Loveboat, Taipei

Sarah Dessen meets Jenny Han in this young adult debut—a standout Own Voices romantic comedy that follows a Chinese-American girl sent from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer.
“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.”

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict, educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound, child-prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

Called “fresh as a first kiss” and “poignant and honest” by award-winning authors Stacey Lee and Sabaa Tahir, this romantic and stirring Own Voices debut from Abigail Hing Wen is a perfect, fun-filled romp.