I couldn't make this one work for me. I tried...but it just didn't capture me at all. I tend towards plot driven novels and this is definitely all character driven. I couldn't warm up to any of the characters. To me the message is let me be me and you be you. That's not a new message. However, if the reader is unaware of the racist history and present day harassment of the Chinese American population, it serves as a reminder and/or a revelation. References throughout refresh our memory that life can seem very different to those who experience microaggressions on a daily basis. A lot of people rave about this book so my advice is try it...it might work well for you. ( )

American Dream



I was on a mission to start my year of reading off with a bang but at the same time I wanted to read something out of my comfort zone. So, when I saw this on NetGalley it checked off a few of my reading requirements for 2022. I wasn’t sure initially if I was going to like Joan is Okay. The writing style very straight forward which is much like Joan out main character. She is a team player at a big hospital in NYC and her big interest and focus is to keep everything running like a well-oiled machine. As I continued reading and learned more about her parents, it was easy to understand what formed Joan into the person she is. There is an underlying dry humor in this book that makes it more relatable. What I loved about this book is that it shows the reader that it is okay to be unapologetically yourself. Without conforming to the want and need to fit into a mold that was set out for you.

Thank you to all parties involved in the decision for my receiving this arc in exchange for my honest review. Overall I enjoyed this book very much four stars from me. I will read more from this author moving forward. ( )

Unintentional resonance reading this alongside [b:Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|58950949|Permission to Come Home Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|Jenny Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644346055l/58950949._SY75_.jpg|92907297], as Joan feels like a character who largely doesn't give herself permission to feel or to take time off... but in some ways, it's because it simply never occurs to her. When confronted about overwork, she's confused about what she would do with all that extra time. I was also largely reminded of [b:Convenience Store Woman|38357895|Convenience Store Woman|Sayaka Murata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523623053l/38357895._SY75_.jpg|51852264], also about a 30-something single woman whose friends/family expect her to have an interest in pursuing a romantic relationship and professional ambitions when she's perfectly content to exist as she is, to be a cog in the machine because machines need cogs to function.

The novel takes places from fall 2019 through spring 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic starts creeping in as a side character but not the main focus- I'm definitely curious to see how this time period will manifest in fictional works, and this is the first I've read acknowledging the lurking anxiety and sense of dread the diaspora felt as we read reports, heard from our colleagues (including the, "why worry it's on the other side of the world"), and saw increased attacks on our community. For Joan, though, it's a reason to come back to work after being forced to use bereavement leave for an extended break.

A short read, dry but packed more of a punch than [b:The Bachelor|55655098|The Bachelor|Andrew Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617706912l/55655098._SX50_.jpg|86787188] which might be the last literary fiction I read (a year ago).
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I can appreciate the unique voice and the commitment to writing the narrator with a lot of integrity. I liked that Joan’s trajectory was not that of self-discovery but that of developing some self-efficacy in her own emotional landscape. But, to put it simply, I found it really boring and scattered. There were no parts or chapters, and I don’t typically like that kind of organization. I appreciated Joan’s discussion of culture and multicultural identities near the end—I found that part most compelling. ( )

I love this book. It is fascinating, about a subject and life I had never imagined, very well written, and written knowingly. Ms Wang was born in China, moved with her parents to Australia, then Canada, and finally the US, where she resides. I encourage everyone to read this book. ( )