I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I can't believe this is a debut because it is written so well. The writing is beautiful and flows so eloquently. I love the characters, especially Genie the main character. I love how flawed she is but how she is also strong and independent. I honestly loved everything about this book. 
There were many twists and turns and the ending took me by surprise. Unexpected plot twists are the best and the author does it so well in this. I love how balanced this novel is, there was the perfect amount of demon-fighting/hunting and teenage high school life. 
All in all, this book was AMAZING!! I definitely recommend it to everyone and will be getting myself a physical copy in the future.

The only way to explain how much I like this book is me screaming and flopping around on my bed.

The story is epic and funny and surprisingly detailed. It handles a pretty serious life destroying thing like a demonic invasion and a ‘by the way you have superpowers and are here to stop it’ event with humor and grace. The writing style in this book is so easy and entertaining. And the Chinese mythology in this book adds so much depth. The way Yee explains everything and sets the stage for these epic battles are beautiful and easy to follow.

Reading a story about a demon invasion and a high school student in the bay area trying to stop it, you would believe that is the whole story and there wouldn’t be room for more. But this book deals with Genie‘s life outside of ancient evils. She stresses and works toward a top-tier college. She tries to balance her parents who divorced not completely amicably. She acts as a friend and support to her childhood bestie. And she makes mistakes. She acts human. Genie’s character is amazing. She is smart and sarcastic and badass and she cares and tries so much. And she feels. She is allowed to be angry and confused and express that. And a lot of the times she works through the confusion by talking to someone which I loved. And you can tell the entire book that she is trying to be good for others and herself. She loves being human. Her attitude towards things in this book is so inspirational and moving. I just really love this girl okay.

And I couldn’t get through this review without mentioning Quentin. Oh Quentin. You are a complete ass. Or at least Quentin starts that way. He doesn’t quite know how to act human or decent. But he learns and develops and tries and I couldn’t help but really love some character growth he made, especially towards the end of the book. He tries to protect others, to think of someone but himself.

Also there is romance between Genie and Quentin and it uses my favorite trope – hate to love. It just felt so good.

A demon invasion is no excuse for bad grades. 

^

This tagline speaks to me on a whole new level!

Welcome to another book review by moi and it will be on the one and only, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C Yee. Genie Lo is a self-disciplined and rather tough Chinese American who is looking to finish high school and go to college when demons invade her quiet town. Now, she's caught in a supernatural mess of fighting them off, training with the Monkey King, and conversing with ancient Chinese gods, which all seems to be ruining her chances of college prep.

I started this book with high expectations after hearing amazing things about it. It did not disappoint. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is incredibly funny, action-packed and you need to read this if you love Chinese folklore. It's a modern retelling of Journey to the West set in contemporary society (which offers many moments of comedy in itself) and I feel like a lot of Chinese readers will thoroughly enjoy this. As a kid, I watched the live-action adaptions of Journey to the West, but for those unfamiliar with the story there is enough explanation throughout the novel that will bring you up to speed in no time.

So, where do I even begin to describe how fantastic this book is?



Genie Lo is the angry teen protagonist we need.

All Genie wants to is get into a prestigious college and ace her classes. She's an overachiever, has a lot of spunk and is such a nerd. She's realistic, relatable and entertaining. She's also got a lot of anger towards a few things (heck, I was an angry teen) but it doesn't border onto teen angst. She's also quite conscious of her Asian heritage, often making comments about the differences between her family and Western/American culture; while it adds a break from the battles and banter, it also offers an interesting insight into how some Chinese-American teenagers view their lives.

It is laced with light comedy and action.

When the goofy and rather strange Quentin introduces himself to Genie, it doesn't end well. But as their stories reveal they have a long history together, it brings a novel's worth of wicked banter, fighting demons, talking to Chinese gods and getting to know each other.

Genie's best friend Yunie provided some of the best dialogue I've read ever - she is certainly a force to be reckoned with. I also loved the touch of family dynamics, something I found added a genuine quality to Genie and her relationship with her mother and father. Rather than just having her parents as background noise, they are involved and shape Genie into who she is. 

I adored the blooming relationship between Quentin and Genie. Both of them offer such hilarious and refreshing perspectives, which is absolutely brilliant. And when they paired with Genie, they make a hilarious dynamic duo. There's also a lot of gaming and tech references which is A+.

The writing is absolutely brilliant.

How is this a debut novel? The writing is so easy to follow and down-to-earth. Yee balances the novel's battles with demons (yaoguai) with discussion of Genie's family history and her relationship with her best friend, Yunie. Oh, and chatting to the Goddess of Mercy.

So what are you waiting for? If you love mythology, action and light romance, pick this up. It's engaging, exhilarating and downright hilarious. Just read it.

