As a Korean American, this book was relatable. It is so filled with emotion and feelings. I wanted the best for both sisters. It was tough in sections but also was funny. This book would appeal to older young adults and also adults. Quick read and worth it!

Intense and fascinating portrait of a family, sisters specifically. I think better than her previous novels I've read - felt more visceral.

The characters were a little flat for me. I did keep turning the pages though. I would try something else by the same author because I did enjoy the writing style.

I loved this book. An emotional look at the relationship between sisters who couldn't be more different and each struggling with their own issues. Cancer diagnosis, eating disorder, the messy ways of early adulthood and family relationships are all showcased in this novel that make for a very moving read.

Oh what a beautiful book!! I loved this devastating story of sisterhood so much and it led me to reading Choi's basklist book, Emergency Contact. She's now an auto-buy author for me!

Finally got around to finishing this one. It was really raw and real. Will go on my realistic fiction titles that I recommend to teens at my library. I really found the main character aggravating, but I'm glad I pushed through because the story was really good.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Overall I enjoyed this book although my enjoyment was a bit of a roller coaster throughout the book. Some moments/chapters I found so compelling and interesting and others I wanted to stop reading I was so frustrated or annoyed with the characters. Once it started exploring more of the sister dynamic I was more hooked. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I think the author is. not for me because I have tried a few of her books in audio and I have DNFed them. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

This was a heavy read but well written. The formatting on the earc was a bit off which is why I didn’t review this last year but wanted to leave feedback now.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

This one ripped my heart out and pieced it (slightly) back together. This was my third Mary H. K. Choi book, and I've come to the conclusion that she writes realistic YA/NA protagonists like no other. Her characters are always messy and complicated and make questionable decisions, and that is why I love them. Yolk really leaned into that aspect of her writing. At its core, this is a story about sisters and family and what we're willing to do for the people we love (no matter how much it might make us resent them). I absolutely cried while reading this book, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you to the publisher of Yolk for an egalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my second book by Mary HK Choi and the second that I have loved. I typically don't love character driven novels but she writes so honestly and really has such a grasp of dialogue that I sped right through it. There is a plot but I didn't feel it was the main driver - it really is a story about sisters and really how when it comes down to it...family is the most important. I highly recommend this novel and can't wait for the author's next release!

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi was a spectacular and educational look into the lives of two siblings, Jayne, the younger sister, and June, the older sister, both of whom moved to New York City to pursue their respective dreams. The sisters live vastly different lives away from one another, despite living in the same city. However, fate seems to bring the two sisters together again, even if they do not believe that it is for the best.

Mary H.K. Choi, as an author, truly excels at character development, particularly with her focus on “older” characters than those traditionally seen in your typical young-adult novel, which is both a refreshing and much-needed perspective. Young adults definitely include people in their twenties, too, etcetera, so expanding the types of YA novels being published would go a long way to increase the diversity of the genre. Some would probably classify Mary H.K. Choi as an author who writes new adult fiction. All in all, Yolk solidified Mary H.K. Choi as a new favorite author of mine, especially having already read and loved Permanent Record a year ago. I look forward to tracking down a copy of Emergency Contact ASAP.

Mary H.K. Choi does it again with a dynamic, charismatic book about family and sisterhood. The story was almost too powerful for me, hitting too close to home. The relationships aren't easy or pretty, but they feel very real, and the characters are vividly drawn.

This book wrecked me. I don't have a sister but I understand the power of sisterhood and this book shows it so well. Jayne and June's relationship is messy and confusing, but the love they share is so real and relatable. I loved this book!

I already know that Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi will be among my favorite reads of the year. Yolk puts us in the shoes of Jayne as she struggles with an eating disorder while repairing her relationship with her sister, and Choi did a phenomenal job bringing about the deep, sometime ugly feelings these sisters are experiencing. I loved the very real feeling of their relationship as they slowly rebuilt a bond due to a medical emergency after years of disconnect. A beautiful story about a family rebuilding, sisters bonding and saving one another, and what it means to be there for someone in their darkest times.

YOLK is an intriguing coming-of-age read that tackles, illness, mental illness, eating disorders, and unhealthy relationships. The story is told from the perspective of Jayne, a young woman in college with an eating disorder, who lives with her sort-of boyfriend Jeremy. She is in an illegal sublet in NYC and is becoming aware of all the problems with having such a sublet. When her older sister June reaches out and shows up to find her, Jayne reluctantly agrees to speak with her.

