Abigail Hing Wen is the New York Times bestselling author of Loveboat, Taipei, which is being adapted for film. She holds a BA from Harvard, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and, like some of her characters, is obsessed with musicals and dancing. When she's not writing stories or listening to her favorite scores, she is busy working in artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley, where she lives with her family. You can learn more about her at www.abigailhingwen.com. You can also find her on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. You can find more of my reviews of Abigail's works here.
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 of them 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 plant to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together . . . or are they destined to combust?
Abigail Hing Wen had me falling in love with young adult all over again this past summer, when I first read Loveboat, Taipei—so when I saw that Loveboat Reunion was releasing this January, I was so excited to see how the magic would continue with Sophie's and Xavier's stories. One of the most impressive things about this sequel is Wen's ability to take two characters who's stories in Loveboat, Taipei made readers hesitant to dive into their stories, into two characters whose stories are incredibly inspiring. By the time we break into the novel, we are rooting for these characters—not necessarily for Sophie and Xavier to end up together, but for both of them to grow into the best versions of themselves. Xavier and Sophie were two of the reasons I fell in love with Lovebaot, Taipei, because I was enthralled with how complicated and human their characters were. Getting to see Xavier and Sophie explore their own journeys is doubly special having loved them before, and getting to watch them grow even further and reach even higher than they believed themselves to be capable of. It's truly a testament to Abigail Hing Wen's writing, that she can make two characters who seemed hard to love at first, who seemed too complicated to understand, too stubborn to want to relate to, into two characters we can't help but root for, two characters we're so glad we went on a journey with.
I was impressed again by Wen's ability to provide a story that was both true to the characters, and that culminated in an important lesson to readers. with Sophie's arc of reinventing herself. For her character specifically, it's easy to understand why she'd be invested in self-growth and development. For a general storyline arc, it is once again important for young people to leanr that some parts of themselves they can change, and that other parts of themselves will always stay the same. It's only once you recognize each of those halves of yourself that you're able to actually grow as a person. Sophie is such a fun and outgoing and lovely character, so watching her go through all these college hijinks to figure this out is endearing, and just true to life.
An important thing Abigail Hing Wen does with Loveboat Reunion is toe the line between the young adult and new adult genres. Sophie and Xavier's ages are a little aged out of the young adult genre, into the new adult one, but the prose and the way Sophie and Xavier talk about their lives made me understand why this novel would still be considered YA. Publishing genres are pretty clear cut, but the fact is, human nature is not. The blending of these two genres (especially for people at the end of their high school careers and the beginning of their college ones) is an important statement about growing up. That it's not black-and-white. It's not one day you're a kid, and the next you're an adult. It's a lot messier than that, and Wen demonstrates that with her characters' stories and the blending of the elements of the two genres.
Wen is just an absolutely fantastic storyteller. How the characters ended up where it all started was so fun and whirlwind-y! It was such a breath of fresh air in this deep, dark winter we're in. Wen also doesn't leave any stone unturned—every single last loose thread was tied up, in a way that was just so incredibly satisfying. As a reader who does get invested in every aspect of the story, I was so gratified that we learned what Uncle Ted was doing, that we go to know who bought the only picture, and how Xavier wins his father over. What was also important to me was that before Wen could show Xavier's and Sophie's happily ever after with one another, she has to cement their happily ever afters for themselves. Getting to see how Xavier and Sophie spent the months apart after Taipei part two was an incredible move, one that spoke volumes to how this story, while the story of Sophie and Xavier's romance, is also a story of how individuals grow into themselves.
If you loved Loveboat Reunion, you should definitely check out Loveboat, Taipei if you haven't already! I'm hopeful for more Abigail Hing Wen novels in the future—and you can find more on Abigail's website, www.abigailhingwen.com.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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