White Ivy by Susie Yang

“A dazzling debut novel about a young woman’s dark obsession with her privileged classmate and the lengths she’ll go to win his love – from prizewinning Chinese American author Susie Yang.“

About The Book 📚

Title: White Ivy

Author: Susie Yang

Publication Date: November 3

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: General Fiction, Suspense

Synopsis

“Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.

Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.

Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate.

Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.

Filled with surprising twists and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story, as well as a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.“

About The Author

“Susie Yang was born in China and came to the United States as a child. After receiving her doctorate of pharmacy from Rutgers, she launched a tech startup in San Francisco that has taught 20,000 people how to code. She has studied creative writing at Tin House and Sackett Street. She has lived across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and now resides in the UK. White Ivy is her first novel.” https://www.susiebooks.com/bio

My Review

› Ivy Lin is a complicated person. At fourteen she had already become an expert thief, thanks to her grandmother, Meifeng. Ivy is NOT a good person, but I somehow found myself rooting for her and her family. We also get to know Meifeng and discover she’s had a secret she’s kept for decades…

“Meifeng never hit Ivy but she hit Austin almost every day, telling him it was for his own good, he should be thankful she made the effort to discipline him, her grandson, as those poor American kids with lazy grandparents grew into hooligans, unspanked and unloved. Then she’d bring him to a McDonald’s for a Happy Meal. In the Lin household, you were rewarded for being punished.”

› I read a Kindle e-arc provided by Netgalley. The first 60% was slow, interesting, but slow. The last 40% is filled with twists and jaw-dropping surprises. It ended up being a page-turner.

I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 9

› Atmosphere: 7

› Writing Style: 8

› Plot: 7

› Intrigue: 8

› Logic: 9

› Enjoyment: 9

Average 8

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• White Ivy is an interesting, compelling, twisty, generational story about loneliness, obsession, secrets, love, and learning that the path to happiness is often a bumpy road. A BRILLIANT debut. I can’t wait to see what Yang does next.