Kelly Yang

A wealthy Chinese teen is sent to America on her own to attend private school. Claire is a rich 11th grader in Shanghai; Dani is a scholarship student at a private school in Southern California who helps her mother clean houses. When Claire is parachuted into America to finish high school and Dani's mother needs the income from a boarder, they become unlikely housemates.

Parachutes

Sarah Sammis

Parachutes by Kelly Yang is a very personal response to the Me Too movement as the author explains in her afterword. It's an honest portrayal at how women will be tossed aside to protect the reputation of the men around them, even when those men are predators. It's told in alternating points of view between Dani, a Filipino-American teen on the debate team, and Claire, a Chinese-American exchange student from Shanghai.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...

Estefany 

No sé ni por dónde empezar a reseñar este libro. Sólo diré que, ha sido una de mis mejores lecturas en lo que va de año. Definitivamente se ha convertido en uno de mis libros favoritos. 

Desde el minuto uno conecté con la historia y los personajes, desde el primer capítulo supe que sería una buena historia porque lo sentí así. Amé la trama, amé cómo la autora desarrolló la misma, y cómo plasmó todas las emociones y sentimientos que sintió ella, porque esta es una historia en gran parte vivida por la autora por lo que eso la hace aún más especial y sentida.

Claire y Dani (los personajes principales) se ganaron mi corazón y mi interés de inmediato. A pesar de la diferencia de culturas y clase social, ambas supieron entremezclar sus vidas y unirse gracias a la sensible y terrible experiencia que estaban viviendo al ser víctimas del acoso y el racismo.

En fin, es una historia que recomiendo totalmente,y que sin duda alguna volvería a releer más adelante. El final me gustó mucho, fue muy bonito, y sobre todo, liberador. AMÉ la nota de la autora, mi alma lloró por ella y por lo que tuvo que pasar, y el que haya escrito un libro plasmando esas experiencias en sus personajes dándole voz a aquello que se quiere restringir la hace muy valiente.

Stef

Review to come ~ bentar menata perasaan roller coster.

jess

BLOG | TWITTER

I wasn't sure exactly what I was going into when I started Parachutes. It's described as Gossip Girl meets Speak, which is definitely apt, now that I've read it. Parachutes is a powerful exploration of trauma, family, privilege, and corrupt systems, and how two girls end up caught in the middle of a nightmare and begin healing from it. 
Our two main characters are Claire, a wealthy parachute uprooted from China to study in the United States; and Dani, a scholarship student working to get herself into a good university. Both girls are have different circumstances, but share the same drive and motivation to succeed despite the odds stacked against them. Claire and Dani's worlds are so contrasted to each other, with Claire initially living a life of glamour and glitz, while Dani works cleaning houses part-time and is consumed with extracurriculars, but they're two sides of the same coin, and I think Yang does a very good job of showing that. 

Though both Claire and Dani were strong characters, I found that most of the side characters fell flat for me, and were very one-sided. Everyone had their own secrets, which was definitely meant to show that Claire's world wasn't as perfect as it was on the outside, but it was brushed over so quickly that it didn't feel as impactful as it should have. Jess especially annoyed me--she kept dropping comments that I thought were going to be challenged by the main characters, but ultimately weren't, at least not directly, and even near the end she still seemed very ignorant of everything that Claire and Dani were fighting for. 

The book is a hefty one for a contemporary, and the first half is slow and definitely reads as slice-of-life. Oddly enough, I felt very, very, tense while reading Parachutes: I knew that something was going to happen to Claire or Dani, and I was dreading it in between Claire's parties and Dani's whirlwind of debate meetings, band practices, and after-school shifts. I also found that there are a lot of coincidences connecting Dani and Claire that require some suspension of disbelief, too, and the book's plot relies on them, which made some plot points feel somewhat unrealistic. 

