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4.5 stars! This review is spoiler free!
Synopsis:
Frank Li is a high school senior, brought up in Southern California as a Korean-American. Korean and American being two parts of his life that he hasn’t been able to fully merge together. His parents have always wanted him to “date Korean” and after his sister got the silent treatment for dating a Black guy, Frank is even more afraid to tell his parents that he’s started to fall for a White girl. To avoid this, Frank choose to fake date a fellow family friend, Joy Song, who’s in a similar situation with her boyfriend. Sounds like the perfect plan right? Wrong!
Thoughts:
Things I liked:
Frank is FUNNY. He’s honest and kind and when he feels, he FEELS. And I feel that.
The cultural aspect is so relatable. Being that this is an own voices novel, I’m not surprised, but I just loved how all the aspects pertaining to Asian family felt real. And I don’t just mean between Frank and his parents, but also between each of the Korean families themselves and also the contrast with Brit’s family.
Most aspects of this novel are highly believeable. Which made everything feel so much more real. The drama felt real. Most of the romantic aspects felt real. The situation didn’t feel gimmicky or too troupey.
David Yoon’s writing is deeper than you think. This book has many many quotable moments. This book made me cry, so clearly I felt all the emotions.
The ending was PERFECT. The ending was something I wasn’t entirely expecting, but I like this book all the more for it! It, once again, felt REAL.
Things I didn’t like:
Brit Means’ feelings for Frank kind of felt left field. Like, we didn’t really know anything about her to begin with other than AP Calc, then all of sudden she was in love with Frank. Maybe that's highschool? Maybe it could have had a better lead up? Maybe it’s just me? I don’t know. But that’s really the only think I didn’t like.
What I wish there was more of:
More about Q! We got something towards the end, but I really liked this character and wanted more interaction with him after everything settled.
More Hanna! We got a little bit here and there and Frank mentions her throughout the book, but I wanted to get to see her interact with her man a little.
Overall:
I would highly recommend this book. It’s a quick read, something you could read in one or two sittings and feel so satisfied about. It’s wholesome. It’s eye opening to anyone who hasn’t had to struggle with this type of situation because it’s true and honest insight into what it’s like growing up Asian-American (some parts may not apply to ALL Asian cultures of course, not all apply to mine -- I’m Filipino). Either way, it’s a fun read.
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