“A truly addictive read” (Glamour) about how a young woman’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into the immigrant experience, as it hurtles to its electrifying ending in this “twisty, unputdownable, psychological thriller” (People). Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar–but you’d never know it by looking at her. Raised … it by looking at her.
Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen–and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.
Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable–it feels like fate.
Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.
Filled with surprising twists and a nuanced exploration of class and race, White Ivy is a “highly entertaining,” (The Washington Post) “propulsive debut” (San Francisco Chronicle) that offers a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.
more
3.5 stars
White Ivy is a coming of age story. It’s about family, desire. It’s a love triangle and it’s a little bit of a thriller. All in all I couldn’t put it down.
I was hesitant to read this book after reading so many reviews of what an unlikeable character Ivy is, but I’m glad I did. Yes, Ivy is incredibly hard to like, but ultimately I just felt sorry for her. While I might not agree, I do understand what lead her to make the choices that she did. I will say that I felt the ending was a little rushed and a bit of a let down after how good the rest of the book was. Overall, it wasn’t well written and kept me reading until the end. A solid debut.
Ivy Lin, a Chinese immigrant, grows up in a low income apartment complex Massachusetts. As she gets older she starts to appreciate and want the finer things in life. At first she turns to shoplifting and then to the man she intends to marry. The characters are wonderful nd the story will draw you in. Is there more than one man in Ivy’s life? When threatened with losing all she wants what will she do? I had a hard time putting this book down! Highly recommend!
Ivy Lin is born in China, and left there to be raised by her grandmother while her parents head to USA for her father’s job, and to earn money to send for Ivy. They send for her when she turns 6. The grandmother joins them and teaches Ivy how to steal. While doing so, Ivy meets Roux. They become friends.
At her grade school, Ivy has a crush on Gideon, the son of a senator. After sneaking off to a party at Gideon’s house, her parents catch her and send her to China for the summer. She learns a lot about the finer things in life while visiting there.
Years later, Ivy reunites with Gideon and hopes to build a life together. They both are hiding things from each other, but is Ivy’s need to belong to a world of wealth strong enough to weather the flaws in the relationship?
I had high hopes for this book, having heard people rave about it, but I just thought of Ivy as a user and a manipulator. I didn’t like her at all. I also knew Gideon’s secret very early, and was surprised that cunning Ivy couldn’t see it. I was not surprised about Roux’s outcome either. This book just made me sad for all the excess and the lies and the duplicity.
4.5/5
I am always excited to read a new debut novel and Susie Yang really has something special with White Ivy. This was such a jaw-dropping read for me, and the slower pacing throughout is totally worth that ending. The biggest issue I saw that readers had was with Ivy as a character, and although she could definitely be awful, I could also mostly understand why she was the way she was. It felt like anything was possible with this book and I just COULD. NOT. STOP. LISTENING. TO. IT. I appreciated hearing what it was like to be an immigrant coming into the US and learning more about culture and traditions, although really the majority of this book is a character study of Ivy herself. She doesn’t want to be Chinese; she wants to be Caucasian, and much of the book is watching her as she strives to become something she’s not.
The reason I had initially decided to pick this up was that it was an ALC (advanced listening copy) through a program I’m in and I thought, huh, that sounds interesting. Well, I definitely got a lot more than I had bargained for, especially considering how dark it was. I was immediately drawn into the story, and in part, I believe this is because the audiobook is so good. The narrator is Emily Woo Zeller and I can’t imagine them picking anyone else to voice Ivy. She really became that character and was the perfect fit in both sound and tone in my opinion. I highly recommend listening to this one and I promise that it will cause you to speed through it. Ivy is such a well-developed character that she felt very vivid and real in a way I felt like I could have reached out and touched her. The end was completely shocking but also completely great, and what a way to end a novel like this. Such a strong start for Yang, and she definitely found an instant fan in me.
Thank you to the publisher and Libro.fm for my advanced listening copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The characters are clearly defined and their actions are somewhat unexpected.
This was one twisted little book. It definitely turns the idea of the “quiet little asian girl” on its ear. Very interesting backstory of Grandma and how she influenced the Ivy and what Ivy did with those lessons.
This book was gripping and beautifully written. The main character was completely fascinating and well drawn – and the twists and turns made this an amazing read.