What a pleasurable read! The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a book that would appeal to all readers. This story has it all, epic battles, good versus evil, romance, Chinese mythology, I could keep going on and on! This story was better than I ever expected, I just couldn’t get enough and I hope against hope that it will turn into a series!!

Genie Lo is not your average teenager. She spent all her free time hyper-focused on getting into a top-tier college and her entire life was centered on that goal until the day she met Quentin Sun. Quentin was not your average transfer student, in fact there was something very unique about him indeed. Once he came into her life, reality as she knew it turned itself upside down.

Quentin was relentless in his pursuit of Genie, I thought that was just adorable. What he wanted from Genie was not very clear, at the start, but what was clear was that once demons start showing up in this small California city Genie needed Quentin’s experience fighting these demons. Together they will come against an epic force that will strip Genie to the core and force her to face her inner capabilities. Seriously, this was an exciting read and I had fun reading every page!

Genie’s character was fully realized and her voice was exactly what I would expect from a teenage girl with the expectations she has set for herself. The way that Quentin and Genie speak to each other is very relatable and frank. It has snark, sarcasm, and created a real team feel between the characters. I know that I absolutely want more of them! In addition, the friendship between Genie and her best friend Yunie was just wonderful. I do wish that there had been more of Yunie is this book because I really enjoyed their interactions. Yunie was a great supporting character and the scenes she was in had me laughing out loud!

Quentin was a character and a half. From the moment he came on the scene he was intense, comedic, and a great anti-hero. He was just adorable and his intensity towards Genie was perfect. At the start, he came off stalkerish but when you learn why he was drawn to her it will all make sense. I loved, loved, loved, that Quentin was not an alpha-male towards Genie. He respected her, not saying that he didn’t try to get heavy handed at the start, but he quickly gave Genie the space she needed to improve.

This story has the “chosen one” trope but it is not cliché. As the story develops you quickly realize that the characters have layers and the chosen one has not been chosen for an obvious reason. It is quite hilarious actually how Genie came to be the “chosen one.” I absolutely enjoyed the Chinese mythology that was written into this storyline. I liked that I knew what to expect with the folklore but that there were unique differences and that they were relatable in a modern way.

One thing that really endeared me to the story was that the story was about Genie and at no point did the male characters take away from that. Quentin was very much the stronger of the two characters but he was secondary in the battles because it was about Genie training, overcoming her struggles, and coming into her strengths. Definitely a book that inspires girl power.

Overall I found every aspect about The Epic Crush of Genie Lo to be memorable. The characters were just fantastic and layered. The relationship between Genie and her parents is comical and heartwarming. There are pop culture references used that keep the story tethered in the here and now. With much of the storyline tied up with mythological creatures and fighting demons the references help to keep the story where it was intended. I believe that the author did an amazing job blending action, badassery, and Chinese mythology into a book that will appeal to all readers!

*Thank you to NetGalley & Amulet Books for this eARC of The Epic Crush of Genie Lo*

This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.

The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie Lo's every waking thought. But when her sleepy Bay Area town comes under siege from hell-spawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are suddenly and forcefully rearranged.

Her only guide to the demonic chaos breaking out around her is Quentin Sun, a beguiling, maddening new transfer student from overseas. Quentin assures Genie she is strong enough to fight these monsters, for she unknowingly harbors an inner power that can level the very gates of Heaven.

Genie will have to dig deep within herself to summon the otherworldly strength that Quentin keeps talking about. But as she does, she finds the secret of her true nature is entwined with his, in a way she could never have imagined… (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of The Epic Crush of Genie Lo from Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, Amulet Books, in exchange for an honest review!

With absolutely no hesitation, I adored The Epic Crush of Genie Lo. Full stop. I could just leave my review there, BUT I WANT TO GUSH ABOUT IT.

This book is Percy Jackson meets The Incredibles meets Chinese mythology, written by a Chinese man.You guys know I love all of that. This book was stunningly well-written. Every conversation had me laughing and cheering for Genie, Quentin and Yunie.

Genie was hilarious, and felt like someone I would have thought was scarily awesome as a teen, even without knowing about how much of a badass she was fighting demons.

I loved how, despite the story being a superhero one, Genie still cared about her academic record and goals, and talked about how her duties as the human form of a badass weapon got in the way of her school work.

I also loved that Genie wanted to share her new part of her life with her mother and Yunie, even though she also wants to protect them. I can't wait to see what happens

I really hope that I've been able to show how much I loved this book. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound! I highly recommend it!



Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

Bravo, F.C Yee! You've managed to make me laugh with a book until my stomach hurts. 

