Margot Lee finds her mother Mina dead under suspicious circumstances in Koreatown, LA. Margot investigates, and learns more about her single mother's life as a Korean War orphan and undocumented immigrant. This story is interwoven with Mina's first year in LA, which had long lasting repercussions.

Billed as being in the same vein as Amy Tan, this novel explores different generations, immigrating to America, and the secret legacies mothers sometimes leave their daughters. There's a disconnect between Margot and Mina, partly a language barrier and generation gap, and also a cultural gap. As Margot pointed out, growing up American can mean losing other cultures, and there's a desire to be more "white." I was struck by the line "But history always rose to the surface. Among the wreckage, the dead bodies floated to the top." It's such a stark image of loss and the destruction of the self, which Margot felt but couldn't always verbalize. A lot of first generation born people feel that sense of identity loss, but it's hard to discuss the loss of something you never had.

Mina lost so much before abandoning Korea and moving to Los Angeles, and that loss defined a lot of her actions afterwards. As Margot tries to track down her mother's last moments, she learns more about her mother that she never knew about. We also see Mina moving through grief and tentatively creating a few new relationships in 1987.

What a fascinating read about the immigrant experience. Although this book focuses on the Korean immigrant story, the similarities of all who venture to a new land appear to be the same. The uncertainty for those who are undocumented are even more frightening, as the author deftly described.
The relationship between mother and daughter was so complex. The author did such an excellent job of tuning in to all the nuances and misunderstandings between them. The reasoning behind the mother's determination not to learn English and the daughter's subsequent animosity from that, were so well described. The only minus was that the ending seemed to be a bit of a jumble.

This is an interesting story about the Korean immigrant experience told though the voices of both mother and daughter. Through their stories we find out about the hardships endured by Mina and the secrets she has kept from her daughter Margot. The cultural differences between the Korean born Mina and her American born daughter created a barrier in their relationship. The physical distance between the two was another obstacle along with the differences in their native language which contributed to their strained relationship. Through Margot’s persistence in finding out the truth about her mother’s death she learns about her mother’s difficult life and also her love for her daughter. #TheLastStoryOfMinaLee #NancyJooyounKim #NetGalley

this was a really unique read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the suspenseful atmosphere,

I am adopted so I can relate to wondering where you came from and what your history is. There will always be a part of me that wonders about who my biological parents are. I could relate to Margot and wondering who her Dad is. While the story can be a little slow at times it gives you a glimpse into what life is like living undocumented and living in another country. There is heartbreak, love and regret in this book but also happiness in the love and appreciation Margot learned to have for her mother. This was a beautifully written book.

This book was such a page turner! The reader will not want to stop until the mystery is solved. The real attraction to me was the relationship between mother and daughter. This happens so much within immigrant families. The older generation tries to hold on to their roots while the younger one escapes them to fit into society. This is a beautiful and sad story.

This novel explores the relationship between an immigrant mother and her American born daughter. It takes place entirely after the mother's death, but is told from the perspective of both mother and daughter, and explores the mystery of the mother's life before coming to America, the daughter's unknown father, people from the mother's past. I enjoyed this part of the novel. There also is a mystery plotline regarding if the mother's death was accidental or not. I grew weary of this. I was much more interested in the dysfunction of their relationship. Therefore, this dragged for me in places, and when the mystery is solved, it is pretty anitclimactic. and gets swiftly brushed aside. Puzzling. Overall, this is a good book and worth a read, but I could have done without the distractions.

The Last Story of Mina Lee was a quiet interesting read but didn't hold my interest throughout certain parts of the book. However, I did like finding out Mina's past and her life.

Quiet but affecting novel about family, grief, and the immigrant experience. The book alternates between the perspective of Mina in 1987, newly arrived in the US from Korea and struggling to get by both financially and emotionally; and in 2014, Mina’s daughter Margot who after her mother’s death searches for answers about both Mina’s death and her life and realizes how much about her she didn’t know.

This book sat on my TBR shelf for awhile because I am a celebrity book club snob. For some reason, I had it in my head that Reese Witherspoon’s book club would have a list of titles that were all fluffy stories. Finally, I ran out of things to read and started this one. TBH, I was quickly hooked, and stayed that way!
When Margot Lee’s mother Mina (who still lives in the Koreatown (LA) apartment where they lived while Margot was growing up) doesn’t answer her phone calls, Margot gets worried. Margot and her BFF Miguel, who happens to be moving to the LA area, hit the road for a marathon drive from Seattle to LA., where Margot finds her mother dead on the living room floor.
Margot and Mina were very close, but in a superficial way: they talked on the phone frequently, but conversation wasn’t easy between an independent young woman and her single mother who lived as a war orphan before she escaped from Korea, came to the U.S., then overstayed her visa. Margot comes to realize how little she truly knew about her mother.
Alternating chapters tell the story of Mina’s first year as an undocumented single woman living in LA and Margot’s search for the reason her mother died. At first, Mina was barely able to earn a living by stocking shelves at a Korean grocery store, but she fell in love with a coworker and the result of that led up to the events surrounding her death.
I loved this book, and think the issues of identity, family, secrets, immigration issues, and acceptance will make it a good choice for book clubs. Thanks to Harlequin/Park Row and NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

Told in an alternating POV with alternating timelines, this story moved a little slowly for me. While I enjoy alternating POV as a rule, the change in timeline between narrators was a little jarring for me at times and I forgot who knew what at times.

Margot and Mina don’t have what anyone would call a close relationship. There was a lot of strain between them and they had virtually nothing in common with each other. But underneath it all, they did love each other, even if they did not understand each other.

Mina is distant from her daughter, and I think that is based a lot on the losses she has experienced. She keeps herself separate from most people in her life, sticking to Korea town and dealing with primarily Korean or Mexican immigrants, refusing to learn English. I think in some ways she was punishing herself for being the one to survive.

Margot, on the other-hand, was born in America and wanted to do all of the things that American kids do. She insisted on speaking English more than Korean, barely learning her mother’s language, never understanding why her mother refused to become more Americanized. Having a difficult relationship with my own mother, I could relate to her frustrations.

Even up to Mina’s death, she was still insisting on keeping things a secret from Margot. But Margot is determined to learn who her mother was and starts uncovering them. As she learns more and more about her mother, she starts to accept more of who she was, and to feel guilty that she never got to know her better while she was alive. But Margot comes through the experience changed.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Harlequin and Park Row through Net Galley for a blog tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found myself pushing through to finish. The storyline could have kept my interest if it were written differently, I think.

I really wanted to love this book as much as everyone else but I just don't see the hype.

Thank you to Harlequin Publishing and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim is a mystery wrapped up in a grown daughter/mother turmoiled relationship. Margot is in town to visit her mother. She hasn’t heard from her and that’s unusual. Upon arriving at her mom’s apartment she discovers that her mom has died. This unexpected death leads Margot down the road of investigating not only what might have happened to her mom but also some secrets about her mom’s life from before Margot was born. This book alternates narrative between Margot and her mom, Mina, so the story develops in a well told manner. I’ll be thinking about these characters for sometime to come. Read and enjoy!

I actually got approved for this after I'd purchased it and yes, it absolutely is as marvelous as everyone says it is. It's moving without being maudlin and definitely makes you think. My library's waitlist for this is months long already and I think it's only going to become more popular when the paperback is released. This will appeal to readers across multiple genres, a rare thing indeed, and I know I'm adding to the chorus but still: very highly recommended!

Review THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE is about a mother-daughter relationship between Margot and her mother, Mina. When Margot can’t reach her mother, she decides to drive down to Los Angeles where her mother lives. But when she gets there she finds her mother dead in her apartment. As Margot tries to uncover the truth about her mother’s death, we learn about Mina’s life when she first immigrated to LA.

Immediately, this novel exuded familiarity for me. From the language barrier and lack of communication to the accurate descriptions of Koreatown, this book reminded me so much of my childhood. Like Margo, I was born and raised in LA and also went to Fairfax High School. And Like Mina, my mom also worked in a swap meet when I was young. And reading about her experiences reminded me of all the complicated and raw feelings I had about my family and our immigrant life in Los Angeles. And because I could relate so much to this character and this story, I am disappointed that I did not enjoy this book more.

