Jojo Chia - Afternoon Yuanyang Club
In a nutshell: Four close-knit students in their final year of polytechnic go through the trials and tribulations of teenage life (e.g. academics, family, relationships, expectations, future).
Pros and cons (and in-between):
(+) So relatable about pre-u academics and life that it felt stressful at times. But in a good way!?
(+) Wish we could have read it for Singlit classes (instead of Singapore's first novel).
(+) Smooth and easy read.
(=) Not that strong on plot besides the arc of the character's final year in poly.
(=) Felt bad for Kenneth by the end lol.
(=) Maybe the first Singlit I read since the 2020s started!?
(-) Four main characters were a little difficult to tell apart at first – especially with their yuanyang nicknames in the podcast. But the little character illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are a nice touch.
(-) Expected the podcast to be a bigger part of the plot or to get bigger snippets of them than we did. Most of the recording sessions or even what went into the recording weren't covered, which I kind of wanted to snoop into.
(-) No digital version on NLB Libby so couldn't read on the go. But maybe that's some publishing thing.
Most identified with:
- Lora (confidence)
- Rylee (struggle with arts vs something more 'practical')
Recommended for:
- Academic slice of life (Singapore)
- Teenage relationships and coming of age