Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

29 reviews

starbeans's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Jayne is a young Korean-American woman living in New York after moving out from her parents’ house in Texas. Her older sister, June, moved to the city a few years before her. While Jayne’s life consists of dealing with her faulty apartment, skipping college classes, fighting with her situationship, getting sloppy drunk with her friends, and a heavy case of binge-eating and bulimia, June’s world is seemingly perfect, with a high-paying job in hedge funds. The two sisters seem nothing alike and apparently can’t really stand each other. 
That is, until June discovers she has cancer. 

It’s a heartwarming, funny, and gut-wrenching story all at the same time. It’s written incredibly well, the characters are fleshed out, and I love how unreliable Jayne is as a narrator. The ending (tiny spoiler) doesn’t really give any closure to the reader plot-wise, but it ends at a really, really good point nonetheless. Nothing but love for this book, practically inhaled it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Alcoholism

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Drug use

corriespondent's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad 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

4.0

I felt pretty ambivalent about Yolk by Mary HK Choi as I was reading it, but after finishing the last couple chapters and closing the book, I think I… like it? Or appreciate it? Jayne is a Gen Z-ish Korean American living in New York, living a somewhat chaotic life and not really enjoying any of it, struggling with anxiety and an eating disorder (content warning). But she finds out that her kind of estranged older sister, June, has cancer, and this brings up all kinds of themes around immigrant families and the traumas that bind and divide them.

This book made me feel old; I mentally clucked my tongue at these younguns making terrible life choices in a Tinder world while feeling a kind of helpless compassion for them. I found almost all the characters rather unlikeable for most of the book, but they grew on me (and grew over the course of the book). And there is something kind of ironic or… freeing? to read Asian American characters who are not a model minority and a mere shiny sidekick. 

So - I’m glad I finished it, but I am not sure I would read it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit and Eating disorder

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

motz_stick's review

emotional reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Perfectly Mundane

I was hesitant to continue this book after some mental health struggles caused me to read at such a slow pace, but I’m forever grateful I did. This book was so beautifully written that I feel like I lived another life. It’s pacing and content felt so realistic. It’s the perfect slice of life book because it’s messy and has ups and downs. I also found comfort in the writing, the descriptions of mental illness made me feel understood and less alone. Although this book may not be for everyone I adored it and would love to read more of Choi’s writing.

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Content Warnings

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

booksandboba's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Vomit, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Racism, Child death, Drug use, Medical content, Cursing, and Infidelity

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

auteaandtales's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Drug use, Medical content, Sexual content, Cancer, Eating disorder, Infertility, and Suicidal thoughts

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Drug use

taroroot's review

challenging emotional funny 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

4.0

i loved this a lot more than i thought i would. i'm generally wary of YA novels written in first-person but i adored being in Jayne's head. so many things she said and felt were so painfully relatable. as someone who doesn't have a sister, i enjoyed this deep insight into the relationship between sisters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Vomit, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Racism

briarrosec's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Eating disorder

Moderate: Drug use

seoulatte's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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