Maurene Goo’s coming of age YA beautifully explores the complex ties of inter-generational family relationships and the immigrant experience in this heartfelt and humour-filled, Back To The Future-esque romp.

Throwback is a fun callback to the 90s (fashion, slang, terrible cliques and all), with an engaging story of a daughter who finds out that she and her mother might not be so different after all. Freaky Friday vibes, with time travel.

This was a fun time travel story!

I really enjoyed reading it and read it in one sitting

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

4.5 stars rounded up. Had me sobbing multiple times. Truly what a delicious rollercoaster ride of an experience this story was to read. Definitely on point with the Back to the Future meets Joy Luck Club reference but also had hints of Petite Maman, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Saving Face, The Half of It, Jawbreaker, Mean Girls, Final Girls, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Clueless, Pride and Prejudice, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Easy A, Back to 15... Just all the greats, really. This story, these characters, this journey really won me over and had me a believer by the end and also included genuinely surprising and unexpected moments which for me are extremely rare occurrences, especially considering how familiar I am with the aforementioned films. Healing generational trauma is beautiful and I’m so happy this YA book exists for teens today. To have access this language as a teen is so powerful and I am so excited that there are books like this right now in the world for Asian Americans; mixed raced teens; first-, second-, third-generation Americans... To be seen by and, in turn, to understand others is a gift too oft unappreciated at any age, but especially as a young adult when it is most crucial to development; as the book itself explores. To see parents and children as human not unlike yourself. It really is one of those moments as an adult that changes so much about how you can relate to and approach your parents or your grandparents and we don't all always get to experience that feeling with our parents or loved ones. But in this book, Goo is able to place you as a reader in such a space where you experience that here through the course of meeting Sam, a second generation American, who is having a hard time reconciling how her first gen former HS cheerleader mom Priscilla is assimilatory and, to Sam, almost rejecting of her South Korean heritage. Priscilla has a contentious relationship with her mother, Sam's halmoni, that Sam cannot understand as her own relationship with her halmoni is nothing like the one her mother seems to have with her. After Sam and her mom have a huge fight, Sam gets thrown back in time to the 90s where she meets her mom, aged 17, and has to quickly parse out why she ended up in the time she did and what she needs to do in order to get back or never see her family, friends, or her boyfriend again. Even if there is a mysterious boy here in the past she just can't seem to keep her mind off of.

Obvi with going back in time as an Asian American there has to be some age-appropriate gross behavior which is always so gross to read even though accurate. I went to international school abroad in Japan the 2000s so my experience is different in various respects but from my experience with my paternal family, summer camp in the states, college, etc. I found the 90s behavior presented in the novel by Goo as experiences congruous with experiences I have both personally experienced or had close friends, my parents and their friends share with me. I simultaneously understand (because its historically accurate) and don't understand (because its as ridiculous and disgusting then as it is now that has never changed and always remained) why it was ever a thing for people to behave that way in public with their whole chest and think it was cool, acceptable behavior at all. It truly blows my mind and yet I have so many stories where if I wasn't in them I would also be like, "This sounds ABNORMAL?" and you're like... "Yeah. Exactly." Anyway, I digress.

I really related to this parenting your parents and giving them access to language they did not have access to at the time they were young thing because (wow I'm going to get really personal) I have discussed with my own therapist in the past how the therapy I go through trickles down in a way to my mother as I teach her how to set boundaries for herself in conversations where she shares frustrations with me or things she wishs for herself, etc. Being the support for someone that they deserved to have when they deserved to have it. Their fiercest advocate and ally. It healed my heart in ways I didn't realize I still needed healing and I'm so grateful to Goo for giving me that, and for giving the culture that, because this book with heal a lot of people. I love how each woman is relatable in their own way, and you come to understand and appreciate their complexities and find beauty in everything about them. Love all the characters in this story so much. Can't not namedrop Ms. Jo. Love that girlboss.

Need to fawn over the print edition format a little because AHHHHH I LOVE WHEN BOOKS DO FUN CREATIVE LIL THINGS IN THEIR CHAPTER HEADINGS OR PLAY WITH FORMAT EEEEEEEEEEEEEE like I want to talk about how GENIUS it is and why I love it so much in v specifically in minute detaile but I also LOVED flipping the page and seeing it IRL as I was reading so just gonna say AM I OBSESSEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD WITH IT ????????? YES I AM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! literally I was like "Oh... I hope...." and then my hope coming to fruition as the chapters progressed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *PURE CHESHIRE CAT GRIN SATISFACTION* I tell you.

