This one is going to be a little hard to review, as I really didn’t connect with the characters.

There were a few things I liked, mainly the importance of family to all of the characters and the peek into some aspects of the culture in Beijing.

The story is told from Iris’s POV, so we only get her thoughts and motivations on things, everything else is based on Iris’s opinions and observations, and she is not a reliable narrator.

Iris herself is not a very likeable character. She is pretty self-absorbed and clueless about life and responsibility. She is generous to others, but in a way that further shows how clueless she is. She is wasteful and puts in no effort, and is completely spoiled.

The people she surrounds herself with are no better- the best friend and boyfriend who cheat with each other, and then act like they should all still be friends. Then there’s the tutor who is not what he seems. Even her family has a lot of disfunction.

I didn’t really like any of the characters. Everyone lied to everyone else and manipulated other people.

There is some redemption at the end, and I think Iris finally starts taking responsibility for her actions, which is why I rated this as 3-stars.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.