In her early-thirties, Ro has been working for years at the aquarium where her beloved missing father was once employed. She can’t motivate herself to move on from the memories of her father nor her beloved octopus ward, Dolores, especially after her boyfriend Tay leaves her to join a mission to colonize Mars. While this might sound like the beginning of a zany adventure or love story, what follows is a quiet, tender, and profound coming-of-age story set amongst the backdrop of a subtly near-distant future. Chung is able to capture pain and heartache exquisitely in her prose and Ro is a character who readers will fall in love with, even as she frustrates them. Readers of Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender will find a lot to love in Chung’s debut novel.

Sea Change is a book I requested as I am fascinated by octopus and the role they play in their ecosystem. I was keen to read about a character’s life and interaction with sea creatures.

Overall, I think this book was a decent debut and the writer has talent and a lot of potential moving forward. I’d like to see stronger character growth balanced by plot in this story.

There’s an overall theme of male abandonment throughout the story, both by her dad and boyfriend. She is constantly replaying moments from the past in her mind and wondering about what could have been. The ironic part is, she doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to Dolores when she’s supposed to be sold. It’s as if she hasn’t learned from her past! We see this pattern echoed through her cousin as well, and her own daughter.

The book reads as an incisive look into the main character’s self growth journey after a breakup, echoing a lost father, but our view of her was just surface level. You don’t get to the depth of her, despite being paralleled with creatures from the depth of the ocean. I’d like to have seen more of who she is, and developed an understanding. By the end of the book, it feels as if she’s only started to learn who she is and what she wants and it’s tremulous at best.

There’s a solid description of place and setting. I’d like to see more from Gina Chung in the future, but with an editor that really pushes her to go for it!

I really enjoyed this! While I did request it on NetGalley before it came out, I put some other books in front of it. By now, I have read some reviews here on Goodreads and was not sure I would like it after seeing some negative reviews. I am happy to tell you I can highly recommend this one! It is all in preference and what you like in your book, of course; expectations figure in and it seems a lot other readers wanted more of Dolores as part of the story.

Of course, being the animal lover that I am, I loved Dolores, the Octopus, the most. She is the reason I wanted to read the book anyway. I would have liked more of Dolores, too, but, I certainly came to love the story of Umma, Apa, and Ro. I liked learning about Yoonhee as well. I especially liked her character and what she brings to the story.

"Apa had told me that Dolores rarely slept. Instead of closing her small, wicked eyes and drifting along in the currents and eddies of her tank the way I had imagined she might, she was the first octopus of her kind who rarely seemed to require any kind of REM activity. She was almost always doing something, he said, even when she was resting. She seemed to enjoy floating, suspending herself in the water or crouching among the rocks at the bottom, as though she was playing hide-and-seek with herself. He had never seen an Ocotpus with such a capacity for play."

Apa, Ro's dad, is who found Dolores many years ago in the Bearing Vortex. Dolores now lives in a mall aquarium. Ro works at the aquarium, and is fascinated by Dolores; has made friends with Dolores. Ro, has a lot to unpack and we journey with her on her path of self discovery. He dad went missing after that trip to the Bearing Vortex. This is her story and it is sad, heroic and thoughtful all at the same time. The novel is mostly about Ro. I wanted to have more time with Dolores but it is ok. Ro really touched me in several ways and I absolutely felt for her in her journey to find out who she was, is, and will be.

If you are considering this, ignore the negative reviews and give it a try. I was very satisfied with this read and am glad I gave it a chance. I have now known for several years that an octopus is a sentient being. The writing in this novel does showcase that and I am glad to see more authors using this information. In one point in the book, it is shared that Dolores is as smart as a 10 year old!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy to read for review! I look forward to reading more by the author.

After a year of several sea creature books this book still stood out as a great read! Gina Chung wrote a stand out novel and I've been recommending it to people who enjoyed some other very popular books this past year. Thanks so much for a chance to read an early copy of this novel.

I don’t have a ton to say about this really. It wasn’t bad, it didn’t blow me away, it just was. I, of course, enjoyed the octopus because they are magnificent creatures. I struggled, of course, with the excessive drinking and self-sabotage. I think this is a deeply personal book, and it will either resonate or it won’t - and there’s nothing wrong with that.

One of the best books I have ever read in 2023 on what it means to be adrift in life, searching for anchors, and the Korean American experienece.

Gina Chung's "Sea Change" is a deeply touching narrative that delves into a myriad of themes, including the intricate dynamics within families, the profound experiences of loss and grief, the transformative power of love and friendship, and the essential journey of self-acceptance. The protagonist, Ro, is beautifully flawed, rendering her character authentic and relatable. Her struggles predominantly stem from the scars of past traumas and her ongoing battle with self-compassion, which impedes her capacity to fully engage in personal relationships and leads her to seek solace in alcohol.

One of the book's standout aspects is the vivid and enchanting descriptions of the diverse array of aquatic creatures residing in the aquarium, with particular emphasis on the fascinating world of sea animals and cephalopods. In her storytelling, the author astutely brings to the forefront the poignant issue of animals in captivity and underscores the essential qualities of kindness and compassion in nurturing not only human connections but also our relationships with all living beings and the environment at large.

Additionally, the narrative sheds light on the pressing concerns of environmental pollution and the detrimental effects of climate change, which severely impact the living conditions of marine animals, thereby offering valuable insights into the need for collective responsibility and conscientious actions to safeguard our planet's fragile ecosystems.