Loved Sam's romance plotline. The ending !!! Such a classic iconic moment and I love a good callback.

Finally, as this book deals chiefly with healing generational trauma and Sam goes back in time where Loving vs. Virginia (in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1967) has existed for less than 30 years. Understandably, the text covers some heavy, emotional topics; including: hospitalized grandparent, grandparent death (prior to story), racism, internalized racism, microaggressions, misogynistic comments, homophobic comments, slut shaming, underage drinking; and uses some strong language. Please practice care and kindness to self. You are valid, worthy, and beautiful both inside and out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Zando Projects, Zando Young Readers for access to an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review, and to Maurene Goo for giving the Asian American mothers and daughters a beautiful story of healing, understanding, and empathy. The power and influence facilitate generational healing for multiple immigrant families--I am in awe. So happy to experience this story during AAPI Heritage month :D Highly recommend!

This book is SO GOOD, a must read!!! I was so invested in Samantha and her mother's relationship and could not wait to see how it would all resolve. I absolutely loved the time travel aspect and how the literal time travel and mystery of it all was just a small piece of the story and didn't overshadow the rest of the beautiful story. Watching Sam learn and grow while in the mid-90s with her mother was amazing. I chuckled so many times at references that were made to 90s things. Maurene Goo did a great job of pointing out ways marginalized groups (especially Asians and Asian Americans - Sam's family is Korean) were subjected to racist comments and stereotypes during the 90s. It was done in a subtle, but powerful way.
I could not put this one down and I didn't want it to end!! This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. Truly a beautiful book!

I went into this book hoping for all the 90s nostalgia. The book takes place in 1995, and I certainly got the 90s vibes. It was so much fun flashing back to the time of my childhood. (In 1995 I was a whole ten years old.)

Sam and her mother, Pricilla, do NOT get along. Pricilla was the first generation Korean-American living with a single mother barely making ends meet, trying to live the stereotypical American dream, while Sam is a Gen Z social justice/climate warrior who grew up very privileged. After a huge fight with her mom, Sam is thrown back in time to 1995. Sam is convinced she needs to help her mom win homecoming queen, then all will be well in the future.

The “magic” in this book is light, existing only as the plot device to throw Sam together with her mother, as a teenager. This really is a story of a mother/daughter relationship, with a romance side plot thrown in for good measure.

As someone who was once a teenage girl herself, as well as being a mother to a teenager now, I really felt that I could see the POV of both Sam and Pricilla. I definitely identified a little more with Pricilla, probably because we’re both millennials. Sam actually annoyed me quite a bit by taking every little thing she sees as not politically correct personally.

I loved the romance that was thrown in. I’m not going to say anything more on that front, except that I really enjoyed it.

The ending to this book was perfect. I can’t say how it ends, but I really liked it. Everything fell together exactly as it should.

I was drawn to this because of the 90’s vibes, which were wonderful, but I ended up loving this for so many other reasons too!

I loved the look into what being a Korean immigrant meant for different generations as well as the complex nature of mother-daughter relationships throughout.

This book had plenty of humor but also a whole lot of heart and I would highly recommend it for readers of all ages!

This was a fun and cute book. I liked the way the author tied in the mother daughter relationship with the character growth, It was also interesting to read about the difference between growing up/racism, what had changed and what hasn’t.

*Obrigada ao NetGalley e a editora por ceder uma cópia antecipada do livro em troca de uma opinião sincera sobre ele.*

Foi em Um Lugar Só Nosso que eu tive meu primeiro contato com a Maurene Goo e havia gostado, infelizmente interrompido na segunda leitura dela, Isso que a gente chama de amor, que de tanto demorar a me prender e convencer, abandonei. Duas experiências de leitura bem opostas com a autora, e cá estou enfim tirando o veredito se continuo a dar chances à ela ou não. E, bem, essa terceira tentativa não poderia ter sido melhor.