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo wasn't exactly on my radar until some of my close bookish friends (shoutout to Eri, Aila & Aentee), wouldn't stop raving about it. These ladies hardly ever lead me astray, so I decided that I was going to give it a shot and surprise, surprise - I had so much fun with it, by the end, I was just dying to have the sequel in my hands.

Books like The Epic Crush of Genie Lo remind me why I love reading so much. They are temporarily able to whisk me away to a different world. Sure, I'd probably be the first to flop dead in Genie's newfound world of demons, but it's still fun to imagine myself in her shoes. It helps that Genie is a super relatable character. I think a lot of readers are going to love her. She's just pure fun, but also smart, studious (Hallelujah! Finally a YA heroine who actually worries about things like college and school.) and witty! She's also super dramatic (honestly, I think she might be me), and her reactions to finding out about the demons, the monkey king, and her true self, were hilarious. She doesn't immediately embrace her newfound powers, she's actually wary and thinks Quentin is a stalkery nutjob, which only made me love her more. Her powers don't also come to her easily, and she has to train hard to unlock her limits. 

Speaking of Quentin, what a joy this Monkey King was! He was just as hilarious as Genie for me. Some of his reactions, and comments left me breathless, holding my stomach. He and Genie made for great partners. Sure, they didn't start off on the right foot, which was totally understandable, because honestly, who in their right mind would be accepting of anyone who shouts out "You are mine!" on your first meeting? I know I'd be getting a restraining order! But they grow a friendship, which very subtly develops into a romance. I loved all the scenes of Genie and Quentin fighting demons together as a team. What I liked the best about their relationship was how Quentin continued to push Genie to be a stronger version of herself. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo also has terrific family dynamics. I adored Genie's mom, and saw a lot of my mom in her - I honestly think Asian moms were made of the same mold! She cared about her daughter, but also had certain expectations of her. I think perhaps if there was one thing I wanted more of from this book, it would have to be the friendship between Genie and Yulie. Yulie seems like a great girl, and I wanted her to have a bit more screen time.

My knowledge of any sort of Chinese mythology is sadly paltry, but I loved how F.C Yee incorporated the ancient Chinese legend of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, into this modern setting. He does a terrific job with the background, and giving readers a good understanding of the legend, and the roles each character plays in the legend. I also love any sort of book where the characters are fighting demons in a modern setting. They make for really fun stories, in my opinion, and F.C Yee was able to take it all a step forward with his addictive writing. My favorite scenes were definitely the action scenes with Genie at the center. I could read about girls kicking demon butts forever.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo ended with a nice twist, and I was left desperately in need of the sequel. I'm going to need more of F.C Yee's writing ASAP! Seriously folks, this entertaining debut YA Urban Fantasy needs to be at the top of your TBRs.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a modern day twist on characters from Chinese Folklore. While reading I found myself very interested in what elements were actually found in the old tales and what were new from the author, and after some checking, I discovered that the history or backstory if you will, for Genie Lo is actually from 16th century tale, Journey to the West. The modern translation by Arthur Haley is called Monkey, and I'm very interested in reading it now that I've read Genie Lo.

While the story wasn't as smooth as I might have liked, it does have a lot to recommend it, chief among those to me was getting me interested in the mythology it is inspired by.  It is not a retelling of Journey to the West, instead it takes some of those characters, gives them modern personalities, and with a new conflict, goes to town!   It is action packed, with interesting fight scenes that are unique in the problems faced to overcome each enemy. It is humorous in that Genie is dealing with an invasion of demons and trying to get into college at the same time, a tall order for any teenager, even one with heretofore unknown super powers.

I enjoyed the story line, and the use of mythology, and most of the characters, except for Genie herself.  I don't dislike her, but I had a hard time bonding with her.  I am okay with all the other characters but her, and I wonder if that's because it's written in first person narrative, with Genie telling us the story as it's happening. She grows as the story unfolds, but it's hard to overcome that initial discord for me.  I didn't feel like the times she swears in the beginning of the story are really merited by the events taking place, and some of the expletives chosen really turned me off.  I'll admit this is potentially more of a pet peeve of my own than a flaw, but it was jarring and didn't add to the story for me.

Overall The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was a fun read and got me interested in learning more about the mythological characters it showcased.  I would recommend it to those who enjoy that mesh of modern and myth, like myself!

