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sarahashley24's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
A k-drama inspired YA story featuring a Korean American young girl who discovers she has relatives in Seoul after taking a 23 and me DNA test. I wanted to love this story more but I found it a little too predictable and was hoping for a bit more of a romance for the MC. Recommended for fans of the Tokyo ever after series. Okay on audio.
daenknight's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
corky12's review
4.0
I received a review copy of this from NetGalley.
The Noh Family is a lovely K-drama-inspired journey of Chloe who longs to know about her father who passed away before she was born. Through a DNA test, she finds family in Korea and spends a majority of her summer there. Despite knowing both my parents, I really related to Chloe's struggle. She felt forced to balance her own desires with her mother's, and this sometimes took the form of selfishness. However, Chloe is not an unlikable character. Readers get to see her motivation and her mind, and they can understand why she does the things she does. Her family members appear throughout the book, and each of them has a distinct personality (or lack thereof) which gives readers a clue to the ending. The pacing was a slow burn, but it never felt too slow. Chloe's every day in Korea is chronicled, and this gives readers a glimpse into her family and the culture that surrounds them. I will be recommending this book for my library.
The Noh Family is a lovely K-drama-inspired journey of Chloe who longs to know about her father who passed away before she was born. Through a DNA test, she finds family in Korea and spends a majority of her summer there. Despite knowing both my parents, I really related to Chloe's struggle. She felt forced to balance her own desires with her mother's, and this sometimes took the form of selfishness. However, Chloe is not an unlikable character. Readers get to see her motivation and her mind, and they can understand why she does the things she does. Her family members appear throughout the book, and each of them has a distinct personality (or lack thereof) which gives readers a clue to the ending. The pacing was a slow burn, but it never felt too slow. Chloe's every day in Korea is chronicled, and this gives readers a glimpse into her family and the culture that surrounds them. I will be recommending this book for my library.
betterwithabookinmyhand's review
The Noh family was a pleasant surprise! You do not need to know or love K-dramas to love this story.
Chloe Kang knows so little about her father that one day she takes a DNA test and is reunited with her family's extended family in Korea. The Noh family offers to have her stay and Chloe can't turn down a chance to know more about her father and this part of her family that she's never met. Once she lands, however, she comes to realize just how high in society her family is and slowly but surely...her life begins to resemble the K-dramas she loves so much.
Honestly, I came into this story not expecting to feel a huge connection as I'm not big on K-dramas but I soon learned that was not a requirement in the least. From the beginning Chloe's voice just pulled me in. I felt like I was watching a comfort TV show like Emily in Paris, but instead this was Chloe in South Korea.
The writing was greatly transportive--with every page I wanted to see more of South Korea, experience the food, and the novelty shops and cafes. It did what every good book should do, take you to somewhere new, and I felt that all throughout this book.
Even where miscommunication played a part in the story, in the end Chloe made strong choices that I was pleasantly surprised by. I'm grateful the ending didn't have a fairytale feel where everyone gets exactly what they want. I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it!
Solid 4 stars!
Chloe Kang knows so little about her father that one day she takes a DNA test and is reunited with her family's extended family in Korea. The Noh family offers to have her stay and Chloe can't turn down a chance to know more about her father and this part of her family that she's never met. Once she lands, however, she comes to realize just how high in society her family is and slowly but surely...her life begins to resemble the K-dramas she loves so much.
Honestly, I came into this story not expecting to feel a huge connection as I'm not big on K-dramas but I soon learned that was not a requirement in the least. From the beginning Chloe's voice just pulled me in. I felt like I was watching a comfort TV show like Emily in Paris, but instead this was Chloe in South Korea.
The writing was greatly transportive--with every page I wanted to see more of South Korea, experience the food, and the novelty shops and cafes. It did what every good book should do, take you to somewhere new, and I felt that all throughout this book.
Even where miscommunication played a part in the story, in the end Chloe made strong choices that I was pleasantly surprised by. I'm grateful the ending didn't have a fairytale feel where everyone gets exactly what they want. I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it!
Solid 4 stars!
ngreader's review
3.0
This is a debut novel and it reads that way. BUT it's also a novel that covers really hard topics (with a nice twist) and for that reason, I'm giving it 3 stars rather than 2. Really, at it's core, this is a book about family and belonging and I really enjoyed how it ended (though the last page had me seething so there's that).
*contains slight cursing, slight romance but no kissing*
*contains slight cursing, slight romance but no kissing*
mirror's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
dietmtndew's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75