Throwback foi certeiro e ao mesmo tempo além do que eu esperava em alguns termos pela premissa de viagem no tempo, anos 90, imigração sul-coreana nos Estados Unidos, e o foco na relação desgastada de uma filha e sua mãe. Os capítulos iniciais, bem em clima introdutório à Samantha e as matriarcas da família Jo demoraram um pouconpara engatar, mas uma vez que a garota vai parar em 1995, as coisas começam a fluir e envolver aos poucos. Diferente dos livros citados anteriormente, nesse a autora deixa o romance mais de lado e dá os holofotes para as relações de mãe e filha tanto em torno da Samantha e a Priscilla, quanto da Priscilla e a Sra. Jo, além de também trabalhar um pouco do interior das personagens, cada uma delas lidando, à seu modo, com as expectativas e dificuldades de se ser asiático na cultura norte-americana e os altos e baixos de cada fase e tempo nesse processo.

Mais do que um simples YA, Maurene Goo faz de Throwback uma viagem nostálgica ao passado enquanto aprofunda relações familiares e dá atenção às devidas diferenças entre cada geração, mostrando também que ser jovem, não importa se no Oriente ou Ocidente, nos anos 90 ou já em 2023, sempre vai ter seus altos e baixos, e por isso a importância das outras gerações aprenderem tanto a lidar quanto a auxiliar as novas nessa jornada que, no fim das contas, nunca acaba realmente.

Teve uma ou outra coisa que me irritaram na leitura, únicos motivos pelos quais não chegou a ser 5 estrelas para mim, em meio à certas situações que me soaram forçadas em militância por parte da Samantha, a forma como o final dos anos 90 se deu na trama, que eu queria que tivesse sido um pouco menos apressado e o fato de eu ter acertado um certo plot da história bem antes de ele soar possível, acho, o que quebrou essa surpresa pra mim, mas, no geral, foi uma leitura muito boa. Fiquei particularmente animada com o fato do interesse amoroso da protagonista (não vou dizer quem) puxar mais para o lado nerd, fugindo do padrão de high-school atlético, mas, enfim. Recomendo a leitura!

"The way you tell me things about yourself. The way you look at everything through a specific point of view. You have something to say. And you know how to do it in an interesting way.To get people to listen."

Let me tell you, just because this book falls under the YA genre, it doesn't mean it's all whiny and immature. Sam, the protagonist, is anything but childish (though she can be a bit bratty at times, let's be real). I totally identified with her struggles, especially when it came to her mom. They saw the world so differently, all because of their wildly different upbringings.

As a parent, it opened my eyes to the fact that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to raising kids. We want the best for them, sure, but we gotta remember to listen to them and let them find their own way in the world.

But despite the serious stuff, Sam is still an absolute joy to read. She grows and changes so much throughout the book, and her comedic timing is spot on. I found myself laughing aloud more times than I can count.

And don't get me started on the mother-daughter relationship focus. The author tackles that theme like a boss, while still managing to weave in other subtle subplots that never detract from the main story. And let's not forget the romance! There are some seriously cute lovey-dovey moments that'll make you want to swoon.

Overall, this book is a winner. I'd read it again and again, no question.

3.5/5 stars. Throwback is a highly enjoyable coming-of-age YA novel that explores intergenerational family relationships, the immigrant experience, and growing up in America. I love to mix up my genres, and YA is always a welcome addition.

Sam is a Gen Z Korean American teenage girl who gets stuck in the 1990's with her teenaged mother. The story felt fresh, funny and relevant with a bit of a decades-crossed romance thrown in for good measure. I can totally see this getting turned into a streaming movie or limited series - our pre-teen and teen kids need more content like this!

As a child of the 80's who grew up in the 90's, I really enjoyed the 90's references, from the music, to the lack of cellphones, to the clothing. My favorite line - because I'm sure it's something my own kids would say:

"Who even was the president? Hillary Clinton’s husband?"

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so glad we've been getting ownvoices not just from Black people, Latinx, and the queer community. I'm not a K-pop fan, but the Korean culture interests me a lot, and this book has a lot of it without the pretense of teaching us something. (I did learn nonetheless).

The story starts a lot like Back to the Future. Sam goes back in time to when her mother was still in high school, but not while part-timing with a crazy scientist. But this doesn't matter. She's not even sure what she needs to do to go back, just that she has a mission, and it all points to being: to fix her mother and grandmother's relationship, which derailed when her mother lost for prom queen. For that, she needs to (find a place to live), befriend her mother, and make sure the whole school of strangers from the 90's vote for her. And maybe enjoy some romance for herself in the way.

