In this book, Bitter Melon, Frances is a young Chinese American girl who has always followed her mother’s rules. She was supposed to be in calculus but, the school board messed up her schedule and put her in speech class. She went there the first day and realized that she liked. The deadline for switching classes wasn’t for a few more weeks and she was going to stay here as long as she could. Well, time went by fast. The deadline was over and her mom would be infuriated if she heard of this. In the mean time, she has a crush on this boy. Frances and her cousin, who she had never gotten along with until now, were going to keep this a secret from their parents. Frances continues doing speech competitions and is extremely good at doing this. She gets a trophy and her mother finds out what’s going on. She takes the trophy and hurts Frances. Well, her teacher comes to talk to her mother and says all the right words. Her mother still wasn’t impressed but, agreed to come to her next competition. Read the book and find out what happens next.

This author, Cara Chow, does an extraordinary job describing the thoughts of a teenage girl. Many young adults will really relate to this character. It’s the typical life of a girl trying to live up to her mothers ridiculous expectations. This book is perfect for girls and guys alike. I would say it leans more towards a chick-flick type book but, it’s so intriguing anyone would love it. She makes it feel like you are in the book with her. You will feel everything she does and never want to put it down! It has mystery, suspense, longing, and love. Bitter Melon is by far the best book I have read in a long time. Enjoy it!