This book, right here, is probably one of my favourites of the year. I absolutely adored it and could not stop reading!

Loveboat, Taipei follows Ever, a teen trying to find herself while trying to fill in the expectations set by her parents.

First of, I loved Ever. She was a really good character to follow and her reactions did not feel disproportionate or weird at any time - she simply felt very real. I really enjoyed seeing her finding herself while juggling her parents’ feelings and expectations.

Moreover, I so very enjoyed all the drama in this book - it was like a watching a film! I found myself reading for hours on end because I wanted to know what happened next.

Also, Loveboat, Taipei mostly takes place in, well, Taipei, which you know makes sense, but it is such a nice setting and I’m so happy we got to read all about its landscapes and culture as I, personally, did not know much about it!

Honestly I’m making a very poor job of describing this book and how much I loved it. But just do yourself a favour and read it and see for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Loveboat Taipei follows Ever Wong who has been sent to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer. However, unbeknownst to Ever's very strict parents, the summer school is nicknamed Loveboat and most people go there to stay out late clubbing and drinking. Ever is free for the first time and she sets out to break all of her parents rules.

Things i liked:
- I loved the setting! The book is mainly set in Taiwan and the book did a really good job of introducing the reader to the culture there and allowing you to feel immersed in the setting.
- Ever was a fantastic main character. Her passion for dance is inspiring and i loved watching her try to live her dancing dreams whilst facing opposition from her parents. Reading about her struggle with family responsibility was also really interesting.
- the DRAMA! i don't want to say too much about this because i don't want to spoil anything. I will say that every single character seems to have secrets and that it kind of reminded me of gossip girl at times. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book because it kept me guessing throughout the book.
- this book did a great job of representation and exploring chinese-american heritage. I'm sure lots of people will see themselves in this book which is really great!

Things i didn't like:
- in places the plot felt kind of disjointed. i really struggled to get through the book at times because the pacing seemed a rushed.
- A lot of the characters felt pretty one dimensional to me. Other than Ever, i really struggled to care about most of the characters which meant i found it hard to get invested in the story.

Overall, this was a fun, drama-filled rom-com about finding and accepting yourself. Anyone who loves YA contemporary and is looking for something a bit different should enjoy this one.

LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI had a narrative voice that just shouted ‘give me more’ vibes and I enjoyed the reading experience. I’ve heard this book heralded as a more mature & Taiwanese ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ and it did give me some of those vibes at times. This is a more mature YA from a sexual perspective but the characters weren’t always mature in their decisions and actions.

This book brought an enjoyable coupling of American-Asian and authentic Taiwan culture as the protagonist Ever was sent to a summer school in Taipei. The students were all sent by their parents for a summer immersion into the language and customs, but that was not the focus for the students. They were rebellious rabble-rowsers, looking to hook-up, drink alcohol, have fun and break the rules.

" Straight A's
Dress like a Nun
Curfew of Ten
No Drinking
No Wasting Money
No Dancing with a Boy
No Kissing Boys
No Boyfriend"

A triangle emerged that I wasn’t super excited about but in actuality, it was pretty palatable. Xavier and Rick were two very different characters and the more I got to know them both, the more I thought they were both great friends and potential boyfriends for Ever. There was a lack of tying up of ends in one direction and I am really hoping that book two will journey down this character’s path.

There were friendships that seemed empowering and positive and there were friends to hate with a passion. I struggled a little with Ever’s quick forgiveness and I’m still holding a grudge.

This book is generally fun but it did tackle some serious topics of domestic abuse and exploitation (of which, I’m not going to elaborate on). I appreciated that Abigail Hing Wen actually ‘went there’ with sexual relationships rather than glossing over or pretending that things wouldn’t go that far. This made it a much more tangible story.

I think this was a great author debut and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book. I enjoyed the Taiwan context as I knew little about the country but I now know just a little more.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the early proof copy.

It's been a while since I've been this addicted to a book. As I have mentioned numerous times, I am a sucker for YA romance so as soon as we heard about this book at the book blogger brunch, I knew that it was exactly the book I needed to get me through end of semester assignment hell and it was perfect. For the first time in months, I stayed up until 1am reading this book and I had to force myself to go back to sleep after that. I loved reading about Ever's life because I found that the narrative was incredibly unique. Whilst the blurb and the beginning of the novel suggests otherwise, she isn't your typical rebellious teenager. The inner conflict she fought against with respecting her parents and wanting to rebel made for an interesting narrative. She understood why her parents were the way she was but still felt compelled to break free. The romance was incrdibly addictive and there was a part in the middle where I didn't know which way the love triangle would go. I hoped it would go the other way than it did but that's not because I didn't like them both. I thought both love interests were very well developed and complex. I really wish this book was the first in a series because I want more of the characters. I highly recommend picking this book up.

