Young Adult

How We Fall Apart

How We Fall Apart

  • Downloads：2896
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-12 07:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Katie Zhao
  • ISBN：1547603976
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

In a YA thriller that is Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying， students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead。

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend， Jamie Ruan， top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep， goes missing， and then is found dead。 Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends--Krystal， Akil， and Alexander--are the prime suspects， thanks to "The Proctor，" someone anonymously incriminating them via the school's social media app。

They all used to be Jamie's closest friends， and she knew each of their deepest， darkest secrets。 Now， somehow The Proctor knows them， too。 The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford， like Nancy's full scholarship。 Soon， Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her， too。

Download

Reviews

Elle ，

Is just about every YA thriller compared to One of Us Is Lying？ Yes。Is almost every contemporary novel featuring Asian characters compared to Crazy Rich Asians？ Yes。Am I still incredibly excited for this in part based off of those comps？ Also yes。 Is just about every YA thriller compared to One of Us Is Lying？ Yes。Is almost every contemporary novel featuring Asian characters compared to Crazy Rich Asians？ Yes。Am I still incredibly excited for this in part based off of those comps？ Also yes。 。。。more

Maureen ，

Oh my goodness！ My students are going to love this！ I can’t wait to buy a copy for my classroom library and watch it fly off the shelf。 When Nancy and her friends learn a classmate is missing and that all their deepest secrets are going to be revealed， they lean on their intelligence and each other to find out who has the most to gain by bringing them down。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review。

Sara （lyrical。reads） ，

full review to come。。。because wow

emerson ，

rtc

OutlawPoet ，

Take ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and add about a ton of melodrama and you get ‘How We Fall Apart’ – aka one heck of a beach read！The book does take it a step above the aforementioned franchises by adding commentary on Asian American culture and American class struggles。 It makes things feel fresh and modern。I had no clue who our ‘Proctor’ was and was shocked when I found out the who and why of everything。I did find the melodrama a bit much – it even included the villain monologue scene in Take ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and add about a ton of melodrama and you get ‘How We Fall Apart’ – aka one heck of a beach read！The book does take it a step above the aforementioned franchises by adding commentary on Asian American culture and American class struggles。 It makes things feel fresh and modern。I had no clue who our ‘Proctor’ was and was shocked when I found out the who and why of everything。I did find the melodrama a bit much – it even included the villain monologue scene in which a villain talks way too much and practically twirls their villainous mustache as they brag about what they’ve done。 But， hey， it was entertaining as could be。This is book one and I definitely want book 2！ There’s a secret we haven’t been told yet and I want it to be one that destroys a certain smug someone！*ARC via Net Galley 。。。more

Mlpmom （Book Reviewer） ，

RTC

julianna ➹ ，

the publishing industry needs to 🛑✋ STOP with all of these chinese books i literally cannot add them to my tbr fast enough

Gemma ，

review to come soon once the embargo has been lifted， as requested by the publisher

vee ，

Review coming soon！

Kas ，

i have thoughts about this book

Colin ，

Why is anything marketed as “Crazy Rich Asians meets。。。。” just because the characters are Asian？ Last I checked CRA wasn’t set at a prep school nor were its characters teenagers。 Should books with majority Black characters be compared to Black Panther？ Should books with majority South Asian characters be compared to Slumdog fucking Millionaire？Jesus Christ。 You will never see this with books with majority white characters written by white authors。 The publishing industry （or whoever the hell is Why is anything marketed as “Crazy Rich Asians meets。。。。” just because the characters are Asian？ Last I checked CRA wasn’t set at a prep school nor were its characters teenagers。 Should books with majority Black characters be compared to Black Panther？ Should books with majority South Asian characters be compared to Slumdog fucking Millionaire？Jesus Christ。 You will never see this with books with majority white characters written by white authors。 The publishing industry （or whoever the hell is responsible for writing these awful blurbs/descriptions that are the absolute bane of my existence） has such a long way to go。 。。。more

megs_bookrack ，

want want want want want want want want 。。。more

Madeline ，

AHHHHHHHH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSHHHHHH I GOT AN ARCCCCCCI LITERALLY SCREAMED AND MY SISTER THOUGHT I WAS GETTNG MURDERED ALIVEAHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Nilufer Ozmekik ，

