A review by jayisreading
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

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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