Parachutes deals with a lot of heavy themes, foremost sexual assault and rape culture, as well as racism, poverty, abuse, and privilege. Some of the events that happen to Claire and Dani is based off of the author's own experiences, and some based off the experiences of real immigrant and parachute kids, and it all drives in the point that what these characters experience is not uncommon. This book made me furious at the injustice that people face, and how--despite the #metoo movement--people in authority continue to protect abusers over survivors.

I wouldn't say this book is enjoyable; rather, it's a deep exploration of trauma and rape culture and struggling to make your voice heard--but it is powerful, and I definitely was compelled to keep reading. Parachutes is definitely an important and well-crafted book that brings light to difficult subjects. 

content warnings | non-explicit but on-page rape, sexual assault and harassment, grooming, pedophilia, victim-blaming, racism, homophobia

representation | chinese main character and side characters, filipino main character, lesbian side characters

Zara Doulton

At the back of the book it gave a mention to the author's own experiences. Just a well done to her on coming forward and talking about her own SA at her university.

Nicki

It’s actually 2.5, but I rounded up to 3. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did, but I couldn’t. Yes it tackles a lot of issues, but I just couldn’t get into the writing style and it felt like a chore to finish this book. I didn’t like much of the characters tbh. Neither girls grew on me. I’m sorry this just was not it. 

That being said I can see why it is so well loved and it is deserving of that.

Emi Gilmore 

tw: sexual assault, grooming, racism 

Three stars because I found the writing to be blotchy at times, but if you have the chance to read this, please do. It talks about important topics that people are often to scared to discuss.

Speak enters the world of Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and trauma. They’re called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she’d be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California. Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger’s house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out. Dani De La Cruz, Claire’s new host sister, couldn’t be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. But Dani’s game plan veers unexpectedly off course when her debate coach starts working with her privately. As they steer their own distinct paths, Dani and Claire keep crashing into one another, setting a course that will change their lives forever.

Nadine 

Wow. This book packs quite a few punches. Even more so when you read the author's note at the end - in fact start with the author's note.
I have experience with "Parachutes" in Singapore, and their lives may appear free and untethered by parental issues, but the truth is anything but. There's that thing about what happens to young elephants when the adults have been killed for their tusks, and that's what happens here.
My students and I loved Front Desk, and this first foray into YA shows the versatility of Kelly Yang to authentically write across age groups and not be put into a pigeon-hole.

The worst part of this novel is just how true it rings. We all know people (or are people) who have experienced the self-same issues - with coaches, teachers, adults; with hot and cold relationships that turn sour. Where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't bring things out into the light. And where money can paper over the cracks of all kinds of evil.

Review based on draft copy provided by Edelweiss.

KADY BURNS

It was a nice enough read, but it wasn't my favorite. The plot felt a bit forced and some ideas felt rushed

Katie LaMarre

Absolutely loved this YA novel! And the authors note is a must read

Jayarna La Bozzetta

TW: rape and sexual assualt.

Rarely do I enjoy contemporary this much, simply because I find them to usually be very similar to one another, and often I find them shallow. I prefer books that delve deep into topics, and this did that for me. 

This follows two girls - Dani and Claire, who are existing in the same world but coming from two different backgrounds. This makes for two very different perspectives and it was really enjoyable to see them both navigate different areas in this world, both of them experiencing similar things.

I did find Dani's perspective less engaging than Claire's - this book was quite long for a contemporary and while Claire's benefitted from this length I think Dani's suffered a little. 

However i think the book is written well, and does what it sets out to do. Be careful of the TW's in the beginning of the book, this one is a heavy one. 

I would highly recommend this book - and definitely read the author's note at the end.

izzy

i finally finished at least one book this month!! parachutes was by far one of my favourite reads of the year (excluding rereads, because then lunar chronicles and speak would be my favs every year).

