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brittstagram's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Vomit
sabrinarenee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I enjoyed the book in the end, I don't know that I could recommend it. It was painful. No one is a good person, and there's a LOT of trauma within all of the relationships. The story was captivating enough for me to want to finish it, and the ending redeems it for me, but it was definitely a hard read. Also wasn't a fan of the NYC idolatry - very cringey in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Just because this book is classified as YA doesn't mean it can't be read by anyone of any age.
This has some serious topics that can be triggering to some- eating disorders, cancer, asian racism/bullying, general high school bullying.
In some things the bond between sisters is so strong that you would literally be the other sister just to help them, even if they feel it's their filial duty to look after you instead.
Yolk is a well written story that draws you into the sister's relationship, their family and their messed up lives in a big city away from their parents.
This has some serious topics that can be triggering to some- eating disorders, cancer, asian racism/bullying, general high school bullying.
In some things the bond between sisters is so strong that you would literally be the other sister just to help them, even if they feel it's their filial duty to look after you instead.
Yolk is a well written story that draws you into the sister's relationship, their family and their messed up lives in a big city away from their parents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, and Vomit
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Infertility
sunsetcity's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have another other book by Mary H.K. Choi before and I feel much the same about that one as I do this one. Yolk is an emotional tale following Jayne, a college student in New York City trying to navigate through life the best she can. When her sisters tells her a secret she has been keeping for a while, Jayne's life turns upside down, and she struggles to tackle these new revelations along with her already turbulent mental health.
Going into this book, I don't think I realized just how heavy it was. It has been marketed as a funny book, and although there may be some funny moments, overall this book deals with some really hard topics (such as eating disorders and cancer). Choi excels at writing realistically flawed characters and I really appreciated that about this book. Being in Jayne's head the whole book really helped me as a reader understand the struggles she was going through and just what she was thinking as she faced the obstacles presented to her. I also loved the dynamics between the characters throughout and how they interacted with each other.
Like the last Choi book I read, I thought the writing was very beautiful and I appreciated the topics that she went into throughout the story. However, I finished the book just wanting more. I wanted to dive further into Jayne and June's relationship with each other and the rest of their family. I wanted the book to delve deeper into the mental health talk and the discussion around why some people in the story didn't believe it was a real problem. I wanted to see more of Jayne's arc as a character, especially towards the end, and her relationship with Patrick. And I wanted more from the ending.
Overall, while I enjoyed the prose and the characters, I think I wanted more from the storyline and a deeper exploration of the themes brought up.
Going into this book, I don't think I realized just how heavy it was. It has been marketed as a funny book, and although there may be some funny moments, overall this book deals with some really hard topics (such as eating disorders and cancer). Choi excels at writing realistically flawed characters and I really appreciated that about this book. Being in Jayne's head the whole book really helped me as a reader understand the struggles she was going through and just what she was thinking as she faced the obstacles presented to her. I also loved the dynamics between the characters throughout and how they interacted with each other.
Like the last Choi book I read, I thought the writing was very beautiful and I appreciated the topics that she went into throughout the story. However, I finished the book just wanting more. I wanted to dive further into Jayne and June's relationship with each other and the rest of their family. I wanted the book to delve deeper into the mental health talk and the discussion around why some people in the story didn't believe it was a real problem. I wanted to see more of Jayne's arc as a character, especially towards the end, and her relationship with Patrick. And I wanted more from the ending.
Overall, while I enjoyed the prose and the characters, I think I wanted more from the storyline and a deeper exploration of the themes brought up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
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