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This was a bit of a disappointing book for me. I started off listening to his book as an audiobook and switched over to an ebook. I don’t listen to many audiobooks, I’ve only gotten into them this year but my gosh when I say this audiobook was a trip, I mean it was a TRIP.
First off, I think I’m way too old for this kind of story. I don’t think I tend to like high school settings as much as I used to back in the day. I don’t know if it was the high school setting or just the intentional comedic tone but this book was just way too cringey for me.
The narrator of the audiobook just exasperated the already cringey writing and the way they voiced the female characters, especially Joy, didn’t do it for me. I had fun in the beginning with the audiobook because the narrator was sounding out the sound effects (yes…. sound effects aka the ding donging of the door, the ooooohhh’s of giddy teenagers) but after a while, I got tired of it and switched over to the ebook. This was a good decision in my opinion because it was kind of easier for me to continue on with the plot.
This book also was doused in insta-love. In my opinion, both of Frank’s relationships came out of nowhere, especially the first one. It was so sudden that I couldn’t get invested in the relationship. I also couldn’t get invested in the second relationship because of the way it started (hint it was a bit problematic).
In regards to the problematic element, I want to stress that the way the issue was tackled was where it was problematic. I thought it was handled a bit callously? The whole scene where the problematic event unfolded just felt a bit too rushed.
While I did have many problems with this book, I’ve got to say I did enjoy the ending. It had so much more depth and purpose. I could tell that certain elements of the ending were quite personal to David Yoon because the writing felt a lot more raw and emotional. And yes, if you couldn’t tell by that last sentence lol, I did end up crying.
I think it’s important to note that this book is told from the perspective of a POC male character because I feel like I don’t see that a lot in popular YA contemporary. It’s also own voices which is always a bonus. I love how David Yoon didn’t shy away from breaking that typical YA male mold where every guy is tough and doesn’t show any emotion.
The friendship between Q and Frank was one of the best things ever. I just love Q so much. I loved how emotionally vulnerable they were with each other and weren’t afraid to cry. I loved how they said I love you and supported each other, it was very pure.
And then of course there’s all the wonderfully done discussions on how it is growing up as a Korean-American. One thing I really appreciated about Frank is how respectful he is towards his parents. Frank didn’t shy away from the fact that his parents are different and he never put them down for it which I loved.
I thought the discussion on the distance that’s commonly found in Asian households between the children and parents was well done and effortless. This distance is often hard to translate into text because it’s something so common in Asian households but hard for others to understand.
The scene where Frank considered explaining or talking to his father about something but realizing it’s not worth it because the conversation would steer off into a lecture is so relatable. That realization that somewhere along the line, your parents who raised you into who you are can’t properly understand you’re emotions, thoughts, and who you’ve become is so very relatable.
Another discussion I thought was well done was Frank feeling way too Korean but not Korean enough. I can’t articulate how relevant this is to nearly every Asian person growing up in America, I think I can go far enough to say any POC person.
My favorite element in this story was the Gatherings. As a South Asian, I used to have HUGE gatherings with many families who have immigrated to America around the same time. Our parents found each other and formed this group to maintain that connection back to their home.
I just love how Yoon depicted the struggles and tensions in the groups such as how there’s divisions between the rich and poor or between those with different sets of cultural values. While the people in these Gathering groups come from the same country, they’re not from the same place geographically or socially. I think that this look into the Gatherings really emphasized Yoon’s main point on how being Korean is so much more than just being from Korea.
This deeper insight into the Gatherings educates people on how unique everyone is and how it’s not fair or right to make generalizations or stereotype POC. There’s so much more complexity and depth to people than just their geographical origin.
Alongside the Gatherings, I loved Yoon’s exploration into the Tribe. Yoon refers to the Tribe as family members, friends, and people who you are tied to culturally.
Often times, Frank thinks back to his Tribe and thinks about how his choices and decisions will affect his ties with them. Sometimes, he think’s he’s ready to sever ties with his Tribe but other times, he realizes that he may need the Tribe after all. Once again, this very relatable for me as well. This concept of a group is a constant in my life and I often think about the them when making life decisions.
In conclusion, this book had many interesting and impactful discussions but the writing made me dislike this book a lot. I couldn’t vibe with the cringe writing style and even though I did like the end, 75% of it wasn’t my taste.
*** I also want to add that I do recognize that the use of the word “Tribe” may be considered cultural appropriation but I used the word “Tribe” as this was the terminology referred by Yoon in the book.