First I'd like to thank the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own. DNF at 30%. I was really excited for this book about a girl learning more about her heritage. As someone who loves learning about different cultures I thought this sounded perfect and adorable especially as I started learning Korean several years ago when I got into K-pop and K-drama. But I'm sorry I was starting to get annoyed with our MC who immediately starts lying to the boy she likes and even her friends. I understand she is embarrassed by how little she knows but her friends are trying to help her and instead of learning together along with the boy she likes or him helping her out she just keeps lying and pretending to know more than she does. Maybe it will get better as the story goes on but I just can't keep going when I'm getting so annoyed with the main character. If you don't mind that you might enjoy the journey our MC goes on. It wasn't horrible so I will still give it two stars. I don't know if my opinion would change if I read more but I don't really care enough to find out.

Not a bad story just fairly typical so it felt like many other teen books. It did have more focus on Korean-American life but it wasn’t something I was able to fully get into so reading sometimes felt more like a chore.

I enjoyed this YA book more than I expected truthfully speaking. I read it thinking it would be an easy summer read, but I actually became engaged to the characters and the story that Lang created. As a HS teacher, I appreciated this story being told since so many of my students have experienced the many feelings Jane, the protagonist, deals with throughout the book. (even I saw myself in the story as a daughter of an immigrant. I definitely related to some of the protagonist's feelings of not being X enough or being a fraud. I really liked how the author weaved culture throughout the story, both traditional and modern influences. Lastly, I also liked the story's inclusivity of individuals, their styles, and who their partners were, as well as the portrayal of family dynamics, expectations, and real challenges.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Okay, so K-Jane was a pretty fun read! Jane Choi is this Korean American teen from Nebraska who’s feeling super out of touch with her heritage. Everyone around her is obsessed with K-pop, K-dramas, and all things Korean, while she’s just… not. So she starts this secret social media account to dive into Korean culture and teach her soon-to-be-born brother about their roots. But things get messy when her online life starts affecting her real one.

I really appreciated how the book tackled identity and the pressure to fit into cultural expectations. Jane’s journey felt real, and I could appreciate her struggles of feeling “not enough” in any culture. The humor sprinkled throughout kept things light, even when dealing with deeper themes.

However, some parts felt a bit predictable, and I wished there was more depth in certain relationships. Also, the pacing was a bit off at times, making it hard to stay fully engaged.

Overall, K-Jane is a heartfelt story about self-discovery and embracing one’s identity. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely worth a read if you’re into stories about cultural exploration and personal growth. It’s a cute YA read.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC