"Lives are like rivers, eventually they go where they must. Not where we want them to go.-" Mae Fung

Yang has written a very interesting narrative with a main character whose situation morphs from familial dysfunction to the glitz of high society mixed with a bit of emotional drama.
It is toxic with abuse and a violence that warps the relationships of these characters. 

Ivy had grown up in a frugal household with a fleet fingered grandma and a heavy handed mother and a seemingly detached father, whichbexplains her deep seated yearning to find  and have something beautiful that would be hers and hers alone. She finds that in Gideon, the all American rich boy, and nothing could be wrong with him. 

Exposed to shoplifting from an early age and then briefly to the life of the elite, Ivy grows up with a deep yearning to have all the riches and lifestyle of the affluent; but giving up old habits prove harder than Ivy counted on or maybe not, and she isn't about to let anything or anyone come between her and her richly ever after.

It was really refreshing to read a book with a main character who is not just imperfect in a quirky way, but flawed in a deep way. I think most people can relate to at least one of Ivy's dark feelings or thought processes, which are too taboo to talk to people about, probably even to your best friend. Yang delves into the parts of Ivy -- and ourselves -- that are too shameful to talk about, but also so central to the way we approach and walk through life. The same raw honesty was present in Yang's writing about Ivy's family, which has real problems that aren't easily resolved -- like in real life! Bottom line: I love how real this book is. I admire Yang's vulnerability in pulling these feelings and thoughts out of her head and sharing them with us. I also appreciate the non-russian Eastern European representation :)