ASKING FOR A FRIEND, by Kara H.L. Chen, Quill Tree Books, July 23, 2024, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult, ages 14 and up)
An ambitious teen is determined to win a business competition started by her late father in Asking for a Friend, by Kara H.L. Chen.
Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:
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- She is the world’s foremost expert on love.
- She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.
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When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.
Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.
With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore. —Synopsis provided by Quill Tree Books
At the center of Asking for a Friend is Juliana, a young woman who feels the weight of her mother’s and community’s expectations on her shoulders. Winning her late-father’s competition would not only fulfill her “duty” but a promise she’s made to herself.
And she knows she can make that happen.
Except — what with her partner dropping her before the competition even begins — things don’t start off well.
That’s where Garrett comes in. Garrett who she once thought could be more than a friend. Garrett who turned his back on her. Garrett for whom she may still have feelings for.
As advice “experts,” Juliana and Garrett become Sunny and Cloudy respectively. These personas are a good juxtaposition, but also serve to show where the two started and where they finish.
This all happens against the backdrop of the small community in Old Taipei. Some of the best moments are born out the community elements and ideas — both old and new.
Asking for a Friend is a fast-moving read that explores topics of family, friendship, expectations, gentrification and community.
Though Asking for a Friend is recommended for readers ages 14 and up, that suggestion is based on character age rather than content. Asking for a Friend is a sweet coming-of-age story with a bit of PG-rated romance.
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