This is more like a 4.5 star book!

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen is one of my favourite contemporarys that I have read in a long while! I often find the genre cringy and boring--but this has changed my view! I will definitely be reading the sequel!

The reason why I have given this an overall 4 star rating instead of 5 because there were some parts that I immediately cringed at and wondered why they were included in the plot. But as I continued, I understood why.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking to read something riveting by an '#OwnVoices author.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Loveboat, Taipei!

In many ways, this story is a tale a lot of Asian people are familiar with but it's also different in its execution. I absolutely love the Loveboat setting and just the idea of it sounds AMAZING! I think Ever is such a relatable character with clear and heartbreaking motives. The vast cast of characters is incredible and it's almost like you're watching an Asian version of Love Island (without the partner swapping and weird challenges).

I absolutely love the dance element of this novel and how it propels the story forward. The romance between Ever, Xavier, and Rick is brilliant and throwing Sophie's storyline into the mix was fabulous. In many ways, I want to see this as a television series as there are just so many stories to tell.

Ever is a girl who has been bound for medical school her entire life, but she gets lightheaded at just the sight of blood and longs to dance. Her strict parents don't see a future in dance and take away Ever's last summer before going to medical school by sending her to a summer school in Taipei to experience their culture. Unbeknownst to her parents, the school is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknames Loveboat, where kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Loveboat, Taipei is a fast-paced whirlwind of teenage romance and hookups with big hints of important topics for all but one that children of immigrant parents can relate to. It is a fun read with a number of entertaining scenes that will be sure to make the readers laugh. It is always wonderful to see new diverse authors in the YA scene and we always need more of their voices in YA.

This book is ironically hilarious in a number of scenes. I found myself laughing out loud in parts and then having to contain my laughter when I was reading this book in public. The author wrote Ever's passion for dance in such a way that it is like watching Ever dance throughout the book. I loved reading the scenes where Ever lost herself in dance or spent time choreographing her dances. As a reader you can really relate Ever's passion to something you are passionate about and this helped strengthen the overall story for me a lot more.

Abigail Hing Wen did an excellent job of creating a number of really interesting characters that made the story full of entertaining scenes and situations. She got how teenagers act down perfectly. At the start of this book Ever comes across as the clumsy, boy-crazy female but by the end she is such a fun character to read about and I would love to read more about her. All the secondary characters are wonderfully written and fun to read about too and it is lovely to see so many characters that have been so well written and packed out.

I do wish we got to see more details of Taiwan throughout this book. There wasn't a whole bunch of details about the beautiful island. When a book has 'Taipei' in the title I was expecting to read a lot more about the island and little bits of interesting trivia rather than only some of the famous tourist places.


Abigail Hing Wen really nails the family aspects in this book. There is an excellent balance between Ever appreciating her immigrant parent's love and sacrifice for her whilst also chafing against the heavy pressure and restrictions that they place on her. As this is the first time that Ever has been away from her parents she initially rebels against her parent's rule and as you follow Ever throughout the book this progresses into so much respect for her parents.

The romance in this book is sweet, healthy and just all round wonderful and I really enjoyed it. It is just the right amount of romance I was looking for and the right amount of sweetness without it being the centre of the book. It makes sure that the story is about Ever and her journey and not her romance.

Overall, Loveboat, Taipei is an enjoyable read that kept me engaged and interested the entire time I was reading it. If you are a fan of contemporaries this one is certainly one for you. A wonderfully diverse YA that is a lot of fun to read.

While I had some problems in the beginning, this book turned out to be fantastic. Why the problems, you may wonder. And to be honest, I wonder as well. I guess I just had to warm to the story and its characters. But the more I read, the more Loveboat, Taipei sucked me in and it ended with me reading the last few chapter barely able to keep my eyes open but I had to finish it before going to sleep.

This book follows Ever, who just wants to dance, but her strict parents want her to become a doctor. When they fly her off to Taipei for a summer school program, it seems like her dream of dancing is destroyed forever. But she soon learns that the school is basically one big party where young people go to have fun and meet a good partner. But being a part of those parties means breaking rules. Rules, her parents set up over the years, like dressing modestly, no boys (and everything boys bring with them), good grades always, or no alcohol. Those roles and their consequences have been burned into Ever’s head but for the first time in her life she is free from her parents and gets to live how she wants to.