White Ivy
By Susie Yang
White Ivy by Susie Yang is a fabulous debut and a fantastic coming-of-age contemporary fiction with a complex character that you will enjoy reading about. I enjoyed the lyrical writing that explored Chinese American culture and appreciated all the details and nuances in this book as an #ownvoice reviewer – these were really fun to pick up on. The story explores being a young woman raised by very Chinese immigrant family as she finds herself seemingly in between two very different worlds and trying to succeed in both.
Thank you @librofm and Simon & Schuster for the ALC – all opinions are my own.
I need some of my book loving friends to read this strong debut novel, White Ivy, by Susie Yang. I’m really conflicted on how I feel about this book. On one hand, I really loved reading about the Chinese immigrant experience and the complicated relationship between the generations of women in her family. Her grandmother, Meifeng was my absolutely favorite character! I would love to read another novel about her life. When we first meet Ivy, we feel sorry for her and how she always felt like an outsider. She was one of only two Chinese girls at a fancy prep school who was so desperate to be accepted. As she gets older, we feel less sympathetic as we watched her morph into one of the mean girls she both envied and despised from school. Throughout the book she was embarrassed and wanted to distance herself from her family, but at least they were willing to work hard for the life they wanted. It worried me to read about her brother, Austin, who obviously needed treatment for his depression, but I understand there are cultural norms that may keep persons from seeking help outside of the family. I cringed waiting to see how far Ivy would go to protect her ambitions and lifestyle. She became very unlikeable. I would entertain a debate about whether she was ultimately a victim or criminal? The last chapters of the book had twists that I did not see coming. In the end, maybe no one is truly the person they want the world to see. Highly recommend so we can talk about this one! Thank you #netgalley for an advanced reader copy. #whiteivy #SusieYang #simonandschuster
4/5 stars
With complex characters that pull you in numerous directions, this well written coming of age story is a slow build with some surprising plot twists that will keep you pondering these characters and their actions long after the story ends.
Thanks to @simonandschuster
for providing me this copy via Goodreads giveaway.
While this book was well written, I really didn’t like the story very much. There were a few twists and the ending was a surprise.
Seriously, I not put down this book once I hit about page 100. It kept me up at night. Propulsive, twisty. Still thinking about it.
“She had long ago realized that the truth wasn’t important, it was the appearance of things that would serve her. Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”
This dark coming-of-age novel traces the story of Ivy Lin, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child and never felt like she could find a place where she fit in so she lies, steals and cons her way into the life she wants.
Being different from her white, privileged classmates creates a desperate yearning in Ivy for the finer things including her golden boy classmate, Gideon Speyer. But her teenage crush on him ends in a terrible humiliation so she hooks up with another misfit named Roux before moving away.
Fast forward a decade. Ivy and Gideon meet again as adults and this time she’s determined he and the rarified world he represents will be hers. Ivy’s scheming is thoroughly entertaining and kept me wondering when the other shoe would drop. An intriguing love-triangle develops (I guess it’s a love cube at one point!) and I was never sure who Ivy would choose – Gideon, the boy she’s dreamt of since middle school but who only knows the facade of Ivy she allows him to see, or Roux, the dangerous man who may be the only person who truly understands her yet loves her anyway. As you read, you know that whatever happens, it won’t be without carnage but like a bad accident on the side of the highway, you still can’t turn away.
Susie Yang’s writing is funny and sharp and she manages to make a completely unlikeable character somewhat sympathetic. Despite how horrible she is, I wanted Ivy to find happiness and realize that what she’d been striving for all her life wasn’t what she really needed. I found the details about the Lins’ experiences as immigrants as well as their life before in China compelling and wish there had been more of the family’s story. I also thought the resolution of the book felt a bit rushed (I wanted more of a reason for Ivy to make the choices she did) but overall, this was a stunning debut that I won’t soon forget. Like the plant she’s named for, Ivy crawls into your consciousness and takes over.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for an advanced ecopy to review.
