I went into Between Two Names expecting a compelling story of cultural identity, and at first, it seemed to promise just that. The level of detail in the narrative was so intricate, I genuinely thought I was reading a memoir—which made it all the more disorienting when the plot began to lose focus.
By chapter 13, I ultimately had to DNF. The storytelling felt scattered, jumping from scene to scene without a clear throughline. While I appreciate layered stories and complex characters, the sheer amount of information—some of it overly granular—pulled me out of the reading experience rather than drawing me in.
This one just didn’t work for me, though I can see how readers who enjoy intensely detailed narratives or memoir-style fiction might have a different experience.
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Aaron Wang for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book took me back to high school myself, in so many ways, and to my experiences as a study abroad student where everything is exciting and new but in the quiet moments you sometimes find yourself feeling out of your depth in a culture divorced from what you consider home. Adolescence and figuring out who you are for yourself is hard enough on its own, a matter only complicated by the schooling environment and all the additional challenges it presents, academic, social, or otherwise.

I'm not usually one to read memoirs, and book absolutely reads like one, but I found myself unable to put it down and identifying with Cheng Ma in places deep within my chest that I haven't revisited in a long time. I really loved this one, thank you for the opportunity NetGalley!

A coming-of-age novel of a boy navigating self-identity and community in foreign spaces. Our protagonist, Cheng Ma (or Mark), is loosely based on the author’s experiences as a student in China. Cheng Ma, having only attended local school in China, finds himself in the overwhelming landscape of an international school— where the language, culture, assignments are all vastly different from what he’s grew up with. We step inside the brain of this shy and anxious student as he questions the surrounding systems and philosophies. Aaron Wang writes so that we can feel the protagonist’s social anxiety and linguistic isolation in this time of his life, and as well as his determination to discover a means of fulfillment.
What I love about this book is that it’s not meant to compare schools and cultures in a way that presents one as superior to the other— rather it reveals the brokenness, pains, but also some joys, of these structures. Between Two Names is a quiet, simple novel that invokes nostalgia, universal adolescent themes of belonging, and surprisingly profound ping pong metaphors.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, review is posted on Goodreads

A raw, authentic and engaging accounting of identity, being young, and an international student. Feels and reads like a memoir.
I did not expect the thrilling and mysterious aspects which were a nice addition.

YA life in China.

We follow a Chinese High School student from a very working class background as he’s given a chance to study an international curriculum with a peer group who are vastly wealthier than him. The struggles of fitting in, of finding his feet and comfort in English and what an alternate future might hold.

I loved this story and the window into early 21st Century education in China.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author Aaron Wang for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Between Two Names by Aaron Wang is a quietly powerful novel that explores the emotional terrain of identity, culture, and the secrets we carry. Centered on a Chinese student living abroad, the story delves into the disorientation of being caught between two worlds—where language, family, and selfhood feel constantly in flux.

Wang writes with restraint and clarity, capturing the loneliness of cultural displacement and the unspoken weight of expectation. As the protagonist searches for meaning in both his past and present, Between Two Names becomes a moving portrait of a life shaped—and sometimes fractured—by what remains unsaid.

I'm going to surprise myself here by giving this work five stars. Frankly it needs attention from a good proofreader. Not due to the author not being a native speaker of English, but rather due to a few discrepancies in the timeline.
But this book is such a lovely surprise! It's very fresh and new. It feels so authentic and it gives us a look at high school life in China which I found fascinating. But much more than just that, the author is possibly the most gifted at self-reflection. It's truly a marvel to read his journey. I can't wait to see what he writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a brilliant work and I hope it is a breakout success!

This novel explores themes of privilege, identity, and hidden secrets within an academic setting. I believe it is not just a coming of age novel because it has rich literary themes and deeper meanings. The clash of two different cultures was particularly thought-provoking, challenging many of my previous perceptions about Chinese culture and its people. Although written from the perspective of a Chinese high school student, the book carries a profound depth that resonates more with adult readers.