An interesting insight into Asian culture in a coming of age story about two young girls. I failed to empathise with either Sabrina or Kit, the two main characters but the book gave a good insight into the issues facing immigrants in the US. Family secrets, parenthood and a little bit of mystery are the themes with the book tailored more towards young adults but it left me feeling a bit disappointed. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

An interesting well written book about two American teenagers on the brink of college 'finding themselves'. I did find the writing a little simplistic and perhaps more suited towards a YA audience. I also guessed the ending well in advance. Still, this didn't detract from what was a good read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner is an amazing read about finding your own identity to find your path in life. The characters are very well written even though some are not so likable but it's part of their personality and this shows the great writing skills the author has. I think Emma Nanami Strenner is an author to have on radar.

“My Other Heart” is one of those beautiful books I could not put down. Emma Nanami Strenner weaves a story of identity, family, and self-discovery through multiple points of view, and I was immediately drawn into the lives of Mimi, Kit, and Sabrina.

While the central mystery of the novel—surrounding a missing child—wasn’t particularly suspenseful (the ending was quite predictable), that didn’t take away from the overall impact of the narrative.

The storytelling is compelling, and I loved the use of multiple perspectives here. I particularly loved watching Sabrina’s growth throughout the novel.

At times, I wasn’t sure the structure was completely balanced—it occasionally felt like certain parts or characters got more focus than others—but overall, the novel worked.

I was drawn into this from the start - what a terrible thing to happen to Mimi and how little sympathy she got. The seventeen year wait seemed a little long, but it must have been hard for her with distance, language etc. I'm glad she found Toan! I found Kit rather irritating, but probably typical of an American privileged teen. But the shock of what happened seemed to bring her to her senses and make her realise how lucky she was. I guessed the truth behind what happened to Ngan, but I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a twist. I did find the jumping about from time to time and character to character jarring.

I was up until the early hours reading this book as I couldn’t put it down! Three stories; Mimi, the frantic mother who loses her toddler daughter in Philadelphia airport and never stops searching for her, Kit, adopted daughter of wealthy parents and Sabrina, Kit’s childhood friend who’s Chinese mother Lee Lee works hard to look after her daughter but sadly lacks a green card, as soon as she comes of age Sabrina takes on the responsibility of taking care of the two of them. Kit’s life is simple, Sabrina’s is hard and the differences soon become evident when it comes to love, life and career choices. Told with great depth and empathy; the conclusion was perfect!

'My Other Heart' was a beautiful journey exploring different types of love, such as relationship love, mother's love, friend's love, and self-love. We follow three different women through their search for acceptance and truth and belonging after life has thrown them curveballs. We are shown a glimpse of what it might possibly be like to be a first-generation immigrant - to have to fight and search to find out about your past. We see the lengths a mother will go to after seventeen years to find her child. Finally, Emma Nanami Strenner weaved in beautiful descriptions of sunsets throughout the book that just added to the book's appeal.

A story about two Asian girls growing up in Chesnut Hill and the different routes their lives take as they both try to seek out their origins. Not a particularly enthralling book, but I had to carry on to the end to find out what actually happens. The story takes place during their summer break prior to going to university, each gets involved with boys but not necessarily as you might expect. On the whole a pleasant read, but it didn’t grab my attention.

A lovely, original & beautifully written book. The characters are well formed & written about with empathy enabling the reader to care about them. The mix of Asian & American culture works well. I thoroughly enjoyed & highly recommend reading The Other Heart.

What a rollercoaster ride of emotions!! Absolutely devoured this book! The character stories that ran though it were emotional, fascinating, suspenseful and warming. The author keeps you guessing throughout about the identity of the missing child years later where you find yourself sure you’ve worked it out one minute and then flipping to thinking it’s someone else and back again constantly, which is exactly what a good book should do! Good characters and great drama throughout.

