up for herself is equally convincing. Readers will know that she has spunk all the time by her self-deprecating humor and the chapter interludes, such as "Top Ten Ways to Avoid Ben Wheeler at School" or "How to Make Your Korean Parents Happy, Part 4." Readers will appreciate Patty's brave confrontation with her parents, even if it comes at an unlikely moment (right before an important concert performance). Maybe the book will end too neatly for some, but students -- especially overachievers like Patty -- will appreciate her gradual understanding that she has "all the time in the world" to compose a life she loves.

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