She learns that June has cancer, and suddenly, Jayne is reeling. As she begins to reevaluate her life and enter into her sister's, she decides to make some changes and reflect on their shared history. Jayne will have to decide who she wants to be going forward and how to meet her sister somewhere in the middle of where they were and where they are now.

What I loved: This was an emotional and heavy read with some important themes about family, physical and mental illness, and finding yourself. Jayne experiences a lot of turmoil and character growth throughout the story, as she begins to deal with her eating disorder and anxiety as well as her past and present relationships. Along these lines, I really appreciated that the book contained some scenes from her therapy and group sessions that really make these seem feasible and helpful. Particularly in YA, this is really helpful to show and include.

The complexity of the sibling relationships as children and forged again as adults resonates here, and I appreciated that we get to understand more of the past that led to the present, as well as she how the decisions made along the way have impacted the two sisters. Ultimately, it's a book of emotional growth and familial healing.

Other themes, including sexism/racism in the workplace, abusive relationships, and healthcare costs/insurance issues in the US were also really interesting and thought-provoking. There is a lot to unpack and discuss in this book, and it would be great for a buddy read or book club for this reason.

Final verdict: An emotional coming-of-age story, YOLK tackles important and thought-provoking themes along the way to heartfelt personal and familial growth.

This was one of the more powerful books I've read in a long time. The story of Jayne, a fashion school student in New York, who is struggling to find her place in the world. She lives in an illegal sublet with a hookup she can't get rid of, even as he brings home new girls. She also struggles with her body image and binging and purging.

Her life gets considerably more interesting when she finds out her older sister, June, has been diagnosed with cancer. Even though June lives in the same city, the two rarely see each other and don't get along. They begin to spend more time with each other as June attends doctor's appointments to find out the extent of her illness and Jayne tries to take care of her in anyway she can. Their relationship is fraught with bitterness but also love. They were left by their mother for a period of time when they were in high school back in Texas and have never really dealt with that or their mother's tough love treatment of them.

This book was poignant, hilarious at times, and deeply moving watching the sisters navigate their new roles for each other.

Okay, so I fully expected that this book was going to break me, I just didn’t expect that THAT was the way it was going to break me.

Jayne is a New York City living college student who seems pretty distanced from her family even though her sister, June, lives only streets away. That changes when June shows up one day with terrible news: she has cancer. Suddenly Jayne is pulled back into her life as she tries to navigate not only her sister’s illness, but her own romantic life, friendships, and mental health problems as well.

I honestly don’t know where to start with this review. First of all, I feel like it is so hard to write complex characters without making people hate them, and these characters were pure art. Although, I really did hate how mean June seemed for a while. But as the story went on, my opinion of her changed with Jayne’s. The sibling rivalry to love journey was very well done, and I had to try really, really hard not to cry while reading in the dining hall.

Jane also experiences a lot of self-esteem issues and anxiety. A lot of times I was really upset because I saw myself in that part of her, and it gave me waaaay too many feelings.

“I thought a polished appearance and stellar behavior would be the passport to belonging. And when I inevitably failed at perfection, I could at least willfully do everything in my power to be kicked out before anyone left me.”

I don’t usually include quotes in my reviews, but that line hit me so hard. I really wanted to reach through the pages, hug her, and tell her she wasn’t alone.

The narrative style itself was really interesting. It almost came off like stream-of-consciousness, with a heavy emphasis on both Jayne’s deep and mundane inner thoughts. For the first half of the book it felt pretty slow. But once I got used to it, it was actually really amazing how present I felt in the book. Jayne might be the most real feeling fictional character I’ve ever read about.

Big content warning though, this book deals with some heavy topics. Jayne suffers from an eating disorder, and while it is touched on more subtly in the first part of the book, toward the end it is very present. And though I cannot speak to the to accuracy of this mental health rep specifically, I will say it was absolutely heart wrenching. She also talks about some tumultuous family experiences, as well as her experiences as a Korean immigrant (which includes racism).

Overall I think this was a very emotionally heavy book, but also one that felt really important to read.

Pacing: medium
Intended audience: Adult
Content warnings: MC with an eating disorder, MC experiences racism, parental abuse, cancer