Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
A mix of history, coming-of-age, and crime thriller, Portrait of a Thief grabs you and makes you an accomplice to the heist. Will Chen is the reluctant criminal mastermind. An overachieving Chinese-American student at Harvard, Will assembles a crew that reminds you of Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job but college-aged and still figuring themselves out. This book delivers on so many levels: entertainment, questions of identity and cultural diaspora, and the lingering effects of colonialism. You'll finish it wondering, “Who does history actually belong to?” and “Where do my loyalties lie?”
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Spanning over thirty years and multiple worlds — some real, some pixelated — Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow tells the love story inside of a friendship between Sam and Sadie. Sam and Sadie go through ups and downs, starting off as childhood friends who have a falling out, reconnect in college, and achieve overnight success designing a video game together. What follows is a decades-long collaboration that is also a love story, just not the kind you’re used to. Gabrielle Zevin’s prose is absolutely gorgeous. You’ll find yourself re-reading sentences and paragraphs just to hear the words again. This one is great for a tandem audiobook read! Beyond Sam and Sadie, this book is also a beautiful love letter to the early days of video games and the meaning of play. You’ll finish it with a greater appreciation for video game designers and wondering, “Is there anything more loving than building a world for someone?”
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
A mix of thriller and romance alongside well-placed critiques of racism and classism, Their Vicious Games reads like you’re watching reality television — and you can’t look away. NOTE: the scenes are gory and there is strong language, but it all feels necessary not frivolous. Adina is a Black high-school senior attending an elite private high school (think Gossip Girl vibes) on a scholarship. She desperately wants to get out of her average suburban life and sees her escape in a full-ride to Yale. One slip-up, one moment losing her cool, though, and her future is gone. To get it back, Adina enters The Finish: a fight to the death to win a beautiful, privileged life gifted by a prestigious family. Wellington does a superb job with the character development, and you’ll find yourself not only cheering for Adina but also feeling empathy for the villains of the story. You’ll finish the book wondering, “What are the roles we play to survive - and what do we sacrifice for survival?”