Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Comeback by Lily Chu

10 reviews

brittanylee0302's review

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emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed the Stand In by Lily Chu which inspired me to listen to this book. I loved the little nods to the Stand In that were present in this book. However, I feel like this book was too long which made it kind of repetitive. Within the last 10 chapters I found myself really losing interest. I loved Hannah & thought Phoebe was an awesome character to help show Ari's character growth. Overall I liked the book but felt it was just too long. 
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whatbeccareadnext's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The first 3/4s of this book had me giggling and kicking my feet like a little girl. It was so stinking cute. I loved the Stand-In and I wasn't sure if this was going to be for me, but it was adorable. 

I got a bit frustrated with Ari's inability to communicate toward the end. I wanted to scream at her to just talk about it before making rash decisions, but that was a big part of her personality, so I can hardly blame Lily Chu for the choice.
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wilybooklover's review

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emotional slow-paced

2.0

I think the thing that annoyed me the most about this book was that it had the potential to be so good, and it was a huge letdown. The bones were there, but the execution was lacking. The first third was mostly great and it slowly went downhill from there.

First of all, the book was way too long and slow-paced. There were whole long sections in there focusing on the heroine's days at work and her repetitive musings about work that could have been significantly cut down without losing anything. We never even get to see her meet two of the hero's bandmates, which I think would have made a much better use of the page-time. I'll come back to this part later, but the last quarter of the book was full of unnecessary melodrama that also went on for way too long. It felt like it needed a really good edit.

It pains me to say this, because I usually love 'unlikeable' heroines, but being in Ari's head was an exercise in frustration. If she were just somewhat less judgmental, pessimistic, and wilfully ignorant, I would've liked this book a lot more. I think part of the reason the book felt so long is how negative and closed-off she was about almost everything. And every time she had an epiphany about something, she'd seemingly forget all about it by the next chapter.

Now, back to what I said about the last quarter of the book. The thing that mainly kept me reading this book was how much I loved the hero, Jihoon, but his refusal to really listen to and understand Ari's qualms about his fame began to get on my nerves at this point.
This is then compounded by the third-act conflict, where his decision not to go against his company to defend her reputation (after a picture of them goes viral and the company decide to malign her) really did not make sense with his previous characterisation and soured me on him. Ari also did not make sense at this point, with her insistence on wanting to take their relationship public when she had previously been serious about her privacy and knew that Jihoon wasn't allowed to be seen publicly dating. It all felt so unnecessary and overdramatic. I would have much rather seen them work through the conflict together, but instead they break up (AGAIN) and spend longer apart than they actually spent together throughout the whole book. They only reconcile in the very last chapter and the epilogue doesn't even have them on page together!
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daniellekat's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

This had so much potential. 😩 I really enjoyed Lily Chu's first book The Stand In, and thought this would be an instant winner but the plot was underdeveloped, the writing rushed, and overall the book was too long and poorly paced. I appreciated how Chu wove in topics of internalized racism, workplace microaggressions, and navigating open communication. Chu's ability to insert larger societal issues into what's otherwise a light romp is fantastic, but here these points were swallowed by the endless back and forth of the plot. The characters were relatively one note and their big "epiphanies" were hardly surprising. Ultimately this was just disappointing, but I will say that Chu writes about Toronto stunningly (There really is a book vending machine in The Monkey's Paw bookstore). 
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phua_jieying's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review

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funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. Lily Chu has written yet another amazing book.

I loved watching Ariadne grow as a character and how that growth effects the relationships around her. It doesn't shy aware from the good and bad of discovering your wants and needs for life.
I also enjoyed Jihoon's journey as well, though it was not the forefront of the book.
I love the two of them together and how well their personalities meshed.

I highly recommend reading this RomCom for every funny and serious moment will give you.
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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
 disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. Thus, no stars doesn’t indicate that the book wasn’t worthy of any starred system. It just means I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all, even if the lesson is that I’m a ho for the smut, recognizing a genre/book/author is not for me, or confronting my own mommy/daddy issues lol. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Happy reading! Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial

general premise: 
  • Contemporary romance & coming-of-age set mostly in Toronto, Canada 
  • first-person POV of main character, Ariadne (Ari)
  • Ari is a lawyer focused on climbing the corporate ladder & living up to her father’s expectations
  • while her roommate Hana is out of town, she finds Hana’s cousin Jihoon in their apartment & he’s there to stay for a few weeks as he recovers from a breakup in Seoul
  • Ari also hasn’t spoken to her sister Phoebe much due to them being polar opposites & resenting each other for that
  • Ari finds out that Jihoon has left out a few things regarding his identity & his job & it takes her on a whirlwind! 
  • steam: 1/5— it’s a closed door romance 
  • cw: racism, misogyny, body shaming, bullying
 
thoughts:
I'd like to first start this off by saying that every time there is a character named Brittany that is spelled exactly as I spell my name, she is utter and absolute garbage. I do not claim characters in books named Brittany; I have yet to find a redeeming or kind one hahaha. This book is further proof that Brittanys in books suck.

