United States Publication: March 4, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Jack Jr cracks his eyes open and can't place where he is. Also, what's stuck in his throat, and who is that guy looking at him? Where is he, and where is his husband? After a few confusing and frightening moments, Jack Jr discovers he has just woken up from a 2-year nap, and nobody expected him to wake up this early, or maybe ever. After a lot of scrambling and attempts at reassurance, the pieces of this bizarre puzzle start to take shape, and Jack Jr doesn't like the picture being formed. He's been asleep while the world grappled with a pandemic he never knew anything about. He was found in the river in 2019 and woke 2 years later to a very different life than the one he left behind in 2019. He no longer has a job, a home, or a husband. His family, whom he was estranged from, are the only ones available to take care of him, so Jack Jr finds himself living in his childhood bedroom in his childhood home and becoming reacquainted with his family. Needing something to do, Jack Jr starts working with his Dad again in the family sushi restaurant Joja, which miraculously survived the pandemic but is now barely hanging on. As Jack Jr refamiliarizes himself with restaurant life and being in the kitchen, he begins to reassemble his life. It's a chance for him to step back toward his life in New York City or a new life in Fort Lee, New Jersey. But before he can take a step anywhere, he needs some answers and someone willing to share them with him.

I can't say precisely what it is about this title that I enjoyed so much, but I enjoyed it immensely. Jack Jr and the characters surrounding him were well-developed and interesting. Chong tackled the pandemic creatively by skipping over it and making it part of the story. I also appreciated that Chong didn't tie everything up in a neat little bow - we don't get all the answers, as Jack Jr doesn't either. The "happily ever after" is a question mark - these are true-to-life things, and the older I get, the more I appreciate true-to-life rather than happily ever after. I'm thrilled I have had the opportunity to read this title.

Jinwoo Chong’s I Leave It Up to You is a deeply introspective and emotionally resonant story that explores the complexities of identity, family, and self-understanding. What stood out most to me was the way Chong deftly portrays the main character’s evolving perspective on family, particularly before and after a life-changing accident. The subtle yet powerful shifts in his relationships are heart-wrenching and poignant, reflecting how trauma can reshape not just one's physical reality but also the emotional landscape we inhabit.

Chong’s writing navigates the delicate balance between tradition and modernity, especially through the lens of cultural identity. One of my favorite elements was the inclusion of Korean-Japanese fusion food as a symbol of the blending of cultures—it's both a literal and metaphorical exploration of hybridity and belonging. The food not only serves as a backdrop to key moments in the narrative but also enriches the emotional core of the stories.

Overall, I Leave It Up to You is a beautifully layered collection that invites readers to reflect on how personal experiences, culture, and family intertwine to shape who we become. It’s a thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was full of heart! This is a story about a Jack Jr is fresh out of a 2 year coma. And though he’s lost two years of his life, his future-husband, and his job, he is now faced a new start. I really enjoyed this book. The story is about forgiveness and family. And second chances. How do we heal our past? How to we handle what we are handed? It is slow placed but felt real.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read and would rate it 3.4 stars (rounded down). The humor throughout was consistently entertaining, and the writing quality was notable.
While the main character, Jack Jr., was at times insufferable and whiny, he did show meaningful character growth by the end. His relationships with Noa and Juno were highlights, though the progression of his relationship with James felt somewhat predictable.
I particularly appreciated the Korean and Japanese cultural references, which provided a deeper understanding of Jack Jr.'s background. However, I was left disappointed by the lack of resolution regarding his car crash into the river - was it an accident or self-inflicted?
Lastly, the incredibly long chapters somewhat detracted from the reading experience.

Set in the time of COVID, this is a story of family, and an accident that changes their lives. After an accident, their son Jack has been hospitalized in a coma for two years and how it affected his family and his life, finding a path to a new way of living, and reconnecting with his family.

There is an aura of lightness, at times, but Jack has to find his way back to the way of life he once had, which isn’t exactly easy. His family helps to pull him back into the life that he once had, a little bit at a time. Little by little he manages to determine what path he wants to take, and little by little he takes steps toward a new future.