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I went from loving to hating it to loving it about three times. I've settled on being quite the fan. Despite everything, this book is diverse. It features a fantasy novel incorporating Chinese folklore and everybody's favourite - a relationship with a height difference and Genie is the one that is tall! These were some of my favourite things about this novel -

It was funny! The humour in a lot of YA novels does kind of go over my head but there were moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. Genie has a such a dry and wicked sense of humour and her one-liners are excellent. Obviously, humour is subjective but this was one thing that really stood out to me during this novel.
Genie! She has now become one of my favourite characters. Yes, she finds out that she lives in a world of demons and that she must fight them alongside Quentin but her biggest priority is getting good grades and getting into a good college. And this isn't forgotten! It remains her worry, as it is the worry of a lot of teenagers, throughout the book which is so rare during YA fiction when the characters just stop going to school because whatever. Guess what else? Genie has extreme anger issues and this, for me, is so damn relatable. I was one big ball of rage as a teenager and this is something we don't see with a lot of YA protagonists, especially with the anger being uncontrollable. 
The friendship between Genie and Quentin! Despite this friendship eventually becoming romantic, I could have lived with it remaining strictly platonic. They were constantly bickering but worked incredibly well together and obviously have quite the long history. If I'm honest, I really didn't want the romance to happen but it's not something that would affect my rating. 
The friendship between Genie and Yunie! They are childhood friends and despite Genie entering into this world of Chinese mythology, she's still aware of their friendship and doesn't want to abandon Yunie. If anything, I wish there had been more of them and if there's a sequel, I definitely want this. It's so nice to have a female friendship that isn't based around jealousy.

Overall, I did end up loving this book, especially after some time had passed and I looked back at my rating. If you want Chinese folklore, humour, a slow-burning romance and family issues with a bit of action thrown in then this book is definitely for you. A wonderful read, especially considering it's a debut!

Got ARC from Net Galley.

I had high hopes for this book after hearing it compared to Buffy. Sadly I was disappointed and stopped after reading 22 chapters. It had the potential to be a great story but it just didn't work for me. I think it was great that the characters were Chinese but I didn't like much about the book.

I hated Genie's friend Yunie. I couldn't stand Quentin. He was a total asshole. So basically it was about a guy and a girl who are supposed to fight all the demons that got out of hell. Sure that sounds great but not much happened and I read forty-nine percent of the book. Genie in a word was boring. Ooh a magic stick and the one that wields it.

Genie is a very tall, slightly awkward, sixteen year old girl. Every hour of her day is spent in homework, volleyball, volunteering and trying to get into the college of her dreams. She’d like to think she has enough things on her plate, thank you very much, without the appearance of a very beautiful and very obnoxious boy half her size. But Quentin Sun, ‘transfer’ student from somewhere (definitely not China), seems to think that he knows her, worse, that she belongs to him somehow, and she just can’t let that stand.

But Quentin has a strange habit of getting everything to go his way and Genie’s mother may have fallen in love with the very idea of him. Genie’s attempts to get him to leave her alone certainly aren’t helped by the sudden appearance of demons from traditional Chinese mythology, or the revelation that she might not be quite human.

Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but even creatures from Chinese Mythology have to work to try and get into Princeton, and Genie isn’t giving that up for anything.

To say that I simply enjoyed this book would be doing it a disservice. I loved it.

One of the strongest parts of this story was definitely the narrative voice. It’s smooth, sharp and effortlessly witty, without you ever getting the feeling that Genie is anything other than a sixteen year old girl. If I had to compare Yee’s voice to another author it would definitely be Rick Riordan. A bit out there, a bit slapstick, and very very good. At certain points in the story , to help us clueless readers, Yee explains some of the more salient points of Chinese Mythology and, honestly, if Yee were to write a book of myths from Genie’s point of view I would preorder it in approximately two seconds.

The second thing on my ‘most beloved list’ are the characters. Genie is stubborn, driven and impatient, she’s bored and uncomfortable with herself, aka, she reads exactly like my sixteen year old self. Quentin is just…it’s very obvious from early on that he’s not functioning on human social norms. He’s blunt, arrogant and frustratingly charming. It’s the perfect recipe for an uncontrolled explosion, and, wow, when it blows, it blows. There are a couple of other characters in the book that I’d love to meet in more detail, especially Genie’s fierce mother and effervescent friend, Eunie, but as there’s a sequel on the way, I can hope that we see more of them there.

Now, going into this story I knew very little about Chinese Mythology. So little. Did it affect my reading? The answer is no, because Yee explains every mythological element in fun, engaging ways. You never feel that you’re getting forcefed information, it’s a lot more relaxed than that. There’s also a lot of references to Chinese culture and, specifically, the culture of the Chinese diaspora. Genie is raised Chinese-American, and whilst there are a lot of similarities with mainland Chinese culture, the diaspora also have cultures which are specifically their own. It was refreshing to read Chinese-American characters that were written by a Chinese-American author, not the cardboard cutouts, or just sheer non-existance, of such characters that we usually see in western media.

I will warn you that for the first 20-30% of the book that you might find Quentin almost pathologically annoying, very much in the same way that I’m sure Genie does. But he grows and changes and, indeed, Genie grows and changes through the book. Many of Quentin’s actions also make a lot more sense once you realise who he is.

