Book Review: My Summer of Love and Misfortune

By Lindsay Wong 

5 Stars

This book talks about a shopaholic Chinese-American teen who is struggling with her current life. Since birth, she has been considered bad luck and neglected by her parents. Her phase consists of receiving more than eight rejected college applications, getting backstabbed and cheated on by her boyfriend and best friend, and failing her classes. To add insult to injury, this leads her parents to send her to China to "embrace a better version of herself." Other than her snobby cousin, she seems to be enjoying her life and gradually learning that life is not all about shopping and binge-eating all day. However, things turn unexpectedly when she learns about the family disagreement between her father and grandfather. How will she accomplish both goals? 

To start with, this book is wonderfully written from the start to the end. The characters are funny and have the wittiest dialogues. I love the originality in the story as there are no cliché storylines or predictable formulas. The main character did come off as self-absorbed at first but turned out to be a much better person in the end. The character development for the main and supporting characters was amazing and, most importantly, realistic. I feel that Iris is a relatable character to many teens as many of us don't discover our true potential due to feeling lazy or distracted. I love how Iris ended up making major accomplishments realistically being an inspiration for many who are striving to reach that goal. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance but everything else in the book made up for that. The person Iris turned out to be was amazing and I loved how she demonstrated her self-respect in the end. The book was absolute perfection; I am proud to say it is worthy of 5 stars. 

Reviewed by Aahana 

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