A beautifully written historical fiction. As Angelina embarks on a solo trip to Korea after her tumultuous divorce and the tragic loss of her mother, she uncovers a family secret. While searching for her long lost Aunt, Angelina also rediscovers herself and begins to understand her strengths and rebuild her confidence and support network. The history and culture in this novel were so interesting. The story was good as well and I would definitely recommend this book and think it could make a great adult book club book. Thank you NetGalley for the ebook to preview.

In this powerful, multiple timeline novel, readers follow Angelina Lee, recently divorced and grieving her mother’s sudden death, as she travels to Seoul to learn Korean and connect to her roots. With a man from her past and a new classmate, journalist Keisuke Ono, Angelina has a lot on her plate, and a sudden conversation with an estranged relative reveals that her mother had an older sister who disappeared during the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II. As she tries to uncover her aunt Sunyuh’s whereabouts and story, Angelina will travel around the world and challenge her beliefs as she seems to finally start to understand her complicated relationship with her mother. Complex, emotional, and intense, readers will love this story of multigenerational relationships between mothers and daughters, the complications of war and immigration, and the ways in which the past affects the future. The characters are very complex and multifaceted, and the alternating perspectives and timelines really allow the two different storylines to develop in some fascinating ways. This book will definitely resonate with a lot of readers due to the mix of genres, perspectives, and timelines, and it is a powerful and emotional novel about family.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: Rho is a physician, a pediatrician who has become a full time writer. This is her first novel. The story follows Angelina a woman who is navigating a bad divorce and who goes to Korea after her mother's death to study the language and investigate her family. There are several timelines and generations of Angelina's family--her missing aunt, her mother, her grandmother. Her missing aunt was a "comfort woman" during WWII. Rho skillfully weaves the various storylines into a compelling novel. This is not her first book--she's written a memoir and it doesn't read like a debut. Recommended.

I really loved "Stone Angels" by Helena Rho. The novel does a compelling job of combining both historical drama about "comfort women" and historical romance, as well as contemporary mystery, drama and romance. I enjoyed the setting, primarily in Korea, and how Rho uses different narrators and time periods. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed reading Stone Angels. This novel is told mostly from the perspective of Angelina, a Korean-American divorcee, whose mother has just died by suicide and she has returned to South Korea to learn the language and potentially connect with her grandmother. There are also chapters from other timelines from the perspective of her mother and her aunt. Some of the terrible tragedies of the struggles between Japan and Korea are addressed, I don't want to give anything away, but it is historically interesting and engaging. Angelina is also trying to keep custody of her kids (although not sure why she left them for this whole period), deal with her ex-husband who sounds like a jerk, and juggle other potential suitors, from an old friend to a new, younger man from her Korean class. This book was really well written and a great story. I wish there was a little more at the end, but that's my only complaint.

Stone Angels was a remarkable book that dives down into the depths of generational curses, the heaviness of grief, and the light that blooms after the dark. The multiple pov’s throughout the book weave the tapestry of a broken family, capturing the torment that leaks down long after the dust of the past has settled. I enjoyed Angela’s journey, watching as she was able to make something more for herself and her children. I also want to say that bringing to life the stories of the halmoni was so important. Their voices deserved to be heard, and this story does it in such an endearing yet heartbreaking way. You can tell that the author has not only put in a lot of research, but also writes from a place of love, someone who has put forth blood, sweat, and tears to form this novel.

Stone Angels was an excellent read. I loved the character development and the writing was propulsive.

This novel will deeply resonate with readers who are drawn to emotionally intense and thought-provoking family sagas. These stories typically delve into hidden family secrets and explore cultural identity, often through the lens of historical trauma and the pursuit of personal redemption. The narrative may span multiple generations, highlighting the lasting impact of past events on present-day lives, and examine how individuals navigate complex family relationships while grappling with questions of heritage and belonging. The characters in these stories often embark on journeys of self-discovery and healing, as they confront the lingering effects of historical injustices and seek to reconcile their personal identities with their family's past.

A masterful blend of history, intrigue, and richly drawn characters that hooked me in the beginning. The plot is gripping, with vivid descriptions
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Thank you to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed parts of this book, but I really was not all that interested in Angelina's romantic life. When she went to Seoul to connect with her Korean roots, I thought that was interesting. I had never heard of "comfort women." This was a truly horrifying practice. This is a family story that deals with love, loss and healing. I was glad when Angelina learned more about her family and developed a better understanding of her mother. I would have liked to learn more about Angelina's family without focusing on her marriage and affairs. It seemed to be two stories with not a lot of connection.

Stone Angels is fascinating and skillfully written. The engaging and ambitious story was difficult to read at times due to traumatic experiences displayed yet has a vivid sense of period and place.

riveting, beautiful, haunting work about WW2 and Korea. the protagonist finds out she has an aunt, one who was taken by the Japanese to be a "comfort woman", and goes to find her. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a beautifully written novel about a very ugly time in Korean history: the sexual slavery of Korean women by the Japanese army during World War II, and the effects on the family of one of them.

The story begins, and is centered on modern Angelina (Sunyuh, or “angel” in Korean) in 2006, as she learns about and searches for an aunt who was her namesake. That original Sunyuh was kidnapped at the age of 17 in 1944 to become a “comfort woman,” and the shame of her subjugation caused her to become a secret in her family. Angelina’s mother was the younger sister who adored Sunyuh, and never recovered from her loss.
Angelina, whose family came to the USA when she was six, is dealing with both great hurt and new opportunities: in the previous two years she has gone through an antagonistic divorce, and her mother, who always disparaged her, committed suicide.