The part of the story that resonated most with me is Genie’s academic life. I was once a hard nosed, over driven kid trying to get into a top Medical School. I worked all the time, did extracurriculars all the time, and was absolutely obsessed with getting where I wanted to go. It was painful, it wasn’t fun, but it never felt like an option to not be fighting for my future. Goal driven characters tend to maybe get slightly villainised in YA, or at least, the moral of the story tends to be that they’re happier when they’re not fighting above their weight. ‘Genie Lo’ does something different in that is advocates balance, work hard but also be aware of your social and personal needs. Work hard, but make sure you’re working hard at what you enjoy. I think that as a sixteen year old I would have been pretty chuffed to see myself in a book like that.

‘Genie Lo’ is not the book that I expected it to be. It is more than I expected it to be. I’m honestly a little shocked that Yee is a debut author. It’s laugh out loud funny, warm and quirky and I think that if you’re looking for something fun, and a little bit different then definitely give this a go.

Many thanks to Amulet Books for a copy in return for an honest review!

Hilariously witty, exceedingly clever, and loads of fun, the only thing i didn't like about GENIE LO was the fact that it's a debut so I don't have more books from Yee to read. Genie is a snarky protagonist with a lot of raw edges and a lot of heart who finds herself tossed into a world of Chinese folklore and trying to find a balance between fighting demons and getting into a good college. 
I can't wait for the sequel. Every word of this book was fun and the way Yee wove Chinese folklore into the narrative was genius.

After finishing this book, I thought to myself, certain as hell: No book has never EVER made me this happy. Do you know those books where you felt like it was written for you? The Epic Crush of Genie Lo felt like that book for me. 

When I first heard about this book in January this year, I was beyond ecstatic. It was pitched to be about a girl, 'who wonders if she's qualified enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school, then becomes powerful enough to break through the gates of Heaven with her fists'. How cool is that? I read this book with the highest of expectations; I felt like my hopes and dreams were riding on this book. And oh boy, this book and Yee delivered and surpassed all expectations that I had.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a seamless combination of action, folklore, romance (yes, romance!), and comedy. It follows sixteen year old Genie, who, like some sixteen year olds, are thinking and aspiring to get into a top-tiered college to secure her future and success. From this fact alone, I related to her instantly: here was a character who, like me, was working hard to get into a good school. It's such a mundane, everyday aspiration, but it matters so much, and how much it matters shines through in Genie's narrative. However, things get very interesting following the arrival of a new transfer student, followed shortly by demons straight out of Chinese folklore. Suddenly, Genie has to balance maintaining her high-achieving streak at school and fighting demons. Why does she have to fight demons though? You'll have to read to find it - and I promise the reason why is bloody awesome.

I grew up with Chinese folktale stories. I remember going to my grandparents' house and watching the Journey to the West cartoons (even though I had no idea what was going on because I couldn't understand Mandarin, but the images were good enough) and learning about Nüwa, Chang'e, or Kwan Im Ma. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo incorporates a certain folktale into its story, and for those who are familiar with it, you'll begin to pick up on the small clues throughout the beginning. However, if you're not familiar with the folktale, don't worry - everything will be explained (and, might I add, it's explained brilliantly). Nonetheless, reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was such a pleasure and a wonderful experience, particularly so for me, and I'm sure other readers familiar with the original folktale, because it gave this small memory of my childhood a renewed sense of meaning. Not a lot of books can do this, but The Epic Crush of Genie Lo sure as heck did that for me.

Genie was such a fantastic character, and I related to her so much. Not only was her narrative voice hilarious and so charming, she was angry. I was an angry teen, and when that anger is confounded by other things like confusion and uncertainty for the future and the heavy cultural expectation of being restrained in emotional expression, I was as ripe as volcano about to burst. In this sense, Genie's perspective was so refreshing. And, of course, Quentin: the strange but charismatic transfer student who becomes so much more in unexpected ways. I adored the relationship between Genie and Quentin; it was developed, funny, and they made such a dynamic duo. The other characters in the story were warm and funny in their own ways and I loved getting to know them. Furthermore, the family dynamics were a rare gem - complex, thoughtful, and a little tongue-in cheek. 

But my goodness, Yee's storytelling was what made this story so stellar. As mentioned earlier, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo has elements of comedy, and that shines through in the storytelling. I cackled so much while reading it, and even shared some snippets with my family who - despite how stoic some of them are! - laughed as well. Moreover, if you have geeky or nerdy humour (like I do!), then you'll appreciate the references throughout. Truly, the writing in this book was fabulous.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is as its name suggests: epic. Easily one of my favourite books this year - and is definitely in my top two books, ever - The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a unique and fantastic book that I never knew I needed. I am so grateful for this book's existence, and I am so excited for everyone to read this awesome book. Don't sleep on this book, everyone! Read it now, thank me later.