Pub Date: 04 Mar 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books

This is a lovely novel about figuring out who you are and what you want from life. Jack Jr awakens from a years-long coma and is forced to start anew. Working in the family business--which he eschewed years before--he begins to reconnect with family and his roots. He also learns that it takes time to recover from a long absence. There's solid character development and I liked it that there wasn't an uncomplicated HEA--these things are hard! Overall, it's a sweet story. There are some areas of unevenness, but copyedit will smooth those out easily.

I Leave It Up to You is like if Bryan Washington (Memorial, Family Meal) wrote the script for The Bear. The opening chapter should be a short story. Jinwoo Chong's description of Jack Jr. waking up from the coma was one of the most compelling things I have ever read. I loved all the characters and their relationships with Jack, but especially Juno and the connection between uncle and nephew. Like many other novels, I Leave It Up to You fell into some of the same pitfalls where there is a Big Traumatic Event (TM) that severs relationships. In my opinion, BTEs are rarely dramatic enough to warrant cutting all contact, and I think that is true of Jack moving to NYC. When we finally learned what happened to make him leave home, it felt a little anticlimactic. I appreciated the inclusion of addiction and its impact on families, as well as the queer representation. I like to think Jack and Nurse Gaylord got together in the end after all.

I really enjoyed this book and following Jack Jr. after being in a coma for two years. Really looks at getting a second chance in life.

<i>Why do we run from those we love, and why do we still love those who run from us?</i>

Jack Jr (JJ) a Japanese-Korean gay man, woke up in a hospital after nearly two years in a coma, with no memory of how he got there. the only detail shared with him is that he drove his car into a river—an act he can't remember or explain. as he grapples with his fragmented past and uncertain future, he discovers that his boyfriend, Ren, has moved on during his absence and is now married to someone else. (that made me jaw drop BTW)

despite the emotional blow and breakup he had no idea happened, Ren's family, who owns a beloved sushi restaurant, opens their doors to Jack, offering him a place to stay as he begins his journey of physical rehabilitation and emotional recovery. but during his therapy sessions, Jack finds himself drawn to Nurse Emil Cuddy (daddy CUDDY), whose compassion and care played a huge role in his healing and recovery. as JJ keeps working to rebuild his life and uncover the truth about the events that led to his accident, he also confronts the scars of his past relationships and begins to explore the possibilities of new love. his story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the enduring strength of the human spirit, set against the backdrop of a vibrant cultural community and the intimate world of a family-run restaurant. speaking of restaurant, it's a SUSHI one. yes. was i hungry? double yes.

this novel is perfect for fans of quiet, introspective storytelling. its slower pace and touches of ambiguity might not appeal to everyone, but its emotional depth and poignant themes of healing make it a rewarding and heartfelt slice-of-life read. i loved it.

thank you again Random House Publishing Group!!! 4.5!!

Jack Jr. wakes from a coma after two years on life support. Much has changed during that two years. The Covid pandemic has come and gone. His job, apartment, and relationship with his beloved fiancee Ren, all have disappeared. What he does wake to is his family that he walked away from 7 years prior and must rebuild his relationship with all the members he hasn’t spoken to in many years.

Nurse Cuddy is there when he wakes but has very little information for him, he is kind and helps to keep JJ calm.

JJ’s family owns a Korean restaurant so there is fish buying, cooking, serving and food pairing in the storyline. Jack Jr. is gay and has play his fiancée so we encounter a love relationship element. But what I liked most was the descriptions of the world when Jack Jr. awoke the first time after two years of being in a coma. It was fascinating how the author painted a picture of what it would be like. Seeing a shadow, trying to focus, who is there, what’s happening, what are those lights, who is behind the mask, why am I here, why is there something in the way so I can’t speak? I was hooked from the very beginning simply because of these details.

There is some comedic dialog, especially between JJ and his nephew. You will find: redemption, forgiveness, love, growth, maturity, second chances, the appreciation and value of lost time, and best of all, family.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an Advanced Readers copy of this terrific book.

