I've wanted to read this author for a while, and I'm so glad I got this book. I loved learning about the Korean culture and reading Jackie's journey throughout high school and the cooking show. I wish it included an epilogue.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this page-turning coming-of-age YA (young adult) novel about a Korean high schooler’s journey as she discovers her identity both on and off the plate.

Jackie Oh turns to cooking as therapy – to relieve the stress her parents have heaped on her to go to an ivy league college, especially since she’s not naturally a high achiever in school. And her older brother is in prison which is sad for everyone. Author Patricia Park says” From repurposing leftovers at her grandparents’ Manhattan deli to competing on the TV cooking show Burn Off!, food feels like a problem Jackie can actually solve in a world that makes zero sense.”

I loved the relationship Jackie has with her grandparents. Their conversations are both humorous and heartwarming. She watches the cooking show Burn Off! with her grandparents and describes how they bonded: “It was a show I didn’t have to translate into English, and they didn’t have to translate into Korean. Food is like the universal language.”

Throughout the novel Jackie is learning about herself and often fighting stereotypes: gender, ethnicity, family, etc. “Every day,” says Jackie, “I walk around feeling like I’m carrying an invisible backpack full of stress bricks. On top of my actual backpack loaded with textbooks, notebooks, and my laptop. I just feel all this pressure weighing down on me, all the time.”

The story is told in Jackie’s first person, so we learn about her and what makes her happy: “Recipe-making is my mental happy place.” She also admits, “I’m obsessed with leftovers – each time you cook something, you have to think of how you’ll transform its afterlife.” And “In the kitchen, I’m in my zone. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I love cooking so much. Being in the kitchen helps me shut out all the scary nonsense from the outside world. Cooking is my therapy.”

Patricia Park says, “This novel was inspired by two things: My love of cooking with leftovers, and the fears and frustrations those in my community have faced over anti-AAPI hate. I’ve spoken with many students across the country like Jackie, who don’t understand why they and their family are being targeted. Who, like Jackie, cannot make sense of this moment and are done being “model minorities.” To my fellow Asians in America, who are tired of being pushed around (literally, metaphorically) – I also dedicate this book to you.”

I enjoyed this book, which is both realistic and humorous. The ending surprised me (no spoilers) and I think it would be a great book to read in a group and discuss together. Plus, there are recipes!

A wonderful book! Our heroine follows all the rules. Since her older brother disappointed their parents and seemed to be practically disowned, Jackie has tried to always make them proud. But when the chance to enter a cooking contest and achieve a life long dream presents itself, she can't pass it up.
This book is full of love and encouragements. The character development is top notch! I would recommend this book for young people to see themselves in the lives of the characters and how they follow their dreams.

Not particularly well done--a lot about ethnic cooking, but characters were not well established, and an ending that was a bit incomplete. Maybe of more interest if you are from a Korean community. I received an arc from NetGalley and was under no pressure for a positive review.

Like most people and readers, I love any written work involving food and cooking. It doesn't matter if it is a cookbook with tantalizing recipes and gorgeous photos or a fiction book where cooking is a theme; I am here for all of it. "What's Eating Jackie Oh" is a beautiful mix of what I enjoy about food and writing, but it is also has some very heavy, relevant themes. Jackie may only be 15 years old but she handles every obstacle in this book with more integrity, grace and humility than most adults.

This is my first time reading anything written by Patricia Park and I was impressed that this considered a young adult book, but again the themes are definitely for intense than a younger audience. Some of the themes include: Asian American culture, racism/hatred against Asians, hierarcgy/classism, complicated relationships and so many more.

I would definitely read another book by this author if it is as a good as this one. Recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Patricia Park and Random House Children's Books for Younger Readers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

I was really excited to read What's Eating Jackie Oh? when I was first approved for it. I love a good coming-of-age story as well as one that's centered around cooking and reality television. However, I found it fell just a little flat for me.

I loved the premise of the novel—I think it's great to have a high school age story not revolved around school itself. I think the crux of my review can come down to that I felt like Patricia Park tried to do too much at once—which I both appreciated but I held the novel back. We covered a lot of topics (racism, incarceration, food scarcity, identity, violence, ect)—all are important and I feel like she mostly did a good job at tying them in.

My problem with it was that I felt like we didn't get a chance to dive deep enough into these topics because there were so many. It left the novel feeling a little all-over-the place, with certain topics more explored and others briefly thrown in. I also felt like the pacing might have been a bit off?

I will also add that Jackie herself didn't grow on me for a good portion of the book. I'll be honest and say I'm not sure if this just means I'm growing out of young adult novels and don't relate anymore, or if she's just a little unlikable at first. But I did struggled to get through some of it and didn't start to root for her until later on.

Overall, it was definitely a cute novel that I think people will enjoy! It just wasn't the right one for me.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
What's Eating Jackie Oh by Patricia Park
#netgalley published 5/7

Im a week late on my review for this YA book. If you love watching Chopped on the Food Network, this book is for you! I personally love it. This was a fun book that also reminds us that a parent's goal for their child should not fully rule the kid's life. Let your child explore their interests and their own particular strengths.

