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!

⭐️ REVIEW & HAPPY PUB DAY ⭐️

📖 STONE ANGELS by @helena.rho 📖

Thank you to #NetGalley (@netgalley) and @grandcentralpub for the opportunity to read this eARC and provide my honest thoughts.

🌟Rating: 4/5 stars 🌟

Emojis: 🇰🇷🇺🇸⛰️🍵📝😇🪽💔➡️❤️

Synopsis: In this multigenerational, multi-point of view novel, a forty-year-old woman journeys to her cultural homeland—and uncovers a harrowing secret that makes her rethink everything she thought she knew about her mother. Told through the bold, determined voices of three women, this poignant family drama explores love, grief, healing, and the complicated love that exists between mothers and daughters. It’s about the questions we wish we had asked lost relatives, the lives we could have lived had we made different choices, and, above all, second chances.

Genres/Themes: Historical Fiction, Multicultural Interest, Women, Family

My thoughts: Helena Rho does a beautiful job of exploring the impact of generational trauma, cultural beliefs, and the relationships between familial women. I really enjoyed the multiple points of view and interwoven timelines. The parallel lives of these women share common themes, including shame, grief and struggling to find self-acceptance and love. Through Angelina’s search to find her family and learn more about her ancestors, she finds out a lot about herself. The ending is hopeful, leaving readers with powerful messages about self-love and breaking the cyclical nature of history.

I would highly recommend this read if you are interested in stories of women and historical fiction. If you give this one a read, let me know your thoughts!

((Trigger Warnings: war, sexual assault, violence against women, suicide))

4.5/5
With expertly crafted storytelling, Stone Angels by Helena Rho draws us into the lives of three women: Angelina, Gongju, and Sunyuh. Touching on the struggles of motherhood, cultural obligations, and the often complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, Rho leads us on a journey of family trauma and the ripples it leaves for generations.

When her mother makes the ultimate life-altering decision, Angelina is left searching for a reason why. In her quest for answers, she rekindles her connection to her homeland and finds herself in more ways than one. I love when a story helps me gain understanding of complex characters through their growth and realizations.

I applaud Rho for bringing one of history's greatest tragedies to the forefront in Stone Angels. Lifting the cloak of shame these women endured and giving them the respect they deserve, Stone Angels is a must-read for everyone!

Read this if you like:
• Multigenerational sagas
• Exploring mother/daughter relationships
• Asian literature
• Historical fiction
• Bookclub reads

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this book early.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d this book at 15%. I was first drawn to the story because I love multigenerational family dramas, and from other reviews, I learned that this book explores Korean history that is not often written about. I was interested in reading a book set in Korea, as I’m hoping to read more international books this year.

However, I found the dialogue and descriptions to be a bit stilted, and the frequent jumps from one event to another within a single chapter made it difficult for me to get invested in the story early on. While the overall story sounds very interesting, the writing style was ultimately not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette/Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader copy! This one is available today (04 Mar 2025).

Stone Angels was a beautiful story. Following 3 separate POVs through different timelines, you get insight into the Korean culture and how culture and family forms one's feelings towards their own identity. This was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. This story really is about how culture and familial relationships do not have to define you and to how to create a live worth living in the midst of tragedy. My only constructive criticism is regarding the pacing at times. I felt some areas were a little drawn out and then others were rushed. However, I think this could have been intentional thematically as relationship dynamics are not a smooth, cut-and-dry experience either. A solid 3.5 stars rounded down for Goodreads.

Stolen Angels by Helena Rho is the perfect book to start Women's History Month with. It shines a light on a part of history that many people, myself included, may not know much about. Interwoven with Angelina’s journey, Sunyuh’s story is one of survival, strength, and courage.

Angelina was born in Korea, but her parents moved to America soon after. Her mother was estranged from her family, so Angelina never knew her Korean relatives. After her mother’s tragic passing, she travels to Korea, hoping to uncover her past. What she finds is a history that could change everything, helping her understand her mother, find closure, and heal.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t love Angelina. She repeatedly makes choices without much thought, which makes sense given her need for acceptance, but some of her actions were frustrating and even harmful. Sunyuh, however, completely stole my heart. The horrors inflicted on hundreds of thousands of girls and women during this time in history by the Japanese were devastating to read about, but what’s even more unsettling is how this history has been buried and rarely spoken about. I’m grateful that authors are bringing these stories to light before they’re lost behind bureaucracy or erased altogether.

The author does an incredible job of exploring themes of identity, othering, and intergenerational trauma. The final part of the book broke me. I couldn’t read it without tears. Sunyuh’s journey of healing, supported by her community, resonated deeply with me because of my own experiences.

A huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing for this book.

CW: This book contains difficult and potentially triggering content, so please read with care.

