“We need diverse stories! Belinda Lei has written a fun, mysterious, sexy book that explores the full breadth of the Asian American experience with nuance and wit. Congrats on a terrific debut!”

“Intriguingly juicy yet refreshingly thought-provoking. High school drama mixed with insight into educational social pressures in the Asian-American community.”

“Not That Rich by Belinda Lei gives readers great insight into the world of Asian American students as they find their way through an exclusive, competitive and multi-racial high school experience.”

“Not That Rich shares the journey of high school students and the pressure they feel to develop a perfect resume and identity to deliver their future dreams. The story reveals the feelings of inadequacy students can experience while they attempt to understand where they fit in the world based on their social status and families wealth.“

“Lei’s Not THAT Rich brings a refreshing taste of Asian-American representation into the phenomenal world of YA literature, using depth and narrative to portray an insightful search of identity amidst conflicting societal pressures.“

“Not THAT Rich is the book you wish you had to survive high school. She captures the drama, thrill, and difficulty of being a teenager in an increasingly complex American society and reminds us to go a little easier on the young kids these days.“

“Lei tackles classism, multiculturalism, and the desperate need to academically achieve in one of America’s most frightening places — high school. Caught between the pressures of their high school and real worlds, the main characters of the book take the reader on an interesting journey of a place that every person recalls with fondness and derision.“

“Belinda Lei’s Not THAT Rich takes readers through the intricacies of a multi-racial, excessively rich high-school, a much more commonplace occurrence in today’s rapidly urbanizing and competitive America. Lei brings Asian American representation to mainstream YA in more ways than one.“

“Reading Not THAT Rich felt as easy as gossiping and sipping Bubble Tea with girlfriends. Yet, woven throughout Lei’s smooth prose are thought-provoking insights. With humor, honesty, and wit, Lei captures the good, the bad, and the ugly of navigating young adulthood in an affluent, predominantly Asian American community.“

“Lei’s book masterfully weaves together nuanced stories from a set of multidimensional characters. I wish this type of representation in media had been around when I was younger to show me Asian Americans didn’t have to be confined to the same old and tired tropes.“

“Belinda Lei’s Not THAT Rich writes movingly about classism and race within the context of America’s high schools, growing rapidly more competitive and voracious every day. Lei speaks on how wealth inequities mold the experiences of high school students, and writes powerfully about the experiences of Asian-American students.“

“Lei navigates the culturally emerging world of her generation growing up in East Los Angeles. A moving series of stories, Lei brings to the surface the nuances of what it’s like to define her own cultural identity while still confronting the culture she and her peers have inherited from their parents.“

“This is a vibrant portrayal of the California Dream and raises questions of access in a deeply inequitable society.“

“You’ve seen Gossip Girl, you’ve seen The O.C., but Lei brings you a fresh story of elite teenage life like no other. A much-needed portrayal of Asian American culture in the modern pre collegiate world, Not THAT Rich intertwines a variety of perspectives to tell the story of wealth, pressure, and identity in a way that will resonate with you no matter what your background.“

“If you ever wonder what a personal tale of one’s cultural identity reads like, you got to pick up Lei’s Not THAT Rich. It's a touching, authentic, yet dramatic depiction of growing up in an Asian American community. Stop Googling around,or trying to get a sense of the experience from news or mass media, read Lei's coming-of-age stories and you'll be so inspired.“