Ara, Sujin, Kyuri, Miho and Wonna all live in the same office-tel in Seoul. The novel gives us an insight into the life of each woman - several are from the same orphanage, but each has a difficult past to explore - of how they came to Seoul and what they hope to achieve in their lives.

Kyuri is a room salon girl who has had surgery on her eyes and jaw at the Cinderella Clinic to give her just the right look to attract male clients. Sujin longs for a similar life. Ara and Sujin were best friends as children and due to an incident in their past, Ara is no longer able to speak. She works as a colourist in a hairdressers and is obsessed with KPop and one singer in particular.

Miho is an artist, who came from the same orphanage as Sujin. She managed to get a scholarship to New York and has a rich boyfriend. Wonna is the only married woman in their block.

The stories of these women’s lives are incredibly compelling, each one adding a new layer of a picture of Korea that is terrifyingly misogynistic. The obsession with money, status and image places women at the very bottom. But these women look out for each other and create a new kind of family, a sisterhood that provides a welcome relief from the struggles of their daily lives. 

A hugely powerful novel, If I had your face should be an instant hit. Brimming with issues that are relevant beyond Korea, the novel is both gripping and unnerving. I loved it. Out early next year, I recommend putting it on your wish list.

*I was sent a kindle edition of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Trigger warnings: child abuse, violence, misogynistic language / attitudes.

If I Had Your Face is an intriguing and twisted novel which delves into the darker side of life in modern day Seoul. In a society where beauty, social class and wealth is lauded above all else, we follow four young women who struggle to find their place and are bound together through circumstance. We read as they each navigate their everyday lives, trying to make ends meet while managing their own dreams and desires for a better future. This novel is own voices for korean representation.

One of the greatest strengths of this novel are the complex and well developed characters we get. I liked that we got four distinct and unique voices; Kyuri, Miho, Ara and Wonna. Kyuri is a beautiful girl who has had copious amounts of surgery to get the ideal look and works at one of the top clubs in Seoul where she entertains male patrons, night after night. Miho is a successful artist, who has explored New York and is drawn into the circle of the wealthy Korean elite abroad, and navigating a complicated relationship with one of them. Ara is mute after an accident in her youth, and now works as a hairstylist, she harbours an obsession for Taein, a KPop idol who she longs to meet. Wonna is the last and most unlikely member of the quartet, newlywed but struggling with the trauma of her childhood, she puts all her hopes in her unborn daughter.

My favourite perspectives were that of Kyuri and Miho as they each had such a compelling voice and story. It was interesting to read through Kyuris eyes and get a glimpse into the world of the ‘room salons’ and how they operate and how normalised it all is. It’s a whole world I’m so unfamiliar with so it was an eye opener for sure. I also liked reading through Mihos perspective, and imagining how her sculptural pieces and paintings would look in reality was cool. I think both of these characters appealed to me because of how different they are and their duality, but also how they banded together and managed to form a friendship despite their initial misunderstanding of each other.

As well as her characters, Frances Cha’s writing is impactful and succinct. I enjoyed the clarity of her words and the way she dealt with a multitude of topics sensitively and realistically. The prose was immersive and I couldn’t put it down, I read this novel in a day as I was so engrossed. I will say that this is a novel which is more character driven than plot driven so if you enjoy books where there’s a lot going on then this may not be the right pick for you, however if you do enjoy more character driven novels then definitely take a read, Cha does not disappoint.

I enjoyed the fact that there wasn’t a cliched fairytale ending, rather there was an ending which felt hopeful and true for who the characters are and their situations. If anything, a happy ending in the typical sense would have felt dishonest to me, given the struggles they each faced throughout the novel so I liked that the novel leaves it open ended. I like to think that they each got some semblance of peace and contentment despite the harsher realities of their lives.

Overall, If I Had Your Face is a truly original and stunning novel which I can’t recommend highly enough. It delves deep and explores some important issues whilst also presenting some complex and interesting female characters, who I grew to really empathise for. I can’t wait for this to be published next year so it can reach even more readers and see the novel and Frances Cha get all the buzz which they both undoubtedly deserve.

Review to be posted on blog closer to publishing.

'Sometimes I just can't stop thinking about how ugly she is. I mean, why doesn't she just get surgery? Why? I really don't understand ugly people. Especially if they have money. Are they stupid?... Are they perverted?'

A dark and twisted insight into modern life in Seoul, where life is hard but women are sold the myth that beauty and status will fix any problem. 'If I had your face' focuses on four young women struggling to survive in a city where facial surgery is a worthy goal and everyone seems to be the competition in a desperate game to achieve what is seen as success.