I loved this read! It is on point about the 90's being a little too much when it came to how people talked to and about whoever was judged different, but maybe the intensity with which the book wanted to reproach it was what bothered me the most. Of course, Sam isn't the most likable character in the beginning, but she grows a lot as the story goes. The incessant criticism of the 90's ways doesn't. Yeah, they weren't correct, but the way it's applied here is almost to say we are the best now, which really, really isn't the truth. So, why be stuck on pointing how how the past was cruel to the minorities when the present still is, though in other ways? There wasn't much to win pointing it out like this.

Aside from that, it's a pretty story. It develops the relationships too, not only among Sam's family members, but also with people in school, others in life. I like how fulfilling this part is. Plus, we have the romance developing, just the way I like it.

I don't see enough elements for this to be among the best YA's ever, it could be more, sure, but I think it deserves more attention than it's been getting. I recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary YA (albeit partly taking place in 90's lol).


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Throwback by Maurene Goo is a fun rom-com with mother-daughter drama with time travel.

Throwback has Back to the Future vibes with a Freaky Friday slant. Samantha gets sent back to 1995 after an epic fight with her mom, unable to get back to her own time until she completes a mystery mission... all while her grandmother is having a health crisis. No pressure, right?!

This fun YA book has loads of 90s references for older readers, while the fish out of water trope appeals to all readers. This trope delivers some funny moments, from learning to use the bus and live without internet to some heartbreaking ones, like enduring overt racism and sexism.

What makes this book stand out to me is the strong representation of intergenerational relationships. Sam thinks she's open minded, but finds her perspective of her mother and grandmother's relationship is actually quite rigid.

Themes include finding oneself, opening perspectives, and shifting generational priorities. But along the way, there are plenty of laugh out loud hi-jinx, interesting characters, and time travel obstacles to overcome.

It's interesting, because most of the characters aren't particularly likable right off the bat. Both Sam and Priscilla are stubborn, rigid, and unwilling to walk a mile in the others shoes. Yet seeing them learn to open up to one another and undo generational toxic cycles together made the overall tone hopeful.

Maurene Goo's Throwback is available now.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Zando Young Readers for an advanced e-arc such that I could share my honest opinions.

I completely relate to Priscilla in regard to her mother/daughter relationship so it was nice to see that dynamic play out. I am currently reading all of the YA books I can find and the throwback to the 90's was fun for me as that's when I grew up. There were parts that were hard to stick with but not so much that I wasn't going to finish. I really enjoyed the cultural dynamic and they overall storyline. The plot concept was fun and different in terms of a throwback.

I really enjoyed Maurene Goo's writing style and her character development. Though they are not extremely developed characters they are dynamic characters which I'd rather they be in this type of novel. This isn't my go-to type of novel but it was a super fun jump away from my typical romance or mystery genres. And it was a quick fun read.

Throwback by Maurene Goo is about teenager Sam, a second-generation Korean American, who is at odds with her mother (typical teen righteousness?). When the two have a huge argument, Sam climbs into a rideshare only at its destination to discover herself in the 1990s at her mother’s high school . . . and attending the same school as her mother. Nothing like almost walking in someone’s shoes to get an idea of what their life was like.

So. So. SO! Where to begin? How about at the beginning?

Sam is an unpalatable, entitled, spoiled brat, and since Throwback is told in the first person, the reader gets her self-involved, arrogant opinions ad nauseum. Sam tells us how primitive the 1990s are compared to the 2020s. That in her world there isn’t bullying. I don’t know about you, but I believe it’s a miracle that somehow civilization progresses so rapidly in 1-and-1/2 years that the bullying I hear about in nearby high schools will totally be eradicated. Imagine! Yes, imagine. However, I suspect that in Sam’s probably very small, very elite high school that perhaps everyone does get along and respect everyone. Really? Well, no. I don’t believe that at all.

The fact that Sam also preaches the gospel of social media and influencers without acknowledging the damage they do is also laughable, especially considering that teenage girls, the primary audience for this novel, have higher suicide rates than ever before with at least 30% having considered suicide. So really this novel is science fiction in more than the fact that the main character travels back in time. There are other debatable observations but I’ll leave it with these. Suffice to say I am constantly researching the effect of the internet on kindness and fall on the side that it’s had a detrimental effect.

