For Gemma’s whole life, it has always been her and her mom against the world. As far as she knew, all her grandparents—and thus her ties to Taiwanese culture—were dead. Until one day when a mysterious man shows up at her door with two shocking things: the news that her grandfather has just recently passed, and the first clue to a treasure hunt that Gemma hopes will lead to her inheritance.

There’s just one major problem: to complete the hunt, she has to go to her grandfather’s home in Taiwan. And the only way Gemma can get there is by asking her ex and biggest high-school rival, Xander, for help. But after swallowing her pride, she finds herself halfway across the world, ready to unearth her life-changing prize. Soon Gemma discovers that the treasure hunt is about much more than money—it’s about finally learning about her family, her cultural roots, and maybe even finding true love.

First off, this was truly a love letter to Taiwan as Chao mentioned in her author’s note. Not only with the descriptions of the various places like Yangmingshan, Shilin Night Market and others are beautiful, but she also describes the spicy, soupy, aromatic deliciousness of the cuisine there. Just as Gemma comes to feel a love and connection for her family’s homeland, readers can vicariously enjoy it. As well as plan an itinerary if they wanted to jump on a plane and go after reading this book. It really reminded me of the S.A.S.S. series with its combination of coming of age, romance, and education, and fun in a foreign country.

Moreover, it was a sweet love story. Double the love story but that would be a spoiler.

So I’ll focus on Gemma, our heroine who operates on a different wavelength from most people. Not in a quirky way, but her brain sees pattern very easily even in stuff that doesn’t have patterns. Not many people understand that, but she is very good at puzzles so that makes the treasure hunt her Gong Gong sends her on more meaningful. She realizes she understands this man she never met and hopes to find a connection. Moreover, she wants to find the treasure that she hopes will alleviate her money troubles when it comes to paying Amherst tuition.

I enjoyed how Chao ties this in with Gemma’s larger trouble in fitting in. With her single mom’s very Americanized upbringing. She doesn’t know the language, speaking or reading, or much anything else. It makes her feel not Taiwanese enough when she’s there, while she doesn’t feel American enough in the US. That’s part of the reason her social circle is so small at home, she doesn’t feel like she’s “whole” so to speak and trying to put herself out there scares her. But her time with the other Taiwanese kids makes her realize that there’s not one way to be Taiwanese. Just because she’s still learning her heritage doesn’t make her less than.

The other reason she’s been more reserved is because of the aformentioned money troubles. Having to hustle for good grades, for scholarships, for money for basic necessities, Gemma takes things seriously. She’s never felt like she had time for fun, and it takes her some time to realize that her survival won’t be threatened if she takes a moment to enjoy the sunset.

The treasure hunt teaches her that. The treasure hunt and Xander. As one can see by the summary that this is an friends to enemies to lovers. They were a thing, but the cardboard dog incident in ninth grade drove them apart. I enjoyed how there was genuine animosity. Yes, it was fueled by misunderstanding and serious hate-goggles on Gemma’s part, but one can understand the animosity. There were real communication differences between them, and their vastly different socioeconomic levels and family lifestyles fueled two outlooks that seemed incompatible. Xander cares too much about what others think of him, including the heavy family expectation.

Yet he puts up some a nonchalant, fun-loving attitude and brushes those off it irritates the more serious Gemma. Plus he is genuinely nice, easy-going and attracts people like a magnet which I think she’s subconsciously jealous of. Their team-up on the treasure hunt not only reveals family secrets that tie them together, but is nicely paced for the two to get back to their former friendship and see how much each has changed and grown with hope their communication will be better this time around. I love growth.

While this is primarily Gemma’s story, readers get enough information to connect with Xander’s own struggles and backstory even though its not as expanded upon. Same with learning about Gemma’s Gong Gong whose experiences and silences about his past represent the larger cultural-generational gap between immigrant families and their Americanized children.

Actually it can apply to almost all families, immigrant or no, because it’s about the flaws and strengths of humans. As Gemma learns about her Gong Gong, she sees that they share so much but it’s in conflict with he anger about the man’s mistakes and choices that kept him from ever meeting her in person. Same with several other adults in the story. But this is a story about communication, in this case through puzzles, as a way to share their story and for Gemma to come to know the man, and understand him despite his mistakes, because those missteps came from trauma. Not that it’s an excuse, but it’s an explanation and it allows Gemma to come to understand him, and herself.

That’s what family is about it shares where you came from, how it shaped your present and where it points your future.

Plus Chao does a great job in making such a nice relationship between Gemma, and her mother, Gemma and her new friends. The only nitpick I have is that the red herring love interest, Brett, felt superfluous amidst everything else.

Otherwise, Chao does it again in creating a sweet romance entwined with moving familial relationships in the backdrop of a meaningful backdrop of Taiwan sights and foods.

4 stars