Tells the story of a daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant, Chaeryeong and Sunam. When YChaeryeong's suitor is arrested, Chaeryeong has to marry quickly and leave the country. Sunam who is left behind is forced to take her mistress' place to serve in the Korean army and unfortunately gets pushed into the service as a possible comfort woman. Both women are tested over time and through trials, and eventually find each other again years later.


As with the last book I read Lee, this book had lots of strong points, including character creation, plot, and the history you learn about Korea in the process. I found the story hard to read at times because of the plot points more than anything. I also felt at times a little lost because of the impersonation between the two women. But overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book! I was so ecstatic to be approved! The following are my honest thoughts on Can't I Go Instead:

"Can't I Go Instead" depicts the intertwined lives of two Korean women who are brought together under unusual circumstances. A wealthy viscount acquires Sunam to serve as a maid for his daughter, Chaeryeong. Despite their disparate backgrounds, the girls develop a bond, possibly due to their forced proximity. As they mature and fall in love, Chaeryeong faces dire circumstances, leading to an arranged marriage with a Japanese man. Meanwhile, Sunam assumes Chaeryeong's identity and becomes a comfort woman for the Japanese army. The novel spans decades, showcasing the hardships endured by these women and shedding light on a dark chapter of history seldom discussed. While the narrative may be challenging to follow at times, particularly in audiobook format without a written reference, the book serves as an essential read, especially for those unfamiliar with the harsh treatment of Koreans by the Japanese. This is not a feel-good story, but rather a poignant exploration of the characters' enduring suffering, leaving readers with a sense of emptiness akin to the characters' experiences.

Such a lovely read! 💕

This is a story about a lifelong forced connection between two women, a viscount's daughter and her servant, two entwined lives that couldn't be more different from each other. Both lives filled with hardship, war, lies and deceit.
The most interesting aspect of the novel was Korean 20th century history: from the Japanese invasion to WWII, Korean independance movement and the Korean War. Interesting issues come up in this novel: class, politics, "comfort stations", concentration camps in the United States, all of what invisibly lies behind wars, the problems and constant struggles of women, education, extreme poverty. But keeping that in mind what prevails in the novel is the melodramatic. Everything is unbelievable, implausible, just too much. The novel is too long, keeps dragging at times, the plot is overcomplicated while at the same time the characters are too simple. The characters don't grow, they are one dimensional, they exist only on paper and lack any real human relationships. In this historical fiction novel the historical part came through, but the fictional part - not at all...

Can't I Go Instead (translated by An Seonjae) follows the early 20th century trials and tribulations of two young Korean women - Chaeryeong, spoiled daughter of Viscount Yun Hyeongman, and her maidservant Sunam.

When Chaeryeong is about to be arrested by the Japanese after being involved with a Korean Independence activist, her father weds her to his Japanese employee, Junpei Terao, who takes her to Hawaii. Sunam takes her mistress's place in the Women Consolation Brigade for the Imperial Army.

Many adventures follow for each woman. After WW II ends with Korea's liberation, both make their way back to find new lives there - but their entanglement continues.

I received an e-galley of Can't I Go Instead by Lee Guem-yi from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Can't I Go Instead is an interesting story that explores the lives of two women that are intertwined with one another. While one is the daughter of a Korean nobleman, the other is her maidservant. The decisions that are made by them, and for them, will send them away from one another to fates that they could have never imagined. Their identities become secret and exchanged. The story is set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, into World War II and the aftermath of the war. The two women leave Korea but also find themselves returning to Korea - and finally learning about what the other has gone through in the time they spent apart. Apart but still intertwined. This was such a beautiful, sad, and hopeful story about the strength, compassion, and bravery that women have to rely on as they struggle to survive in a world that can dictate their lives.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Loved this book. It made me feel all the things. Very beautiful storytelling.

