My Flawless Life

Starred review from January 2, 2023
After a hit-and-run involving her father decimates the family’s finances and plummets her social standing, pragmatic 17-year-old Chinese and white Hana Yang Lerner becomes her prestigious private Washington, D.C. high school’s fixer: “I restored reputations, I suffocated rumors. I kept secrets from spilling, and if they’d already spilled, I cleaned them up.” While she spends her days sweeping up her classmates’ messes, she’s haunted by a secret of her own: the hit-and-run accident for which her father took the blame, leading to his resignation from his position as Virginia’s Democratic senator, was actually her fault. She’s soon hired by an anonymous entity to uncover a scandal regarding her former best friend, Cuban American Luce Herrera. As she investigates Luce’s suspicious activity surrounding an education nonprofit, the truth about the crash threatens to unravel any sense of stability that Hana has gained. Things get even more convoluted when her job intersects with another former best friend, Chinese American James Li, and his own investigation, prompting them to team up. Woon (If You, Then Me) crafts a meticulously plotted mystery entrenched in high-society scandal and high school drama and peopled by complex, ever-evolving protagonists. It’s a blistering commentary on privilege and wealth. Ages 13–up. Agent: Ted Malawer, Upstart Crow Literary.

February 1, 2023

Gr 7 Up-Hana Yang Lerner is the go-to fixer at her prestigious Washington, DC, private school, where her wealthy classmates routinely hire her to dispatch their problems. Hana was once a member of the in-crowd, but two years ago her senator father was involved in a car accident that left a woman severely injured, and now Hana is an outsider looking in on their wealthy and powerful world. When an anonymous client asks Hana to follow her ex-best friend Luce Herrera, Hana seizes on the opportunity to engage with her old life. Reluctantly partnering with her childhood friend James Li, now editor of the school newspaper, Hana finds deep corruption at the heart of her former friend group and comes face to face with her own past. Hana is a compelling narrator, but the novel's pacing feels uneven, with a slow start that may deter reluctant readers. Still, those who push past the opening will be rewarded with a climactic twist. Woon creates a diverse cast of characters-Hana is biracial (her mom is Chinese American and her dad is cued white), Luce is Cuban American, and James is Chinese American-and the characters' discussions often dig into weighty ethics questions about privilege and responsibility. VERDICT A fresh thriller that will appeal to fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, Dana Mele's People Like Us, and Alexa Donne's The Ivies.-Dana West

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 After a costly scandal involving her ex-senator father, Hana's once flawless life atop the social scene of uber-elite St. Francis High crashed down. Now she resides on the fringes, occasionally dipping back in to "fix" problems (making sure secrets stay buried, managing reputations, pulling strings) in exchange for money. When she's contacted by a mysterious client offering a paycheck she can't refuse, Hana is tasked with delving into the underbelly of her community to expose a conspiracy that could rip her school--and what remains of her life--apart. Woon fuses a well-trod story depicting the secret lives of elite high-school teenagers with a hardboiled detective tale. The result is a hugely refreshing read. Full of twists and double-crosses, the story never settles into predictability. Even better is the strong voice of Hana, an unreliable narrator hiding the pain of her father's crime under a cool mercenary verve. Add to that a possible love interest in the form of James, school newspaper reporter turned Hana's "girl Friday," and this book has everything a fan of YA mystery could want.

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Starred review from November 15, 2022
A 17-year-old works as her high school's undercover fixer, solving her classmates' problems, although she can't solve her own. Two years ago, Hana Yang Lerner's life fell apart when her father was forced by a scandal to resign from his position as a Democratic senator from Virginia. Though Hana, who has a Chinese American mom and White dad, still attends the same prestigious Washington, D.C., school, she no longer speaks to her best friend, Cuban American Luce Herrera. Her other friends no longer speak to her either--at least not in the open. Behind the scenes, Hana's classmates hire her to make sensitive problems go away. Now, an anonymous person going by Three has hired her to fix something for Luce. But the job turns out to be about much more than Luce; it involves Luce's jock boyfriend, Hana's one-time friend group, and interconnected secrets that spiral out and back around again. And Hana isn't the only one on the case: James Li, her Chinese American former childhood friend, is also investigating for their school newspaper. As the two work together, unspoken truths threaten to push them apart once again. Hana is determined to complete Three's job, but to do so, she may have to confront mistakes she's made and her own stalled life. This gripping mystery is deepened and complicated by explorations of Hana's trauma and relationships. The slow burn allows room for character development that elevates the novel. Thought-provoking high school drama with dark, serious undertones. (Mystery. 13-18)

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