Review: Pat Me Please is too good to be true

Every once in a while, there’s a web novel that breaks into the scene and transcends its format. Pat Me Please is one of those novels. Despite everything pointing to it being a “typical” web novel, it manages to subvert readers’ expectations and develop a world and characters that can touch people’s hearts.

*this review may contain minor spoilers*

In Pat Me Please, main character Yu Zhou returns home to find a young lady from the distant past sitting on her sofa.

Xiang Wen, an ancient prime minister’s daughter, hilariously arrives in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she ends up in a roommates-like situation with Yu Zhou for the first handful of chapters in the novel.

But the brilliant thing about Pat Me Please is that the story never quite goes in the direction you expect it to go. Instead, it plays with its premise in a way that cleverly challenges readers’ assumptions about long-standing tropes and character development.

For one, as someone who typically couldn’t care less about love triangles, I adored the “love triangle” in Pat Me Please.

When we’re first introduced to Yu Zhou, she’s a downtrodden web novel author who recently broke up with her supposedly famous long-time girlfriend. Even though she pretends to be over it—after all, she was the one who initiated the breakup—it’s obvious to Xiang Wen that Yu Zhou still has feelings for this person.

After Yu Zhou decides to introduce Xiang Wen to the modern-day concept of “employment,” she has Xiang Wen join the audio drama industry as a voice actress.

It just so happens that Yu Zhou’s ex-girlfriend, Su Chang, also happens to be a big star in the voice-acting industry. And when Yu Zhou’s novel gets picked up for an audio drama adaptation, Su Chang accepts the role of the main character.

With all these pieces coming together, Yu Zhou and Su Chang’s paths finally collide again.

As the novel progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious that Yu Zhou and Su Chang are meant to be together. Despite her emerging feelings, Xiang Wen is unfortunately aware that she never really had a chance.

It’s this tragedy that makes the “love triangle” in Pat Me Please so compelling. Because Xiang Wen can’t be considered a genuine opponent, she and Su Chang never develop an antagonistic relationship. Instead, Su Cheng acts as a mentor to Xiang Wen and treats her as someone Yu Zhou cares about.

So despite knowing who the “winner” is, I find myself rooting for both pursuers’ happiness. And it helps that Xiang Wen is just so damn lovable too.

When she mysteriously time-travels to the modern world, Xiang Wen is only eighteen. Her age is a key factor in why Yu Zhou and Su Cheng never seriously consider her a “peer,” and Pat Me Please handles the topic in a…genuinely delicate manner.

As the youngest of the three main characters, Xiang Wen undergoes the most self-discovery. By experiencing her first love, she becomes more confident in her sexuality and desires—and endures her first heartbreak.

After Xiang Wen’s confession, Yu Zhou thanks Xiang Wen for being her first love, telling Xiang Wen that even if she will move on in the future, she’s happy to always hold that special position in her heart.

Pat Me Please is ultimately a story about growth and understanding. By developing yourself, you break through old barriers and create new possibilities. After overcoming her inner struggles and self-reflecting on her insecurities, Yu Zhou finally “earns” the ability to stay by Su Cheng’s side—this time, for good.

Owing to its runaway success on Chang Pei (a direct competitor to jjwxc developed by former jjwxc staff), Pat Me Please has spawned a popular audio drama of its own and a manhua adaptation debuting in March of this year.

In addition, the series has inspired some amazing official art and fan art, which I’ve collected in a gallery down below.

There’s also a sequel, Night Tide, which is currently being translated by the same amazing group of translators who translated Pat Me Please. It continues the story of Xiang Wen, although it seems like author Qi Xiao Huang Shu is angling for an age-gap narrative this time around—and I guess I’ll find out how I feel about that when I finally read Night Tide.

But in the meantime, I promise that you won’t regret checking out Pat Me Please as a standalone novel.