The lies we tell ourselves are often the most dangerous

Angelina Lee, recently divorced and rocked by her mother Gongju's recent suicide, finds herself without direction in life. She embarks on a trip to South Korea where she was born (but of which she has little memory) for summer study as an exchange student at Konkuk University, hoping to find answers to the conundrum that was her mother while there. She makes contact with members of her mother's family who are still living and discovers that Gonju had a sister Sunyuh of whom she never spoke. Sunjuh disappeared when in her teens during the Japanese occupation and was never heard from again; it was assumed that she had been taken to serve as a "comfort woman" to the Japanese troops, which if acknowledged would have brought shame to the family. As Angelina grapples with her ex-husband's machinations from afar over custody of their two children and alimony she also must contend with the attention of two other men in her life...Lars, an old friend who always wanted more than friendship from her and Keisuke, a fellow student to whom she feels a strong attraction. Angelina sets out to discover what happened to Sunjuh all those years ago and along the way will make discoveries about love, faith, and the regrets in her own life and the lives of the women of her family.
Stone Angels is a novel that explores a family's heritage, the poor relationship choices which affected the women of Angelina's family, and the often painful relationship between mother and daughter. The narrative of present day Angelina is interspersed with chapters revealing the past lives of Gongju and Sunyuh; the last two are in many ways the more compelling, set against a devastating period in Korea's history and detailing the affects of the war and Sunyuh's disappearance on her life as well as on those left behind to wonder. The careless brutality and horrific nature of what happened to the hundreds of thousands of women who (before the term sex trafficking was part of the world's vocabulary) were tricked, coerced and in many cases just grabbed off the streets in order to serve as sex slaves to the Japanese military is pictured here in a starkly realistic manner, shown through the eyes of one of those women, Sunyuh. Gonju, the younger sister who adored Sunyuh and who would forever feel guilty that she did not stop her from leaving their house the night she disappeared, would also bear the residual scars left on the family who came to terms with Sunyuh's absence. Gonju's marriage would not measure up to the dreams that she had for it, and she would repeat the mistakes of her own mother when raising Angelina. Their stories are moving, and author Helena Rho demonstrates skillful storytelling as she incorporates the beauty of Korea and its culture alongside devastating moment's from its history, and shows the possibility of redemption for those who struggle to overcome the wounds inflicted upon them by their families and the world. Readers of Vanessa Chan, Celeste Ng and Lisa See will find this novel well worth the read, as will those who enjoy historical fiction or are interested in learning about this chapter in Korean history. My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me access to this haunting story (4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5) in exchange for my honest review.

Thoughtful, excellent dive into three Korean women's lives📬

There's a lot of heartbreak in this novel as it focuses on the lives of two Korean sisters, Sunyuh and Gongju, and Gongju's Americanized daughter Angelina. It's evident that author Helena Rho did some solid research for the historical parts, and especially the Japanese trafficking of thousands of young girls and women, mostly Korean, during World War II for the use of Japanese troops stationed throughout Asia. These "comfort women" remained either dead or silent and cut off from their families until decades after the war when the first victim went public.

Angelina's mother remains traumatized and broken decades after her beloved older sister was stolen away on a 1944 night. She refuses to discuss her family back home with her daughters. But Gongju is also devastated by the trajectory of her marriage and her inability to connect with her daughters. Each of the three women portrayed here have so much to battle through, but it's not overdone, just real and heartbreaking.

After her mother's death, Angelina finds letters to Gongju from her grandmother and wonders what, exactly, caused Gongju to break ties with her family back in Korea. So she embarks on a summer trip to Korea to study the language and try to solve the mystery, learning for the first time that she had an aunt trafficked during WWII. In the process she meets a sympathetic investigative journalist and searches for any evidence of what happened to her missing aunt. I must admit, this story had me riveted to the pages.

Angelina's search leads her to the archives and witnesses of the comfort women trafficking, a part of the story that I knew little about. The scope and geographical spread, the cruelty and aftereffects for the surviving victims were especially eye-opening. And the social stigma the victim's families sought to avoid.

Angelina's tribulations relate more to her divorce and the men in her life, including her manipulative ex. Though Angelina's actions drive most of the story, they work best for me as the impetus for her search for her aunt Sunyuh.

Despite so much tragedy, the story does end on a hopeful note which I appreciated. I just thought the last few chapters rambled off the path a bit until returning in a really moving finale.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 2/27 on Waterstones, Goodreads, Bookbub and with Barnes & Noble. Will be shared on kobo and Google Play upon publication.

I love historical fiction stories when I learn about events that are impactful!

Learning about the young women/girls stolen from their homes and sold into sexual slavery as “comfort women” and knowing that it has taken decades for the stories to come out is heartbreaking. I did so much research on my own while I was reading and the author included multiple research articles and resources.

The pacing is done well and the multiple viewpoints were well placed and kept relevant information flowing. Trigger warnings: There are graphic descriptions of rape, assault, violence, and murder.

I appreciated the slower moments of the story as we see Angelina process her own trauma and how to understand her own cultural identity. The diving women were a fascinating subplot and I also looked into their culture and history! I felt transported to Korea throughout the entire story.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this novel. I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to my historical fiction reading friends :)