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A review by alexblackreads
If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim
3.0
I wanted to love this book so much, but it didn't quite hit the wrong notes. At its best, this book centered on Haemi, a young refugee who spirals into mental illness over the course of two decades. I loved the portrayal of her as a young woman trying to survive, making choices she already knows will bring her unhappiness even as she's making them. Her trauma and her life are so full throughout this whole novel. I thought I was going to fall in love with her story.
But then at its worst, this book could turn into a shallow love triangle, two cousins both in love with Haemi. Neither of them were nearly as interesting or as developed as Haemi herself. She carried the story and the two men felt superfluous. Occasionally they had some interesting insights, but it seemed like their primary goal was to lengthen the novel.
I also found the book rather disjointed. Jumping between characters and across so many years interrupted the flow of the story for me. I struggled with caring in between the massive jumps and readjusting to how much we missed during major time skips. At times it felt like two or three different stories all crammed into a single book.
I was still torn between two and three stars, but the ending was so heavy handed and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It kind of cheapened the whole book.
The writing was lovely and I did really adore the character of Haemi, but unfortunately this novel was kind of a let down. I'd recommend to fans of historical fiction and tragic love stories, but it missed the mark for me.
But then at its worst, this book could turn into a shallow love triangle, two cousins both in love with Haemi. Neither of them were nearly as interesting or as developed as Haemi herself. She carried the story and the two men felt superfluous. Occasionally they had some interesting insights, but it seemed like their primary goal was to lengthen the novel.
I also found the book rather disjointed. Jumping between characters and across so many years interrupted the flow of the story for me. I struggled with caring in between the massive jumps and readjusting to how much we missed during major time skips. At times it felt like two or three different stories all crammed into a single book.
I was still torn between two and three stars, but the ending was so heavy handed and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It kind of cheapened the whole book.
The writing was lovely and I did really adore the character of Haemi, but unfortunately this novel was kind of a let down. I'd recommend to fans of historical fiction and tragic love stories, but it missed the mark for me.