Ughhh!! This reminds me so much of Elizabeth Acevedo but in a good way! Thus book had me laughing, crying, and cheering for Jackie all in one sitting. I especially loved her grandparents too!! Patricia Park writes the best books and handles sensitive topics with humor and grace.

I really enjoyed this YA novel about a Korean American high schooler, “Jackie Oh”, who is more obsessed with cooking than academically over-achieving. Which does not sit well with her ivy-league educated workaholic and demanding parents. Fortunately Jackie Oh has loving grandparents to fill the emotional void and provide a soft, culinary landing at their sandwich shop.
YA novels provide literary relief from gratuitous sex, language, violence and general deviance that are selling points in current entertainment. Even so, What’s Eating Jackie Oh? Provides plenty of opportunity to experience economic and educational bias, cultural prejudices, and other social anomalies, which enables this tasty story to have some real texture.
I found the exploration of Korean and asian-American culture and POV to be very educational, and the family and friend interaction was deep and emotional,, often touching.
I devoured this book, I found it entertaining and engrossing, however I did feel that it ended somewhat abruptly - perhaps there will be a sequel?

I liked how this story was really well paced and the author did a good job at showing the difference in how parents approach raising their kids especially when the grandparents are involved. I did love the cooking aspect within this story and I liked how the author would name the chapters so it made easy to follow the plot of the story. I will say that I do think it is such a quick read so I’m grateful that I was able to read the story on NetGalley rather than buying it.

My Heart! All the feels whilst reading Patricia Park’s YA Novel, WHAT’S EATING JACKIE OH?, I laughed and cried—Highly Recommend!

‘Jackie Oh is done being your model minority.’

‘She’s tired of perfect GPAs, PSATs, SATs, all of it. Jackie longs to become a professional chef. But her Korean American parents are Ivy League corporate workaholics who would never understand her dream. Just ask her brother, Justin, who hasn’t heard from them since he was sent to Rikers Island.’

Reading Age: 12 – 17
Grade Level: 7 – 9

Thank you, NetGalley and Crown Books (Random House Children’s Books), for providing me with an eBook of WHAT’S EATING JACKIE OH? at the request of an honest review.

I loved this sweet, romance work. I was cheering for Jackie Oh!! I would definitely recommend this book.

Jackie Oh is a Korean-American sophomore at Bronx Science, living in Queens, NYC, who loves French cooking, and who dreams of becoming a professional chef, and who works at her grandparent's midtown Manhattan Korean deli Melty's on saturday's Her strict workaholic corporate Korean parents have other things in mind for her. Their dream is that Jackie has the perfect GPAs, PSATs, and SATs and that Jackie follow in their footsteps into a prestigious Ivy League college. They don't understand her dream, and rather see that Jackie studies hard instead of working at the deli on saturday's.

They put a lot of pressure on Jackie's shoulders to succeed, because her brother Justin messed up his life and was sent to jail on Riker's Island. One day, a tv scout sees Jackie working at the diner and invites her to go to a casting day for the new teen version of Burn Off! A tv cooking show she watches with her grandparents every week.
Jackie has an important school exam on the day of the but secretly she goes to te open casting day for the tv cooking show Burn Off! , accompanied by ger grandmother and she gets in. When her parent's discover this they are furious. but after Jackie promised to get good grades and to study hard, she flies with her mother to Los Angeles for the show recording days. There she enters a very hard competition, and finds out that not every contestant in the show is into cooking as much as her. The judges are another problem; they expect her to cook typical Korean foods, not the French cuisine Jackie is specialized in, and she has to convince the judges to not judge her on being Korean, but on her cooking talents. But then her mom gets a call from home; Jackie's beloved grandfather is seriously injured in a racial attack against Asian people and is in the hospital.. and then Jacky finds out that family is more important than winning.

