I am so glad that the publisher gave me the opportunity to review this book. This was an excellent debut book by the author. It’s truly one of my favorite reads of 2022.

I was surprised to learn that this book is written in a dual narrative, I feel that makes the storyline so much more interesting. It allows the reader a chance to connect with the characters.

I also appreciated the writers descriptions. I felt like I was a part of the story as I could picture everything easily.

I will definitely be purchasing this one for my collection.

This was just good for me, not great. I do like the author's writing style and character development, but the story moved a bit slow for my preference. I was invested in the plot and characters and wanted to see it through, but it felt draggy and emotionally repetitive at times. I did appreciate the look into Korean culture as well as the representation of a Korean-American living in Korea, and the hardships that can be faced by immigrants in other countries. For a debut novel, I do believe Soon Wiley is going to bring us great things. I am for sure interested in seeing what's next and will definitely be reading it.

Min is a Korean American who never quite feels at home in California. Stuck between not feeling American or Korean enough, he decides to move to Korea to get in touch with his heritage. While there, he meets Yu-Jin. They instantly fall in love, or so it seems. One day, a detective comes and lets Min know that Yu-Jin has committed suicide. Min can’t fit this together with the strong, larger than life, ambitious girl he knew. As he tries to get more information about what happened, he realizes how much pressure she was under from family, her roommates, and grad school. More and more secrets spill out, leaving him to wonder if he really knew Yu-Jin at all.
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💭Thoughts💭
I loved the two POVs in the novel. Seeing things from Yu-Jin’s view was obviously super important and it was interesting to see how much her paranoia colored the things that happened to her. I have also never read a book based in Korea before and it was very cool to learn about how important success, perfection, and education is to the majority of people who live there, especially outside of the city.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
My favorite moments were when Min was playing detective. He was such a sweet man and tried to hard to solve what happened to Yu-Jin. I was happy for him that he found peace and happiness in the end because he deserved it.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Watch La Dolce Vita or Tokyo Story, two important movies in the book. Also treat yourself to some Korean cuisine! Yu-Jin has some delicious sushi with one or her roommates, as well as kimchi, seaweed chips, and Korean barbecue. They also drink a lot of soju, which tastes like a sweeter vodka and is made from sweet potatoes.

This story may contain the hint of a mystery but what I discovered went much deeper then the possibility of a crime having been committed.

I immersed myself in the culture of Korea as a mixed race young man returned to the home of his mother trying to find a place to fit in. Half-American and half-Korean he found himself straddling two countries, not comfortable in any place. When his Korean girlfriend dies,possibly a suicide, Min must confront his demons and examine his emotions more deeply as secrets are revealed and a single, purpose-driven society heaps more pressure on families then they can sometimes handle.

If you are searching for a sense of belonging anywhere, I urge you to read this novel. I hope it will bring you peace, self-acceptance, and thought provoking conversations.

3.5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this authors writing style and hope to pick up more of Wiley’s works. That being said although I enjoyed this book the pacing was very slow. I was so invested during the first half of this book, but my interest ebbed in the second half. I feel like the book could have been 100 pages shorter and have been more impactful.

Thank you Dutton Books and Netgalley for this complimentary copy.

This was such an interesting read! It was a really emotional contemporary fiction mixed with a sort of murder mystery element which was so cool!

Set in Korea, this book explored a lot of cultural and familial issues within Korean culture. A large focus of the book was sexuality and the fear that came with being anything other than heterosexual within their culture. Yu-Jin was such a brilliant character with so many complexities, and simply just trying to live her life without judgment from her parents.

Another focal point in the book is suicide, and whether or not Yu-Jin committed suicide is sort of the mystery element. There are a lot of emotional secrets uncovered in Yu-Jin’s story, and a lot of them circle back to suicidal thoughts and whether it was enough to lead her to suicide. There were some bits that were quite emotional surrounding this, and if you’re particularly concerned about trigger warnings but not fussed about potential spoilers, please message me!

This was an enjoyable read! I enjoyed the perspectives from both characters, especially Yu-Jin. I enjoyed the different takes on Korean culture and I found this book quite engaging. With that being said, I don’t think it was my favorite suspense/thriller novel but worth the read regardless.