Dark academia thriller :One of us lying meets famous Korean tv series Boys Over Flowers vibes with quiet fast pacing and riveting story and damaged， broken characters who did so many mistakes under pressure to survive at the competitive school circle！ Aren’t you still sold？ The story takes place at Upper West Side ， Sinclair Prep， an elite high school that ranked number one in every imaginable university entrance rates， debate championships， number of alumni who went on to become US presidents。 Dark academia thriller :One of us lying meets famous Korean tv series Boys Over Flowers vibes with quiet fast pacing and riveting story and damaged， broken characters who did so many mistakes under pressure to survive at the competitive school circle！ Aren’t you still sold？ The story takes place at Upper West Side ， Sinclair Prep， an elite high school that ranked number one in every imaginable university entrance rates， debate championships， number of alumni who went on to become US presidents。 Jamie Ruan is top ranked junior， a privileged princess of Sinclair Prep who is a pretty perfectionist student， achieving any goal she’s designated。 She can play dirty。 She’s merciless against any obstacles on her way。 And she always know how to get away with anything and do away with anyone。 She could ruin lives with a single whisper to her healthy influential father。 But now her reputation is tarnished after her father’s imprisonment because of embezzling。 Our narrator Nancy Luo who is a child of immigrants came to pursue their American dream is a daughter of maid， got accepted to the school with full scholarship。 She tries too hard to defeat Jamie to be valedictorian for pursuing her own dreams。 It’s so obvious she can trade her arms and legs to take place on Jamie’s life。 She suffers from inferiority complex， trying so hard to fit with wealthy family’s kids but she also thinks so little about her achievements。 Especially her father’s return to China makes feel more abandoned and worthless。 Once upon she and her three best friends Akil， Alexander， Krystal were Jamie’s friends but after the incident they’ve been through two years ago and her father’s conviction， they got estranged and now Jamie’s missing。 And a secret hacker starts bombarding school network with texts asking them a simple question: Jamie has four former friends 。 Each friends has a secret。 One day Jamie goes missing， which friend is guilty and deserves punishment？A） the one who sunk the lowest to get the highestB）the one who ruined a girl three years agoC）the one hiding a criminalD）the one who traded conscience with gradesAnd a few days later they find the body of Jamie at an empty New York apartment。 Authorities think it is murder case。 So who killed Jamie Ruan？ Instead of her four estranged friends， there are so many lives she’s ruined。 So it could be anybody！As you can see both Nancy and her friends keep so dark secrets。 None of them is innocent including the victim。 And they have to find the Proctor at first who sends those messages unless they want their secrets reveal。 Because the things they hold themselves can ruin their entire futures they hardly worked for！ It’s a mind blowing， riveting page turner with a little Asian series vibes。 The ending was a little far fetched with soap opera vibes。 But I liked the final twist and the last conclusion。 Overall: it was entertaining mystery reading！ I’m rounding up 3。5 stars to whodunnit， dirty little secrets， you can trust no one four stars！ Special thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions。 。。。more

books_n_sunshine ，

Meh。。。 kinda disappointing as it felt like a direct literary translation of Pretty Little Liars but with an Asian cast。

Michelle | musingsbymichelle ，

Review to come closer to pub date

Lindsay ，

This wasn't the greatest mystery but it was still an enjoyable and fast read。 Despite attending the most prestigious prep school in the United States， the characters weren't exactly the most intelligent and the plot was at times ridiculous。 I wish Zhao had expanded more on the secondary characters （Alexander， Krystal， and Akil） because we really don't know much about them besides their secrets。 Nancy was not a likable main character and despite her underlying hate/love friendship with Jamie， she This wasn't the greatest mystery but it was still an enjoyable and fast read。 Despite attending the most prestigious prep school in the United States， the characters weren't exactly the most intelligent and the plot was at times ridiculous。 I wish Zhao had expanded more on the secondary characters （Alexander， Krystal， and Akil） because we really don't know much about them besides their secrets。 Nancy was not a likable main character and despite her underlying hate/love friendship with Jamie， she was basically a toned down clone of Jamie。 I will still read the next book since this one ends on a cliffhanger and I want to see what happens next。 Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC。 。。。more