I loved Patricia Park's previous books and altough this new book is very different then the previous ones I truly liked it. It had a little less depth than the previous books, but the storyline was very entertaining with a nice cast of characters. I really liked Jackie's littlebit rebellious character and how she refused to be the ''model minority'' and went her own way, instead of what her parents expected of her. The cooking show parts was very realistic, I just could imagine it in tv and these parts where highly entertaining. The love for her grandparents plays an important part in the book, they where so sweet and it was so sad when Jackie's grandfather was the victim of an awfull anti-Asian hate attack, and it was also sad to read about her brother Justin, and because of shame and keeping up appearrances, he never was visited by his parents, but this changes in the story.

Overall a very good book, very original with a perfect mix of fun and more serious parts, which is why I recommend reading What's Eating, Jackie Oh? !

This one was average. Jackie Oh's family story was more fleshed out than she was. Her grandparents' story of running Melty's. Her parents expectations of her. Her brother in prison and disowned. Her "declining" grades and the drive to cook rather than go to Ivy League schools. Jackie's story was second. The food show which was a significant chunk was a lot about the cultural food and maneuverings, again, not much about Jackie herself. She was (pun intended) lost in the sauce.

So I'm sad not to love it more because the cover, color scheme/design, and concept, while in a heavy category of identity/coming of age/food stories, outshined the actual story itself. And from the author's note, one of the pieces Park wanted to touch on was AAPI hate and even that when added felt crowbarred, not natural and still displacing Jackie's story.

Jackie's dream is to become a personal chef, much to the dismay of her parents who are set on her attending college. When Jackie gets the opportunity to compete on a teen cooking show, she jumps at the chance even though it means missing school. As she competes, she's faced with stereotyping and assumptions and she pushes forward to make the dishes that she wants. Overall, a book about a teen pursuing their dream even when it seems like it's impossible. While the premise was rather straightforward and the ending expected, it was good that Jackie realized there were other things outside of her singular cooking focus, especially when it came to understanding her family and her friends.

I love cooking challenges and this one was very detailed (the second half of the book is completely devoted to it) so this was fun for me. I loved the creativity of the various dishes that were featured, although gastronomic experiments are not my thing (I don’t like food too pretty to eat). Jackie’s obsession with cooking challenges prior to starting the show was baffling – every show tells you to put a part of yourself on the plate and she seems to not understand this concept. But she learns how to embrace her humble beginnings and, in the process, learns how to also love herself. There is a lot about Asian hate in this one and I’ve been very lucky to have mostly avoided this most of my life * knocks on wood * but it’s important that it was highlighted in her journey.

Jackie is uninterested in her parents' expectations for her future, she'd much rather cook (like her grandparents, but with a Korean twist). She's given the opportunity to compete on a cooking competition show and sadly, there's nothing unexpected in either the competition or the contestants.

Everyone in this book is a stereotype, and the Lessons Learned are, well, expected. Still, for teens who love cooking, this might be a fun read.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

This coming of age YA was a really cool concept but it unfortunately fell flat for me. 15 year old main character Jackie was just very annoying… Also there was so much going on in this book. Too many topics & very little resolution in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review What's Eating Jackie Oh?

I love books that involve a food theme and that's what drew me in to download the ARC.
I wasn't a big fan of the book and I thought it was just okay.

Enjoyable YA book about an Asian American teen who isn't falling in line with her high achieving parents' Ivy League expectations. She'd rather get creative in the kitchen. Loved the family dramas, the backstage look at a reality cooking show, the experiences of immigrants in America, etc. I would have liked a deeper dive into some aspects, but liked this funny and touching book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This was a really sweet coming of age story about a Korean American girl trying to solidify her interest and career paths while her parents think her cooking is silly. She tries out to be on this cooking show and gets on. Not only solidifying her passion for cooking, but also figuring out her identity.

Jackie Oh is done being you model minority. She just hasn’t told her second-gen Korean American parents yet.

This book was such a good palette cleanser! Jackie Oh dreams of becoming a chef and has the talent to do just that. The catch? She’s a high schooler whose parents do not agree with her aspirations. While helping out her grandparents at their restaurant, Jackie ends up getting selected to be on a competitive televised cooking show beloved by herself and said amazing grandparents. There was so much more to this book than I could have ever anticipated. Yes, it had some really funny bits, a touch of romance, a strongly developed family dynamic, a witty, ambitious main character, but also so many thought provoking points regarding race, stereotypes, references to Covid, food insecurity in America and more.

