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starzreads's review against another edition
3.5
“Every time someone hurts you, you find a way to hurt yourself ten times worse.”
Yolk is an honest look into trauma, healing, sisterhood and most prominently the relationship we have with ourselves. It was an introspective read for me even though Jayne the main character of this book couldn't be more different than me. It in fact helped me process the trauma of losing a loved one so I think I'll always remember it for that. I enjoyed the journey this book took me on, it felt like for awhile I was some sort of spirit watching over Jayne as she dealt with the events of this book and started her journey towards healing.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the relationship between Jayne and her sister June, while they were both quite messy I think considering what they went through their behaviour made sense. I have until now never really read a book which portrayed having a sister this well. Yes, they are constantly bickering, lobbing acidic insults at each other but at the end of the day, there is an unbreakable bond there. Truthfully your sister is the most honest person you will know. It was really sweet watching Jayne and June repair their relationship and I think it was written in a way that felt natural and not forced.
Speaking specifically on Jayne's character yes she makes so many bad decisions, she doesn't value what she has but that is the point. Trauma often turns us into the worst versions of ourselves and I believe that Jayne is a portrayal of that. As I read the book my empathy for Jayne only grew. Her deep-rooted issues with belonging, body image, and self-worth are heart-wrenching. I rooted for her throughout the book and her character development felt like a triumph. I think by looking at Jayne we can learn to treat ourselves better too, to try to heal the wounds we may have had for years.
My only gripe is I felt the plot is a bit unbalanced, when you see the premise of this book you would think that it follows Jayne AND June heavily but instead, we step away from the exchanged identity storyline and delve into Jayne's romantic pursuits for an extended amount of time. It was so much so that for the final portion of the book, I was a bit unsatisfied. I kind of wished the book was a bit longer so that both Jayne's healing journey and the switched identity storyline could have had equal
development and an equally satisfying ending.
Regardless, I still believe Yolk is a worthwhile read.
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Death
motz_stick's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Perfectly Mundane
Graphic: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Grief, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Vomit, Body shaming, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Death, Infertility, and Sexual assault
italkofdreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Death
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cancer
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Drug use, Vomit, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Infertility, Child death, Excrement, Ableism, Pedophilia, Death, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
allisonparkss's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Medical content, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Grief
hctown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Self harm, Death, and Cancer
michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I hate contemporary references in books with a passion but this one isn't that bad.
My only issue is Jayne is constantly said to be an emotional character but reading through I can barely get a sense of her thought process. She does things / takes actions at random,
I guess my other issue is misused AAVE. But also... Asian American? From Texas? New York transplants? Color me shocked.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Self harm, Vomit, Abandonment, Blood, Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Fatphobia, Infertility, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racial slurs and Stalking
seoulatte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, and Vomit
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual harassment, Death, Child death, Blood, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Bullying, and Alcoholism
hannahshriver5's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Cancer, and Vomit
Moderate: Infertility, Death, and Mental illness
abbyreadsbigbooks123's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Cancer, Vomit, Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical content, Infertility, and Death