Jack Jr. wakes up from a coma after 2 years and is thrown into a life he no longer recognizes- forced to interact with a family he’s purposefully not spoken to in many years and without the man he was in love with. We follow him learning to accept what is, open himself up to new relationships, trust, forgive, and start living again.

I really enjoyed how realistic the family dynamics and conversations were. They were messy, emotional, chaotic but full of love. I do wish some of the supporting characters got more time so we could get to know them a bit deeper but who we do learn about I loved- Juno, Emil, Appa, Umma. I did feel as if some of the plot wasn’t as flushed out as I wanted but in a way it was realistic in the way life goes.

Ever since reading Flux I'd been waiting for a new novel by Jinwoo Chong. Although this felt like a complete 180 from his previous novel, it still reminded me of everything I loved about Chong's writing. The narrative voice is compelling and casual, and was a breeze to read through. The characters were all compelling, and their interactions reminded me a lot of my own family.

I liked sweet and cozy read. Jack Jr. has such an interesting story- in a coma before Covid and waking up during. I really liked Jack’s is way of seeing life, and the way the art of sushi is incorporated. I also liked the lessons about family. Overall a fun read.

Love, family, and the art of sushi. Jack Jr wakes up to learn he has been in a coma for two years. Prior to that, he essentially walked out of his family in Fort Lee for the other side of the river and his own life. While in the coma, he lost his job, his boyfriend, his apartment and is now at the mercy of his parents to whom he is mending the relationships with all while being thrust back into the sushi restaurant life during Covid. He leans heavily on his nephew, Juno, and the two share an unbreakable bond that helps Jack Jr start to recover. Throw in a maybe relationship with your coma nurse, and this book is full of what happens when you're on a redemption path in life and starting anew.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This book was zany and quirky. I felt like this book had a lot to say in terms of its commentary and intent. A fast and entertaining read from an author I will read from again in the future. The pacing of the book was excellent and well worth the read.

I Leave it up to You was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

What is very interesting Books about Gay man named jack. T h e book starts out with Jac k who was in a Comma F o r two years. This accident D riddle his l Life. You're going to marry a man but this did not work out. His family ran a sushi restaurant in portland new jersey. They're background h Was K o r e n. I He had a very wonderful life in new york. You did not see his family Coz he was gay and his brother james was in alcohol. How'd you read this book?To find out about his life before the accident. How he came to grips and he woke up and started with this family again to work in the restaurant. He found a new person to be involved with his old person got married to another man. It's an interesting book how things can change rapidly.

A wild premise-- you wake up after 2 years in a coma. Your parents are in your life again, despite the fact that you hadn't spoken to them in years. The love of your life has moved on and gotten married, the world lived through a pandemic, your job and car are long gone. You are too shell shocked to be grateful to be alive, although you have no memory of driving into the Hudson river. There is a little suspense and romance here, it is billed as second chance, but this is more contemporary LitFic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this!

An introspective novel that explores second chances, family, and the complexities of returning to a life once abandoned. A heartfelt, reflective read.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

first of all i want to thank netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me the arc of this book in exchange of a honest review.

i really like this book. i had to warm up to it a little bit, the beginning was a little slow, but i suppose it's representative of jj's slow process of waking up and adjusting to his new life. i understood perfectly how he felt when he needed to go back to his childhood home in his 30s, given that i experienced something similar - withouth the coma. it's difficult when you have to completely flip your life and adjust to the new normal, and i liked how the author portraied it.
i loved seeing jj settle into himself for the first time in his life and manage to mend the relationship with his family. and i loved that he decided to go after emil (i do have to ask, is emil's last name a house md reference? if so, i loved it) once his life was finally stable. i will definitely recommend this book for sure, even as someone who hates fish and sushi lol

I’m not sure what I expected when I picked up I Leave it Up to You by Jinwoo Chong, but I was utterly blown away following Jack Jr as he he is reintroduced to the world he left behind after a nearly 2 year coma. His story is one of love, loss, family, obligation, and desire. It feels like a sweet coming of age story…at 30 years old. There are things that are unclear and some things you never get answers on but it all works perfectly together to put yourself in Jack Jr’s shoes and really FEEL him and for him.

I absolutely loved this book and can’t recommend it enough.

Jack Jr. was engaged to Ren and life was good when he left to run an errand. Two years later he awoke from a coma and the world had changed. After a year of hoping that Jack would wake up, Ren moved on. Jack’s life in New York City, his job and his apartment are gone. He is finally released after weeks of therapy and returns to the home where he grew up. He now lives with his father and works for the family business that he walked away from years earlier. The family owns a restaurant that specializes in sushi. Jack learned his knife skills from his father and had been expected to take over the business. When he graduated high school, he felt that he wanted more from life and left for college. His brother James, who was never comfortable in the kitchen, stayed on to take over management responsibilities. Now that Jack is back there is a lot of resentment. Jinwoo Chong builds his story around family and its’ expectations. It is also a story of growth, forgiveness and coming home.

