Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Yolk, by Mary H.K. Choi

17 reviews

cynthiaa's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I felt the need to hug my sister after finishing this book (I didn’t but I should lol). This book portrays what a sister relationship is like so so well, the ugly and beauty of it :) Because of that, this book made me ugly cry. 

I also felt very seen as the younger sister lol.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Infertility and Body shaming

allisonparkss's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Medical content, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Grief

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A book about family, and love, and self-love, I think - I really enjoyed the way Choi writes, and quickly become invested in June and Jayne, two different sisters who share a lot (as sisters do). I found the ending a little weak, but endings are tough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Eating disorder, Medical content, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Addiction, and Chronic illness

cady_sass's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“This story might be emotionally expensive for you” 

That kinda says it all, doesn’t it? What a beautiful, honest piece of writing. There is a delicate balance between loving these character and hating them, and we walk it closely, but that is what makes them come alive. The realities of family and childhood trauma and what we become, and how we carry it with us even when we run far away. The reality of living in world (country) where treating illness is a luxury. It takes a bit to get into it and, admittedly, I put it down for a few days at one point but I’m so glad I picked it back up. I love this with my whole heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Chronic illness, Excrement, Self harm, Sexual content, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Grief

lostpaperbacks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Eating disorder

jparmley's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.75

Ok this book is truly so good!!! The story follows two second-gen Korean-American sisters with a love-hate (but mostly loving) relationship, melting into each other while navigating their own independent identities. Despite YA not always being the easiest genre for me to get into, I fell in love with this book, and saw myself in both sisters (dating white men with unaddressed Asian fetishes? feeling out of place in high school??? men without Asian fetishes (probably) who only quietly text you in high school so their friends don't find out????  ED problems making everything worse????? ugh). Some of the millennial language and Asian-American identity passages felt heavy-handed and awkwardly placed, but I'm so glad that this book exists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Chronic illness

radiocryptid's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

God this book. Stab in the heart much. It’s somewhere between 4 and 5 stars because I found the ending a bit rushed but I feel like it needed to be. Like we’re not allowed to see much of the true open love between the June and Jayne and their mum. Like it has to be this I love you/I hate you, I’m going to help you but I’m going to hold it against you but we both know that I’m only doing that because I don’t want to be vulnerable. It’s very good and hurts and the most true portrayal of family I’ve ever read. This is what family really looks like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cancer, Self harm, Racial slurs, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault

madalynsbooks's review against another edition

emotional

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Chronic illness, Cancer, and Eating disorder

hels_archive's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Review Summary : In terms of pacing, I'd likely have finished this book in a day if it didn't elicit so many emotions. As the reader, you shadow Jayne through the thick of it all: her environment, her relationships, her memories, and her self destructive choices. While the most remarkable facet of the story lies in the character development, the plot pulse is strong to carry the narrative to the end. And speaking of the ending, hands down one of my favorite book endings to date. It's a book of complicated love, for self and others, a book about growth and healing for the self, and a book of fernweh... of longing to longing for places you've never been and connections you crave.

Rating: 5/5 . Jayne's gonna stick with me for a long time and if you're young, questionably dumb, and carrying unresolved hurts I think you should give it a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, and Chronic illness

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse

lilly_j's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Infertility, Sexual violence, Drug use, Grief, and Child death