LOVEBOAT FOREVER

Pearl Wong decides to spend her summer in Taiwan after a social media mishap causes her to lose her seat at a prestigious orchestra program in this stand-alone companion to Loveboat, Taipei (2020) and Loveboat Reunion (2022).

Seventeen-year-old Pearl reasons that enrolling in Chien Tan, the Chinese language and culture program unofficially known to participants as “Loveboat,” would help her keep a low profile while also exploring new interests. Loveboat was a transformative experience for Ever, Pearl’s older sister, and Pearl, whose life is devoted to her budding career as a pianist, wants the same for herself. At the Taipei campus, she meets Ethan Kang, a violinist who shares Pearl’s love of Western classical music. Their flirty jam sessions quickly turn into something steamier, but a heart-pounding encounter at a masquerade party leaves Pearl curious about the masked stranger she kissed. Pearl also develops an interest in the pipa, a traditional Chinese lute that her great-grandmother played professionally, and begins spending time with Kai Ai, a talented pipa player whose prickly demeanor hides unexpected thoughtfulness. With help from those around her—including new Loveboat friends Hollis, who is nonbinary, and their twin, Iris, as well as Loveboat alumna and self-designated aunty Sophie Ha—Pearl tries to sort through tangled romantic feelings while reconsidering her identity as a Chinese American musician. Pearl’s earnestness shines through her narration, taking readers with her on an eye-opening summer of self-examination and finding her roots.

Heartfelt.