GJ's Review of "Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu" By Maisie Chan"

Thank you to NetGalley and Piccadilly Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

You ever have that moment where you read a book and you realize you might have bit off more than you can chew? That the book will destroy you emotionally and grab the tissue now? Yeah, I hit that moment at the end of the first chapter and I understood Lizzie and Wai Gong's situation. 

I just wanted to swaddle Lizzie in the softest blanket. Lizzie has taken on so much weight and responsibility for someone so young and the sheer amount of times I wanted to reach into the book to help her. Thankfully, her friends, Tyler and Chi were the perfect balance for her: Tyler the calm rational voice and Chi, the borderline reckless and outspoken protector. (BTW, I will not stand for any Chi slander! She's great.)

And while I feel like the lesson Chan might have been going for is "The journey is more important than the destination", I came away from it with the lesson of "Being vulnerable and asking for help is strength". After the past 4 years we've had, asking for help and being open with people is a lesson we can forget sometimes.

As a WOC, I know I have the bad habit of trying to shoulder too much and seeing young Lizzie do the same just hit me really hard. I hope other people who see themselves in Lizzie can learn to ask for help and be open to the possibilities the universe gives you.

I also liked the nods to Journey to the West. I only have a surface-level knowledge of it (Thanks, OSP videos!) but I enjoyed thinking about who of our gang matched the original story's characters. 

Admittedly, I read this at a difficult time so I couldn't really enjoy the book as much as I wanted. The pacing felt a little off but I'm not sure if that was a me thing or if other people felt the same. 

I give this 4 stars. 

TW: Offscreen death, dementia, brief descriptions of racism