cossette ，

trigger warnings: abuse， self-harm， violence， parental neglect， panic attacks， drug use， mental illness， a student/teacher relationship， racism， suicidal thoughts， murder， blackmail， fire， suicide， death of a friendI had the highest of hopes for How We Fall Apart。 After all， a dark academia book with a primarily Asian cast that addressed hyper-competitive school environments， strict upbringings， racial identity， the model minority myth， and immigrant success？ Those were things I knew all too wel trigger warnings: abuse， self-harm， violence， parental neglect， panic attacks， drug use， mental illness， a student/teacher relationship， racism， suicidal thoughts， murder， blackmail， fire， suicide， death of a friendI had the highest of hopes for How We Fall Apart。 After all， a dark academia book with a primarily Asian cast that addressed hyper-competitive school environments， strict upbringings， racial identity， the model minority myth， and immigrant success？ Those were things I knew all too well。 I so badly wanted to like this book， but it just fell so flat for me。 I’m not sure if my expectations were simply too high， or if I simply couldn’t connect with How We Fall Apart。Pitched as One of Us is Lying meets Crazy Rich Asians， and for fans of Gossip Girl， How We Fall Apart follows Nancy Luo， Akil， Alexander， and Krystal shortly after the disappearance — and murder — of their former best friend， Jamie Ruan。 When someone named “The Proctor” starts threatening them and leaking their secrets on the school’s social media app， Tip Tap， the four band together once again to uncover who The Proctor truly is， and before all their secrets are revealed。 Prior to her death， Jamie Ruan was the girl everybody wanted to be。 Top of her class， and with enough money that nothing could ever touch her — or at least， that’s how it appeared to be。 She’s mean， classist， and just straight up cruel， in a way that had me questioning why and how she even had friends。 It seemed like everyone was just scared of being on her bad side， but I really was just so confused。 In fact， I wrote “how are they best friends when they all hate her？！？！？！” in my notes while reading it。 Unfortunately， a lot of Jamie’s behavior seemed to retroactively be addressed by saying she had her own issues， and challenges with her mental health。 Which isn’t an excuse — you can have things going on， you can have bad mental health days， but that doesn’t give you an excuse to take it out on the people around you， nor does it give you an excuse to be classist and just awful。 I also wasn’t entirely sure how the quintet all became friends in the first place， and would’ve liked more backstory。 In all honesty， I found the characters pretty unlikable。 I wanted more depth from them， more character development， and we didn’t get any of that。 It felt like these life-changing secrets were being dropped， and instead of feeling guilty or any sort of remorse about what had happened， they were more concerned about how this would affect their reputation and the way they were perceived。 These secrets also just didn’t really make sense？ I was surprised at how quickly these bombshells were dropped， and then everyone just moved on past it， despite the gravity of these secrets。 I really had to suspend a lot of disbelief to keep reading。 Speaking of things I had to suspend disbelief for， I was really shocked that all four characters， who weren’t really friends anymore， could rejoin and reunite so quickly。 But even more so， I was shocked that all four characters， who came from varying classes and cultures， would all respond to being accused of murder in the same way。 How We Fall Apart fell flat for me in many ways， but the most disappointing one was the lack of nuance。 Everything felt very superficial， particularly the topics I looked forward to the most: the discussions of the model minority myth， the myth of the American dream， the discussions of mental health… everything。 As someone who also went to an incredibly competitive high school， I’m all too familiar with how that affects your mental health， and how that intersects within Asian immigrant culture。 Had the characters （particularly the adults） in How We Fall Apart acknowledged their role in this， or even the school， I might’ve enjoyed this book more。I think the best mystery-thrillers are ones that drop little clues here and there along the way， and then when the big reveal is done， you go: “why didn’t I see that all along？” or the ones that you figure out just before the characters do。 Sadly， I found How We Fall Apart a little too predictable in that aspect， so I wasn’t shocked when the big reveal happened。 Although， I do question if How We Fall Apart is supposed to be marketed as a dark academia mystery-thriller， or something else altogether。 For what it’s worth， How We Fall Apart is a fast-paced and short read， and I did resonate with some of the quotes。 I was pretty disappointed with the ending， until the very last page， when it does leave on a cliffhanger， and makes room for a potential sequel — which alone， gives it an extra ½ star。find the full review & others on my blog 🤍 。。。more

Amani ，

Review coming tbd （thinking of writing one closer to pub date）！ In the meantime here are some of my initial thoughts:Guessed who it was in the beginning but there were still a few things that I didn’t see coming！Two things I loved : the gossip girl feels and the diversity in this dark academia ！Two things I wasn’t a fan of: Peter and Jamie。