Y’all. This book. Y’all. It’s been a few days and I’m still shaken. Listen, if you thought this looked cool – you’re wrong. It’s cooler. The coolest. It gives Antarctica a run for its money (aside from the, you know, global warming crisis… Moving on.) I’m giving you a fair warning that this review will be nothing but yelling with a lot of repetitive amazing’s and holy sh*t’s.

Genie Lo’s priorities are to get good grades, excel at everything, and get into the best college that’s the farthest from home. But she soon finds them shifting with the arrival of one transfer student, Quentin Sun. Demons begin attacking her home town and Quentin assures her she’s the only one powerful enough to stop them. Relying on his guidance, Genie will have to struggle with more than just school work.

Quite a lot of people on my timeline began talking and reading this book recently that it piqued my interest. I do love mythology, but don’t know a lot about Chinese mythology in particular, so this book seemed perfect for easing into that. I was really hoping to like it, since it’s such a new concept for me and also because everyone who’s been reading it has sung nothing but praises, yet I didn’t expect this. I utterly LOVED Genie Lo so much I ended up reading it in one sitting. It completely blew me away.

There’s so much quality humour in this book. I don’t remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud so heartily. Genie is an absolute delight of a narrator, her voice is profoundly hilarious. Aside from the humour, the writing style is insanely engaging – it draws you in instantly. I loved the setting and the lore and mythology and how we, along with Genie, are eased into this uncharted territory rather than just sprung into it. Combine that with the giggles and you have the most enjoyable read ever.

Let’s talk about Genie for a second. First off, what a character, what a girl. She straight up takes no sh*t from anyone or anything. I would not want to be on this girl’s bad side (not only because she’s such a badass, but also she’s just that person I would kill to be friends with.) This girl can really do it all, I swear. Genie’s a tall girl with a lot of pent up anger, but she’s also a girl with so much love for her closest people. I aspire to her when I grow up (even though I’m older than her, but that’s just a technicality.)

Quentin is bizarre in the best possible way. His introduction scene? The most iconic. I love this guy so much. From the novel’s synopsis you’d expect him to be the typical paranormal YA mysterious male character, but hooo boy, that couldn’t be farther than the truth. He’s not even TRYING to be mysterious. This boy’s about as subtle as a bulldozer. Quentin is also an incredibly three-dimensional character, whose layers peel off as the novel progresses and you get to see practically all sides of him. He and Genie are so incredibly well matched.

Speaking of well matched, the romance is, granted less than I would’ve liked but so, so good! Call me old fashioned, but I love dorks in love. But it takes time to develop a good love story, and this is more than a fantastic start to one. It’s built on trust and good partnership and it’s not just about two teens in a YA book making out just for the sake of a romantic plot. There’s substance there. It’s amazing.

Overall, I very highly recommend this book (if you couldn’t tell). Genie Lo is easily one of the best new releases this year. I advise you to get yourself to reading as soon as you can – you don’t want to miss out on this one!

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is everything I needed! It's hilarious, fast-paced, and filled with unique and unforgettable characters! The romance was unexpectedly swoonworthy! This is definitely one of my favorite reads this 2017! I highly recommend it!

If you look at the rating of this book on Goodreads it will give you a good indication of what this book does to people. So many people seem to instantly love this book. As did I. Like I do not even remember words because I loved it so much. 

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo focuses on Genie Lo, who else. She discovers that the Monkey King from Chinese folktale actually exists, along with a bunch of Gods and demons. And about herself, that in a previous life she wasn’t quite so human. The setting, a city in the Bay area, with our main character in high school, it is on the stereotypical side. And throughout the book it touches on multiple typical Young Adult things. 

However the voice of Genie Lo throughout this book is epic. She’s funny, in your face and not afraid to tell a guy off when they are being condescending. This made this book step away from the typical young adult urban fantasy for me and made it grow into an epic tale of Genie Lo. I love good humor in a book and Genie left no moment go to waste to crack a smile on my face. Yet in no way does it take away from some of the serious bits in the novel too. Honestly it has been a while where I have read a young adult book where applications to college are a big thing. While I live in a country where this isn’t a thing, in America it is a big thing and so it is good to see it come back like that. 

Another aspect that I enjoyed about this book is that most of our characters are Chinese. As mentioned we get to know some of the Chinese folktale or mythology. But also a bit of culture here and there. The friendships that Genie had, with Yunie for instance, was so great and strong. Quentin was a great dork addition really. Also I love how in the background her parents problems weren’t resolved. Not because I disliked them but because that is just realistic. And very recognizable for plenty of people. 