Jackie's life was not going as her parents thought it would. But by insisting on following her dream, it did help her parents be the parents she needed.

I took a star away bc I felt like the book was just missing a pull to keep reading. Just missing a lil' some'em some'em. Ya know? 😉

#whatseatingjackieoh
#randomhousechildrens #crownbooksforyoungreaders greaders
#yabookrecommendations #bookreviews

I liked the concept of this book - I think the author captured a teenaged voice well! This book was very focused on identity, which is something all teens are figuring out and Jackie could be both hot-headed and reflective.

The ending was just so abrupt and there was no closure at all to many of the story’s elements.

Jackie Oh is totally enamored with cooking and culinary programs. Her favorite thing in the world is working as a waitress at Melty's, her grandparents' diner, where she loves the fast-paced atmosphere of preparation and creation. But Jackie is a high school student, and her parents would prefer that she concentrate on her schoolwork so that she can have a reliable and useful career. Even while it's lovely,

As a Food Network kid, Jackie's passion for food was so entertaining to read about. Park executed the cooking show style extremely well in this book and it was very reminiscent of the teen cooking shows that we see so often. 
My only gripe with this book was the ending!!! I honestly feel like the ending could have happened in the middle of the book rather than the end. My jaw literally dropped because I was not expecting it and went to keep turning the page and there was nothing more left of the book. I really enjoyed Park's writing style and I am looking forward to reading her other works. If you enjoy YA contemporary or contemporary novels in general I would highly recommend this one. 

Thank you to the publisher  for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so fun! Jackie loves to cook with her Korean grandparents at their NYC restaurant but her very driven parents don't think this is acceptable. Somehow, she crosses paths with someone recruiting for a food reality show for teens. Will Jackie make it onto the show?

This book also manages to touch on issues of incarceration (her brother is in prison) and violence against Asian Americans while being a wildly fun read. It's even more fun if you're into cooking competitions and honestly, I'm not sure who isn't. Jackie grows a lot during the book, and not just because of the reality TV competition. I love the way her relationship with her mother changes.

I really loved this book! The engaging plotline, sassy characters, and true inclusion of Korean language and culture made it a sweet journey. I was a bit disappointed by the abrupt ending, it felt like there were a few more strings that needed tying up but I still really loved it.

I don't read a ton of young adult these days but the cover was fun and the premise intriguing. It was an interesting book but I was not expecting so much going on in one book and some decidedly unexpected themes that are heavier than the cute cartoon cover would imply.
Jackie Oh is a high school student whose parents expect great things from her (even though she's currently failing a high school class.) Going on a teen cooking show is not one of them. But she's determined to win.
I thought she was well developed but there were a couple of other story lines that felt like they were tacked on and I wish we had actually learned more.

Three stars
This book comes out April 30, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Random House Children's and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This was a great read! I loved the metaphor of blending food from different traditions - it was both symbolically powerful and frankly delicious to read about. Read this one with a snack handy., you'll get hungry.

2024 API Month

▪️ Korean American author, Korean American main character
▪️ tw: generational trauma, incarceration, race based violence, racism, undocumented immigrants

I know, I know. You see me reading YA, and you're like, "What? Why? Mai, you're such a hater!" I'm well aware. I have come to the conclusion that it is non-BIPOC YA I don't resonate with. The popular white girl that goes to all the parties? I could never. But the not-as-studious-as-her-parents-want-her-to-be Asian American? Oh, I could.

Part 1

Jackie Oh, named for Jackie O, is a New Yorker that loves food and cooking more than being studious. Her brother is in prison for armed robbery. Neither things are the Korean American Dream.

Mom is a lawyer. Dad is in finance. Both are workaholics that spend more time in their offices than the sparse condo they bought.

Jackie works part time at her grandparents' deli in midtown. I had to laugh at this, because my sister's Korean Am boyfriend also owns a deli. Cross-cultural giggles.

As such, Jackie spends more of her time with her grandparents than parents. It truly takes a village.

Jackie ends up skipping her history exam in favor of auditioning for a cooking show for teens. I don't think this is a spoiler, as the cover obviously shows her cooking. Needless to say, mom and grandma aren't pleased. As always, what really got me was the casual racism of the TV show hosts, and also, her public school teacher.

Part 2

As soon as I sat down to read this part, I flew through it. I love it. We got so much more. From the other contestants. From mom. From Jackie herself. I’m not sure which boy she’ll be romancing. Not that she needs to romance anyone.

I know it feels racist (especially from Jackie's perspective) that the judges want her to incorporate more Korean into her cooking, but fusion is one of the best things to come from colonization. Army stew is this wonderful mishmash of flavors that would've never come about had the US not involved itself in the Korean War. I'm not saying they needed to be there. I'll leave that out of today's debate.

