**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Fiction, ChildrensRelease Date: February 28, 2023 Description:
"This middle grade contemporary follows a big-hearted Taiwanese American girl as she aims to gain her family’s acceptance and save her favorite boba tea shop by selling her handcrafted amigurumi dolls.
Pearl Li is ready to spend the summer before seventh grade hanging out with her two best friends, crocheting the cutest amigurumi dolls, and visiting her favorite tea shop, Boba Time. Its quirky owner, Auntie Cha, is the only adult Pearl can confide in about her art—if only her tech-obsessed family would understand her love of crafts!
After Pearl learns of Boba Time’s financial troubles, she decides to sell her amigurumi to raise money for the shop. But as she navigates the ups and downs of running a business, Pearl realizes that monetizing her passion is more complicated than she could’ve ever imagined. Can Pearl save Boba Time before it’s too late?"
A solid read. It has pretty good premise, and although there aren't many likable characters at first, eventually many will grow on you. Was it the best-executed story? No, but at least you will be satisfied by the end.
Pearl Li, a Taiwanese-American twelve-year-old has a passion for creating amigurumi dolls, which are Japanese crocheted dolls. She lives a pretty comfortable life, despite some tension at home and with a certain girl from school, Kendall. I'm glad she is someone who is proud and comfortable with her roots. However, she possesses a flaw that many children her age have, which is selfishness. You can see this side of her pretty early on in the story, and it irks me how oblivious she is about it even when it's revealed to her. I disliked how long it took to be addressed because, to no surprise, it leads to conflicts in her life, which in my opinion gets dragged on a bit too long. Although Pearl is a frustrating protagonist, you need to remember she is just a child. When things get eventually resolved, I'm just glad she was able to learn and grow from her mistakes.
Aside from Pearl, whom I'm not the biggest fan of, I believe the best characters in the story are Priya(Pearl's best friend) and Kendall. I felt that Priya was such a strong force within the story. She literally helped Pearl through so many things in her life, and it was a shame how she was treated sometimes by Pearl. Aside from that, I believe Priya is that one friend that everyone should have because she's outspoken on things that need to be said. Now, Kendall is someone you instantly dislike, but throughout the story you begin to soften up to her. She's that one kid that is part of the popular crowd that is quick to judge. However, as the story progresses and we begin to learn more about her family's circumstances. Through this, her development becomes quite apparent, even leaving Pearl confused.
Aside from the characters, the story itself was pretty good. Just seeing Pearl navigating her way through her amigurumi business was interesting. When she conquers one obstacle, she runs into another, which I'm sure runs true to any new business. Of course, there are further complications due to her age. I also like how the story shows how important communication is. Children, especially preteens/teens, struggle with communicating their true feelings to their parents. This whole situation that Pearl has going on is a perfect example of that. Another point I will like to appreciate is how culturally rich the story is. It's not too overwhelming and it's appreciated by many characters.
Overall, there are many lessons learned from our protagonist and many that are relatable to anyone. I'll say this is a perfect read for people of Pearl's demographic. Although there are aspects of this book that I disliked, this is still something I would recommend.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
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