(content warning: the book contains scenes that depict sexual harassment and rape.)

parachutes by kelly yang is a riveting read that tells the stories of two teenage girls from different backgrounds who struggle through life-altering experiences and grow to be stronger people and better friends. parachutes is full of heavy themes like love, family, friendship, corruption, racism, and most importantly speaking out and standing up for yourself.

claire yang is a 'parachute,' the daughter of a wealthy shanghai family sent off to study abroad in california. dani de la cruz is claire's host sister who's determined to pave her way to yale even if she's competing with rich classmates that buy their success. claire and dani are from two very different backgrounds and clash initially, and have a very interesting character dynamic. over the course of the novel, claire and dani navigate through their individual paths...that slowly weave together and collide explosively.

parachutes does an amazing job of tackling heavy topics in an intriguing and not at all preachy way. the novel is brutally honest and tells a believable story without a full resolution, but still satisfying all the same. claire and dani emerge as stronger, mature young adults, and as they sit together in the final chapter, it's painfully realistic: justice isn't an easy journey, and choosing to speak out isn't a one time deal. the end is only the beginning.

i loved reading parachutes, and highly recommend it!! also the comp titles describe it as SPEAK x gossip girl, so i don't know what will convince you if that doesn't.

thank you @harpercollins for sending me a copy!! find more of my reviews @bookishlyizzy on goodreads and instagram

Becca Futrell

** This was a buddy read with Jak! 

Content Warnings: rape, victim-blaming, sexual harassment, racism, colorism, slut-shaming, substance addiction

I really wish Goodreads provided the option of rating certain aspects of the book separately, instead of as a whole. If that was the case, Parachutes would get 5-stars on topic & Yang’s tackling of the topic. Unfortunately though, I didn’t vibe so much with the writing style and found some of the dialogue to be major-cringe.

Parachutes is pitched as Speak meets Gossip Girl & yes, 10/10 will say that this is spot-on. I’ve recently discovered that I’m really into rich-people drama & Parachutes definitely provided me with that but went so much deeper than I expected. We’re introduced to two main characters — Claire is a parachute (teenagers dropped off in America to study while their parents remain in Asia) & Dani is Claire’s new host-sister, who’s financially struggling & is working her ass off to earn a spot at Yale.

I wrote pages & pages of notes on Parachutes & a majority of it was just me being angry at how awful a lot of the characters in this book are, especially the male characters. There’s a lot of characters feeling as if they deserve sex & later, a lot of victim-blaming & it’s just wow. I wanted to scream. Major props to Kelly Yang for making me feel so much during this read. As mentioned above, Yang does a great job of tackling the topic.

Parachutes, in terms of subject matter, is not the easiest book to digest. It’s stressful & incredibly heartbreaking; however, I think it’s definitely worth the read. Regardless of my thoughts on the writing, I feel like I took away a lot from reading Parachutes.

Natali Topliff

A story about a parachute (wealthy Asian teenagers dropped off in America for school) who experiences everything the USA has to offer, including racism, classism, cultural anxiety, sexual assault and rape, with elements of grooming by a teacher. There are many TW, but it's an important read, especially when you know the background of the author.

Kate

This book was a lot. It's heavy and painful but unashamedly so. It brilliantly covers so many societal and cultural issues: sexual harassment, rape culture, cultural differences, wealth, privilege, classism, racism, beauty standards, prejudice, homophobia, familial dynamics (both positive and negative), parental expectations, sex, toxic relationships, friendship and academic pressure. Its protagonists are wonderfully flawed but felt honest and real and the side characters were fleshed out and played a significant part in the story. There were times I began to worry this book was trying to take on a little too much but Kelly Yang just kept making it work. 

This book broke my heart and made me so incredibly angry. The authors note not only heightened that anger but matched it with a painful disappointment at how slow things are changing. But that's exactly what makes books like this so important and I greatly admire Kelly Yang for having the strength to write it.

TW: rape, sexual harassment, sexual assault, racism, homophobia, fat phobia, predatory behaviour from a teacher

Parachutes

Reviews