Aashi ，

EARC won through the author's street team。Okay， going in， my first thought was PRETTY LITTLE LIARS but better！ The plot is indeed very related to Gossip Girl and PLL but with actual motives behind the characters being horrible people。It was a relatively easy read and since this is the first mystery book I've truly enjoyed in a long while！ The characters were so easy to relate to， especially being a South Asian。 I'm now emotionally attached to this book mostly because of how well it tackled the i EARC won through the author's street team。Okay， going in， my first thought was PRETTY LITTLE LIARS but better！ The plot is indeed very related to Gossip Girl and PLL but with actual motives behind the characters being horrible people。It was a relatively easy read and since this is the first mystery book I've truly enjoyed in a long while！ The characters were so easy to relate to， especially being a South Asian。 I'm now emotionally attached to this book mostly because of how well it tackled the intense pressure on students to be perfect by literally everyone， even though I'm not an immigrant。 I was close to crying because of this multiple times。 I also loved the switch of time frames every now and then because it fit perfectly with the story。Overall， would definitely recommend giving it a read！ 。。。more

Lilly Schmaltz ，

Nancy and her friends are shocked when their ex-friend and star student， Jamie， is found dead。 Now， a mysterious person called The Proctor is hiding behind social media and exposing their secrets one by one。 The friends have their scholarships and social lives at stake if their darkest secrets are revealed。 Nancy races to identify The Proctor and hopefully solve who killed Jamie。 A bit like Gossip Girl and a bit like Pretty Little Liars， How We Fall Apart was a great debut from Katie Zhao。 It ho Nancy and her friends are shocked when their ex-friend and star student， Jamie， is found dead。 Now， a mysterious person called The Proctor is hiding behind social media and exposing their secrets one by one。 The friends have their scholarships and social lives at stake if their darkest secrets are revealed。 Nancy races to identify The Proctor and hopefully solve who killed Jamie。 A bit like Gossip Girl and a bit like Pretty Little Liars， How We Fall Apart was a great debut from Katie Zhao。 It hooked me from page one and I kept hoping for more free time so I could read faster。I didn't predict the end at all。 Even though it did seem a bit unrealistic at times， it gave me the drama and suspense I was hoping for。 I wasn't sure what to expect， but I knew the book would give me representation and some dark academia。 It succeeded without being overwhelming or stereotypical。 I was hoping for a bit more character development， but I did like how there wasn't a typical fairytale ending。 The characters all had their own flaws and seeing that those flaws didn't just go away at the end felt authentic。 I'm not sure if a trigger warning is necessary for this book， but readers should be aware that death is a prominent theme。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Katie Zhao！ 。。。more

Sarah Yung ，

Honestly， the only good thing I have to say about this is that it's fast-paced。 It's absolutely not dark academia （school + murder does not dark academia make）， so not quite sure where that's coming from。You would think a comp to Crazy Rich Asians might have the barest understanding of fashion and wealth， but the namedrops all feel ham-handed and honestly unlikely。 You're telling me kids at an “elite high school that ranked number one in every area imaginable” （which is 。 。 。 not possible if you Honestly， the only good thing I have to say about this is that it's fast-paced。 It's absolutely not dark academia （school + murder does not dark academia make）， so not quite sure where that's coming from。You would think a comp to Crazy Rich Asians might have the barest understanding of fashion and wealth， but the namedrops all feel ham-handed and honestly unlikely。 You're telling me kids at an “elite high school that ranked number one in every area imaginable” （which is 。 。 。 not possible if you're even the slightest bit familiar with U。S。 private schools） wear Jovani to a masquerade prom？？ And Louis Vuitton？ Please， just use Google。 I'm begging for the barest hint of nuance。 （view spoiler）[And as for wealth， you're telling me heirs to luxury hotel and pharmaceutical companies don't immediately ask for their family lawyers when being questioned about involvement in a murder？ There's absolutely no difference in how Akil and Krystal deal with the accusations compared to Alexander and Nancy， and that just doesn't track。 （hide spoiler）] Honestly， though， there are far bigger issues to be annoyed about。 （view spoiler）[The nonexistent setting， the strange drug subplot （Akil is rich， why can't he just get a prescription for Adderall？ Why can't his parents pay to make it be a "misunderstanding"？）， or the pitiful handful of sentences about gangs （Krystal's like "oh yeah joined a gang， almost killed someone，" and that's it）， or how none of the relationships feel real or realistic。 （hide spoiler）] The race and privilege discourse is just。。。 so superficial。 I could go on， but I'll save you the time。 。。。more