I really enjoyed Jackie’s story. The flow of the story was great. There was plenty of fun to be had through out but I also really enjoyed how honest this book was. I need to do more homework on this for sure, but I don’t remember having books like this growing up. This is probably one of the first books that I have read that eloquently ties in really serious topics like AAPI hate crimes, incarcerated family members, cultural expectations, and food insecurity along with a story that has just enough levity to keep these topics in mind with a little bit of happiness and hope for better in the world.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this one even though it’s been weeks since I’ve finished it. I highly recommend it! The only warning I’ll give you, it’ll make you hungry!

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Thank you NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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I liked this book. It was cute and funny. I would recommend reading this book. Jackie Oh was such a likable character.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an eARC of What's Eating Jackie Oh? in exchange for my honest review!

What's Eating Jackie Oh? really was a charming and sincere read, easily convincing me to root for our relatable teenage protagonist and her cooking aspirations. As breezy as the narrative is to flow through, as lovely as it is to encounter all the food and recipes, it still manages to create a heartfelt and grounded core that adds weight to the subject matter—Jackie's quest to break out of the model minority stereotyping that her world has set down upon her shoulders, her rocky family dynamic, AAPI hate, the injustices of our incarceration system, the dark side of reality television, and more. I do think the abrupt conclusion could have been handled more smoothly, though. I understand the point it's making, but it just leaves the story feeling incomplete.

Overall, I'm officially rating What's Eating Jackie Oh? four out of five stars. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more of Patricia Park's work.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3.25 stars

I liked 98% of this book. It's funny, it's raw, it's honest, it's unique. A Korean American coming of age story that doesn't focus on school or romance? I've never read anything like it and I was so excited to dive in.

Jackie is a 15-year-old second generation Korean American New Yorker. The academic pressure from her parents, the clash between her passion for cooking and what her family wants for her, and the increase in AAPI hate has completely messed up her world. She's selfish and angry and sneaky and passionate and determined. She comes across as an actual 15-year-old and I really appreciated that, even if I didn't always like her.

This story is great. It tackles a lot but it all makes sense and works. Jackie's story is multifaceted and I don't think the author could have done a better job capturing it all. The pacing is perfect! I mean, I felt like I was actually <i>watching</i> the first cooking challenge Jackie had on the show. And the inclusion of Korean characters when Halmoni and Haraboji spoke Korean made me so happy! I love when other languages are depicted in their natural form (as opposed to an anglicized version).

I gave this 4 stars because I think these stories are important. Teens deserve to see themselves represented in fiction they can relate to. But my honest rating is 3.25 stars because the 2% of the book that I didn't like -- that I, in fact, <i>hated</i> -- was the end. I'm all for endings that don't tie everything up in a neat bow. But I feel like Jackie was cheated out of the opportunity to wrap up her story. <spoiler>I think it would've landed better if we had read that Op-Ed that Jackie supposedly wrote for NYT. That way, it still would've been in Jackie's voice but it could make all the points the actual ending tried to make.</spoiler>

I'll recommend this to everyone but with a warning about the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Jackie Oh is caught between her parents' expectations and her desire to be a chef. When she is chosen for a cooking reality show, everything she knows is put to the test.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I like that it showed me a perspective that I have not lived. Jackie is an interesting character and watching her mature throughout the book was fun.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept was cute and original. Jackie felt like a real teenager to me in a way that I feel a lot of other YA books miss. I enjoyed the cooking scenes and watching Jackie transform from copying "masterpieces" to really coming into her own style and embracing both her Korean heritage and the melting pot that is New York City. I do think the pacing of the book is a bit odd. It really speeds through the competition when I would've like to see those scenes have some more room to breathe. The abrupt ending at the end, while I'm sure was done for effect, was possibly too abrupt and left the reader with little to no closure. The book also covers a lot of important topics (model minority stereotypes, incarceration, classism, and AAPI hatred/hate crimes. However, there may have been too many topics covered to do any of them full justice. Overall, I would recommend (as long as you're okay with an ambiguous ish ending).