Plot wise this book takes a little bit before the actual mythology parts gets entered but for the most part the book is fast paced and engaging. For me, the plot took a backseat to the humor and the characters who were so much more important in this book than the plot. Even so I think it stands well on its own. And did that ending suggest a possible next book? Because honestly, F.C. Yee, you cannot end it there. I will wonder forever.

So often YA books with this kind of premise (Chinese Demon hunting) would be exclusively set towards boys. We would have a male main character and it would be oh so very manly and maybe there would be a woman but she would exclusively be a ‘hot chick’ who requires all of the rescuing.

I’m so happy to say this isn’t the case in this instance. What is also most joyous is that the female protagonist is ridiculously cool and not a cliché or a waste of space in any way shape or form! Hurrah!

This is kind of like if Percy Jackson met  Buffy met Chinese folklore. Now if that hasn’t tempted you I don’t know what will.

I loved the plot of this book, the drawing together of typical teenage issues while also attempting to save the world was that classic combination that made shows like Buffy really work. I’ll confess I know next to nothing about Chinese folklore so it could have all been completely made up but now I’m inspired to do some research.

This is a great example of bringing the ancient world or folklore into a modern setting and making it work. The two are at odds only when the author wants them to be and at all other times they meld quite seamlessly together.

I’m really hoping this book will be a series of adventures because I am by no means done with Genie Lo as a character. Perhaps not as many books as Percy Jackson because they are starting to get a bit old (am I right?) but I could do with maybe a trilogy or maybe five books in a series?

Suffice to say this book was a sheer delight from start to finish. I’ve knocked off one star just because I felt like some of the dialogue was a little bit stilted or gratuitous, I’m a ‘show don’t tell’ kind of reader so having a character spell something out to me in dialogue just feels a little bit pointless. Other than that, I can’t personally fault this book. I’m excited to see where this story and this author goes in the future.

My rating: 4/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this title from the publisher (ABRAMS Kids) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A super funny action-adventure that involves Chinese Folklore, centering around the very modern, teenaged Genie Lo.

Usually, I like to start off my reviews with the things I didn’t like, but when it comes to The Epic Crush of Genie Lo…I have nothing bad to say, because I absolutely loved this book!

–The Characters–
First, let’s talk about our MC, Genie Lo. I think that Genie will go down as one of my favorite heroines ever! She initially played the role of the stereotypical Asian teen, being the model student, and model daughter. But then, with the arrival of Quentin Sun, she’s suddenly thrust into a world in which Chinese Folklore is real, and something she just happens to play a major part of. But she’s still a teenage girl. So, cynicism and snark abound in her interactions with Quentin, which really had me cracking up at times. I really loved how she does grow more comfortable in her own way as the book goes on, and though there’s no mention of a book 2 on Goodreads (as of the last time I’d checked, that is), I really look forward to more Genie!

Now, for Quentin Sun, I won’t say much when it comes to exactly who he is, because you’ll just have to read to find out. But he’s so endearing, interesting, as well as super-funny, though his funniness stems more from his having to combat Genie’s snakiness. Again, I just loved their interactions together!!

–The Plot–
What an exciting, fantastical story! I know zilch when it comes to Chinese folklore, but the things that were introduced to me in this book were definitely super interesting! Genie’s strength, and the things she has to fight against really make for an even more exciting read!

–The setting–
It seems fitting that this book would take place in San Francisco, considering it is home to the oldest Chinatown in North America, and the largest Chinese enclave outside of Asia (I took this bit of info from Wikipedia, so hopefully it’s right, ha ha!). So, being that a lot of Chinese live in these parts, it’s the perfect place for Chinese monsters, and the like, to blend in, thus, the perfect setting for this fabulous book!

I think I’ve established by now, how much I absolutely loved this book, so obviously I will gladly recommend this book!!!

OKAY OKAY OKAY. OKAY.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. *delirious laughter*

Let's start from the beginning.

I had NO IDEA this book existed BUT some humans on Twitter were screaming about it and so I read some reviews and they were ALL. SO. GOOD.

And then I read that it had a Chinese main character and that it was relatable and that Genie was an "angry teen" and I was SOLD. Okay, I don't really reading contemporary fantasy (excluding magical-realism because that's different in my book) but THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD.

[now I've noticed that I've been using the adjective "good" far too many times.]

I was SO EXCITED when I got this. But this blew away all of my expectations.

So, I read the book. And it was funny. Genie is SUCH a relatable main character, especially as an asian, and YES our asian mothers do screech a lot. And yes they care about grades and everything. This is something that I haven't really seen much in contemporary where they actually CARE about school and it was refreshing to see a book that had that. So yes, I loved Genie. 

