I don't think I've ever been so disappointed with a book before. I absolutely loved Girl in Translation, and was so excited to see the author had a new novel out. Mambo in Chinatown, however, paled in comparison. It read like a romantic comedy screenplay written by an overly earnest high-school student. Every plot turn was telegraphed miles ahead, the characters were completely one-dimensional, and the storyline was like something out of a paint-by-numbers Chinese Immigrant Coloring Book. Absolutely no originality whatsoever. 
 So, so disappointing.