Book Review: Asking for a Friend by Kara H.L. Chen

Title: Asking for a Friend
Author: Kara H.L. Chen
Pages: 336
Publication Date: July 23, 2024
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Synopsis:

Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:

1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.

2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.

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.

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Asking for A Friend is a great coming-of-age story with a relatable cast of characters and powerful messages about family, growing up, grief, fighting for what you believe in, and more. The story follows Juliana, a high school student who enters The Asian American in Business Competition, a contest her deceased father created. Determined to win but dumped by her partner, Juliana asks her estranged friend Garrett to pair with her. The pair haven’t spoken since he ghosted her the previous summer.

Juliana is so positive and optimistic, and Garrett is more of a realist with a bit of cynicism. I love the grumpy sunshine vibes they have going on! They even named their business Sunny and Cloudy. How perfect is that? And the love advice they give is contrastingly comical and really shows their distinctly different personalities. They have a fabulous ex-friends- to-lovers romance, and it was one of my favorite parts of the story!

Juliana goes through a lot in the story, and she changes so much. She’s very conflicted, and the pressure mounts as she pushes to win the competition. Between her mother’s pressure and the pressure she puts on herself, it’s no wonder she struggles so much. I like how, as she works at the community center and with Garrett in the contest, she starts to see the toxicity in some of her relationships. The story takes a hard look at family dynamics and the pressure put on kids to live up to their parent’s expectations.

The community center and all the wonderful people Juliana meets there sharply contrast the community her mother is a part of. Where her mother’s social circle is competitive, fickle, and, filled with backtalking gossips who will drop you for ridiculous reasons, the community center people are supportive, caring, and united. They juxtapose each other well. It becomes a safe haven for Garrett, his younger sister, and eventually Juliana, as this is one place where they can escape the family problems and truly be themselves. It’s an eye-opening experience for Juliana who constantly walks on eggshells with her mother and can’t really be honest with her. Her mother is so unbending and rigid! However, the time Juliana spends at the community center opens her eyes to so many possibilities, and that, as well as her relationship with Garrett, gives her the courage to stand up for herself and what she wants.

The story also delves into topics like gentrification, the importance of preserving community and a cultural identity, friendship, and more. And even though it explores heavier topics, it’s also super cute and fun with a lot of sweet and comical scenes. Special thanks to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.