Reviews

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

sapphicamaya's review

3.0

gay son or thot daughter? except the thot daughter finds the one, marries him, and leaves her gay bestfriend behind for a life filled with tiny hells. but amidst it all, he finds gyu-ho, his only wish, a wish that will never come true because that’s just how real life is.

dembury's review

5.0

4.5 rounded up.
A bitingly honest, sharp, and messily funny novel about relationships, family, and queer love in modern Seoul, seen through the eyes of the cynical yet lovable narrator, Young. "Love in the Big City" doesn't shy away from looking at the ugly, awkward parts of life, giving these things just as much attention as the beautiful, tender moments; it really does such a stunning job of showcasing how these things all exist in tandem with one another and how we're all just doing our best in these various situations thrown at us. There's heartbreak, there's humor, there's HIV- sometimes all at once. This is a standout in modern queer lit and I'm excited to see what Sang Young Park writes next!

kaybmc's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

jontydewolfe's review against another edition

emotional reflective

3.5

madaralindane's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

My chaotic thoughts of it: 

• It started strong (I really liked the sarcastic tone of narrator, liberating vibe & dynamics between two friends Young & Jaehee who spend their evenings partying & having sex) but lost it's magic in the middle.
• The narration of the book moves back and forth in time and at times (more towards the end of the book) I found it a bit confusing. 
• Novel consists of 4 parts and I didn't like that the tone changed too much with each part, I missed a bit more cohesiveness so in the end this felt more like a short story collection than a novel.  
• Also to everyone who wants to read this - blurb on the back is misleading as it tells the story only about the first part, the other parts are a whole different story of Young's life where Jaehee basically doesn't play any role in. 
• The quote that stuck with me the most is: “Rain still falls during the late rainy season, as do tears even when it’s too late.” 

lilith_spawn's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

metamorfosa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

caterinagberti's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

yelizsbabealie's review against another edition

4.0

Really liked it but struggled a little to get into it at first (also to get used to some characters and the writing style). However, as soon as I got into it I couldn’t stop reading and was curious as to how his story would evolve. 

jayseaking's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0