Unfortunately, I really wasn't a fan of this. I'm thinking Gu Byeong-mo's other book, The Old Woman with the Knife, will be more up my alley. This one was just a little too slow going and had too large a cast of characters

Gu Byeong-mo's APARTMENT WOMEN is fantastic. It feels important...in the leagues of Cho Nam-Joo's KIM JI-YOUNG: BORN 1982. Why this novel hasn't received more hype is beyond me. Such a great exploration of the mental and emotional labor of motherhood which is only compounded by societal gender norms--and what the adage "it takes a village to raise a child" really looks like in a modern context (spoiler alert: what worked in the past for past generations clearly will not work for us today). The novel also explore the pros/cons of communal living and what the implications are especially when cultures and people become more individualistic. On top of all that, the novel is well written, with a narrative that interweaves the stories of different characters. APARTMENT WOMEN has great literary merit.

A new government-owned apartment complex opens up in a village outside Seoul, boasting subsidized rent and newly-built accommodations for struggling families. The catch? Only heterosexual couples with at least one child are eligible to apply, so long as they promise to raise a minimum of three while living as part of this community. The first four families move in, signed agreement in hand, none of them expecting that their intimate struggles would soon become revealed by the thin walls that divide them.

In Apartment Women, Gu Byeong-mo has written a thought-provoking commentary on gender roles and parenthood in modern Korea. In this communal apartment complex where the sole purpose is to have more children, the residents come face-to-face with the expectations of a society so focused on the dropping birth rate. One mom struggles with managing a freelance career while grappling with motherhood and a clueless husband. Another mom tries to navigate boundaries with her new carpool partner, who makes increasingly out-of-pocket comments despite being married to another tenant. Another woman tries to remain budget-conscious and portray a perfect image online when her home life is anything but perfect. Still another woman tries to corral the disparate families to set up a communal daycare, to feel useful and connected to her new community. These families deal with their conflicts under a microscope, forced to reckon with their beliefs about the role a woman plays in her household and in her community.

I appreciated the perspectives from each of the “Apartment Women”; all four had at least one chapter to tell a bit of her story. I do wish that, toward the end of the story, the balance of perspectives was as evenly distributed as it was in the beginning.

For people new to foreign language-translation novels (or for those like me who are unfamiliar with pronunciation of most Korean words and names), I recommend finding the audiobook to listen to while reading, in order to fully become immersed in the story. It’s worth it. I got vibes similar to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty while reading this one. Apartment Women leaves the reader room to consider for themselves what it means to be a good woman and a good mother. After finishing this, I’m excited to seek out more of Gu Byeong-mo’s work.

**Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Gu Byeong-mo for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

Synopsis: The Apartment Women focuses on the four families living in the new Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments, located outside of Seoul, The concept is simple; In order to earn a spot in the competitive, government subsidized housing, couples agree to live in a communal environment in which families help one another with the day to day responsibilities, and they must agree to have 3 children within 10 years. It should work well for the 4 families that currently live in the apartment, but these couples have challenges like most young couples do. And when their personal issues bleed over to one another, tensions rise that not even the most ideal living conditions can compensate for.

A few takeaways from this book:

It shouldn’t be called Apartment Women because it focuses on more than just the women, although one of the women is predominantly featured in the story. Maybe Apartment Woman?

I liked that the book wasn’t over misogynistic as you would assume with the title and the concept, as a couple of the women worked, and with one family, the father stayed home with their child while the woman went to work.

I don’t typically love translated works as some things get lost in translation and the stories feel flat to me. But Apartment W9men had a lot of depth to it and was a rich story for such a small book.

In a funny way ( to me) a couple characters reminded me of the condo commandos that live in my mil’s retirement condo. So many rules!



Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

I honestly can't decide how to rate this book. On the one hand, I really related to the way that mothers were portrayed and deeply empathized with the characters. On the other, I didn't find any character particularly engaging and there definitely wasn't anyone I rooted for.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but I feel like it falls somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Gu Byeong-Mo has such a talent for writing. I adored this book. It showed the simplicities and out of the ordinary of life that create something worth reading and relating to the characters about. The writing was beautiful and I deeply loved the characters and following them. It was a beautiful story that I highly recommend and I plan to buy a physical copy so that I can have it on my bookshelf and have one to call my own because I loved it so much

I am not sure if it was the writing style or just how it was translated but i did not enjoy this book and it was kind of hard to follow.

I was really not interested in the book as i started reading it and just wasn't for me.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This book gave me a lot to think about and moved quickly and interestingly. It follows four families who move into government housing in South Korea, meant to be "communal living" and with the caveat that within 10 years of moving in you need to have three kids. The families all have different approaches to what "communal" means, and there are small and larger clashes as the families settle in.

This book addresses the ridiculous expectations put on mothers to do everything and be anything, the sexist frameworks imposed on and enabled by families, the insecurity and shame inherent in being a parent in our modern world, and how difficult it is to live closely with other people- all without being preachy or hitting you over the head. Byeong-Mo carefully teases out how seemingly mundane interactions and moments signify so much about our social dynamics and dictate whether we feel we belong in any given community, and how subtext is everything but acknowledging the subtle hints out loud is taboo. We get a window into most of the characters, which helps us understand all the thought processes that go into the weird moments between them, and the plot moves along quite fast. This review might make it seem like the book is staid and didactic, but it's not at all; it's brisk and interesting, but a lot happens under the surface. I really liked this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for a honest review!

Gu Byeong-mo's "Apartment Women" is a thought-provoking exploration of motherhood, community, and cultural expectations. Set in a government-run apartment complex outside Seoul, the story follows Yojin, a woman seeking a fresh start with her family in an experimental community designed to boost the national birth rate. While the communal spirit initially promises support, tensions arise as the cracks in this forced camaraderie grow. The novel intricately weaves the lives of four women, each navigating the pressures of parenthood and societal roles in different ways.

