How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

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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.

Students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.

Trigger & Content Warnings: per author - depictions of abuse, self-harm, violence, parental neglect, panic attacks, drug use, mental illness, an inappropriate student/ teacher relationship, racism, suicidal thoughts

As someone who read and highly enjoyed The Dragon Warrior series, Katie Zhao’s debut YA novel is definitely a different vibe from her middle-grade novels. How We Fall Apart was deliciously dark and gritty, featuring an Asian main cast and set in a private school (Sinclair Prep) with high stakes competition the moment you step in the doors (enough there’s even murder involved).

There’s so much to unpack from this novel that I don’t even know where to begin to articulate properly: the costs that come with the competition – mentally, emotionally and physically that may sometimes be deadly; the different layers and hierarchies in high schools and social classes. It’s everything that I could relate to growing up as an Asian American with immigrant parents: the pressure to be the best because of the sacrifices made, and the opportunities I’ve had my parents would’ve loved to have. That being said, there are common Asian stereotypes perpetuated in the novel – but I personally didn’t think too much of it since I assumed it was commentary.

How We Fall Apart has four main characters (Nancy Lou, Krystal Choi, Akil Patel and Alexander Lin), all of who were once close to Jamie Ruan, who is found dead. They each have their own secrets someone named the Proctor has gotten ahold of, and each of those secrets could bring them down from their place on the social ladder. Throughout the course of the novel, the Proctor exposes each of those secrets one at a time, trying to pin Jamie’s death on one of them, through a series of texts sent to the whole school. The death of their once former friend is enough to bring them back together as they try to figure out who could’ve gotten ahold of their secrets and beat the Proctor at their own game.

The formatting is fitting of the dark academia theme, with each chapter beginning with a confession, ranging from general school gossip to moments we can all relate to like finals and AP exams. The novel is mainly told from Nancy’s lens, alternating between the present day and flashbacks of her interactions with Jamie when they were once friends. I loved reading the story from Nancy’s perspective as a student who didn’t grow up as privileged as most of her classmates and having to be twice as ambitious to carve her place into their world. As much as it would’ve been interesting to see the story from Krystal, Akil and Alexander as well, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed the story as I would’ve with just Nancy’s perspective. Perhaps I might just be biased because I come from a similar background to hers and therefore her experiences resonated deeply at times.

How We Fall Apart moves fast (and it gets dark fast); it’s very much action and plot-oriented, with the engaging writing and humor I’m familiar with from Zhao’s previous novels. But while I loved the fast pace and mystery of the novel that kept me turning the pages and finishing in one sitting, I do think there could’ve been more character development for the rest of the main cast. From early on in the story, we’re told Nancy, Alexander, Krystal and Akil are no longer as close as they once were, but it definitely doesn’t feel that way at all. I would’ve liked more backstory with their friendship and how that fell apart, especially since it feels like an integral part of the story. There are already chapters including Jamie (who they were also once close with), which could’ve been perfect opportunities to flesh out them out, but ended up lacking instead. It’s almost like we jump into the book running (perhaps sprinting wouldn’t be the wrong word either) and don’t stop until the end.

This novel was in some ways disappointing, not as thrilling as I expected, and probably not a favorite but it was enjoyable overall and I definitely want to pick up the sequel. Zhao’s latest novel will be perfect for those looking for a fast-paced dark academia novel with an Asian American main cast, but wouldn’t mind if there isn’t as much focus on developing the backstory of the characters more than for what’s needed to continue the story.

Sophia

Blogger at Bookwyrming Thoughts · Website · Read More Posts

Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.

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