a special thank you to netgalley and publisher for the arc!

this book just truly reminds me why i love the ya contemporary genre so much. it’s vibrant, yet honest. simple premise, but backed with so many voices and a rich cultural background to tell its audience. it’s funny and can be a little cringe at times, but not afraid to talk about the serious social injustices most (western) media ignores.

jackie oh’s character was great. her passion for food was infectious, and her creativity goes beyond. i’ve never dwelled much on the culinary world besides watching masterchef kids when i was younger, and seeing that world through her lenses has me awed. the description of each dishes, how her mind worked its way to invent one, and also how one has to prepare and reuse the things in the kitchen.

i really enjoyed getting to know her in this book and how she navigated, especially as a korean american teenager just surviving, through everything there was. the competition was great and entertaining, but i mostly treasured the dynamics that were shared and grew throughout.

i loved how her relationship with her grandparents (halmoni and haraboji) was highlighted and i loved how her and her umma’s was developed. and of course, even though they got less screen time on the book, i love how we could still clearly see the bond between her and her brother (oppa), and how her dad actually was even in a fraction of moment. the generational trauma also. brrrr. this book just absolutely nailed itt.

i love the friendship, both the main one with KT and the others she made along the way in her competition. oh! and i especially loved how we got to see more of each competitors, past the masks they put on tv. it was so so great every time.

this book was a love letter to many things, just as lots of jackie’s dishes were, but it was still so brutally honest with what society has given and i applaud it for that.

it talks a lot about covid and how affected the asian-american community especially was and still is for it. from the economic standpoint and of course social, on top of the already ongoing racism existed in the country. this book was also a story about the struggles of that, how the remnants and reminders were still following her steps even after everything was receding. it raises awareness and presents another view of this world's ugly society that most of us probably wouldn't have known, let alone understood, because we weren't given the shoes to try to fit our feet in. because the general media never told us and was constantly whitewashed. this book was a stand against it and it was just so so good.

and also the fact that the author, patricia park, also includes an article she wrote on asian-american hate crimes at the end of the book? chef’s kiss.

to be honest, my only complaints for this book were the “romance” and the ending. the romance, if you could even call it that, felt unnecessary and flat. i think it was fine without it, but i guess good for her!!!! and as for the ending. it was just too short! i need more 😭 i need to know 😭

(okay woah this is very long. i do not expect it to be this long it’s literally 2 am but okay! 😭)

but anyways. to conclude, i’d say if you enjoy ya contemporary in general, i’d definitely recommend you to read it! you would not be disappointed and at the very least, you would be entertained. TRUST. there are definitely more things about this book i haven’t talked about, but well guess you’ll have to find out yourself 😁😁😁<3

4 stars!

Jackie Oh and her family have many familiar traits of Korean American families I know. The food that she describes are familiar and the family dialogues are familiar. Overall, it was a fun read that picked up a little later (around the 50% mark). I’m glad I finished it. I got to see the many flaws of each character but also the growth.

Great read for lovers of cooking shows and competitions. Jackie is struggling with traditional Korean family expectations and academics which she finds a bore. She totally excels in the kitchen and manages to win a spot in teenage cooking competition. She is determined to prove to her family and herself that she has a future in the culinary world as a chef.
This book also also deals with deep issues, such as her brother her brother being in prison and the challenging Asian American experience. I liked that Jackie was able to grow in confidence, stand up for herself, and follow her dreams.

This book is raw, it is messy, and it is honest and for that I applaud the author. So many times, when we watch a show on tv we only see what the network wants us to see. In Jackie’s book her experience is not sugar coated. To be honest neither is she most of the time and that is fine. That is real and beautiful. This book hits on things that are big topics. Family members who are in jail, hate crimes, family cultural expectations, undocumented citizens reality in this country and I love it all. That is life. Take all these things and place them into a pot and we would find that this is the real American experience. Life is not just sugar and spice. It is the nit and the grit and those are the things that inspire us. Not only as people but even chefs. This book will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that is okay. Because sometimes just being faced with having to read about issues we don’t face daily helps remind us that maybe things need to change.
Thank you to Random House Children’s, Crown Book for Young Reader, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This book was such a good read. Taking a popular TV topic like food competition and mixing it in with teenage stresses, Asian hate, high school friendships, and strict parenting takes you on a journey that is real and raw.

Jackie Oh is one of my favorite teen characters now. Being true to herself and pursuing what she wants and not just going with the expected journey. School is hard, life is hard, but if you can find something you love, it brings a light to the darkness.