Though the premise was rich with potential, the execution faltered. The characters lacked depth, and the rushed narrative undercut what could have been a nuanced critique of societal norms in South Korea. Despite its shortcomings, "Apartment Women" offered a look at the imbalances of parenting labor and the burdens placed on women in South Korean society. A compelling idea that, unfortunately, didn't fully deliver on its promise.

I would give this book a 3.5/5 stars. Would recommend this book to any readers looking for a short, thought-provoking exploration of motherhood, community dynamics and the weight of cultural expectations in South Korea. Thank you to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and Gu Byeong-mo for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo (translated by Chi-Young Kim) is described as a social novel that follows the lives of four women who move into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments with their families. This isn't just any apartment building; it is a government sponsored experimental community designed to increase the national birth rate in South Korea. All the women are married and already have at least one child. In addition to agreeing to have at least two more children over the next ten years, the families are expected to work as a community to raise their families. We follow the four women as they attempt to live their lives and raise their families while taking into consideration the parenting style of their neighbors. We see the mental, emotional, and physical toll this lifestyle takes on them and their relationships with their family and neighbors. Overall, this story is an interesting concept which is heightened by the fact that it could take place anywhere in the world as the aspects of womanhood is universal.

While I enjoyed the story, there are some negatives which include that the flow of the story seems a little off, but this is likely due to it being a translated story. In addition, the formatting or the book make it a little difficult to follow at times. I read this book while also listening to the audiobook. If you find it difficult to read due to the formatting (including lack of chapters or delineation of who's POV we're following) I highly recommend the audiobook.

I received an arc from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Research documents that South Korea as a nation has the lowest fertility rate in the world. Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo (translated by Chi-Young Kim) builds a story around a fictional government program to address the issues of a declining and aging population. The book is an interesting look at the South Korean culture through this lens. Many of the concerns of daily and the women’s search for a work-life balance are universal and relatable.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/12/apartment-women.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

Not sure if I have a lot of opinions on this book. It was an interesting concept, but I'm not sure if I really loved it. I feel like I wanted to feeling more emotions from families living together in a rural area in a government sponsored apartment complex. Everything at the end felt a little abrupt. The narrator did a great job with this novel!

Apartment Women will, I think, intrigue readers with its premise, character and plot. It opens a window into a culture and provokes thought.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title.

APARTMENT WOMEN
Gu Byeong-mo

Four families move into a cooperative living situation. It’s an apartment building. They have all agreed to live near each other, support each other, and enrich their lives. It's all easier said than done.

They have also agreed to have three children during their stay. Some are well on their way, others struggle with the idea, and find it impossible to think about. Yet still they have agreed. A burden to carry another day.

The building is called the DREAM FUTURE PILOT COMMUNAL APARTMENTS. There is a cooperative daycare arrangement where the parents must work, must watch each other’s children, and must oblige. All of this is much more than some can handle, and we get to follow along as each of the couples tries to exert independence in this very dependent situation.

This is the second book I’ve read by Byeong-mo and I am a fan. Most of their observations, the questions raised about being a woman, being a partner and spouse and mother, being a responsible member of society, and the limits and restrictions of conforming to those roles in the current times.

In this book, APARTMENT WOMEN I found Hyonaes’ character to be the most interesting to observe. She was made of iron and instead of melting in this atmosphere, in the fire, she becomes something of a weapon. Hardened and angry.

I appreciated this story and will pick up what Byeong-mo writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press for the advanced copy!

APARTMENT WOMEN…⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book was a fast read that captured my attention from the first time I read the premise. While the book's format made it a bit challenging, the concept and idea captured and engaged me. The complexity of living in a city with a higher cost and the option of having an alternative to communal living in the countryside of Korea are things that everyone can relate to. The book's structure is challenging because it needs chapters. I enjoyed the stories and the challenges that erupted with living in a building with thin walls, with families that applied and received approval to live in the same building but still needed to have things in common and chose a communal living style. The story had the potential to be developed even more, but I still enjoyed the story.

I am glad that I chose to read this book. It gave me insight in a culture that I might not have had without it. The balance of family and work when you aren’t taken seriously in your country is quite a challenge. This one was worth the journey to see how others see their world. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this read.

Four families have moved into government-funded housing in Korea, with the caveat that they are aiming to have 3 children each (to increase falling birth rates). What follows is a look into the quiet (and sometimes, not so much) lives of everyday women as they try to support their families, with and typically without the support of their spouses. Reading this book felt like living in an apartment with thin walls, listening to the conversations and arguments of my neighbors. But it was also so disheartening and even upsetting at times, reading about how none of these women seemed to have "good" marriages. This was well done, but it felt like a sad look at ~the way things are~ and made me feel melancholy for the way things should be.

The concept of this book is what drew me to request it. I am very interested in the sci-fi/social studies aspect. I think the problem lies in the translation. It fell flat and was hard to follow at times.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i didn't enjoy reading this for the writing style, maybe it was a translated work that got lost in translation(?). the summary of the book sounded interesting but i was really bored about half way through.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Set in Korea, 4 families agree to live within a government communal housing and promise that they will have 3 children over the next 10 years.

There is a general tension between the families that grew as they work together more often and try to raise their families in this close living environment. With so many different personalities, it was interesting to see how they all got along, meshed together or conflicted.

The format of the book being one long "chapter" with no breaks to indicate a change in POV or character made the pace seem slow and a bit difficult to read. However, it is an intriguing, short read that kept me interested.