If the reader can move beyond Sam’s preachiness and aggressiveness, then they can see that Sam slowly begins to understand that her mother is a 1990s over-achiever, who wants it all. A tenacity that Sam cannot comprehend because Sam doesn’t know what she wants. Her parents have provided her with a support system regardless of her achievements. Sam also can’t understand why her mother, Priscilla, hangs around with the White kids instead of the Korean kids. But when Sam begins to hang around with Priscilla, meets her grandmother, not as her grandmother but as Priscilla’s mother, she sees that her grandmother is more domineering and needy–out of necessity–than the woman Sam knows. Slowly Sam’s very black and white world takes on some gray. However, not enough for me.

Sam is a character who talks a big game but rarely acts. Perhaps this could have been alleviated if more thought had gone into overall characterization rather than just characterization based on reaction, which is often over-reaction. Indeed, I find a character constantly “raging” and taking offense at instances like being called “sweetie” by an older individual to be deserving of an eyeroll when that character does nothing except get into people’s face in an ugly manner and fails to differentiate between the battles which are worth fighting. Or even, forget battles, actions that are necessary and important like her so-called activism for the environment, which is nothing more than talk.

On par with the novel itself, little thought has been given to the ramifications of changing the past via time travel. The reader is supposed to go with it. Shrug. What can I say other than it would have been cool if something had changed–not intentionally. But let’s not go crazy here and make a nuanced novel.

Lastly, I am somewhat bemused by the fact that the author’s research brought up microfiche rather than microfilm as the medium through which Sam and her friend view old documents at the library since my one instance of Googling only brought up microfilm. Even as an oldie (but goodie (am I allowed to say that without offending someone?!)), I never used microfiche.

So. Okay. Before I give the impression that I hated Throwback, I didn’t. While I found the first half pretty painful, the last third was more engaging as Sam acquires some awareness and action happens besides Sam being offended by the 1990s.

I accept that I am not the target audience for Throwback and not only because I tend to overthink everything.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Throwback was SO much fun and such a beautiful tribute to mother-daughter relationships. What if we could go back in time to see what our mothers were like before they had us, when they were in high school even, how would that change our relationships? That is the question that Goo is asking in this book and I absolutely loved how she answered it. The book was truly pure joy, from start to finish, and even though the story deals in heavier topics, there is a lightness to it that made the book so enjoyable to read. Time travel books are different and a lot of fun, and I love when I can suspend my disbelief enough in the mechanics of the time travel to just enjoy the story - this one was such a great example of that. I haven't been loving some of the YA I've tried in the past couple of years, but I reading Throwback made me want to read the rest of Goo's novels, which is such a great feeling. A new author to explore! I really loved this.

Maureen Goo writes some solid books. I highly enjoyed this one. I'm a few years younger than Priscilla, but I appreciated a lot of the references. It made me super nostalgic for the mid to late 90s. I do recognize that I have kind of grown out of enjoying YA books especially now that my job focuses on younger children's lit. So I found it easier to relate to the adult characters in the book. However, Maureen Goo writes everyone so well and makes the story enjoyable.

*Cute for the time travel and "bonding with your mom in the nineties vibe"
*but I prefer to not be beat over the head with the whole PROM IS INHERENTLY BAD AND WRONG AND WE SHOULD CANCEL IT in a book where the protagonist still ends up prom queen

I really enjoyed this book! It had a Back to the Future or Freaky Friday vibe to it. Super fun! I would recommend to high school students and adults.

Back to the Future meets Clueless in Throwback by Maureen Goo.

This book was difficult for me to rate because I appreciated how this book addressed culture and its impact in America, but I found the characters one dimensional with little growth over the book.

As a child of the 90’s, I was excited to read how a teenager from the 21st century would react to how different everything was. Yes, Sam, our main character, is definitely shocked by the social norms of the 90’s, but how she addressed it to the other characters was almost like it was trying too hard to be quirky and modern.

I thought the writing itself was good, but overall, it did not feel like the book really went anywhere, and even the limited growth in the character development did not make it any more interesting to me. I really wanted to like this book, but it did not hit home for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.