Maybe it's because I've read so many celebrity x peasant romances lately, but this one didn't hit for me the same way The Stand In did last year! That's not to say that this was a horrible romance or that it was a bad book. I still enjoyed the writing, thought there was sweet moments & rooted for Ari & Jihoon. However, I just wasn't gushing over the characters or the romance by the end!

However, the part that did work for me were the representations of and commentaries on racial dynamics in Toronto, Canada. Though I'm not from there (I have family there though!), these instances of microaggressions, overtly problematic behaviors, and ruminations on belonging rang authentic to me as a bisexual, neurospicy, AAPI survivor in the United States. I think sometimes people read about these situations or they watch them portrayed on tv/film and think "huh, that's so exaggerated. I've NeVeR seen someone act like that or say anything racist before. NoT iN mY ToWn!" OR they think, "Wow, some people are so horrible. I'm such a good ally myself though!" Lol, look, I enjoy a good delulu era. However, I hope that you are constantly examining how your actions and words can be actively anti-racist. Otherwise, you actually could be causing more harm than you think.

Here are questions you can think on to explore your own behavior:
-Are you talking over anyone? Are you constantly taking up space in conversations? Who are you talking over? Are there any voices not being heard?
-When someone brings up a situation that was problematic/harmful to them (that you caused or have power over in that dynamic), do you question them and ask them for proof/examples? Do you deflect and make it about your feelings instead? Do you get defensive and immediately feel attacked? Do you call them "mean", "negative", or accuse them of using race/sexuality/etc. as a weapon? OR do you ask how you could do better next time? Do you think, 'hm, I never thought of that before and I'm glad to have this information so I can expand my perspective.'
-When someone says something harmful (not you), do you point it out? Do you address it? Are you trying to foster brave spaces? OR do you hide under "SaFe SpAcEs" that inevitably end up harming POC/queer/disabled/fat/poor folx because others are allowed to speak however they want -typically over marginalized folx- without consequence?

Those are just a few ways to examine any internalized bias that we *all* have. No one is perfect but the key is to be actively working on it. So I'm grateful that there's more representation of these kinds of conversations! 
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nicoreads333's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed Lily Chu's first book, The Stand-In, and when I saw she had another book out on a random trip to Target, I knew I had to pick it up. I'm so glad I did! Lily has a way of writing complex, yet relatable characters in scenarios that border reality and fantasy (hello, hot k-pop idol falling in love with a commoner/foreigner). I loved seeing the relationship bloom between the MC, Ariadne, and the love interest, Jihoon. Two flawed, yet lovable characters. In this, the reader gets to see two very different people with very different lives making mistakes but finding their way through love. 
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silentrequiem's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is my first Lily Chu but will definitely not be my last! I have been in a bit of a reading slump, but picked this up after work and finished it well past my bedtime. I was hooked! I fell in love with Ari and Jihoon, and rooted for them the entire time. This was an engrossing and engaging contemporary romcom that also touches on finding your own voice and place in life, belonging, and self-advocacy. This book made me laugh, grit my teeth in anger, and ultimately cheer as Ari and Jihoon find their own HEA with each other and in their own lives. Highly recommended!

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.
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nebulous07's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Comeback by Lily Chu is a delightful, engaging and comprehensive read. This is my second Lily Chu book. Her writing style is growing on me, and I especially enjoyed the balance between detail and punch. The cherry on top is the element of reliability. Ari Hui has nearly ticked off everything on her list; a successful lawyer eying the title of partner at her law firm, a dutiful daughter and acing mediocrity. Until a catalyst named Jihoon, a cousin of Hana, Ari's roommate, shows up unannounced, which causes friction to her head and heart. Coupled with this inner torment, her long-lost sister returns to Toronto, bringing up years of resentment and unresolved issues. The author has developed a comprehensive plot that spans choices, family relationships, work dynamics, and romance. I resonated with and resisted the lead characters across different chapters. Ari is special because I connected with all her fears and choices. Although the ending tugged at my heartstrings, it appeared too far-fetched. It felt rushed, in addition to the need to correct all the wrongs and challenges faced. However, the wisdom and character growth made this read enjoyable and comforting. 

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Netgalley for this e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily. 

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