Now at age 40, leaving her two middle-school age children for the summer, she is in Korea on a language course. As she finally pursues her own dream of studying literature, she learns far more about herself and her family of origin than just their language and culture.
The richly-detailed novel braids together several times and stories, looking at different – and difficult – relationships in marriage, friendship, and between parents, children, and siblings.

The one weak point is the treatment of men: they are one-dimensional. Angelina’s ex-husband is especially vile and vindictive, and both her father and former best friend-turned-lover, Lars, are self-centered and even cruel in their lack of empathy for the women they supposedly love. On the other hand, her new friend, Kiesuke, a younger, male journalist, is only patient, kind, tender, and supportive.

The book’s many lovely images and landscapes carry the reader along through both brutal descriptions of force and pain, and beautiful ones of tenderness and joy. There is much heavy sadness to carry in Stone Angels, but also the possibility of love and joy.

The impact of the Japanese invasion of Korea during WWII is a part of the war that seems to be underrepresented in historical fiction/nonfiction. I was very excited to pick up this book as a result. This really is a multilayered look at generational trauma and familial relationships. The only downside for me was that I didn't love Angelina's storyline that much...

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel. I loved reading and learning the history of Korea especially the narrative of the Japanese occupation during WWII. However, I felt the author's depiction of Angelina's life was excessive.

I was especially excited to read this book because I lived in South Korea for several years and married into an Asian family. Our FMC's descriptions of her travels across Korea and the incredible food brought back so many memories, making this an immersive and nostalgic read.

Angelina Lee feels raw after her divorce and the sudden loss of her mother, hoping that studying Korean in Seoul will help her reconnect with her roots. Instead, she finds herself more lost than ever, entangled with a man from her past and an infuriatingly charming journalist, Keisuke Ono. She believes the key to understanding her mother’s suicide lies in Sunyuh, the aunt she never knew existed until recently, who vanished during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Determined to uncover the truth, Angelina embarks on a journey across continents that forces her to confront buried family secrets, reevaluate her identity, and redefine love, loss, and the ties between mothers and daughters.

The novel unfolds through multiple points of view across different timelines, gradually revealing the family’s story. The household dynamics for this place and era are infuriating like so much of history, particularly for women. The pressure is relentless, and no choice seems to lead to true happiness. If you conform, you sacrifice yourself. If you choose personal happiness, you risk being cast out. Through generations, we see how this toxic system continues to shape the women in this family’s fate.

Angelina, as a character, frustrated me at times. She pushes people away and often leans into pessimism. While her reasons are valid, it was gratifying to see her growth throughout the novel.

This book also sheds light on the awful history of “comfort women” during WWII, women who were sex trafficked and endured unimaginable suffering. Those parts of the novel were particularly heartbreaking but so important to acknowledge.

If you enjoy stories about family legacies, Asian culture, historical fiction, and a touch of romance, I highly recommend Stone Angels.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing, for this eARC!

This is an extremely powerful book that focuses on the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII. I am extremely grateful to authors who explore these amazing events involving women during history that I never learned about or was aware of from a historical perspective. If you are unaware of Korean women being forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, be prepared to learn about the horrific and unimaginable suffering and exploitation of these women. Also, in these instances, these women, if they survived, were not allowed to rejoin their families if they survived due to the desire for the family to protect its honor. (This is something I am still unable to wrap by brain around this and it made me extremely angry during the story.)

The story is told through the perspectives of three different female characters, Angelina, her mother Gongju, and her aunt Sunyuh. Angelina is on a quest to determine if her aunt Sunyuh is still alive after her mom, Gongju commits suicide. The reader will learn about the emotional abuse that Sunyuh experienced and her will to survive. It also exposes the impact of war and exploitation of individuals and how it has far-reaching consequences for generations. Throughout the story, you will find elements of love, loss, grief and the healing power of forgiveness.

If you enjoy historical fiction, have a strong desire to expand your knowledge of significant events that impacted women during history, want to expand your knowledge of different cultures and are interested in family drama, you must read this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
#StoneAngels, #HelenaRho, #NetGalley

A moving and emotional account of three women in a Korean family, in the timelines of WWII and 2006. Gongju was young at the beginning of the war, when her older sister went missing. That loss impacted her for the rest of her life, as they were very close. Leaving Korea when she was unable to provide her husband with a son, the family moved with their daughters to America. In 2006, Angelina is reeling from her divorce and the death of her mother, Gongju. Although 40 years old, Angelina is enrolled in a university program in Korea, where her outlook on life changes as she finds out she has an aunt she didn’t know about. Sunyuh’s story is heart wrenching, describing her experiences as a victim of the military sexual slavery by the Japanese of Korean women. The horrors she went through are vividly described, an important part of history highlighted in this well written, absorbing novel. I highly recommend this work of historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Lost in grief and searching for belonging, Angelina Lee travels to Seoul to reconnect with her roots. An encounter with an old flame complicates her journey. But beneath it all, Angelina is chasing the reason behind her mother’s suicide.

A shocking revelation about a long-lost aunt, erased by history during Japan’s occupation of Korea, sends Angelina down a path of painful discoveries. As she unravels her family’s past, she’s forced to confront hidden wounds, buried secrets, and the complicated ties between mothers and daughters.

Told through three women, this novel explores the weight of untold stories. It’s about the power of second chances.

I would recommend this book to anyone that love historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stone Angels by Helena Rho is a captivating novel!
A well written story that was so hard to put down.
I loved everything about this novel!
Mesmerizing!