A sweeping story following the intertwined lives of two women, the daughter of a viscount and her servant, against the backdrop of Japan-colonized and eventually liberated Korea through WWII and the Korean War. The class positions of these two women define every choice that is made for them as they travel from Korea to Japan and then America before returning home.
I was engrossed by the story, and enjoyed learning more about this period since the novel was punctuated by real events and historical facts. I found the writing to be a bit clunky in parts, but it could be due to the translation.

i enjoyed this book so much, i ended up rating it 5 stars! lee is such a good writer and storyteller, i have also been wanting to read her other book for a long time, so i definitely have to get to that asap!! “can’t i go instead” is my favorite kind of historical fiction book; a big long epic that follows characters through time and space. i especially love reading those set during the 20th century when there were so many things going on. i am always so interested in learning about what happened during the 20th century, especially during the world wars in countries other than america and europe. asia is very interesting to me because i lived there and learned about this period in high school. i thought the book was very well written, the story was well thought out, and although it was quite long i never got tired or bored. i liked the all-knowing third person narrator as well and i thought it fit the book and made it so readers could easily learn more about characters other than just the central two. at the beginning it was harder for me to follow as i had to get used to the narration style and learn a lot of names, but after the first couple of chapters i was definitely hooked. i recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and learning more about underrepresented stories in history! thank you again for allowing me to read this wonderful book early!

Book Description:
Lee Geum-yi's Can't I Go Instead revolves around the daughter of a viscount in Japanese colonized Korea, Chaeryeong, and her servant, Sunam. They meet when they are just children, and Chaeryeong's father purchases Sunam as a birthday present for Chaeryeong. The two girls are inseparable until a college-aged Chaeryeong becomes mixed up with the Korean Independence movement while studying abroad in Kyoto. Her powerful father quickly marries her off to a Japanese employee and sends her to the west coast of the US. Pretending to be her former mistress, Sunam is forced to join the Women's Brigade for the Imperial Army's Consolation, with the promise of earning her freedom upon her return. What happens next impacts the two women for decades to come.

My Thoughts:
Can't I Go Instead will immerse the reader in Korean culture, the plight of Asians in the United States during World War II, and the complicated dealings between Japan, Korea, and China. Lee Geum-yi deftly weaves historical facts throughout while enthralling readers with the story of Sunam and Chaeryeong.

I felt for Sunam from the very beginning. Even as a small child, she showed courage and tenacity. Her ability to keep going even when all the odds were against her was inspiring.

This isn't a "feel-good" read, but books like this are essential in highlighting events in history that should not be forgotten. I learned so much from reading Can't I Go Instead. This story of two women and their eventful lives has prompted me to want to know even more about the plight of comfort women and Korea's story.

Read this if you like:
• Historical fiction
• Family sagas
• Strong women
• Multiple POVs
• Diverse reads

Can’t I Go Instead follows the life of Kim Sunam, a 7 years old girl who was offered to the viscount’s daughter Yun Chaeryeong as her 8th birthday present to serve her in the Gahoe-dong mansion. The lives of these two girls are connected, separated, and with an unexpected destiny.

This historical fiction novel starts in 1920 in Korea during the Japanese colonial rule, and it also takes place in Japan, China, and the US. It portrays very well life at this time and the role of women in this era and how Korea suffered till its liberation. Some of the major themes are migration, discrimination, and the power of education. It also explores the human condition. There is love, rivalry, envy, lies, and secrets.

The book mentions historical events that are rarely told because it is painful and shameful but necessary to be addressed such as the women’s brigade for the imperial army’s consolation, and the War Relocation Center for Japanese descendants in the US.

I enjoyed so much this novel because I learned more about Korea, despite the moments that made me feel mad about the situation and sad thinking that these characters were fictionalized but the historic events happened and many women faced this.

I am satisfied with its translation. It includes very few words in Korean, so this helped me to continue reading without needing to stop and research for its meaning. I felt it was light and easy to follow.
This is the second novel translated from Korean to English by the author, I liked her novel, and I will look for the previous one.

