2025 reading is off to a great start with Homeseeking, a complex tale of family, love and life. Starting in Shanghai in 1947 we follow the lives of Suchi, Haiwen and their families all the way to Los Angeles in 2008. I was unaware of the background of the conflict between Taiwan and China and found this really interesting, especially seeing it from different sides.
The story captured my interest and I loved how it moved between Suchi and Haiwen and the different periods in their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Homeseeking.

This book is heart warming. 70 years of the change in China and its inhabitants. A warm love story that was lost but found again after all those years.

Just goes to show you never forget your 1st love!.

Two totally different people who went their separate ways, came across one another after heartbreak, divorce, death in their family's. Can be together in their twilight years or has to much water passed under the bridge?

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this advance copy.

This was a pleasure and a delight to read. A love affair truncated but spanning 70 years, two characters beautifully depicted and glorious descriptions of China through the decades.

I was captivated and engaged from the start.

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen is at its heart a love story between two childhood sweethearts growing up in wartime Shanghai, Haiwen and Suchi, who are torn apart by events beyond their control and how fate conspires over decades to bring them together again, if not giving them a tidy happy ending, then at least offering the promise of calmer waters in the autumn of their lives. It's also a novel that explores the immigrant experience, the challenges of linguistic divisions (including the ones that divide people into different social classes) and the efforts and sacrifices it takes to find a place in the world to call home.

The narrative sweeps the reader along deftly switching between the narratives of the two protagonists and telling their stories going forwards for Suchi while the object of her ove, Haiwen has his story told backwards from the present day. One of Karissa Chen's strengths as a storyteller is her ability to evoke times and places with telling details. Whether conjuring up the sights and smells of a crowded alleyway in Shanghai with all its various inhabitants or describing a Chinese family meal in modern-day California, she takes the reader on vivid journey. Many of her descriptive phrases linger in the mind: "The snowflakes were powdery nickels planting themselves on the taxi window."

The historic events that determine the fate of the protagonists and other characters in the book are referenced and explained but do not overwhelm the narrative, Sometimes the dialogue that carried the explanation of the political situations felt a touch didactic and stiff. The relationship that develops between Haiwen and Suchi is told with such sympathy and tenderness, almost bordering on the sentimental, I found it hard to put the book down.

I also liked how music was an element that bound the lovers together and which runs through the book like a thread. The other theme of the book is language and it's power to anchor a person to a particular place and identity for better or worse. When a character leaves their home, language becomes the first major challenge. Yet even before leaving Shanghai, both main characters are required to speak one language at home and a more socially acceptable language at school.

The 'supporting cast' of characters are well drawn on the whole; Suchi's parents and sister in particular. Some characters could have benefited from more development, eg, Suchi's husband Lam Saikeung who often comes across as little more than a pantomime villain.

All in all, this was an enjoyable book and I hope it finds a wide audience. With the right cast and producer, it might make a memorable film. It would certainly be a good basic introduction to twentieth century Chinese history. I also think book groups would like Homeseeking as the story and characters provide much material to discuss and ponder.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully written book! It is such a passionate story, painting a poignant story of China in the 20th century. It is very evocative. It is a recommended read.

This was a family saga of the best type incorporating relationships, romance, heartbreak and emigration. The author's style made it easy ( but shocking) to read about a historical period I was aware of, but knew little about and I feel I had a little more understanding of it by the end of the book.
I did struggle with the names, and sometimes with the time lines, but was so pleased I read the author's foreward suggesting that instead of giving up I think how difficult it is for immigrants to a country learning a new language and name and "forge onwards". I'm very pleased I did!
Thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of this book.

This book follows two characters, Suchi and Haiwen from the time they met in school in Shanghai in the 1940's to America in 2008 when they are in their seventies. It is told alternately from the perspective of both characters, and jumps around in time, although each chapter is clearly labeled. They are. very much star crossed lovers, when Haiwen goes off to war and Suchi is sent to Hong Kong for her own safety as the communists take over China. That they meet again, and more that once is down to luck and chance but it makes an excellent story.
This period of Chinese history makes a powerful backdrop to this story of love and loss and I learned a lot from it. The characters evoke a great deal of emotion from the reader and I found the chapter when Haiwen returned to Shanhai for the first time heartbreaking.
The descriptions of places, music, clothing and attitudes were all fascinating, through all the time frames. I particularly enjoyed the Hong Kong descriptions having lived there too, at the time the story was set.
Overall — vivid, challenging and hugely emotional and I very much enjoyed this debut novel by Karissa Chen. With thanks to Netgalley and
Hodder And Stoughton. I would highly recommend it.

This book tells the story of two people who meet his children and neighbours in China their lives in Separe they move to different countries until they ultimately meet up again as pensioners in America where they have finally settled

The book jumps around in time quite often which I found a wee bit confusing and made the book feel quite disjointed . mostly the chapter headings had the date and place when the next section was set however there were several times that this was omitted which was quite jarring.

I found the section set in China the most interesting although there are perilous episodes in their lives particularly the young man I found that these weren’t described as well as your mundane parts of their life.
Probably because of this I found that the another did lack something of the danger in life that you find in particularly good novels.

This is a well written book. I enjoyed reading it but there was something lacking for me that could’ve pulled it into the outstanding category.
The author has a clean clear writing style, which was a pleasure to read
I like the forward note about different dialect speaking and how names can be pronounced and means something different in different times and different countries . It was a concept I’ve never thought about before I assumed if you moved country you kept your original name it must be very confusing for this to happen on top of having to learn a new language.
I would recommend this book to those who love a historical novel set in China with good character development
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for a review. The book is published on seventh of January 2025 by Hodder and Stoughton.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicsarahs books.WordPress.com.

After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK

A fascinating insight into recent Chinese history and the effects of regime change on ordinary people.
Both of the lead characters are beautifully written at all of their ages and the political background, locations and surrounding characters are all rich and lend great depth to the story.
This book left me wanting to learn more.

Thought provoking and moving, this dual person viewpoint novel takes us through the lives of Suchi and Haiwen from school to their 80s.

Children of China, we see how Suchi, Haiwen and their families are impacted by both the Japanese invasion and the eventual conflict between Nationalist and Communist parties of China.

A tale of love, loss and coming of age, I learnt so much through reading Homeseeking while reading a beautifully written and richly descriptive narrative.

Sensitive to historical facts and cultural differences, Chen has used a personal starting point to weave together an engaging story which both teaches and touches the reader.

Haiwen and Suchi are childhood friends in 1940s Shanghai whose friendship blossoms into young love. To save his brother Haiwen secretly enlists in the army and their shared dreams of a future together are destroyed.

Suchi and her sister escape to Hong Kong - where they briefly meet again in 1966.

Then 60 years later they meet again - both in their 70s - he a widower and she a divorcee living with her son. Can they now live the lives they had expected or will the weight if everything that happened to them be too much?

This novel spans 7 decades and is told in alternating viewpoints taking you back to their childhoods and catching up on the intervening years. I found their younger years in Shanghai fascinating - it brought alive a period of history about which I knew very little.

A beautiful heart wrenching story.

This books covers a history about which I knew nothing - The Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil war. The separation anxieties that the families had to endure to survive is conveyed with much poignancy by the author. I engaged with both characters and became involved with their stories however I found the book difficult to follow with the constant jumping around with the timeline.
Thank you to Net\galley and Hodder Stoughton for the advance copy of this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. Home seeking is an absolutely stunning It is a beautiful, heartfelt tale of love. loss, family, belonging and second chances.
At several points, I teared up at the lost time between the two loves, everything they went through was just so carefully and wonderfully done by Karissa Chen. This is more than five stars for me.

What a fascinating book. Throughout we get two stories throughout the 1940s up till 00s. Because the book has so many locations and languages, both narrators have several names. I think this will be familiar for some, to have to change your name to change your new location.
Growing up together in Shanghai, we are guided by bopping through time to the choices they make and where it leads. Zhang Suchi/Tan Suji/Cheung Soukei/Susu & Haiwen/Howard/Doudou/Haeven take us through times of uncertainty, displacement, wars, famines and other terrible things that unfortunately are based on real events.
Both are really well-rounded characters, and the author takes the reader into the difficult decisions they are faced to make.

Without spoiling who, a character is diagnosed in 1966 with Multiple Sclerosis. While disability representation is great, the odds of being diagnosed in that decade were slim to none. Not until the MRI was used in the 90s, have more people been adequately diagnosed. I wish the author went more into what it was like to live with the disease, and still having a full life around it more.

The book is so well written and researched, although it was quite a thick book, it was easy to get into and sucked in their story. I recommend this book for readers who like historical fiction. It is a very emotional book, so the reader might want a few breaks in between. But I'm so glad I got to read this book as an eARC thanks to NetGalley. I annotated so many beautiful quotes, and this one resonated with me (about war.)

“It’s a hard day,” Haiwen said. “It’s a hard day for all of us.” “Every day is hard,” Zenpo murmured. “It’s just that on some days you’re able to forget.”

Homeseeking follows Suchi and Haiwen, two friends who fall in love as teens in 1940s Shanghai. Their lives are torn apart by war and the pressures of family, leading them down separate paths across China and eventually to the U.S., where sixty years later, recently widowed Haiwen spots Suchi at a grocery store in Los Angeles
A poignant and thought-provoking book - one that stays with you.

Having lived in Hong Kong, I was thrilled to read a book based in Shanghai and Taiwan as well as Hong Kong and the US. It took a while to get into the story and the different spellings in English to denote the different dialects was a bit confusing, but the story was fascinating and became a page turner.
The story is of 2 main characters who meet when they are teens and then takes us through their relationship during historical times and over decades. I would have liked a more distinct finish to the story but really enjoyed the book.

**Homeseeking** by Karissa Chen is a deeply introspective and beautifully crafted exploration of identity, belonging, and the concept of home. Through poignant storytelling and lyrical prose, Chen delves into the complexities of migration, familial ties, and the emotional landscapes of her characters, who are caught between worlds. The novel examines themes of displacement, cultural heritage, and the search for meaning in a world where physical and emotional homes are often in flux. Chen's writing is evocative and empathetic, creating a narrative that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the tension of living between multiple identities. **Homeseeking** is a thought-provoking and tender read, offering rich reflections on the places we come from and the homes we seek to build.

Haiwen and Suchi become childhood friends and fall in love as teens in 1940s Shanghai, but their lives change dramatically as their country is torn apart by war and later the Communist revolution. Haiwen volunteers as a soldier to spare his brother and they are seperated for decades, each making terrible decisions and sacrificing their dreams in the struggle to survive. A chance meeting in the USA when they are both in their 70s brings old memories flooding back, and the chance of happiness at last- but the traumas of the past threaten to come between them. There is much to like in this book. The experiences of ordinary people in China during these tumultuous years are very intersting, and the author’s biggest strength is her portrayal of the Chinese immigrant experience, struggling against prejudice to make a life for themselves whilst enduring a longing for home that can never be satisfied and never really feeling that they fit in each new place. Chinese culture and customs in the twentieth century are vividly portrayed- the sense of duty and loyalty to family, philosophy and beliefs, place and food are integral to the story. Parts of the book are very poignant. However, I did find the structure challenging. The dual narrative was fine but the dipping backwards and forwards in the timeline was confusing and made it difficult to engage- I would just get immersed in one situation and then it would flip backwards or forwards by several decades, and I kept losing track of what happened when. The characters felt a bit under-developed and the action dragged in places and was sometimes repetitive. I think Chen is a very promising writer and this book is a big achievement, but I would have enjoyed it more if it had been shorter and more logically written.

An epic tale of two people who meet in school and fall in love but fate pulls them apart. They are , however, destined to meet up again as life moves them forwards. The tale is simply told with lots of detail of life in China in 1940s as they grew up and onwards through history, lots of insight into the cultural life of displaced Chinese affected by events.

Beautiful historical novel about two people, drawn together across time, history and circumstances. This goes deep on character and has wonderful descriptions of place.