Jordan Odom ，

"Hadn't we all？ Done awful things to stay at the top。"This was the first book I have read that was a thriller。 I didn't expect to love it as much as I did since I'm not a huge fan of the genre。 However， How We Fall Apart was absolutely brilliant。How We Fall Apart is about the unforgiving high expectations parents have of their children to be perfect and what it potentially does to them。 Set in the country's top school Sinclair Prep， five friends struggle to stay at the top and end up in some ver "Hadn't we all？ Done awful things to stay at the top。"This was the first book I have read that was a thriller。 I didn't expect to love it as much as I did since I'm not a huge fan of the genre。 However， How We Fall Apart was absolutely brilliant。How We Fall Apart is about the unforgiving high expectations parents have of their children to be perfect and what it potentially does to them。 Set in the country's top school Sinclair Prep， five friends struggle to stay at the top and end up in some very bad situations。 When one of them dies， someone called the Proctor puts the blame on the group and reveals shattering truths about each of them。 It's up to these four to figure out who the Proctor is and end them before they all fall apart。I could not put this book down。 It was so filled with drama， betrayal， secrets， and suspense。 I was at the edge of my seat， hands clenched， and eyes wide the whole time。 I had no clue what was going to happen next。 Each character had their own demons that they were battling with and it just felt so real and heart-breaking。 By the end I was left with complete utter shock。 Until I get the next book in my hand （if there ever is one）， I won't shut up about how unfair it was that Katie left the book like that。 Will I ever know what happens next？What to expect when going into this book is that there are quite a few trigger warnings: abuse， self-harm， suicidal thoughts， student/teacher relationship， mental illness， racism， parental neglect， violence， panic attacks， and drug abuse。I highly recommend How We Fall Apart。 。。。more

Emee ，

Monday May 3rd:Waiting for the book ahh I’m so excited I’ll update more

Jenn ，

Nancy is a scholarship student at a prestigious prep school in New York where she's never felt like she fits in。 But when one of her friends goes missing， later to be found dead， she suddenly finds herself under suspicion。 She and three of her friends are on blast on the school's gossip app by someone named The Procter and all their secrets are coming out。 In this fast-paced story of over-achieving students， Zhao shows the seedy underbelly of high stakes high school。How We Fall Apart just didn't Nancy is a scholarship student at a prestigious prep school in New York where she's never felt like she fits in。 But when one of her friends goes missing， later to be found dead， she suddenly finds herself under suspicion。 She and three of her friends are on blast on the school's gossip app by someone named The Procter and all their secrets are coming out。 In this fast-paced story of over-achieving students， Zhao shows the seedy underbelly of high stakes high school。How We Fall Apart just didn't work for me。 Without spoilers， the ending was ridiculous and nonsensical。 All the characters are idiots and make the most asinine decisions。 。。。more

moony ☽ ，

A dark academia book with asian representation and a super pretty cover。。。 I need this。

Gretal ，

This was great， but， and this is really no fault of the book， I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan of thriller series， and I wish I'd waited to read this until the next book was out。 This was great， but， and this is really no fault of the book， I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan of thriller series， and I wish I'd waited to read this until the next book was out。 。。。more

Dawn Ferencz ，

I think young adult readers will really like this one。 Please consult the content warnings at the start of the book as the topics featured could be difficult for some。

Stephanie Gillespie ，

How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao Publication Date : August 3， 20214。5 STARS //Review Copy， I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss and Bloomsbury in exchange for a fair and honest review。 Dark academia murder mystery with an Asian American cast！ Ten pages in and I was hooked。 This book was so good， I absolutely loved it。 This really felt like Pretty Little Liars but in a very prestigious school。 I really like the setting， and how it showed the real struggles of how competitive academic How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao Publication Date : August 3， 20214。5 STARS //Review Copy， I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss and Bloomsbury in exchange for a fair and honest review。 Dark academia murder mystery with an Asian American cast！ Ten pages in and I was hooked。 This book was so good， I absolutely loved it。 This really felt like Pretty Little Liars but in a very prestigious school。 I really like the setting， and how it showed the real struggles of how competitive academics can be。 The pressure these students feel to be perfect， seems impossible to achieve。 When one of Nancy’s classmates in found dead accompanied by an anonymous message posted to an app accusing her and her three friends。 They are determined tofind out who it is before their secrets are revealed to everyone。 I really loved the writing style， it flowed well and each character felt like they had a unique voice。 The tension between The Proctor and the group of friends was so good！ I cannot wait for more books from Katie Zhao。 I highly recommend。 。。。more

Katie ♡ ，

The synopsis is indeed intriguing， and the fact that the storyline is inspired by the Asian American community and their pressure， stress to have high achievement？ Yes please。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How We Fall Apart

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How We Fall Apart&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How We Fall Apart&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0