Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Yolk

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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leeanna's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

1.5

Damn, this was disappointing.

The plot had a lot of holes, character motivations and actions often didn’t make sense, writing style was inconsistent and… just bad at times (too many pop-culture references, it was all just trying too hard), characters were pretentious and unlikeable and so POORLY-/UNDER-DEVELOPED (a flaw I can’t overlook), the ending felt rushed… I was so bored the entire time, yet everything felt rushed and underdeveloped?

Remind me to stop picking up teen fiction. My 25-year-old brain is too cynical and unforgiving.

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anniefwrites's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

There's really no one who can beat the intricacy of Mary H. K. Choi's language. Her writing oozes intelligence, and her details are always microscopically specific. She weaves together a story so tightly wound that, when it finally unravels, it feels like a breath of fresh air. She humanizes her characters so fully, and when they do things that surprise you, it turns out to be exactly in line with who they are. An excellent read.

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queserasara's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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finn_nn's review against another edition

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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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sachikoriddle's review against another edition

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5.0

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

I saw a lot of praise for Yolk and, out of curiosity, decided to pick it up. I should preface that I’m really particular about YA books, one of the reasons being that I often find myself not liking the protagonists very much. Unfortunately, this was the case with Yolk, too, but my feelings for Jayne were... far more complicated than I anticipated. I understand why she acted the way she did throughout this book. It’s frustrating when you’re on the outside, knowing how so much of this could be solved with some help, but also knowing that you can’t... quite force it, either. It’s more so the case when you’ve also been in a similar position of spiraling, knowing how hard it is to get out of it. However, there’s only so much self-sabotaging you can deal with before it gets too frustrating that you start resenting the character. I think what upsets me is that you do see glimpses of positive development, especially towards the end, but it makes me wish that was occurring throughout the book.

Some things felt a bit too forced for my taste such as the whole relationship with Patrick which honestly felt random and somewhat out-of-place, or the dysfunctional elements of relationships. Regarding the latter, I think showing the messiness of it all was executed well (maybe too well), especially when it came to the relationship Jayne had with her sister, June. I think Choi could have pulled back a little to allow for some more plot development.

All in all, I think some really important topics were covered, especially about eating disorders. I think Choi really navigated this with sensitivity and grace but without sugarcoating anything. It’s rare to see a book cover this matter, despite its prevalence in society, and I appreciate that the book exists for people to feel a little less alone and understand that, like Jayne, help and support are always there. I would have loved more on the family relationships, since that was clearly important but it came and went so quickly sometimes. It wouldn’t make sense to take it out, but it didn’t feel as though there was enough either. But I’m glad that, at the very least, Choi dove deep into the sisters’ relationship that showed how complex they can get. It feels rare to see books that centers sibling relationships as much as Yolk did, and despite my complaints earlier, I appreciated the time she took to develop their relationship.

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eschell's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

Wow, this book felt borderline too reflective on my own relationship with my sister even as a white woman. The characters are so well written they feel like everyone you know and unlike anyone you have ever met at the same time. The author does a great job bringing everything together in the end without giving away too much, I was left wishing I could read about the next decade of these sisters' lives.

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