Bad Asians Review: This should've been a new favorite book
When I saw Bad Asians repeatedly pop up as a "Staff Pick" on my local library's website, I was beyond intrigued—I had to check out the audiobook on Libby! Following a group of post-college friends as they navigate the lead-up to and fallout of a viral documentary film, the book explores how expectations of being a "good Asian" can suffocate you and ruin lives—and why being true to yourself, as flawed as you may be, ultimately matters. So, did the novel execute its fantastic premise well? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will discuss in today's review. Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope you enjoy your time on the site!
Let's start with the positives. Thematically and at the premise level, this book did a solid job of delivering its message. The characters were well-written; while they weren't particularly lovable, they were easy to sympathize with. Their long-standing group dynamic felt authentic, especially with their shared history as post-grad "former gifted kids" steeped in anxiety.
I also enjoyed Lillian Li's usage of the 2008 recession throughout the novel, as it's the perfect background information for a mostly unrelated plot. Her portrayal of the early YouTube era, before people truly grasped Internet virality, was an excellent era-specific element. The book hooks you in rather fast, and the sentence-level writing is gripping. Li has a lot of potential to write something great down the road.
Unfortunately, this book ultimately disappointed me. A different execution of this fantastic premise could have easily been a shoo-in for a top-five novel of the year for me, but that simply wasn't the case here.
The first notable issue is one I usually consider an overblown non-issue, but Bad Asians is roughly 90% tell and 10% show. While I love a stylized "showy" first-person novel, this wasn't that. The narrative constantly rambles and simply doesn't trust the reader to digest or interpret certain points on their own. If I'm the one cracking down on the "show, don't tell" cliché, you should be worried, because I usually don't care about that sort of thing—here, it actively got in the way of the story.
The book's timeline is also rather nonsensical. At various points, I had genuinely no idea what was supposed to be a flashback and what wasn't. I constantly had to break immersion and overanalyze the text just to orient myself, which severely undercut the narrative momentum. Non-linear storytelling is incredible when it feels earned and structured, but it's deeply irksome when the jumps start to feel unintentional.
Finally, the novel lacks true nuance in its themes—a flaw that might be forgivable in a heightened satirical comedy, but not in a slow-burn character study. Bad Asians is billed as a deliberately paced drama, yet its thematic exploration rarely moves past a bland iteration of "stereotypical Asian parents suck." As a result, I predicted the entire plot and resolution from the jump. That predictability was a massive letdown for a book that had the potential to be a soulful drama.
It felt like everyone, but the four main characters, was a one-note antagonist... It feels like it left no room for contrast. My best friend's parents, who happen to be Asian? Sure, they might have a couple of flaws, but they're a steady example of everything the authority figures here are not. Since the main characters are written to be heavily flawed here, both the "bad" and "good" Asians feel like villains in their own right, and it unintentionally paints a completely unlikable picture of a culture that's so much more meaningful than a couple of problematic parents.
If this book were about feminism, it would make every girl so unlikable that nobody would quite feel inspired to be more of a feminist. The fatal flaw of this book is that it only does the bare minimum for its premise and never moves past it into the creativity I was elated to witness.
The Brighton's Bookshelf Verdict
Brighton's Bookshelf Score: 3.5/10
Letter Score: D
Bad Asians is a novel dripping with potential, but its lack of innovation holds it back from greatness. By the end, it feels like a lecture about a problem you already know exists, without the narrative ever diving deeper to let you truly know these characters or how they are uniquely affected by the twin weights of perfectionism and the 2008 recession. It’s a commendable effort from Lillian Li that shows immense promise for her future work. There are very few times I wanted to love a book more, and I have no ill-will toward the author: she seems wonderful. But, as a standalone story, Bad Asians leaves far too much on the table.
Interested in checking out some of my other drama, contemporary fiction, satires, upmarket fiction, and literary fiction reviews? Check them out below!
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