I recommend this to historical fiction fans and readers who like Asian literature.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forge Books, for this e-ARC.

Pub date: May 2nd, 2023

4.5⭐️

Can’t I Go Instead by Lee Geum-Yi
Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Can’t I Go Instead by Lee Geum-Yi tells the two stories of the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant in the 20th century. It covers the Japanese invasion of Korea, WWII, Japanese internment in America and how their own actions and the broader implications of world events leave their lives incredibly intertwined for the duration of their lifetimes. It explores class divisions, how divisions change based on geographical location and the implications an individual would have from experiencing these changes.

It does an excellent job of providing enough historical context for those who might be unfamiliar with 20th century Korean, Japanese and Chinese history without becoming bogged down on historical facts and details. The book focuses more on the stories of the two women and their turmoil.

The story left me thinking about how our own baseline for misfortune is ever changing. How even when the absolute worst is happening, it can still always get worse. Yet even in horrible situations there can be quiet moments of happiness and even kindness. That the world can often be a horrible place but not everyone in it is horrible. It is a story of strength, determination and a whole lot of heartache. That even manages to deliver some shocking twists throughout.

I highly recommend not only checking this book out but also looking into the trigger warnings before doing so, as it deals with some heavy content matter.

Thank you to Forge for providing an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Given the content matter it feels weird to me to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it so perhaps I should say it made for an insightful reading experience.

DNF @ 25%

I’ve reread this book's description several times to convince myself to keep reading, but I have to give up. It’s moving too slowly, and I don’t have the attention span at the moment to commit further. This DNF is on me, not the book. I may try again at a later date.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Can’t I Go Instead is the second book from Lee Geum-Yi I’ve picked up so far, and I mostly enjoyed it. Like the previous book, it contains a similar epic saga-type style, following the characters over several decades. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the Korean socio-political landscape in the early 20th century, and how they were impacted by Japan’s control over Korea during this time.
The early part of the book establishes the bond between the aristocratically connected Chaeryeong and her maidservant, Sunam, within the context of all this, including establishing Chaeryeong’s connections by association to an independence movement. Both are consigned to leave Korea, but they choose to switch places and go to the other’s destination, which makes for a fun twist (even if I don’t know that there was enough done with this twist). Chaeryeong’s fate is now marriage to a Japanese man who worked with her father, and Sunam became a “comfort woman” for the Japanese Army.
Their respective experiences are deeply poignant, addressing the hardships both faced, especially as the situations around them evolved. I was particularly moved by how Chaeryeong, essentially posing as Japanese with a Japanese name, was impacted when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and the US not only entered the war, but sent her and many others to internment camps.
It is a bit long narratively, and sometimes it felt like there were long stretches where not a lot happened. However, it was ultimately worth it to establish what both women went through and them finding a way to each other in the end.
This was a wonderful book exploring a part of history that isn’t taught much in American schools (at least in this context), and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for historical fiction about twentieth century Korean immigrants, especially if you’re open to translated works.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I started this book, it had similar vibes to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or Memoirs of a Geisha. Rich in detail and history, I figured I would devour this story. Unfortunately, I found this book to read like a biography or non-fiction rather than a story. I found myself get lost with the paragraphs of information and all the different names left me confused.

Overall, not for this reader but I appreciated all the work and richness of this book. Try this if you enjoy; nonfiction, historical fiction, biographies.

Can’t I Go Instead by Lee Geum-Yi is a Masterpiece. If you loved Cutting For Stone you MUST read this book.

You will learn about mid-20th century Korea and follow the entangled lives of two women, the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant. They are forced to flea Korea. You will follow their journey, their hardships, and their happiness. You will love one of them and despise one of them. This is an epic story that should be made into a movie. A MUST read. It will be out May 2, 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it will be tied for number one with my all time favorite book Cutting For Stone