So she fully throws herself into parties, clubs, boys and defying rules. She learns that there is a lot she didn’t know and she slowly frees herself of her parents‘ influence and expectations. Even though she has the constant mantras and rules from them in her ear, she learns to think for herself and to accept herself. Ever is on the path of finding herself and standing up for her and for others. This is a summer full of possibilities for her, of making friends, of boys and just having fun and being the self she had to subdue all her life. But of course, rule breaking doesn’t come without consequences and eventually people get hurt.

I also liked the side characters. I had a feeling of where this was going, but there was so much happening. I mean, put 500 teenagers and young adults who all only want to party and have sex, I guess you have to expect drama. And boy there was a lot of that. Relationship drama, friendship drama, curfew drama, alcohol drama. And I loved it. This was so much fun to read, especially thanks to this amazing set of characters. Sophie, the bubbly best friend, Xavier the rich player and Rick who’s Sophie’s cousin and has weird mood changes being the most important ones. Their dynamics were so well written, the changes between them and how everyone reacted to the things around them. Their talents and wishes and dreams. I couldn’t get enough of them.

I also loved the descriptions of growing up Asian American, how hard it was for most of them, the stereotypes, the obstacles they’ve all encountered. There was even a little bit of politics in their discussions. And their views of their differents cultures and backgrounds. It was so interesting to read. What I especially enjoyed were the language parts. I’m a total sucker for languages and am always excited to see other languages than English in books, in this case Mandarin. I guess I have a new language to occupy myself with now.

So Loveboat, Taipei is basically a story about finding yourself and most importantly, accepting who you are. It’s a story of testing boundaries and of finding out what you want to do with your life. It shows how important it is to stand up for yourself and for others and to do what you love and fight for it.

4.5 stars

This is a contemporary romance… and I loved it? I picked this up and hardly put it down for two hours. I was gripped by Ever’s story and the rollercoaster of her time in Taipei at “Loveboat”.

It’s about love. Not only first loves and the mess of teenage relationships – platonic and sexual -, but also the complicated love we have with our parents who only want the best. However, most importantly of all, loving yourself and your dreams.

That’s the biggest thing I took away from the book, the journey Ever goes on with her love of dancing and embracing who she is.

The friendships are as well portrayed, complex and getting only more nuanced as I learnt more about the variety of characters. Ever and Sophie’s relationship is a perfect example. It was never plain sailing, but I loved that and I loved where they ended up.

The writing is phenomenal, transporting me to Taipei, a part of the world I’ve never been but I could picture it so clearly. From the busy markets to the serene mountains, the humidity clinging to skin and the typhoons rattling windows, and the taste of snake-blood sake (a vile, burning fire).

Not to mention discovering, from the author’s note, that this program is real.

I’m so glad there will be another book. 2021 is a long way away…

Loveboat, Taipei is about searching for one's identity after going through their whole lives in the minority, discovering and fighting for a dream despite their parents disapproval and finally finding a romance in the legend of loveboat.

I really was expecting more of Taipei in all its glory, for the characters to visit the places that I once went to and it'll make feel more nostalgic as I read this story. But honestly, I was both disappointed yet glad because they ended up going to places that I didn't went to, making my experience reading this story even more enjoyable as they weave through the city, eating the food the city has to offer and even to new locations famous for Taipei's tourist attractions.

I have to repeat over myself countless times throughout reading this story that this is a YA book encircling around a teenager who is still trying to navigate through her lives. Especially for Ever who has been sent to spend the summer in a new country and new environment. She's bound to make mistakes, rebel through her ways like a wild animal unleashed for the first time and that metaphor is about Ever who has been brought up by such strict parents who has aspirations and expectations they wish for their daughter.

Honestly, I find the romance lacking and even to the point of giving the conclusion of being unnecessary. But other than that, it was an interesting read that also includes about friendship, passion and dreams in a place you never wanted to be in the first place. It made Ever realise of her dream future and finally changing her course towards it. It is surely a battle but at the end of the day, if its for one's happiness, it would be worth it at the end.

My advice as you read this book is to not have such high expectations like I did. Just don't think too much and just enjoy the ride as you cruise along Taipei, Taiwan and follow along Ever's chapter of her life.

*Thanks for Netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an ARC of this book*

This was a really fun own voices read. A YA rom-com based in Taiwan. I loved Sophie and Xavier, and found Ever's character development very interesting.