If you wanted to write a book and tailor (heh) it specifically to me, it would have fiberarts and gender-bending antics.

I don't know WHY the book is labeled "Project Runway meets Mulan" because that only describes the first half the book, where there's a contest that she needs to pretend to be a boy for. Then after that it rapidly switches gears. I'm not saying I minded, and I know the author wasn't responsible for the tagline anyway, but from what I can tell from negative reviews: 1. being closer to the Mulan folktale than the Disney versions (it's almost like Disney takes folk and fairytales and puts their own spin on them!) AND 2. having a radically different second half is what really turned people off.

It's a perfectly fine book, especially if you know how to knit, embroider, etc (but no Crochet love for obvious reasons, I'll just be in here crying in my Crocheted Corner if you need me)! I daresay I became scholarly whenever the protagonist was embroidering, which is probably why the book took so long to finish.

Oh by the way, there's a romance. If you don't want a romance (you are perfectly valid), steer clear of this one, because it's like half the point of the book.