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A review by notesbynnenna
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
5.0
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the free book! | Long story short, I loved FRANKLY IN LOVE. In the vein of THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas, this is another amazing YA book that I think everyone should read.
The first thing that grabbed me was Frank's voice. He's funny, smart, nerdy, and a bit self-deprecating. His voice is so strong that within a couple pages, I had a clear mental picture of who Frank was as a character.
Frank is Korean-American (it's always hyphenated when you're a minority) and he wants to date one of the girls at his high school, Brit. There's just one little problem though... Brit is white and Frank's parents definitely want him to date a Korean girl.
Frank says it openly- his parents are racist. They make offensive comments about African and Mexican Americans, among other things. He's tried to talk to them about it, but he feels helpless about changing their minds. There's one particular conversation between Frank and his best friend, Q, that I thought was so good! It's amazing to see that kind of open and necessary dialogue in this book.
As a child of immigrants, I could definitely relate to some of Frank's struggles. He's trying to forge his own path, even though his parents have certain expectations for him. In some ways, kids are the achievement of their parents and Frank's parents definitely have ideas about what they want him to achieve. I feel for Frank because it's difficult to be yourself when you think that might mean disappointing your parents. Frank is also stuck between two worlds- he's not American (read: "white") enough because of his Korean heritage, and he's not Korean enough because he was born and raised in America.
Wow, as I was writing out that sentence, I realized just how much I can relate to those feelings. When I was younger, I didn't always appreciate my family's differences from the other families I saw around me. I wished I could be more "normal," whatever that really means. It's so fulfilling to read about a character like Frank that's having similar struggles, and feel a bit less alone.
This book also explores the importance of family and how your parents shape you. Remember when you realized that your parents are people too and just because they're your parents, doesn't mean they're always right? It's such a mental adjustment and it's part of what Frank deals with in this story.
I loved Frank and Q as characters and I thought Yoon's writing style was so engaging. Someone please tell me that this is being adapted into a movie (I'm thinking something in the style of To All the Boys I've Loved Before)! I also enjoyed learning some things about Korean culture as I was reading. It's such an important read that talks about race, identity, and class, mixed in with a story about growing up and trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be.
The first thing that grabbed me was Frank's voice. He's funny, smart, nerdy, and a bit self-deprecating. His voice is so strong that within a couple pages, I had a clear mental picture of who Frank was as a character.
Frank is Korean-American (it's always hyphenated when you're a minority) and he wants to date one of the girls at his high school, Brit. There's just one little problem though... Brit is white and Frank's parents definitely want him to date a Korean girl.
Frank says it openly- his parents are racist. They make offensive comments about African and Mexican Americans, among other things. He's tried to talk to them about it, but he feels helpless about changing their minds. There's one particular conversation between Frank and his best friend, Q, that I thought was so good! It's amazing to see that kind of open and necessary dialogue in this book.
As a child of immigrants, I could definitely relate to some of Frank's struggles. He's trying to forge his own path, even though his parents have certain expectations for him. In some ways, kids are the achievement of their parents and Frank's parents definitely have ideas about what they want him to achieve. I feel for Frank because it's difficult to be yourself when you think that might mean disappointing your parents. Frank is also stuck between two worlds- he's not American (read: "white") enough because of his Korean heritage, and he's not Korean enough because he was born and raised in America.
Wow, as I was writing out that sentence, I realized just how much I can relate to those feelings. When I was younger, I didn't always appreciate my family's differences from the other families I saw around me. I wished I could be more "normal," whatever that really means. It's so fulfilling to read about a character like Frank that's having similar struggles, and feel a bit less alone.
This book also explores the importance of family and how your parents shape you. Remember when you realized that your parents are people too and just because they're your parents, doesn't mean they're always right? It's such a mental adjustment and it's part of what Frank deals with in this story.
I loved Frank and Q as characters and I thought Yoon's writing style was so engaging. Someone please tell me that this is being adapted into a movie (I'm thinking something in the style of To All the Boys I've Loved Before)! I also enjoyed learning some things about Korean culture as I was reading. It's such an important read that talks about race, identity, and class, mixed in with a story about growing up and trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be.