Emil Cuddy was Jack’s nurse for the two years that he was in a coma. He continues to offer his support and there are feelings that develop between them. When Cuddy is in a place where he needs Jack’s support he is let down. Jack also has a special relationship with his nephew Juno. Like Jack, Juno has been brought up in the business. His ambitions, however, lie elsewhere and his father James refuses to see that. While there is some sympathy for Jack and what he went through, he fails to see what his family endured during that time and how they still struggle. It takes a final confrontation between brothers to realize the importance of family. Along the way Chong will have you craving sushi as he describes the delights served at the family restaurant. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I Leave It Up to You is a spare novel that progresses at its own leisurely pace. It begins when the main character, Jack Jr., suddenly wakes from a two-year coma. He doesn’t remember the events that brought him to this hospital bed, and spends time trying to make sense of the life he steps back into after the coma and a decade before it when he had been out of touch with his family.

Jack Sr. owns a sushi restaurant in New Jersey, and has been working hard to make it through the downturn caused by a pandemic that Jack Jr. knows nothing about. Other family members, including a brother, nephew, and mother, have been working together at the restaurant and providing support for one another at home, but the adjustment they all are forced to endure after Jack Jr.’s miraculous recovery are both inconsequential and life-altering.

This book offers an intimate view of an average and particular Korean American family making their way in the Tri-state area, a community, and a newly returned son who is trying to build a life on a cloud of uncertainty. It is a difficult subject matter, but the book reads like a calm and gentle stream of thoughts that move the story along.

I recommend I Leave It Up to You.

What would you do after waking up from a two-year coma? No more apartment. No more job. No more partner. And the only people you can rely on are the family members you ghosted for a decade.

That's the premise of I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong. I received a free e-ARC to review.

Jack Jr. wakes up from a coma after 23 months. He has no memory of what happened or how the car he was driving managed to get itself into a terrible accident. But what he does remember is that he has a fiance and he doesn't want to see his family.

His family are the ones who show up.

While getting himself in shape physically, Jack also has to mend sibling rivalry issues between him and his older brother, come to terms with losing his partner, and figure out what he really wants in life. Go back to New York? Or stay with his family and take over the family restaurant? It wasn't what Jack wanted before, but maybe it is now.

This was a really interesting novel about the choices we make and the paths those choices lead us down. I enjoyed the family dynamics - kind of kooky but very loveable. Everyone seems to grow throughout the length of this novel. This book would be a good one for a book club discussion. It might also make you hungry!

I Leave It Up to You is published by Ballantine Books. I received a free e-ARC. It is available on bookstore shelves now.

I definitely enjoyed this book - it made you think about family ties and what we owe each other. It felt a little slow and repetitive at times but overall would definitely recommend

This one was a long haul for me, particularly because of how raw this is. This is the perfect slice of life if I have ever read one, and I love the modern-day setting, especially in a post-COVID world. Rediscovering yourself after setbacks in your adulthood is such a humbling and hard experience. Chong perfectly captured this, from feelings of anger, pity, and resentment to finally acceptance and a new form of happiness.

I Leave It Up to You is a beautifully crafted story that explore identity and human complexity with subtlety and grace. The writing is lyrical and immersive, pulling you into intimate moments.

This book made me immediately have to go and eat some sushi while reading. I thought this was such an interesting premise and I think it was done well. I do think that I just unfortunately came in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder as a nurse knowing how unlikely of a scenario this was. I could not shake that feeling as well that this man was able to completely wake up with no consequences of being in a coma for 23 months. It was also very heavy on COVID talk, something that I lived through as a nurse and would love to disassociate from. That being said, it was certainly full of heart and I did feel for our main character Jack Jr as he tries to navigate his life suddenly back with his family after waking up from the coma. It was quite sad and forlorn at times. I thought the writing was very well done, I just felt a bit too in my feels for this one when I read it. It's definitely a me thing, so take this review with a grain of salt. I do recommend if you enjoy slice of life books set in the very recently post COVID times. I do have to say I did learn quite a bit about sushi making as well, which is a plus.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This was okay. I was ready to finish especially because it started to meander but I was also interested enough in the story to want to read to the end.

I also don’t mind modern day references being mentioned as long as the prose is strong enough but that wasn’t the case here. From TikTok to Sean Cody (yes you read that right), I lost count the amount of times I rolled my eyes. The writing isn’t horrible by any means just simple? Maybe that’s the wrong word…

Anyway I still really liked these characters and the premise was interesting. Now I’m hungry for sushi.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the arc.