Relatable and angsty, Love & Resistance pulls readers into high school drama, dealing with mean girls, racism, and what it means to be the new girl in town.

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Fun and quirky, I thoroughly enjoyed Love & Resistance and the voice behind Livvy’s characterization that drives the story forward.

Relatable Storytelling

I instantly knew this book would be enjoyable when I saw that the first chapter was “Welcome to Painstown.” Here, we are given a little insight into Livvy and her background. Constantly on the move due to her mother being in the military, Livvy decided to make herself some rules to keep her head down and mostly unnoticed.

If she doesn’t make connections, it hurts less when she has to move. And being Asian doesn’t make her life any easier.

Livvy has such a significant voice in the story. How she challenges the racial stereotypes and racism led by the titular mean girl, Mitzi, makes her a formidable character.

But what also makes the story so good is how relatable it is.

Livvy was put into a box, but she doesn’t realize that she has also put people into boxes, generalizing them and stripping them of their identities to fit her narrative.

I love how the story challenges the idea of a mean girl just being a mean girl, a theatre kid just being a nerd, and a pretty girl being more than just pretty. Chen challenges and addresses all the stereotypes that go into high school and how people are categorized and put into boxes. Livvy may think she’s above this, but what she learns is that everyone is more complex than that.

Final Thoughts

Love & Resistance is a quick, relatable read following four young kids battling bullying, racism, and stereotypes while dealing with teenage hormones and angst.