The Queens of New York: A Novel

by E. L. Shen

Overview

From acclaimed author E. L. Shen comes a sun-drenched, cinematic YA novel about three Asian American girls, their unbreakable bond, and one life-changing summer, perfect for fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable. But this summer, they won’t be together.

Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production, but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And stable, solid Jia will be home in Flushing, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future.

As the girls navigate heartbreaking surprises and shocking self-discoveries, they find that even though they’re physically apart, they are still mighty together.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063237964
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

E. L. Shen is the author of The Queens of New York, which is a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her debut novel, The Comeback, was praised in The New York Times for its fast-paced prose, authentic dialogue, and big emotions. Her most recent novel, Maybe It’s a Sign, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. She currently lives in Connecticut with her husband. Learn more at elshenwrites.com. 

Editorial Reviews

Smart, funny, but tender at times as well, The Queens of New York is a luminous read.” — Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries

"A heartfelt, skillfully wrought portrayal of friendship." — Kirkus Reviews

"Through alternating first-person narratives, Shen connects three Asian American leading ladies—inspired by the relationship with her own childhood best friends—with love. A heartfelt blend of female empowerment and friendship." — Booklist

"Via the vivacious trio’s alternating perspectives, Shen chronicles their tumultuous summers as they come into their own identities and learn how to get by without each other’s constant support. An eclectic mix of emails, text messages, and prose keeps the pace quick in this insightful story of grief, connection, and change." — Publishers Weekly

"It is the friendship here that is the real star, outshining not just parental pressures and systemic racism, but every other relationship, familial and romantic. Recommend this to readers seeking an updated “sisterhood” and a culturally sensitive celebration of friendship at its most enviable." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"This book is a love letter to female friendship, and how girls can show up for one another in a very organic and meaningful way." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2023-04-12
For the first time in their decadelong friendship, Everett Hoang, Ariel Kim, and Jia Lee, all 17, are spending the summer apart.

Vietnamese American Everett is headed to a musical theater program in Ohio, where she hopes to land a lead role in the annual performance. Korean American Ariel, still consumed by unanswered questions surrounding her older sister’s recent death, graduated early and is going to Briston University in San Francisco to attend a rigorous pre-college STEM program. The only one staying home in Flushing is Chinese American Jia, who has to work at her family’s dumpling restaurant and take care of her kid sister and ailing grandmother. The girls have remained best friends over the years despite diverging interests and attending different schools, but Everett and Jia can’t help worrying about Ariel’s increasingly withdrawn behavior. The chapters switch among their three points of view with prose that effortlessly conveys each character’s personality. Emails and group chat messages interspersed between chapters bring the story to life as the girls share their summer triumphs and setbacks with each other. Although they have their own challenges to face—whether it’s cultural insensitivity in the theater world, pressure to take over the family business, or unresolved grief and guilt—Everett, Jia, and Ariel know that their friendship means they’re never truly alone.

A heartfelt, skillfully wrought portrayal of friendship. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews