A bit predictable but an okay read. Will appeal to teens more than adults. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mary H.K. Choi has produced another funny, incisive, thoughtful novel—this one all about family. I became so invested in her characters' relationships that they seemed to be real people to me, and watching them reunite and grow was so powerful and satisfying. Choi's treatment of disordered eating was also nuanced and encouraging of recovery, and I appreciated her careful, non-glamorizing depiction of unhealthy behaviors.

'Yolk’ is a poignant story about two estranged Korean American sisters living in New York City. Jayne’s relationship with her older sister, June, has not been great. While June has climbed the ranks of the corporate world and lives in a fancy one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, Jayne is barely holding it together living in an illegal sublet in Brooklyn with her “ex” while attending fashion school. But when June is diagnosed with cancer, Jayne is the only one around to care for her.

A major theme throughout this story, told entirely from Jayne’s point of view, is her struggle with body dysmorphia and eating disorders. This is a deeply emotional book, encompassing physical and mental health issues, social commentary, and issues of identity. Because of the heavy topics, it was a slower read for me. If you enjoy chaotic protagonists, you’ll enjoy this book. Mary H.K. Choi's storytelling is compelling and raw - and the central theme of sisterhood is nuanced, vivid, and heartfelt.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review from @NetGalley.

TW: uterine cancer

"Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying." This book is an #ownvoices Korean American rep with a complex sister dynamic. The protagonist, Jayne Baek is struggling to keep it together. She's battling with her own eating disorder that she's not entirely ready to talk about and she's got an awful boyfriend. Her friends are a whole other story and she's a Texas girl living in The Big Apple. New York City is a beautiful place to live in and she feels like she belongs. Her sister June is the definition of perfect. She's never known what it's like to struggle with anything until she's suddenly diagnosed with uterine cancer. When she's diagnosed, Jayne moves in with June to help take care of her while she's dealing with cancer. But these two have an estranged relationship and will have to learn to be under the same roof again. After all, Jayne's not going to abandon her dying sister. This book was SO GOOD and it comes out on March 2nd!! Make sure you pre-order it and review it :)

If you're looking for a book to tear you apart and just barely start to put you back together again, Yolk is the book for you. It’s hard to encapsulate all that this book is. It’s sarcastic and devastating and infuriating but hopeful and nostalgic too.

Yolk’s protagonist, Jayne, is very hard to like. She possesses every quality in yourself that you squash down and try to ignore. She's chaotic, flighty, superficial, and painfully aware of herself at all times. It's hard to find sometimes in the mess that is her life, but she revolves every aspect of her life around her eating disorder. It dictates her friendships, her disastrous hookups, and most importantly her relationship with her family. She feels completely unknown by them, but also won't let them know her. It makes you want to shout at her through the pages. Being inside her head is incredibly frustrating, but always absorbing.

If you are someone with a sister, a lot of this book will feel very familiar. The complex balance of love and hate that can change in an instant. The jealousy, inadequacy, and annoyance that can be overwhelming at times. Despite both living in New York, Jayne has become estranged from her older sister June, going so far as to hide from her behind trash cans at subway stations. Upon learning that June has cancer, the two begin to have a tentative relationship again. Despite trying desperately to hide it, they each need the other and, frankly, are better people when they're together. Their relationship is written with such careful detail, such emotion, and incredible sensitivity. The journey they go on together is wholly special and hard to sum up in a review. So please just read this book.

Please be aware that this book provides a deep insight into bulimia and issues surrounding body dysmorphia. The climax of the book gets a little graphic, so if those topics are triggering to you, lean on your support system.

The characters are done so well, they feel so raw and yet both of them have ways I was able to identify with. I saw myself connecting to both sisters and their family all at once, and Choi was able to make me feel like a third sister rather than a silent observer. I also found the narrative of cultures meeting to be fantastic and the family dynamic to be super intriguing. As an Immigrant myself I identified with a lot of the topics this book had touched on

This book is a lot to take in, and overall I really loved it (particularly the second half). The first half was challenging for me to connect to. I am a long way from 20 years old now, and my mindset it very different then it was then. Even still, my mindset even when I was 20 was very different from Jaynes, so I had a hard time connecting to her character. She seemed so irresponsible and depressed. However as the story unfolded we were given more insight into her past and I understand her actions a little bit more. It was also hard for me to connect to her and her relationship with her sister and her mother. I am very close to both my sister and my mother and have been for a long time (even as a 20 year old my sister and I were best friends). As their relationship progressed though I again understand the complexity of their relationship. The author does a great job of developing the characters, their personalities, their flaws and their how their lives tangle together. I would say the description, which sounds cute and quirky is a bad generalization of the story. It was way more poignant, challenging and heartfelt. By the end I was in tears thinking about my relationship with myself and my family. If the beginning seems slow and depressing the end is worth the payoff.

This is the kind of book that you read and you spend days thinking about it. And sibling relationship was strained but beautiful and you saw how much turbulence was in the entire relationship dynamic. There were some hard things to get through in this book but it made the journey in the experience all worthwhile.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the second book by Mary H.K. Choi that I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. The author’s love for New York and knowledge of Texas are so apparent.
The main character, Jayne, was so frustrating to follow through the story, with her constant self-doubt and self-sabotage, but she was written so well that I couldn’t help but keep reading. Her relationship with her sister was also so intricate. And Patrick! Sweet, sweet Patrick with his sweats and his homey apartment.
This story felt so real, and the writing was so descriptive. I felt as if I was walking the streets of New York with Jayne.
This book pulled no punches, but it was a compelling read. Definitely recommend.

I enjoyed both of the author's previous works, so I was interested to dive into this one. On the one hand, Choi's writing is detailed and extremely conscientious, her portrayal of the relationship between the Jayne and June is quite strong, and the description of Jayne's disordered eating, especially toward the end, is powerful. On the other, however, I found the story quite dark and the pacing meandering - as much as it was a book allegedly about June's cancer, Jayne's relationships with those around her, or even her eating disorder, it didn't feel like there was much to grasp onto; it was just moving from scene to scene and things didn't really coalesce until the final chapters. And while Jayne developed into a character I understood more throughout the story, I generally found her perspective frustrating and not overly likable. I'm also quite frankly baffled at the publication/marketing decision to have this as YA. The main character is a twenty year old college student, her problems are the problems of a broke adult living in New York, and the references are generally older and pretty highbrow, despite all the talk of Insta stories - not to underestimate The Youth of Today, but I'm not sure In the Mood for Love is a super well-known touchstone for most. I'm not certain what teenage reader I would recommend this to; although certain themes might resonate - the fraught family relationships and the feelings which come along with having a family member with a serious illness, but also the discussion of being a member of an immigrant culture - the execution is quite stylistically different from most other books aimed at the age group, including those which focus on difficult themes. Perhaps if someone came in professing a love for Fleabag and Ottessa Moshfegh and capital-C Cinema, I could tell them that I had the book for them.

This book devastated me. Mary HK Choi's novels have a way of digging deep into your soul and not letting go, and this one does exactly that. Wow.

was unable to read; damaged file. Will try to check it out once published in order to provide a valid review.

A book about estranged sisters will always be my sweet spot. Choi's books always scream character detail, development, and complexity. Yolk is no exception. Set in NYC, Yolk is about the chasms of silence that stretch from sunrise to sunset painting the sky in shades of washed out blue. The gulf of distance between our life, the dreams we inhabited, and reality. Full of memories of moments in the past, we can be sure we see it all in clarity. That we have a handle of what we saw, who we are, and the lives of those around us. Only through time and reflection, sharing and vulnerability, do we really see how little we know.

I loved seeing the memories of their lives, of the fragments of their sharpened edges, the pieces of themselves reflected in each other's eyes. If you have a sister, sibling, or have ever wanted one, Yolk is a layered examination of this bond. The buttons we know how to press our skill in mood reading. Especially as we bridge into adulthood and our family, our sisters, become fully fledged people. Instead of the villains, or heroes, we have painted them out to be.

Spaces rife with memories, we wonder if there's too much distance to bridge. Pasts full of comparisons, being pitted against each other, and constantly living in shadows. All the ways we are lumped together, losing senses of edges and distinctions. The tenuous relationship between them with fault lines and weak spots. It's a reflection on the incidents we have misread. The situations we didn't know meant so much in a time when we thought they meant so little.

Content warning: body dysmorphia, bulimia, cancer

In YOLK, Jayne Baek is a college student in New York, living a messy and broke life with a terrible not-boyfriend/roommate. She avoids her older sister June, who works in finance and is described as successful in ways that Jayne is not. When Jayne finds out June has cancer and that she’s using Jayne’s health insurance, Jayne tries to be there for her sister despite their fraught history together and Jayne’s own struggles with body dysmorphia.

I am a fan of Choi’s EMERGENCY CONTACT and I was happy to see that her voice and exceptional writing was prevalent in YOLK. There are so many great lines and moments, but this was a challenging read for me. The subject matter and the situations Jayne gets/puts herself into are difficult and frustrating. Throughout the book, Jayne is self-aware of her anxiety, her self-loathing, and her bad choices and while it helps me understand, it is also distressing, especially how it affects her decisions with men. In short, this is not a happy book.

However, I found myself rooting for Jayne. The push-and-pull of Jayne and June’s relationship was done so well and felt so real. We feel the love between these sisters, even though they fail each other at times. Their interactions were heartbreaking and funny. They were certainly the stars of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing + NetGalley for the eARC of YOLK by Mary HK Choi.

We barely started 2021 but I can easily say that YOLK is going to be one of my top books of 2021.

YOLK is about two sisters Jayne and June, each making their own way in NYC.

Mary HK Choi is a masterful author who tells the story of two sisters who both need each other and, at times, want nothing to do with each other. This is a powerful story of sisters + family and how illness (both physical and mental) change the dynamics of relationships. It is about what we hide from each other, as well as ourselves, and the self that we show to the world. Ultimately YOLK explores the interconnectedness of our relationships and the way we muddle our way through - it is a gut punch of a book in the very best way.

Content warnings for eating disorders, body dysmorphia + bulimia

In equal parts the jagged edge of a broken teacup and delicate and a flower, Yolk is a searing portrait of a Korean American family, focusing on two sisters who are more alike than they'd care to admit. For as understandable as the sisters were, they were also unlikeable in turns, showing an incredibly real portrait of young women finding home with each other.

My review for Shelf Awareness Pro is here: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3896#m50957

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/yolk-by-mary-h-k-choi-in-shelf-awareness/

“I imagine myself as an entirely different person. Someone new. Someone strong. Someone whole.”

Jayne lives in New York City hiding in plain sight. She goes to fashion school; makes bad decisions to avoid hard situations and wrestles with her complicated relationships. Jayne keeps her own secrets and works hard to ensure no one discovers her true self, the one that never fails to disappoint and always ends up alone. The day Jayne discovers her older, wildly successful sister has cancer, she must face some difficult realities. Their relationship begins to change when Jayne discovers her sister is pretending to be Jayne, using the borrowed identity and medical insurance to pay for her cancer treatment. Yolk is a novel of self-discovery in which Jayne learns to heal her relationships by learning to care for herself.

This is no light story. More New Adult than YA, Jayne’s dysmorphia and resulting eating disorders, her brutal self loathing, and self destructive choices will be hard for some readers. Jayne wrestles with her relationships: with her mother, with her sister, with all of her roommates, a string of selfish boyfriends, and especially food. Mostly, Jayne hides from the darkest judgment of all, her own. But, for some readers Yolk will be a revelation. Choi provides space for readers to be uncomfortable, authentic, and real in a way that encourages recognition, wholeness, and growth.

Mary H.K. Choi writes beautiful people and lets us touch all the bruised pieces of them. When we do, she gives us permission to acknowledge our own ugly, bruised places freeing us to understand that it can be better. The strength and resilience in her characters’ despair generates empathy without pity communicating that wherever you are, there can be a path through. Choi writes with a sharp eye for the complexities of family relationships, visions of self, and connections to the world. A delicate hand with details both beautiful and raw, reading Jayne’s story is like making a new friend. Tiny pieces revealed fragments at a time, small bites you can digest without being overwhelmed. By the time she reveals the true fullness and weight of the secrets, you are so invested in Jayne and her family, you wouldn’t dare to look away. Choi’s delicate, deft hand leads to an authentic, untidy but hopeful end.

Read it for Choi’s note to readers alone, “Please be gentle with yourselves – sensitivity is a superpower. And please know that there is no such thing as a bad body. Truly. Take up space, it is your birthright.”

Can’t believe how good this was 👏👏👏⁣
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I was a huge fan of Choi’s EMERGENCY CONTACT that came out a few years ago, but her follow up PERMANENT RECORD was a DNF for me. YOLK, which is about two sisters but really about so much more, is phenomenal. ⁣
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This is definitely a character driven story. Not much happens, but the specificity of the two main sisters and Choi’s razor sharp humor make every page come alive. If you have a sibling or a best friend, this book is for you, although a content warning for eating disorders. ⁣
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Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for this review. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many of my students have multiple siblings in their families. I love finding books that explore complex sibling relationships to hand to my students. Mary H.K. Choi is a must have author in the older young adult library. It a novel mature readers will surely love.