Reviews

Fox You by Yuna Lee

lezreadalot's review

3.0

“There’s food you subsist on, and food that—” She waved her hands, trying to find the right words. “Food that satisfies you all the way down, you know?”

2.5 stars. This was super cute! But ultimately a little underwhelming. I really liked the setup: Eunice, a fox-spirit who subsists on sexual energy to survive, has moved to a new town and has decided to give up feeding on humans. Falling for the cute waitress who agrees to give her cooking lessons wasn't part of the plan, but that's exactly what happens. Eunice and Mary Jean were adorable together; I loved the melding of their cultures and the lore behind Eunice's gumiho family. I liked how important food was to both of them, and the cooking scenes were so cute. I just wanted this to be longer, to get to know the characters better. The obligatory third act conflict was beyond flimsy, (the kind of miscommunication that's so overblown it's hard to believe) and the quick resolution left me unsatisfied.

But queer women of colour falling in love is my catnip; I'll never say no to more of it. Kudos!

jamietherebelliousreader's review

3.0

3 stars. This was quite adorable but ultimately forgettable and a bit dull. I liked Mary Jean and Eunice and their romance was cute but there was nothing all that interesting about this. It wasn’t awful or anything and it was a quick read but overall it was just okay.

littlebookterror's review

medium-paced

3.5

 Things I expected I would get from this novella: a cute romance with a fox shifter and a focus on food. (It was very cute but I did scratch my head at how nonchalantly Mary Jean accepted Eunice's reveal. I also feel like the romantic moments could have been stronger, especially since we have the common third-act miscommunication.)


What I did not expect: finding out the author is a pen name for Yoon Ha Lee. 

shanaqui's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.0

This is a cute romance based on the idea of a Korean fox spirit, a gumiho, deciding to give up feeding on the sexual energies of one-night stands and try to settle down. Eunice has moved to Baton Rouge to get away from her family and start anew, and there she meets Mary Jean at a cheap diner, quickly becoming infatuated with her. Through cooking lessons -- and a few misunderstandings -- they become close, and Eunice eventually tells Mary Jean what she is.

The misunderstanding, and easy making up, feel a bit contrived, but the relationship is cute, and I enjoyed the use of the Korean mythology.

greymalkin's review

2.75

I liked the idea of this, and 100% loved the representation and that the gumiho are featured as predators and not sexless figures comedy.  But I wanted more.  The story barely got started when it abruptly ends and I just get a many-months-later epilogue that skips over all the bits that I was most interested in.  The series' original format as a serial series shows in the repetition that happens when read as a chapter book. Not terrible but it added to my impatience to get to the next bit.   Felt a lot like reading a fanfic.  Which is not the most terrible thing ever, but still. 

Like how were the Korean-southern hybrid dishes?  Was Eunice able to figure out how to give gi?  What happened with Reggie?  How did the first few classes go?