Crazy Rich Asians meets Love & Gelato in this hilarious, quirky novel about a Chinese-American teen who is thrust into the decadent world of Beijing high society when she is sent away to spend the summer in China.
Iris Wang is having a bit of a rough start to her summer: Her boyfriend cheated on her, she didnāt get into any colleges, and she has no idea who she is or what she wants to do with her life. Sheās always felt torn about being Chinese-American, feeling neither Chinese nor American enough to claim either identity. Sheās just a sad pizza combo from Dominoās, as far as sheās concerned.
In an attempt to snap her out of her funk, Irisās parents send her away to visit family in Beijing, with the hopes that Iris would āreconnect with her cultureā and āfind herself.ā Iris resents the condescension, but even she admits that this might be a good opportunity to hit the reset button on the apocalyptic disaster that has become her life.
With this trip, Iris expects to eat a few dumplings, meet some family, and visit a tourist hotspot or two. Instead, she gets swept up in the ridiculous, opulent world of Beijingās wealthy elite, leading her to unexpected and extraordinary discoveries about her family, her future, and herself.