Thank you to Dutton, and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

I struggled with this book, it took me a while to get into it and I began to scan ahead.

I did not finish this book and not because it was a horrible read. The writing was quite good but I can't put my finger on what about the story did not draw me in.

The descriptions of Korea were great and I liked the dual narrators. This book is worth a read, it just wasn't for me.

TW: Suicide

Do you ever really know someone?

Min, born to an American father and Korean mother, has never quite fit in at home, in California. He moves to Seoul, hoping to find purpose in Korea and explore the other half of his culture. He finds he doesn't quite fit in there either, but when he meets his girlfriend, Yu-jin, it doesn't matter as much. As Min grows closer to Yu-jin and her roommate, So-ra, he finds a little slice of happiness in Korea. All of this changes when Min learns that Yu-jin has committed suicide. He is devastated, and he doesn't believe that Yu-jin would really take her own life. She was happy, and she was so close to graduating and starting her life. Suspicious of Yu-jin's controlling father and wary of So-ra, Min sets out to find the truth about Yu-jin's death. As he unearths more and more about Yu-jin's final weeks, he realizes he may not have known her as well as he thought.
This novel was beautifully written, making me feel like I could visualize Seoul as I read. I loved learning about Korean culture, as I am always open to learning about different countries and cultures. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel, and how much I could relate to the characters and their respective challenges. I was so sad for Min and Yu-jin, and I also wanted to know the truth behind her untimely end. I listened to the audiobook and was blown away by the narrators. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys suspenseful drama.

The exploration of Seoul is the best part, but the characters are two-dimensional and the tension/buildup/emotional characterisation isn't done right: there's too much cliche, too much of the characters telling us their feelings in a way that doesn't make them come alive for the reader.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

When We Fell Apart tells the story of Min and Yu-jin, two young adults who came to Seoul in search of something and begin dating. After Yu-jin’s suicide, Min searches for answers, while also grappling with his own identity.

Overall, this was an incredible debut novel!! I really enjoyed how the book is told from dual POV—Min in the present, Yu-jin in the past. I also loved how much I learned about Korean culture throughout this book.

This book covers a lot of tough topics—family, identity, friendship, mental health—so be prepared to feel all the emotions. It’s a story about finding oneself and how well we really know those around us.

Again, an incredible debut—can’t wait to see what Wiley writes next!

Thank you @netgalley, @duttonbooks for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton, Netgalley and Soon Wiley for the ARC copy of When We Fell Apart.

2.5 stars rounded up. There were so many things to like about this book. The setting, and descriptions of Korea were great, I liked the main character and the LGBTQ themes. It was also written in a dual perspective which I usually enjoy reading. However, there was something about this book that just didn't work for me. It put me in a reading slump for sure. Usually I can finish a book within a few days, but this one took me almost 2 weeks. It was just.... boring. I found myself constantly falling asleep when reading, and putting it off to do other things. Tonight, I finally just forced myself to finish, and definitely skimmed the last bit. There wasn't really anything that was "bad" about this book, I just found it boring.

Hopefully someone else will read this book and enjoy it, it just wasn't for me. Thank you though for the ARC copy!

A strong debut literary mystery told in alternating perspectives. I don't read much with death by suicide at the center, but When We Fell Apart centers around this. The characters are complicated and I cared deeply for them.

When We Fell Apart is a debut novel that is beautifully written. Min is a Korean American living in Korea trying to connect to his heritage. He has never felt like he belongs in American or in Seoul. His girlfriend, Yu-jin, is ambitious, smart, beautiful and trying to live up to her parent’s expectations. When Min is told that Yu-jin has committed suicide he is shocked and can’t believe that she would do that. He goes searching for answers.

Its both plot driven and character driven with great character development. Do we really know the people closest to us? I don’t want to say too much about the themes as I don’t want to give too much away. If you like coming of age, family drama and expectations, cultural challenges and a little mystery I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the eARC for review.

I've been lucky in my life to have lived in many countries, and traveled to several others. One of the countries still on my bucket list is South Korea. The 2.5 years I lived in Japan gave me a taste for Asian culture. Since, then, I've done a lot of reading about Korea and am eager to visit there someday--and this book only heightened that longing.