Our cast of narrators share an apartment block in Seoul, and each has their own distinct and complex tale. They are: artist Miho, who is hiding from a dark past in New York and struggling with a relationship with one of Seoul’s most eligible bachelors; Ara, a mute hairstylist with an obsession with a K-pop star and a roommate recovering from a life-altering cosmetic surgery; Kyuri, who has achieved what so many strive for and now spends her evenings entertaining businessmen at a bar where only the prettiest 10% of girls can find work; and Wonna, a newlywed desperate for a daughter who can erase the pain of her past.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, as I've never read anything based in Seoul, so it's a completely alien world to me. Obviously I've seen the stereotypes that everyone knows through the media, but I was so excited to read something that immersed me in a world I knew nothing about. Despite this, it did take me a little while to get into the swing of it - partly because I've just come from reading a lot of historical fiction, so the tone took a while to get into. It reminded me a bit of Crazy Rich Asians, in the sense that there is a slightly formality and distance in the writing style - it is something I enjoy, but it is different, so it can take a while to adjust.

In terms of our characters, I have to admin Ara and Kyuri were the real standouts to me. I felt for Miho, but just didn't become as emotionally involved in her story, and I struggled to connect with Wonna at all. I don't know why, as her story was just as shocking and heartbreaking as the others, but I just struggled to connect with her as much. That is not to say that any of these stories are weak though, as each of these women's narratives are completely unique, and all portray a different element of life for women in Seoul.

Now I have seen some people say that the ending is unsatisfying. For me, this isn't the case, as I felt the ending showed the reality of the girls' situation - there isn't some big happy ending waiting round the corner. They will continue to struggle, to try and find happiness or something approaching it in a world that is not designed to help them, but they will do it with each others support. To me, it was the happiest ending you could get in this sort of book.

Obviously I can't speak to the reality of this book, never having been to Seoul and not knowing anyone from their. It may be that this is the truth of life in Seoul, or it may be that it is slightly exaggerated for entertainment. Personally, either way I find it to be a truly stunning and unique read that I would recommend to anyone. It offers a stunning insight into a unique world, and has a cast of characters that are incredibly vivid and real from the very first page. A worthwhile read, and an incredible debut.

A hypnotic, sensual and original story of four women. In a city where appearance is everything, Kyuri the club hostess, mute hairdresser Ara, married office worker Wonna and artist Miho do what they can to survive. At times the girls experience a strange and brutal world but I put down the book feeling optimistic for them.

I ended up reading the entire novel in one sitting on a plane ride back from Seoul. It illuminated parts and people of the city which, as an outsider with very limited Korean skills, could really begin to comprehend.

Complex, dark and full of tragic characters, If I had Your Face is a raw candid snapshot of modern day Seoul and the young women living under its lights.

Far from the glossy streets of Gangnam, the four lives of Wonna, heavily pregnant and struggling to meet the demands of raising a newborn,; Kyuri, whose pursuit of beauty and status leads to her work in a 'room-salon', her flatmate Miho, an adoptee and art student entangled in the lives of the Korean-American elite and finally Ara, a mute hairstylist with an unhealthy obsession with her favourite idol.

While life in any city can be claustrophobic, each chapter which focuses on a different woman really hones in on the sense of gasping from air and struggling to stay afloat at different points of womanhood, all under the same roof.The financial insecurity of becoming a new mother in hand in a country with some of the longest working hours in the world*, Wonna's story focused heavily on the often unsaid troubles of womanhood alongside massaging male fragility.

prevalent plastic surgery and streets lined with clinics in Gangnam were probably one of the most difficult things to contend with while away, which made be gravitate towards Kyuri the most of the four girls. Her motivations, her seemingly self-assured nature, coupled with her insecurities which she confides in with Ara, unable to speak aloud following her own personal trauma, was framed wonderfully throughout and spoke volumes about the pressure of keeping up appearances while dealing with the doubt and uncertainty of early adulthood.

Overall, I can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy next year!

If I Had Your Face is a timely representation of the rising issue of body image in Korea, where women are pressured into conforming their facial features (particularly eyelids) into Eurocentric idealised views of beauty. This book is a necessary book: needed to understand societal views of beauty, and how Western views of beauty dominate the world. Thank you Frances Cha.

I enjoyed reading this novel and was drawn into the story of the young women of Seoul. I liked the insights into Korean culture and the way the women interacted with one another. I was really disappointed by the abrupt ending. I read an ebook version, so I was totally unprepared for the novel ending with lots of loose ends and felt that it didn't stop at a natural point of closure..