I don't typically read slice-of-life novels, but this book may have changed my perspective on that. I Leave It Up To You, is an incredible heartfelt adventure of Jack Jr's life after waking up from a 2 year coma and finds the life he knew has passed him by as he slept through COVID. With only his family to help him recover and regain his life, after leaving them suddenly and not speaking for 10 years. His estrangement with his family is unique and believable, not homophobia and not mistreatment, simply living at a distance.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tender and loving gay romance for Jack Jr. This was a story I didn't know I needed, a queer life that lives genuinely and authentically. A queer story tha doesn't center or even breathe the complicated and upsetting narrative of being disowned. Reading queer joy and a life that is your own with delight and wonder, was something I desperately needed.

This story is an absolute knock-out of humor and lighthearted fun. Deeply relatable and emotionally rich, every page was a delightful adventure. At times I forgot I was reading fiction, the characters and setting really come to life on every page. I laughed, I cried, i suffered secondhand embarrassment. And from the bottom of my heart, Thank You Jinwoo Chong, I will immediately be reading your first novel Flux. The joy for writing and creating shines on every page.

This was such a sweet book! I really enjoyed reading it and loved the characters. I’d love to see what comes next for Jack Jr and Emil. I just can’t believe that this is it for them. They were just too adorable together! Definitely read this book, you won’t regret it if your heart functions.

This one definitely wasnt for me. Nothing wrong with th story, I just couldn’t connect to the characters or the plot. I ended up DNFing around the 49% mark.

You are quickly immersed into this family and will be craving sushi throughout the book. Jack Jr. is funny and witty and there’s a lot of heart in this book.

A story that looks at what it means to truly get a second chance. Sometimes you don't know what you're missing in life until it's taken away. In the case of Jack Jr, his bond with his family had been fractured, and after waking up from a coma he had a chance to reform it.
There is great world and character building, and everything felt so believable. It does help that Fort Lee is a real place, and a real Korean hub for cuisine. It also brings up COVID, but not in a way that felt annoying like other stories that try to force it as a sub-narrative. This story is both lighthearted and humorous (such as a character literally pancaking into a bus after chasing it), yet so hard hitting emotionally (the fight between Jack Jr and his brother was dramatic but felt real).
One of my favorite aspects of the novel is that we never truly know how Jack Jr ended up in the coma. How did the car get off the road? He was seemingly happy with his life at that point, but there was no evidence to point to an accident.
Highly recommend this book to anyone!

Incredibly unlike Flux, Chung's sophomore novel strays from Sci-Fi and lands itself right in the middle of a Korean family's sushi shop. From the jump, I was invested in Jack Jr. I spent the first tenth of this read gripped with needing to know what happened - how did he end up in a coma? Where was Ren? The rest of the read took me on a plumet into a thick family dynamic. Well written and incredibly layered, I Leave It Up to You leaves your heart aching but so satisfied when it's through. This is one of those books you wish you could read again for the first time - take it slow when you pick it up. I see this one getting some critical acclaim.

Thanks to NetGally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Yellowface was to Babel, I Leave It Up to You is to Flux. Something completely different and yet so incredibly well written that you end up having even more respect for the genre-defying authors!
On the surface, the plot seems a bit prosaic - family restaurant, gay son that leaves for the allure of the big city, a few family health crises later and everyone realises what's "truly important in life." And yet, the story does not feel tired or tropey. It feels like being welcomed into a family hospital room and into their Korean sushi bar to cry tears of joy, sadness and anger with them.
I ended up losing a whole weekend because I was so engrossed in this "something about nothing story" so fair warning to you!

Jack Jr. wakes from a two year coma to a changed world. The life he had before the accident has vanished, and
he is now reconnecting with family he hasn't seen for ten years. Falling back into the life he had before he left,
Jack Jr. will discover more about family and what he wants to do with his life.
#LeaveituptoYou #RandonHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this read!! It kept me interested the whole time and had a really good plot!! Can’t wait to check out more books by Jinwoo Chong!!

I could not have loved this warm and wonderful book more. One of my favorite family novels, this will be on my best of 2025 list for sure!!