Love & Resistance

by Kara H.L. Chen Narrated by Josephine Huang

Overview

Moxie*meets Mary H.K. Choi in this funny, whip-smart YA debut about love, resistance, and the enduring friendships that make it all worthwhile.*

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia's usual plan of anonymity fails when infamous it-girl Mitzi Clarke makes a pointed racist comment in class. Tired of ignoring things just to survive, Olivia defends herself.**

And that is the end of her invisible life.*

Soon, Olivia joins forces with the Nerd Net: a secret society that's been thwarting Mitzi's reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at school.

But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way . . . if Mitzi doesn't destroy her first.*

A cheeky, thought-provoking force of a book, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart's*The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The narrative’s quick pace and creative turns should keep readers’ interest all the way to the thoughtful ending. Entertaining." — Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2023-05-24
The Art of War meets Mean Girls.

Olivia Chang knows how to navigate a new high school. Her mother is in the military, and they’re constantly moving, so she’s comfortable being known as The New Girl. Olivia knows exactly how to be invisible and avoid attention from the popular crowd. But in her junior year in Plainstown, Ohio, in what she hopes will be her last new school, she finds herself violating her own rules and bantering with a guy from French class—and landing right in the crosshairs of No. 1 popular girl Mitzi Clarke. Events take a turn for the unexpected as Olivia learns of (and eventually helps lead) a movement to topple the school’s social power structure. The story’s blend of romance, action, humor, and social issues comes together with mixed success. Olivia’s invocation of her Taiwanese immigrant grandfather’s experiences as she faces anti-Asian racism is heartfelt and effective (the school seems to be predominantly White). The neat pairing off of central characters feels convenient to the plot, but the romances are endearing. While there are allusions to more serious incidents, the novel largely avoids showing the deeper impacts of bullying, making its tackling of tough topics feel inconsistent in tone. Still, the narrative’s quick pace and creative turns should keep readers’ interest all the way to the thoughtful ending.

An entertaining, if lightweight exploration of high school social hierarchies. (Fiction. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176760576
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/04/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos