https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/37007788-we-regret-to-inform-you
While when I picked up We Regret to Inform You I expected it to be mostly focusing on how a student analyzes the American college admission works and critisize it, maybe dotted with some self-despising dark humor jokes. Yet it's a YA fiction, and a very good one that smartly uses the colledge admission system as the biggest villain, which is super freshing in a way.
The protangonist, Mishca, is a working class high student who worked really hard in a private school (her mom got in debt to provide for her) yet she didn't receive any admission letters. even her safety net failed her. With the help of her love interest and school supergirl (with computers) she managed to find that the headmaster of her school, in trying to make sure the kids of the biggest donors got accepted, intentionally screwed Mischa's recommendation letters and transcripts. Eventually she found out a way to blackmail the headmaster and make him get her a spot in some school yet Mishca decided to take a year's gap with her love interest.
There are definitely many cons: while the topic is relatable and down-to-earth, the characters sometimes talk like cartoon characters or Gossip Girls. I've never been to a private school so I don't know, but it's just so funny to imagine two high school rival girls clashing in the school corridor and trying to kill each other by staring lol
And Mischa's superpower friend who hacked the school multiple times, needless to say, sounds too powerful while making the school seem too stupid ( I get that a lot of schools, even big-named ones can be useless and stupid in real life)
One debatable con for me is Mischa's motivation: when she got rejected she freaked out about not going anywhere; she run away from her peers who got accpeted; she tried to hide it from her mother. It's very relatable but quite horrible when I realized among all those situations Mischa never talked about her could-be life in college or what she's gonna do with her career. For her, the admission means the-end. It really troubles me: I'd expect people to go to college to get a degree and then work in some field they are interested in. If Mischa's dilligence is purely based on peer pressure and trying to please her mom, then it's a horror story ineed.
Still, the book is a fun read. It's obvious that the writer is quite experienced. Instead of making Mischa focusing on school alone, the writer managed to flesh out a bunch of important relationships with Mischa and some of them are quite resonating.
Mischa competed against with and hated since Day one, Meredith Dorsa, her peer. The two girls clashed several times in school yet eventually Meredith helped Mischa to expose the school master. I like the depiction of the relationship, reminds me of Mean Girls.
Mischa's mom, who got pregant in college spared no effort to provide for her reminds me of my mom. I know she loves me deeply, and would do anything for me, yet I don't like spending time with her. Too much stress, like I'm never good enough.
by dongludi