Hello everyone! Welcome to the Book Nook. Today we are going to be doing a review on Loveboat Forever by Abigail Hing Wen. This is the third book to the Loveboat, Taipei trilogy. You can read my review of the first book here. The first book was fine and I did love the second book. However, this last book was just meh. Before we get started, I encourage you all to comment down below and tell me your thoughts. Also, make sure you are following the Book Nook on WordPress, Instagram and YouTube; that way you don’t miss any of my reviews in the future. So, without further ado, lets get into it.
*Disclaimer: spoilers ahead*
Pearl Wong is a music prodigy. Her piano talents have landed her a spot at a prestigious music institute. However, after Pearl posts an insensitive picture the institute rescinds their invitation; leaving Pearl destitute. Her new plan is to now enroll at Chien Tan aka Loveboat; a summer program in Taipei that her sister attended years ago. Pearl hopes to use Loveboat as her comeback into the music world. But her plans quickly change when she finds herself within a love triangle and also reconnecting with her roots.
This book takes place 7 years after the first one and it does get right to the point. As I mentioned earlier, Pearl is invited to attend a prestigious music institute. As a way to boost her social media following, Pearl posts a few photos of her by her piano. One photo in particular is her wearing a conical hat that Asian farmers use when they are working. Of course, many individuals had an issue with that (particularly the Asian community) and accused Pearl of promoting Asian stereotypes. As a result, the institute retracted their invite and tried to distance themselves from the situation. I will say, this was a stupid reason to kick someone out of a program. I also somewhat blame Julie, Pearl’s manager. Pearl cannot post anything without Julie’s approval and Julie gave Pearl the go ahead to post. Now, I’m assuming Julie is white and I will admit if Julie did say something to Pearl it may have come out wrong. However, I still stand on that fact that a longer conversation maybe should’ve been had.
I can appreciate Pearl reconnecting with her Asian roots. She is Asian American and she doesn’t have the same experience as other Asians who were actually born and raised in their respective countries.
The book as a whole was kind of boring though. The love triangle between Pearl, Kai and Ethan had no chemistry in my opinion and you knew who Pearl was going to end up with right off the bat. It was like a rehash of Loveboat, Taipei but with different characters.
In conclusion, the book was just okay. The pacing was fine and I appreciated Pearl learning more about her family history and in turn finding herself. The romance could’ve been done a little better. Out of all the books, this one was my least favorite.
Overall, I give it a 3/5.
Until next time!
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