My Other Heart makes for an easy read, with its fluid prose and engaging if often two-dimensional characters. At times it feels as if it's on the cusp of YA - and perhaps that would have been better suited. As it is, the underwhelming mystery and predictable ending just feels a little too basic for an adult audience.

My other heart follows three women whose lives are connected by a mystery: Mimi, a Vietnamese mother whose baby goes missing at a U.S. airport in 1998; Kit, a half-Japanese teenager adopted by wealthy white parents; and Sabrina, her best friend, who lives with her single Chinese mother.
The book explores a range of themes: adoption, and what it means to truly belong, cultural heritage, race, class, and family.
A thoughtful, emotional read with a twist you won’t forget - a strong debut!

A thoughtfully written book about life in America and cultural identity. The characters were well observed and as a reader, it was easy to become invested in their stories. The swapping between different narratives and timelines was well managed. The climax of the book felt like it appeared quite suddenly but maybe threw you off the scent slightly!

What an utterly powerful and spectacular read. A beautiful story, covering a complex range of subjects. Beautifully written. Thought-provoking and simply fabulous.

This was brilliant. Captivating all the way through. What an ending!!

Great author and I look forward to reading more from Emma.

The bulk of this book is the story of Kit, a half Asian girl who has been adopted by a wealthy white couple in America. Sadly the stories of the other characters are not given the same time as Kit, even Sabrina, who is the other Asian girl in the story. The two girls are friends but there is definite tension between the two, caused, it seems, by their different financial situations and academic abilities. The need that Kit seems to have to out do and belittle her friend is painful to read. I don't remember much about Sabrina's feelings, apart from her relationship with Dave, as so much time is given over to Kit.

The book is interesting as an observation of teenage female friendships. The story of wanting to belong and knowing where you come from is less successfully explored - Kit is just so shallow, maybe a way of showing her immaturity. She doesn't want to fit in culturally or to feel complete, she wants to fit in to impress Amy and Ryo.

I would have liked to hear more of Mimi's story and her long search. I would also have liked to understand Sabrina's life more than the cliche of Chinese mother demanding academic excellence whilst working menial jobs, and unrequited teenage love.

I enjoyed the book but found it it a little slow in places.

Two Asian-American girls learn about their roots. Kit is adopted, happy with her adoptive parents but wants to find out about her roots. Her friend Sabrina, who is not from a wealthy family like Kit, had planned to travel too, but has to work in the summer vacation, though her internship proves fruitful. What Kit doesn’t know is how she came to live in Philadelphia, though the reader does. The relationship between the girls makes the book shine. Moving and emotional.

Sadly not for me. I almost didn't finish it - it was a strange mix of what seemed like a YA novel coupled with a mystery that wasn't really a mystery, with a lot of teenage girl angst, annoying characters and a narrative that, for me. did not flow. The exploration of 'other', racism in the US and how different cultures relate to each other was interesting but seemed to me a bit clunkily handled.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this novel.

This story of two teenage girls the summer before they begin college and the diverging paths their circumstances take them on was fascinating. Their relationship was a really interesting dimension of the story even though for most of it they are on different continents. The themes of adoption and racism as experienced in the microcosm of an affluent, small knit community were beautifully explored. In fact the author’s portrayal of all the women was wonderfully written - Mimi whose baby disappears in the airport, Sally’s experiences as an adoptive mother and Lee Lee as a hard working undocumented woman. I really loved it.

Do you remember that first summer of freedom after finishing school and starting the rest of your life as a grown-up?

Well, that’s where this story is set as two best friends from a high school in Philadelphia – Kit and Sabrina – both of East Asian heritage realise that although their ethnic heritage unites them, there is so much more that divides them. Like money, class, brains and looks.

And from the very first page, there is the mystery of what happened to Mimi, after she was separated from her baby daughter in Philadelphia airport, some seventeen years ago.

As the book takes us to Philadelphia, to Ho Chi Minh, to Tokyo and back again, this is a moving, evocative and surprising tale of the ever-shifting canvas of people, places and thing that make us who we are.