Loveboat, Taipei is Abigail Hing Wen’s debut YA novel about an eighteen-year-old girl named Ever whose parents send her to an educational immersion program in Taiwan for the summer to learn about their culture and spend her time off school being productive and staying out of trouble, or so they thought. This is a rollercoaster of a novel in a unique setting that explores several hard-hitting topics that I did not expect going into the story. From what it’s like growing up in an Asian household (which I’m personally very familiar with), to depression, racism, abusive relationships, standing up for yourself, and more, Loveboat, Taipei encompasses a coming-of-age story in such a well-rounded manner that I think it would be difficult for someone not to find something relatable while reading it.
I personally picked this up because I try to read as diversely as possible, the cover’s beautiful, and when I initially opened it to see how long the chapters are, I immediately saw that there’s a character named Xavier…which is my boyfriend’s name. Clearly, most of my reasonings behind choosing to read this book were superficial as heck, but hey, I ended up giving it five stars, so sometimes it’s worth it to judge a book by its cover! (or character names…)
I’m 100% Filipino, so I grew up in a Asian household, stereotypically high expectations and all. My mom was super strict until I was about 17, and though I knew she had good intentions, it always caused issues and arguments between us while I was growing up. This is where I related to Ever the most, all the way down to her parents pushing her to be in the medical field and her not wanting to be anywhere near that career path. She wants to be a dancer, and I wanted to pursue a Professional Writing degree. I know all too well the constant battle with yourself about when it’s the right time to risk disappointing your parents for going after what you truly want for yourself.
The character development shown through Ever, as well as several of her peers in the novel, is so well-done. Written so realistically and honestly, the amount of insight that Abigail Hing Wen lets the reader in on for her characters makes it hard not to get so attached to them by the end of the novel. They all have their own talents like art, dance, negotiating, sports, and they’re just trying to figure out how to make those things fit into their lives as they grow up and transition to college. Each person is so fleshed out and has so many layers, which is something I always appreciate in books.
I also appreciated the representation of depression and rheumatoid arthritis in this book because I have experience in both. There’s also a character with dyslexia and a character who gets involved in an abusive relationship. I didn’t expect this book to dive into such a range of serious topics, and I have a lot of respect for the way it was done.
Going off of that, the relationships and feelings in general throughout this story are just the right amount of drama and realistic situations. Though it would’ve been scarily accurate if Xavier’s relationship were anything similar to my personal experiences, but Rick and Jenna’s relationship is the one I related to the most. Going into detail would be spoiler-y, so I’ll leave it at this: it teeters among very fine lines between something manipulative but also something that should never be taken lightly. In other words, complicated, frustrating, and puts you in an extremely tough position. On another note, there’s also a love triangle that is done in such a way that brings you, as the reader, closer to all three characters without even realizing it.
Another issue discussed in Loveboat, Taipei is racism towards Asians specifically. From the classic super insulting comments about “Asian eyes” to trying to get away with being rude just because English isn’t someone’s first language to being told to go back to China to Asian fetishes, even, Abigail Hing Wen weaves a bunch of scenarios that some people don’t ever have to experience.
Familial relationships and friendships are a huge part of this book as well, and there’s a lot of growth for Ever in both those realms by the end.
Needless to say, I absolutely devoured and adored Loveboat, Taipei, and I am so glad the author is currently in Taiwan doing research for the second book!
disrupt your comfort zone. 