Part 3

Jackie really comes into her own. She makes up with distant friend KT, has a reconciliation with her family, and improves her New York style cooking.

I felt like she had a few contenders for a love interest. It ended up being the most obvious one, which is fine, but I'm not sure she needed one at all. This book would've shown on its own just featuring her.

📚 Buddy read with Christina

This YA book made me tear up more than once. 😭 It strikes that perfect balance between laugh out loud hilarious and multi-layered and deep. The main character, Jackie Oh, is flunking out of history class because she’s so hyper focused on her obsession with cooking. This is a disappointment to her parents who have Ivy League degrees and expect her to go to an Ivy League school and major in something more practical like business or law (their respective degrees).

Jackie spends all of her free time working at H&H’s restaurant Melty’s (a sandwich shop that caters to the white palette in NYC). H&H are her grandparents (Halmoni and Haraboji) who support her love of cooking by watching the show Burn Off! together and challenging each other to cooking competitions off-hours after Melty’s has closed. Jackie applies to the Burn Off show for teenagers as a contestant, behind her parent’s back. When she gets on the show, she experiences immense growth that tests both her skills as a chef and her character as she finds out her cooking idol, Chef Stone, is quite frankly racist.

I loved the intersectionality the author brought to this book in the form of so many important issues. This wasn’t just a book on the Asian American experience but so much more:
- food insecurity
- undocumented immigrants
- immigrants using leftovers to not waste food
- Asians catering to white people’s tastes
- incarceration rates of Asian Americans
- white supremacy in the form of a hell of a lot of micro-aggressions
- targeted AAPI hate and violence
- white fragility (Judge Stone criticizing Jackie for not making fancy food and for not being Korean enough and getting offended when Judge Kelly defended Jackie)
- generational trauma and healing of family dynamics
- tricky friendship dynamics between her best friend KT
- the classism that comes with the cooking industry (calling Jackie’s food “glorified street food” as an insult because the chefs wouldn’t pay $300 for street food)

This book was so creative and it touched on my love for complex family dynamics, deep character growth, and food. I cannot imagine this book would be as fun if you aren’t a foodie like me so take that with a grain of salt. 😉 I adore learning how to become a better cook and experimenting with different fusions of flavors and cultures. It was so fun to see Jackie’s creativity and perseverance as she navigated the cooking challenges and the micro aggressions. I cannot praise this YA book enough. We need more YA books with American Asian representation like this. Happy AAPI month!

Jackie Oh is a normal high school teen just trying to survive to graduation. Although her parents have extremely high academic expectations for Jackie, her passion is more into cooking, than academics. Her life changes, when she is selected for a teen challenge in Burn Off! (kind of like the adult Chopped tv cooking show). Her mom and dad are mad because she missed her history final. She had a tiff with her best friend. Her brother is in jail, and now she has to deal with all those foodie contenders. Was not sure which direction the book was going at times, as there was a lot going on. There was teenage angst, parental relationships, teen romance, family issues, and career passions. Sometimes the Korean writing threw me off, as sometimes I was not sure if the next part was a translation, or just put in there. Good book, and I was rooting for Jackie Oh the entire way. Thanks to Ms. Park, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Such a fun read! Knowing Korean culture, I could really see how beautifully it was folded into the story. I appreciated it. Loved everything about this book.

I enjoyed this YA fiction filled with food talk - I love food talk, love chefs/cooking in stories. Jackie Oh finds herself a new contestant on a cooking reality TV show - which I also love. Jackie's parents are overbearing and too strict but end up understanding Jacket needing to find her way and to follow her dreams. I related very much with the FMC, growing up with parents who wanted and pushed me to be a doctor. This story does also shine some light on racial basis and AAPI hate during COVID. It was a fun story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of this book. I finished this book in less than two days, that's how motivated I was to keep reading it. I loved the way the author's writing flowed right from the beginning. The author made Jackie a relatable character from the beginning, and didn't mind pointing out the issues AAPI persons face on a daily basis since COVID happened. It was refreshing seeing the brutally honest facts and statistics, because they NEED to be talked about and publicized in every way possible, including in fictional books based on our world. I am glad to have read this book and gain a better understanding of something I didn't have as much knowledge about before. Even fictional books can be educational.

Jackie Oh is a relatable protagonist. She’s in high school, struggling with tradition and her parents’ expectations. With her older brother in jail, Jackie feels even more pressure to be the perfect daughter and student, but she would rather pursue her real passion, cooking.

The book’s exploration of Jackie’s Korean American heritage combined with her being on a reality cooking competition provides readers with themes of cultural representation, assimilation, and self-discovery. Park also focuses on microaggressions and AAPI hate during and after the pandemic, which makes the story timely.

Even with all the serious topics, there are some lighthearted moments. I loved Jackie’s relationship with Haraboji and Halmoni (her grandparents), all the food descriptions, and being on the set of the cooking show. I would eat everything Jackie made and maybe I can because, of course, there’s recipes!