A lovely book I would highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- i wish there was more to this book, as the description sounded so good. a person lost in their thoughts but caring for an octopus they consider their friend? sign me up!

- however, i felt the story to be very lackluster with its execution, and found myself wanting more. I'll still look out for Gina Chung's later works, but this one was a miss for me.

I just couldn't connect with the character or the pacing of the story. I'm not sure if the writing is for me.

Hm. Not what I was expecting. Not much action, but the writing was beautiful, and who doesn’t love an octopus story? I’m not sure I’d recommend but I didn’t totally dislike it either.

I loved and enjoyed being immersed in the quiet world of Ro. Father being missing for many years, an estranged relationship with mother, ex-boyfriend soon departing for Mars, a best friend getting married, oh, and her beloved octopus in the aquarium which she takes care of as work is getting purchased and transferred to somoewhere else...Ro, a single thirty something Korean American is facing multiple separations and this is the story of her coping with it. I thought it resonates well with loneliness felt by everyone living in this age.

"Sea Change" by Gina Chung is a contemporary romance novel with an intriguing premise and well-developed characters. The story revolves around a young woman who embarks on a transformative journey after a series of life-changing events. The coastal setting adds a charming backdrop to the narrative, creating a sense of serenity and escape. While the book offers a unique take on self-discovery, some aspects felt out of place. Additionally, certain plot points lacked the context needed to fully enjoy the story.

Chung's writing style is engaging and emotive, allowing readers to connect with the characters on an emotional level. Overall, "Sea Change" is a pleasant read for fans of introspective character journeys. While it may not break new ground, the novel delivers a satisfying and heartwarming story of love, healing, and finding oneself amidst life's uncertainties.

This is not a happy book. I think my feelings for it were saved by the slightly hopeful ending. I am not always needy for closed or hopeful endings, at least not all the time. Over my years of reading voraciously, since I started blogging, I have managed to gain a semblance of appreciation for the more open-ended solutions (if they count as solutions at all.
This particular narrative is a semi-dystopian future. I specify the 'semi' part because it has an all too realistic feel to it. it is undoubtedly a version of something our next generation might face at the rate things are going.
Our lead protagonist is a first-generation Korean-American, Ro. Her parents have a tough relationship, with her mother wanting comfort in her Korean identity, while her father has dreams of making some discoveries in his academic/exploratory field.
Ro is introduced as someone who is mourning the loss of her long-term boyfriend on a Mars mission, but her issues go deeper than that. In a non-sequential order, we go back and forth, and by the end of the book, we can trace the passage of time between her parents' meeting and her current status. It also explains a lot about her current mental state and the way she is coping with life in general. I may not have come away with as much admiration for the father figure as much as Ro has, but that probably makes more sense given the entire picture.
She slid into an alcoholic haze so often in the beginning that I almost gave up. I am glad I stuck around since she does manage to gain a foothold to pull herself up. Ro struggles with self-esteem with maintaining her relationship with her friend and other family. There is a lot of retrospection in the book, with the arc of the character moving really slowly. I did think once or twice if the more straightforward method of telling the story from start to finish instead of back and forth would have been simpler. It may not have had the same depressing outlook, which might be the point that the author was trying to drive home.
I am glad I finished it because I was left with more complex content than I imagined at first glance.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Give me all the books with sweet stories and octopi! I enjoyed the futurism in this one even though I didn't connect too much with the MC. Thank you Vintage for the ARC of this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this Advanced Copy of Sea Change by Gina Chung.

Hey! If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures, here’s another book with an octopus. That’s it. That’s the book. Except this main character is kind of crappy and nothing happens in this entire book from start to finish aside from her realizing that she’s kind of crappy. Lots of stories from her childhood.. and NOTHING HAPPENS

This just wasn't for me, and I think it's mostly because I just had a different idea of what it was going to be. The focus is mostly on Ro and her growth throughout the novel - I wanted more focus on her missing father, her relationship with her mom, and her boyfriend, Tae. I do think the story will resonate with other readers, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

At first glance, I did not seem very interested in this book because it was lauded as a novel that focused on the relationship between a young woman and a cephalopod. In reality, it was much more than that. Yes, Dolores the octopus played a key role, but the story arc of Ro and her heartbreak and recovery was poignant. Ro was left reeling after the disappearance of her father at sea while she was a teenager and the relationship with her mother was fraught from the very beginning. When this awkward Korean American woman falls in love and foresees a happy ending with her boyfriend, this, too, is torn away when he chooses a career opportunity that excludes her. I enjoyed seeing how Ro navigated this in the latter portion of the story and was able to "see change", or at least the possibility of it, in herself.

At first, I really enjoyed this book. It has an interesting premise (what other book has a father who was lost at sea searching for giant octopuses?), a fun setting (I always wanted to work in an aquarium), and an interesting look into how different generations of a Korean family work through grief/emotion (not only between generations but also due to their upbringing in different countries as well).

However, by the second half, I was getting sick and tired of Ro and her attitude. She is obviously in a state of depression, but there are some moments that made me just so incredibly annoyed with her. I did like her relationships with her cousin and best friend, but she as a person just made me mad (which I think was supposed to be the point).

The messages in this book are pretty well done, but I don't think I'll find myself reaching for it again. However, I will be recommending it to others this summer!

i too am 1 octopus best friend away from a full mental breakdown

i love thoughtful books where everything is sad and then is hopeful, eventually, in a realistic way and not a happy ever after way. and this is that.