If you have ever watched the show, “Kim’s Convenience” there are a lot of parallels between Jackie’s family and the family on that show.

I also love the education on the different cuisines, New York Style, Korean, and all the other gastro menu items.

If you are hungry for a light read and need inspiration for your next kitchen experiment, add this book to your reading list.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, truly enjoyed it.

I was not able to finish this book. I gave it to 30% read before putting it down. I wasn't able to get into the story and the characters weren't endearing to me.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.25 | 🤬=2 | ⚔️=1.5 | 12+

summary: after flopping out of world history, 15yo Jackie Oh competes on a cooking show for teens

thoughts: I requested this ARC out of nowhere and wasn’t expecting much—a cheesy YA book, probably—but this was incredible?? so emotional and heartstrings-tugging with incredibly stressful tension during the cooking competition scenes. I loved it.

I will say that the romance felt unnecessary and last minute, and there was one little unresolved bit, but sans that this was genuinely and surprisingly great.

content note(s): anti-Asian racism, mild fatphobia

Jackie Oh is second generation Korean living in New York. She can never please her parents because her grades aren't the greatest, she doesn't study hard enough, she spends too much time watching cooking shows, and what she wants to do (help in her grandparents' small restaurant, Melty's) doesn't meet her high-powered parents' expectations. Her brother, Justin, is serving a prison sentence so he is rarely mentioned by the parents. After all, they see him as a failure. What Jackie truly wants to do is be on a TV food show, Burnout, and she makes it happen, much to her parents' dismay.

Once on the show, Jackie resolves to win it, not with Korean cooking but by excelling at French cooking. The food show makes her realize a number of things not only about her cooking but about herself, her family and her grandparents. Not every contestant is an enemy, not every contestant is a friend. It's up to Jackie to determine which way she wants her life to go.

"What's Eating Jackie Oh?" was like hitting up a secret, five-star underground restaurant where every dish is a surprise. Jackie's dream of becoming a chef leads to her landing a spot in Burn Off! This was something she was dreaming about forever and she doesn;'t hesitate to jump on the opportunity. I loved the drama, lowkey loved the angst, and it was overall a hilarious read. I loved the take on the familial Korean pressure, I feel like a lot of people are going to relate to this. This is a chefs kiss of a book!

What's Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park

The fun of cooking competition contrasted powerfully with discrimination against Asians, including the expectation of academic excellence, being “the best” because good isn’t good enough. I liked Jackie more and more as she learned to like herself more, stand up for herself, expect more for herself, and open herself to friendship, joy, and success on her own terms, which includes cooking the best food she can, combining many influences and using what’s available — recipes included, though I’d prefer a real restaurant. ;-)
Communication with family and friends is so crucial.
The reminder of incidents of violent attacks on Asians during COVID highlight a real problem and a need for more protection for all vulnerable people. We all need and deserve security.

This book is a very engaging story of both the complexities of being a teen and an Asian American through the COVID era. It speaks of the strict standards set upon them and the otherness they have felt, even in an urban melting pot like NYC. Confronting generational trauma is evident throughout the book, right up there with the food. Jackie's love of food is both a blessing and a curse in her life and reading about her navigating it to tackle a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete on TV made it hard for me to put down.
I did feel like the ending could have given a glimpse into what happened to her after the competition once she was done, but I love that it ended with a message. It was more real and true to life and showed that Jackie's story isn't over and we as readers get to imagine where she is now.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Jackie Oh is a Korean American teen whose passion is cooking. Every Friday she watches Burn Off! with her grandparents and the three of them recreate the challenges every week. When the producers of Burn Off! decide to make a teen version of the show, Jackie can’t resist skipping school and auditioning for the show. Even though her parents don’t know or understand her passion for cooking.
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the Burn Off kitchens and the descriptions of challenges and chats between producers.
I also enjoyed how the ending was written, I feel that most books similar to this go a certain direction and this one didn’t, which was a breath of fresh air.
My only complaint was that the book always made me hungry because the food descriptions were just that good.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for an eARC of this book.