Survival in beauty-obsessed contemporary Seoul.

This riveting debut follows four young women as they forge a life in a frenetic society where plastic surgery is the answer to getting on.

Beautiful Kyuri works in a 10% (an exclusive room salon which employs only the prettiest girls in the industry) entertaining businessmen.

Orphan Miho is awarded a scholarship to study art in New York where she becomes entangled with the exclusive world of the chaebol (corporation) families.

Mute Ara, a hairdresser, is infatuated by Taein, the lead singer of a K-pop band.

Married Wonna is fearful of bringing a child into this world.

A fascinating insight into modern Korean life, full of strict social hierarchies, avid consumerism, low birth rate and an ever-widening generation gap. The light sprinkling of Korean terms add authentic flavour.

Cha writes assuredly, with intriguing characters and tremendous pace.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) for the ARC.

This book felt extremely realistic
I felt the main characters were multi-dimensional and really cared about their fate. Very well written and insightful.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I got into it I enjoyed it. In terms of voice, I could draw similarities between Cha and Celeste Ng, Sara Taylor and a touch of Jessie Burton, all writers whose work I've enjoyed. I wasn't fully gripped by the story but that's a personal preference thing rather than a criticism of it per se. I may revisit this at some point to see if I just wasn't in the right head space for it, but I definitely learned a lot about Seoul which is not a place on my cultural radar.

The story of a group of women trying to survive life in Seoul. They have each found their own path but none of them seem happy. as you follow their lives, their history is revealed.

Written well and easy to follow the story drags you in until you cant put it down.

I enjoyed following the narrative but in the end I felt like I was left with a lot of questions unanswered. I am also unsure if this a true reflection on how society is in Seoul now or the authors vision of the way it is heading, This is definitely something I will look into and will end up teaching me more about the world so it gets a star for that (I love anything that educates me)

If I Had Your Face is an impressive debut; a compelling novel of friendship and female experience in a male-dominated world. In fact, I would never have guessed this was a debut novel without the blurb: Cha is an assured writer and an erudite guide to the Seoul her characters inhabit.

But while Cha paints a vivid tableau of Korean culture, this is very much a universal novel of female experience. The central characters are expertly drawn, and each narrator has their own distinctive tone and perspective pull. There may be hints of k-drama imagery and convention, but there are no clunky clichés or fairytale endings here. The characters simply muddle through life as best they can.

The premise may seem a little bleak, but I found If I Had Your Face a surprisingly hopeful novel, and an utterly engaging read.

Read it in a breeze!
It is a beautiful novel about contemporary Seoul and millennials living in South Korea, and the beauty culture and how it affects women there.
The novel follows the lives of 4 women, 3 of whom are friends, that live in the same apartment complex.
It is very fascinating to see how they live their lives, from a westerner's point of view, knowing very little about South Korean culture, but it is also a beautiful novel about ordinary women and how they deal with relationships with men, bosses/co-workers and their careers.
I would definitely highly recommend it, as I read it in a very short time and couldn't put it down!

I thought that this may be a book that would elude me, having never been exposed to Korean culture or the massively popular Kpop trend. But I think that the author has written a story that will resonate with all women, because it speaks to the female role in a society that remains dominated by men. If I Had Your Face shoots from the hip when examining how a woman's worth is measured by her perfection in the high beams of the male gaze- beauty that only copious amounts of surgery and touchups can achieve, not too outspoken, not too smart, and rich but not more rich than her male counterpart. The book is also brutally honest when breaking down the barbed nature of female relationships, being at once ruthlessly competitive but also fiercely loyal. Despite being a work of fiction, every character rings true right off the page. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one, and can't believe it is a debut. I look forward to more work from Frances Cha.

What an utterly compelling novel. I loved it from the beginning to the end. It is a page turner that you won’t want to put down
It is written very well with a perfect pace to the storyline
Excellent book

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha is a novel about four young women in contemporary Seoul and the friendship between them.

The gorgeous cover made me grab this, along with the chance to get an insider view of female lives in Seoul. Some of it is shocking, particularly the extreme plastic surgery that has women shaving their jaws to meet someone else's ideal of female beauty even if it means they can't eat... but at heart I found this sticks to a formula: the four female friends who support each other through everything.

All the women speak with the same voice and there's something a little muddy about the writing so that it lacks clarity and vitality, as if we're hearing everything through a muffled layer. Worth a read, though, for the insight into Korea and young Korean lives.