No Shelf Control

By Ann Liang

Thanks so much to Scholastic Press and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary eARC of Never Thought I’d End Up Here in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Rating:

Review:

When she accidentally wishes her cousin a dreadful marriage and poor health, Leah’s parents decided she needs to reconnect with her culture. After all, she wouldn’t be in this predicament if she could still speak Mandarin. In a last ditch effort to fix the train-wreck she caused, Leah begrudgingly agrees to go on a two week trip throughout China with other kids who have lost touch with their culture. But hey, maybe the trip won’t be so bad. That is until she realizes that her arch-nemesis, Cyrus, will be attending the trip with her…

Never Thought I’d End Up Here is so much more than a fun-filled book about an adventure, Never Thought I’d End Up Here explores the complexity of race and beauty in incredibly thought provoking ways. Liang expertly questions the impact of the loss of culture many people experience, toys with the idea of being too assimilated and too alien at the same time, and examines the brutalness of that come with beauty.

Liang analyzes the impact of losing touch with one’s culture when being part of a minority. As Leah grew older, Leah began to lose touch with her own Chinese heritage, and eventually forgot her Mandarin as she grew older. Liang uses this concept to allow the reader to think deeper about the impacts that loss of culture can have on so many people, as well as how this is a very common occurrence. Furthermore, through Leah’s character, Liang sheds light on the difficulties of staying true to yourself as an “outsider” when society deems you too assimilated and too alien at the same time.

Not only that, Liang truly explores the idea of beauty, and how you can be falling apart on the inside whilst you look your best. Liang analyzes the difficulties of being a woman in such a harsh world that quantifies a woman’s value based on the beauty they hold. Through Leah’s character, Liang shares with the reader the realities of being a minority in a variety of situations, and how you inevitably always become foreign. Leah, an ex-model has always been an outsider

Lastly, the character development was flawlessly executed, and the pacing was near perfect. Leah’s growth was amazing, and she truly is a multi-faceted character. The pacing also allowed for the slow, heartfelt moments when necessary, and also kept the reader hooked for the entirety of the novel.

Never Thought I’d End Up Here is a truly flawless, powerful novel about acceptance of oneself, exploration of culture, willingness to change. A must read for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider.

FYI, I closed my book to write this 🙂