This is an endearing middle grade novel which explores the struggles of finding one’s own voice while navigating through societal as well as family expectations. High schooler Jackie Oh comes from a family (and culture) where the only goal in life is to get good grades, attend an Ivy League university, and rise to the top of one’s chosen profession. There is only one problem. Jackie’s true passion is cooking and she has a “C” in history class, which in her family is akin to failing. When she receives an invitation to audition for a teen version of a popular cooking show, Jackie is finally able to pursue her passion. Along the way she shows her family that following one’s passion is a much better definition of success than a six figure income. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Jackie Oh who dreamed of becoming a chef. She works at her grandparents’ deli after school and practices. Jackie’s parents want her to go to an ivy league college. Her brother is in prison, and Jackie and her parents haven’t heard from him. She only writes letters to him. Jackie became a teen contestant in her favorite cooking show.

The book so far is good. I like how the way Jackie wants to pursue her dreams. Also, how her grandparents teach her how to cook and worked at the deli.

Thanks to the publishers at Random House Children’s and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

I LOVED this book! I'd previously read other novels but Patricia Park that I also had loved so am not surprised at how good this was. I loved Jackie's journey from questioning herself and her place in the world to knowing who she is and embracing her roots and culture. I would have loved to see what Jackie does after Burn Off beyond where this book left off but am thrilled with Jackie's evolution throughout. Read this if you are a huge fan of cooking competitions, food, AAPI, or all of the above! 1000/10!!!!

What’s eating Jackie Oh? By Patricia Park

Jackie is the sometimes-rebellious daughter of two high powered Korean American New York City parents – one a lawyer vying for partnership (her mom), and her dad who works in business and finance. Secretly her dream is to pursue her own path where she would use her mad kitchen skills to win a national competition and go on to a rewarding culinary career - most definitely not the type of career her parents have in mind for her.

The tensions arising from this clash of opinions is eased somewhat by her loving grandparents who run a very busy Korean American restaurant where Jackie often is found helping out, and her off and on again friend KT, who has her own issues that complicate matters.
Running like a dark river underneath all of this is what her older brother is going through. Well before the events of the book, Justin had made some bad life choices that left a major scar on his relationship with the parents. And then there’s that cute boy who is taking over deliveries of produce to the grandparents’ restaurant. Does he dislike her? Like her?

It all adds up to an escalating series of opportunities for Jackie when she is chosen to compete in a national teen chef contest. I was flying through the pages, really enjoying the expertly crafted mounting tension leavened by humor and (of course) some mouth watering descriptions of the dishes Jackie and her fellow competitors whip up.

And then… sadly… it failed to stick the landing. A major plot twist is produced at the 11th hour, but there is no personal engagement by Jackie and her family – no face to face discussion with friends, no internal soul searching, no hint of how this is going to affect Jackie. I was truly sorry that it ended so abruptly and at such a remove, choosing to lean on the device of a series of electronic messages by friends and strangers to essentially end the book.

Overall I give it a 4 out of 5 stars because of that disappointment – otherwise it would have been 5 stars all the way.

Jackie Oh is a fifteen-year-old Korean-American girl with a passion for cooking and problems with her perfectionist parents.

I really enjoyed seeing her cook at her grandparents' restaurant, and how they watched their favorite cooking show together.

When Jackie gets a chance to try out for a junior version of the show, I felt excited and tense for her. I loved watching her discoveries, mistakes, and the new understandings she came to. This book kept me up late at night. I had to finish it before I could sleep.

There are a lot of interesting formatting choices in the book. My one quibble was with the final chapter.

Over all, I had a great time reading this book.

Jackie has been told all her life that she's got to try harder. That her best isn't good enough. And she's cracking under the pressure. School just doesn't come as easy as her parents want it to. But cooking along side her grandparents at their restaurant has always relaxed her. So when she gets the chance to participate in a real life cooking competition and be judged by real, celebrity chefs... well, it's a no brainer.

Now she just has to prove it. To the world. To her friends and family. Mostly, she has to prove it to herself.

This book is about more than cooking. It's about appreciating food, tradition, family, and following your dreams when no one else believes in you. How sometimes you get so caught up in yourself you forget to look around you. But by opening up, you can learn and grow in so many ways.

I really, really enjoyed this book. And not just because of the depictions of food/cooking! (But, yum!) It was my first time reading the author, but after this I will definitely be checking out what else they have out there!

One of the meatiest (and most unapologetically fresh) young adult novels I've read in ages. As much a love letter to the NYC food scene as it a brutally honest look at the pressures of being a 'model minority.' Stories like Jackie's are the ones I wish society had back when I was 15. But god, how fortunate we are to have them now.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

When I started reading this I saw the teen age mentioned on the first page I worried I shouldn’t have requested it. Then I was blown away. It’s amazing and I fell in love with the characters and storyline. So glad I came across it!