Intriguing story of an Asian girl/woman trying to live in a world she really doesn’t know
Oh my gosh, I went from thinking Ivy was despicable to feeling sorry for her. Ivy has been shuffled around her whole life. No wonder she has a hard time defining who she is or wants to be. I would hate to think that the way the Lins treat their children is typical of Asian families. Anyway, the story is complicated with sad moments for Ivy or happy moments for her. Her view of the world has been skewed by first her grandmother, her parents and then her associates, from Roux to Gideon and beyond. This is also the story of race, culture and social status. Will Ivy come to regret constantly trying to be the “white American girl” while really being Asian? Or, will she finally get the HEA she’s always been looking for? So many angles to this well-written, well-edited and intriguing story. What I like about Ivy is that she’s very clever in recognizing personality traits in people and making them work for her, often times. But, can she see the same in herself?
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley and suggest it for readers who like twists and turns in their choice of reading material with an exploration of race, culture and social mores.
Ivy is left with her grandmother in China when her parents moved to the US. Her grandmother taught her many things, including how to steal. At 14, Ivy falls in love with Gideon, a boy in her exclusive school, and there starts her obsession. She is a character that you will sometimes like, often hate. She really doesn’t care who she hurts, as long as she gets her way.
This book is heavily character driven, not really sure I loved any characters. Felt sympathy and empathy for sure. The story was a little slow in parts for me, but the writing and character development hooked me and kept me immersed in the story. The author did a wonderful job of showing the plight of Ivy’s parents, and how it shaped Ivy and her brother. Ivy wanted something, and went after it at all costs. She went after what she wanted, not necessarily what she needed. Even though the ending was somewhat predictable, with a few twists added in, the story worked and flowed easily. Loved the dynamics of the Both families portrayed, and the cast of secondary characters doesn’t disappoint. What a debut! Appropriate Title!
Thanks to Ms. Yang, Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader copy of White Ivy by Susie Yang.
White Ivy a adult fiction novel about a Chinese-American twenty-something woman with a foot in both worlds. On one hand is her practical Chinese upbringing that values family, sacrifice, education, marriage and success. And on the other hand she wants what she perceives her American white peers to have— effortless style and beauty, money and above all love and belonging. When a chance encounter puts her back in the orbit of Gideon, a wealthy former classmate, the novel reveals everything Ivy will sacrifice to make sure her American Dream comes true.
I loved this novel that reveals the dark heart of a young woman on the edge. Ivy somehow manages to be both a passive participant in her own life and yet completely controlling the outcome. Her description of her summer in China and her family’s past is a fascinating glimpse of a country and culture that I know little about. There is a cynicism that runs through this novel that not every reader will appreciate (but I do). Ivy is completely unlikable as most of her actions are motivated by personal gratification but the reader also has a lot of empathy for her because everything about both her Chinese upbringing and her American one encourages this “get what you want at all costs” attitude. She is the result of the clash of two cultures bringing out the worst in a young woman that doesn’t believe she has any other options.
I highly recommend this taut and beautifully written novel for readers who enjoy dark and gritty contemporary stories.
A superbly impressive debut from an author with an unlikely background in pharmacy and tech, White Ivy by Susie Yang is an excellent character study and an absorbing read. Ivy is just a young girl when she immigrates from China to join her parents who have already settled in Massachusetts. Up until then, she had been raised by her grandmother, from whom she learned how to proudly steal and cheat. She continues these practices when she arrives in the U.S., ashamed of her humble origins and her family’s poverty. She longs to be accepted by the other children at school, and idolizes the wealth and ease experienced by her mostly white peers. She especially is enamored of a boy named Gideon, who seems to embody all the qualities she would love to possess. Ivy pines for the golden boy, but her only real fiend is Roux, a boy from a similar background to her own. Now an adult, Ivy finally seems on the cusp of achieving all she desires with Gideon when Roux, now a man with unsavory connections, pops unexpectedly back into her life. Ivy is torn between assimilation with the WASP family she has always wanted and the allure of the dangerous “bad boy” who knows her true personality. Ivy is a complicated character and Yang does a fabulous job portraying her devious and manipulative nature while also evoking sympathy for her. Completely lacking a moral compass and desperate to escape what she believes is a traumatically embarrassing family, Ivy’s grasping and striving is at once pathetic and horrific. This cunning duality, maintaining a façade of compliance and impeccable manners as a cover for naked ambition makes for an engrossing story. The unexpected ending takes an interesting turn and yet makes perfect sense given the author’s skillful unveiling of events. White Ivy is a compulsive read, a gripping and unique twist on the immigration tale with a truly unforgettable and unrepentant “protagonist.”
Thanks to the author, Simon & Schuster and Library Thing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.