Here are some quotes. (I HIGHLIGHTED SO MANY QUOTES)

"That's it!" he said, hopping in excitement. "That proves it! You really are mine!"
Okay. That kind of talk had to stop right here and right now. I inhaled deeply to unleash both a torrent of verbal abuse and a refresher in women's history over the last century.


YESS, GENIE. 

Genie is a remarkably fierce character who is strong and cares about woman's morals. When there's a "stalkerish" guy around school, she doesn't sigh and think that it's terribly romantic, she PUNCHES HIM. 

She ALSO is incredibly awesome in terms of friendship, and I love how there are strong and healthy relationships with other female characters in this book. 

Futhermore, her voice is extremely relatable and modern, which makes the book so easy to read that I completely blew through it in one go. 
...I was actually considering giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just a really, really awkward transplant with no sense of personal space.


Now I want to talk about the magical aspect of this world. It was SO AWESOME, oh my gosh. The asian mythology that I recognized!! So, this book incorporates the myth of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, whose TV Show I watched when I was young. When others were watching Sesame Street or whatever, I was watching the freaking Monkey King tv show and also Hu Lu Xiong Di (which is not related to this book, but DID ANYONE ELSE WATCH THAT???)

Here's the link to the first episode of the live show tv show!

Here's the link to the first episode of the cartoon tv show!!!!!

YES I WATCHED BOTH ARE YOU JUDGING ME. 

(And that music is just.... *nods*)

(And also Here's the link to Hu Lu Xiong Di which I also watched :')

My childhood was pretty epic.
Basically, I had no idea that it was called "Monkey King" and that the character was called "Sun Wukong" so I desperately searched up "Monkey King" and I FOUND IT AND I AM SO HAPPY!!!

This brought up SO many memories and I started asking my mother about Su Wukong and she was like "Ha, OF COURSE I KNOW WHO THAT IS." 

I had NEVER thought about Su Wukong being in a YA book, but this book just. Pulled it off. So brilliantly. *claps*

And anyways, the incorporation is kind of interesting and weird in a way that you would never expect, but yes THIS BOOK PULLED IT OFF AS WELL.

Now for the romance. It's.. a little weird in the concept, but I AM SO FOR IT! This romance was kind of a slow burn, but there was definite chemistry and SHIP SHIP SHIP.

READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a review! This did not impact my review in any way.

All quotes are from the uncorrected version and must be checked against a final copy.

This was such a FUN book! I wanted something funny and action packed, and this did not disappoint! 

Keep in mind that I know absolutely nothing about Chinese mythology, but it was easy enough to follow along throughout the book. I loved learning mythology from another culture. 

First of all, I loved Genie. She was tall, angry, and determined to get into the best school out there. She's also sarcastic and funny as hell. While the other girls in her school were swooning over Quentin, she was trying to get the hell away from him. She actually punches him at one point in the beginning of the book! Genie has an old school Chinese mother who basically wants Genie to marry into a wealthy Chinese family, but Genie doesn't want that. She wants to make her own life. 

I wasn't really sold on Quentin as the love interest. He definitely did some stalking at the beginning of the book, and Yee wrote it so that readers know it was not right, but it still felt weird to me. Personally, the book would have been better without the romance. Genie would still be awesome without it. 

Pace wise, this was a fast read. There was never a dull moment, even when there were no action scenes. Genie has to balance her real life with her new one, and it feels very real. She's still studying her butt off trying to get into her dream school, while dealing with intense family issues, and now having to fight demons. 

My only complaints were that the fight scenes were too short and the "epic" battle was a bit of a letdown. Also, a few characters got pushed to the side and were never really talked about or explained, like Androu Glaros, the senior that seems to have a thing for Genie. Other than that, it was fantastic!

I think that Chinese-American teens will love this book because it is by an OwnVoices author. You can tell that Yee took her real experiences and put them into the story. Basically, anyone will love this book because it is that good.

THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO was fun, action-packed, and something not to miss. I'm going to be honest here, I have never read a book that I related to as much as this one. I'm Chinese-American, and seeing the stories of Sun Wukong that I heard as a child come to life in this book was surreal and just absolutely amazing. I felt so light and unbelievably happy, and I can't express how much I loved this book. 

Genie was a fantastic MC—she was spunky, sarcastic, overachieving; she felt <i>real</i>and it was so much fun to see aspects of myself in her characterization. She and Quentin made a fantastic team (what did I expect?), and I loved the romance that bloomed. These two characters made this book fly by so quickly and made all the action scenes feel so exciting.

Overall, this fantastic book is not to miss. This #ownvoices book was so powerful and made me so, so, so, so happy. I'm going to be shoving this book to my little sister and all the Chinese-American teens I know. I'm definitely looking forward to whatever Yee puts out next. 

<i>Thank you to Amulet Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. </i>