Parachutes

Written by Kelly Yang

Narrated by Cassie Simone and Karissa Vacker

Speak enters the world of Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and trauma.

They’re called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she’d be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California.

Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger’s house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out.

Dani De La Cruz, Claire’s new host sister, couldn’t be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. But Dani’s game plan veers unexpectedly off course when her debate coach starts working with her privately.

As they steer their own distinct paths, Dani and Claire keep crashing into one another, setting a course that will change their lives forever. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
• Release date: May 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063013544

Kelly Yang

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk, Three Keys, and Room to Dream and is the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. She went to college at age thirteen and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of the Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia. She lived in Hong Kong for fifteen years, where she taught many parachutes and was a columnist for the South China Morning Post. Her writing has also been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic. Kelly currently lives in Los Angeles with her family. Please find her online at www.kellyyang.com. Parachutes is her YA debut.

Reviews for Parachutes

[Victoria Edelsbrunner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a powerful and moving story. Great characters and plot. Heart rending in places. Prepare to be disturbed but also uplifted and moved. A very important book.

[Jayarna La Bozzetta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

TW: rape and sexual assualt.

Rarely do I enjoy contemporary this much, simply because I find them to usually be very similar to one another, and often I find them shallow. I prefer books that delve deep into topics, and this did that for me.

This follows two girls - Dani and Claire, who are existing in the same world but coming from two different backgrounds. This makes for two very different perspectives and it was really enjoyable to see them both navigate different areas in this world, both of them experiencing similar things.

I did find Dani's perspective less engaging than Claire's - this book was quite long for a contemporary and while Claire's benefitted from this length I think Dani's suffered a little.

However i think the book is written well, and does what it sets out to do. Be careful of the TW's in the beginning of the book, this one is a heavy one.

I would highly recommend this book - and definitely read the author's note at the end.

(Copied from my Goodreads @jayarnareads)

[Sara Lilla Pete · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm an emotional mess. This book made me feel so uncomfortable.
Highly recommend it, but look for trigger warnings.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought Front Desk was an amazing book, and I really wondered how Kelly Yang would follow that kind of a debut up. This book is definitely for an older audience, but it absolutely does not disappoint. Crazy Rich Asians meets LA poverty with Yang's classic personal memoir thread that gives everything she writes a deep authenticity.

I have to admit, I wanted that memoir thread not be true of this book, because of the sexual assault, but I honor her bravery in sharing her story and refusing to compromise. That part is powerful. The story is... a delight. By turns fascinating, funny, infuriating, unexpected, heartbreaking. hard to put it down, and why would you want to?

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

audiobook, teen fiction (Filipina scholarship student and rich Chinese national encounter racism and tolerance for sexual misconduct at private East Covina, CA high school - trigger warnings: traumatic sexual assault and abuse, and equally traumatic dealing with the aftermath)In the author's note at the end of the book, former lawyer-turned-author Kelly Yang reflects on her own experience with being sexually assaulted by a fellow student while she attended Harvard Law (the school chose not to believe her and has gone so far as to admit to a history of not doing enough, but hasn't really done anything further). She also interviewed many "parachutes" (Chinese national teens living by themselves in other countries to attend school) and found a great number of parallels in their experiences and in her own. This resulting story is at times difficult to read but I loved hearing Dani's debate-queen voice speak up for herself at the end.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Told in alternating chapters in the voices of two teenagers attending a prep school in an LA suburb: Claire, a rich exchange student from Shanghai, and Dani, a first generation Filipina-American scholarship student.Claire lives with Dani and her mom, who are Claire's host family while Claire is in LA. Don't want to give away any spoilers; I'll just say that there is a lot of high school drama between different cliques, students and teachers, teens and their families.A sometimes difficult but excellent and empowering read. Please take serious note of the content warning at the beginning of this novel.