Because I knew firsthand the complex feelings I had around my mother working 7 days a week 12 hours a day, seeing her getting ridiculed, but also learning how to speak Spanish better than English, making friends with variety of characters regardless of their background or skin color, I understood Margot’s shame, guilt and bewilderment about her mother. I eventually recognized and admired my mother’s strength, resilience and kindness that crossed languages and cultures. And that is why I wanted to see Margot’s same realization come to fruition. But as I spent more time with Mina and her story, it became clear that Margot would never have that depth that I was looking for. I imagine this could’ve been remedied if the pacing was better, but alas it was not.

While I feel like I was seen as the target audience for this novel, I can’t help but think that I’m not. Maybe I know this life too intimately and too completely to be objective. When something is so personal, you can’t help scrutinize and judge any iteration of your own truth.

And that is my own bias, judgement and experience that I own.

Margot travels to LA to visit her mother Mina, worried because she hasn't been answering her calls...and finds her mother dead in her apartmentment. The story alternates between Mina's story as an immigrant and Margot's search to find out if her mother's death was truly accidental.

Although the details about life as an undocumented immigrant were interesting and sad, this book did not do much for me. Mina's past was definitely the more interesting of the two tales but I got tired of her incessant sobbing and 'poor me' manta. Her daughter Margot came across as cold and selfish and the mystery of what happened to Mona was just not compelling enough to keep that story going though it got a little better toward the end.

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim is a unique mother-daughter story.

This is a hard story to pin by genre—it’s both a mother-daughter saga and also a mystery. But the heartbeat of the novel is one woman’s experience as an immigrant in the U.S.

The Last Story of Mina Lee is quite heart-wrenching at times and truly has a melancholy feel throughout the entire novel. It’s not a spoiler to say that Mina’s story is quite tragic. However, the writing is strong and I ended up reading this in one sitting.

After I read the last page of this book, I felt something inside of me, but I don't know how to put it in world. It's a sad book with a spectacular story.

This is a devastating little book that chronicles the wide gulf between a Korean immigrant (Mina) and her daughter who was born in the US (Margot). The story alternates between past and present; admittedly, I was more intrigued by Mina's story, but the whole thread was compelling. I also loved the intricate descriptions of Korean food and the love the characters felt when they cooked or ate the various dishes; it enriches the story even more.

I finished this book in 1 sitting. I really enjoyed the style, the writing, the characters, and the mystery. So, The story is told from the two perspectives of Margot and Mina, daughter and mother. Margot lives in Seattle and Mina lives in Koreatown, La. For two weeks Margot has been trying to get in touch with her mother via phone, but her calls return unanswered, a little worried, Since she's planned on helping her friend move from Portland to Los Angeles anyway, she decides to make a surprise visit to her mom while she's in town. But when she arrives at their old apartment, she's shocked to find her mother lying on the kitchen floor, dead, her body lifeless for at least a week or more. It appears to be an open and shut case: her mother fell, hit her head, and died from the resulting hematoma. Margot spends some time trying to piece together her mother’s life, in putting together her memorial she finds out she does not *really* know her mom at all. As Margot begins sifting through the few documents her mother possesses, she realizes there is so much more to Mina's story than she ever knew...and things are a whole lot more complicated than Margot originally thought. Margot spends the next weeks trying to piece together her mother’s life by talking to her few friends and acquaintances. Margot hopes to learn more about her mother and maybe find out who killed her.

Obviously, I liked the book. With that said, I had a couple of things to add. I lost my mom a little over a year ago. I know everyone grieves differently and I get that, but...Margot’s storyline was harder for me to follow and feel because sometimes I just didn't really didn’t care what was happening with her. Her mother had just died and, yet, I didn’t feel any emotions coming from Margot. She just seemed to be going through the motions of trying to figure out what happened. On the other hand, I was completely invested in Mina's chapters, though they were mostly tragic. I really liked how the author wrote about immigration and what it is like for persons who do not have papers. It is such a struggle to start over and I loved that the author was realistic in how the theme was presented.