Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

88 reviews

classicpseudonym's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

this book depicts a raw, human experience so damn well. given i haven’t been through a fraction of what the protagonist - jayne - has, but i felt so much emotion reading choi’s narration of her thought processes alone. i especially related to jayne’s constant need for distractions - thus her relationship with the city - and her inherent belief that new environments and her appearance will give her a fresh start and make people treat her a certain way. and overall the untethered nature of jayne’s actions due to her never feeling grounded, in control, or present in her body is subtly expressed but adds tremendously to the scattered feeling readers get thanks to choi’s well written narration. it’s worth noting that i’m lucky to have never experienced mental illness to the extent to which jayne does, but this book truly made me realize the extent to which illness - both mental and physical - consumes the conscience of so many. choi perfectly encapsulates that feeling of having no control of what’s happening around you or your reaction - or lack thereof, and the overall numbness jayne experiences at points throughout the book. in combination with her vivid flashbacks to a slew of childhood memories and strained familial relationships as well as disturbing and heartwarming encounters, so many moments in this book were so palpable that they left me numb with emotion. and don’t get me started on jayne’s interactions and dynamics with other people because the push/pull there is so well done i could go on for days. basically, hats off to choi!!! i will say this book is pretty triggering and i did have to put it down at some points because of that, but it does a really good job representing a tumultuous yet heartwarming narrative. so if you want to feel big feelings, give it a read :))

Content Warnings

corriespondent's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

2.0

Content Warnings

nicoreads333's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful 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

Mary Choi has a way of transporting a reader back in time to teen/young adult years with her writing. I love her writing style, the characters she crafts, and the worlds they live in. Yold is dark, but humorous, and sad and relatable. Choi eloquently paints the complicated dynamics between mother and daughter and between sisters (especially as immigrants in the US), so even if you can't relate in your life, you get a glimpse of what it's like. She handled the conversation of food and body issues respectfully, while remaining true to the character.

Content Warnings

motz_stick's review

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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.

Content Warnings

fernreads42's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

3.75

Content Warnings

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

lunep's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

readerrants's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Content Warnings

entropyseeker's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

3.75

This book got much better in the last 15%, but before that it was a little rough to keep reading a character that felt so unlikeable to me. There was also a romance that felt unnecessary and just thrown in for the hell of it. The last part of the book feels like all of the characters are completely different, which makes sense if the main character's, Jayne, perspective shifts on them, but it felt rather jarring and confusing.

Content Warnings

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