title: Tiger's Mouth
author: Lucy Tan
publisher: Ballantine Books
publication date: November 17, 2026
pages: 320
peppers: 2 (on this scale)
warnings:
- thoughts of suicide and suicidal ideation/attempt
- vomit
- alcoholism (past)
- meanness
- depression
summary: Jack Owens has nothing going on in his life and is not amused that his father is forcing him to work as an intern at his company for the summer. There, he meets Jack Chen, who comes from nothing and tricked his way into a matching internship. Together, they work well, helping Owens rise out of his depression and Chen out of his poverty. Until Owens takes credit for Chen's work and reveals one of Chen's big secrets, and the two become long-time competitors and enemies.
tropes:
- rich man-poor. man
- same name - different lives
- nepo-baby
what I liked:
- complexities of their relationship
- COVID as a real factor in the plot
- family dynamics
- Chen's brother Ivan
what I didn’t like:
- slow start for me (maybe that's a me problem)
- I didn't really get the point of giving them the same name
overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)
As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.