When We Fell Apart is a homage to the incredible city of Seoul, South Korea. I reveled in the many descriptions of the physical and the spiritual sides of the city and its people. The plot is a of a mishmash of romance, family drama and politics, Asian familial expectations and sexist work culture, and fish-out-of-water expatriates (something I appreciate having been one for years). In other words, it's trying hard to be a lot of things to a lot of different readers.

The resulting story is interesting and enjoyable, thanks to the setting and the way the author is able to bring Seoul to life on so many levels. But I found myself wondering why the ending was so obvious and a bit of a let down, since the main male character simply leaves the city and heads home to California, where we've already been told he feels unwelcome and unhappy.

When We Fell Apart bounced between a 3 and 4 star read for me but I'm giving it 4 because the descriptions of the city and its people are poetic and made me wish I could experience it for myself.

I did enjoy the writing style of Soon Wiley, but wasn't as crazy about this story. I do think this is a scenario where I can say "it's me, not you". I can see others really enjoying this book, so while my rating may not be high if others are thinking of reading it I would say go for it!

From the beginning, Soon Wiley had me with his debut, 𝗪𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝗪𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓. It’s the story of a Korean American man, Min, whose girlfriend, Yu-jin, has committed suicide in her Seoul apartment. Min is blindsided and cannot accept that Yu-jin would kill herself. He goes on a hunt looking for answers, quickly coming to discover that there were many layers to Yu-jin he knew nothing about.⁣
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I loved the set up of this book and getting to know all the characters and their backstories. These were complicated young people, who for different reasons, tended to hold big parts of themselves back, making it harder to put the pieces together. Throughout the first half, I was all in, but you know that feeling when a book just goes on too long? By the second half, it started to feel repetitive, a little slow, and harder to hold my interest. The ending of 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘈𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 was satisfying, but I think the whole book would have been stronger had it been a little shorter. Despite that, I will definitely be reading whatever Wiley writes next. (Rounded up from 3.5 stars)
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Thanks to @duttonbooks for an ARC of #WhenWeFellApart.

When We Fell Apart is an entirely immersive read. It is a mystery, but also a devastatingly delicate book about self discovery, acceptance, identity and societal/cultural expectations. It's as equally character driven as it is plot driven. Soon Wiley's use of language and description gripped me from the very first page. I couldn't help but be pulled in. What an incredible debut.

The story follows Min, a Korean-American who moves to Seoul from America to explore his heritage, and his Korean girlfriend Yu-Jin who is just about to graduate from university. The novel begins when Min is informed Yu-jin has committed suicide. Heartbroken and confused, Min sets out to solve the mystery surrounding her death. The pacing and level of detail throughout is perfect. I love that the narration alternates between Min's perspective in the present day and Yu-jin's perspective from the past. As both POV's develop and eventually overlap, the uncertainty of what happened is unveiled in a way that kept me fully engaged. As a reader, I was gradually exposed the depths of Yu-jin's existence at the same time Min discovers them in his own time. And in addition, I could feel Min's sadness as he struggled with his own identity while simultaneously coming to terms that he may have not even known the "real" Yu-jin. The many observations made around the idea of identity - the sense of belonging, self-discovery, embodying multiple identities, the deceitful nature of presenting different versions of yourself to different groups of people, etc. - are all concepts that I think resonate no matter what your background may be.

This book was powerful and moving, with very believable characters in the beautiful setting of modern day Seoul. It's as an excellent reminder that you never know what someone is dealing with internally. It is beautifully written, both compelling and touching. This one will stay with me for a long time!

**Thank you Soon Wiley, Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review**

First I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have a lot to process with this story. It was a fantastic story, but there was a lot. I'm still trying to digest and form the rolls of how I want to explain my thoughts.

I'll be back!

When We Fell Apart
by: Soon Wiley
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction)
pub date: 4/26/22

This is a touching book about a young Korean American man and his journey through complex circumstances. Wiley's book has themes of mystery and cultural identity. His writing proves why this book has been of the most anticipated new releases recently.

Thank you to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#WhenWeFellApart #NetGalley