May Reading Challenge Theme: Balance

On the surface, you wouldn’t think Drop Dead by Lily Chu would fit this month’s reading challenge theme of balance—but it turned out to be a surprisingly good match, even if unintentionally.

Set in Toronto, the story follows Nadine Barbault, an obituary writer known for being sharp, focused, and a little closed off. After a very public career stumble, she’s paired up with her longtime professional rival, Wesley Chen, to dig into a story involving a famously reclusive author. What starts as a reluctant collaboration becomes something deeper, as both characters are forced to take a hard look at the roles they’ve been stuck playing—for their families, for their jobs, and even for themselves.

This month, I found myself in a bit of a creative fog. I wasn’t reading much, and it took me weeks to finish the two books I picked up. Honestly, I kept switching back and forth between them, trying to shake off the slump. But Drop Dead kept tugging at my attention, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

One of the things that stood out to me most was the way the book handles parent-child relationships. Both Nadine and Wes are successful adults, but their confidence is quietly chipped away by the pressure that comes from home.

Wes is the dependable one in his family. The one who keeps things together. But that comes at a cost. His mother plays her children against each other and leans heavily on Wes while casting herself as the victim. He’s constantly stuck trying to manage everything—shouldering emotional responsibility that no one else is willing to carry.

Then there’s Nadine. Her parents mean well, but their protectiveness crosses boundaries. They stop by unannounced, insist that journalism is too dangerous, and push her to move back home. It’s framed as concern, but it leaves Nadine constantly second-guessing her choices and her independence.

And while Nadine is juggling all of that, she’s also being pulled into her company’s diversity efforts—not because she’s passionate about them, but because she’s one of the few Asian staff members. Management isn’t interested in meaningful change; they want quick, performative wins. A diversity potluck here, a survey there. It’s surface-level work that looks good on paper but doesn’t do much to shift the culture or share the burden. Like so many women of color in professional settings, Nadine is expected to do the emotional labor of representation without the power or support to back it up.

Earlier in the story, Nadine might have gone along with it quietly. But after everything she experiences—especially her conversations with Dot, who is chaotic, eccentric, and exactly the kind of person who refuses to play by anyone’s expectations—Nadine starts to find her voice. When she’s asked to review a diversity survey, she finally speaks up with honesty instead of editing herself. That small act is a turning point. It’s not dramatic, but it matters.

What I appreciated most is that Drop Dead doesn’t try to wrap everything up neatly. Some things do get resolved in a satisfying way, but the real heart of the story is about growth. It’s about two people learning to step into their own, on their own terms. And for me, that’s what balance often looks like. Not perfection. Just progress.

So even though this wasn’t my most productive reading month, Drop Dead gave me a lot to reflect on. It reminded me that balance isn’t about doing more—it’s about carrying less of what was never yours to begin with.

Curious to see how Nadine and Wes navigate all of this for themselves?
👉 Click here to grab your copy of Drop Dead by Lily Chu