I really enjoyed this; I loved banned book club and this kind of takes off where that story left off. I really like this blend of memoir with fictional elements, and this book is so timely for it's conversations around censorship, regime, and book banning connects more broadly to suppression of labor rights.

✨ Review ✨ No Rules Tonight by Kim Hyun Sook; Illustrated by Ryan Estrada

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Made by the creators of Banned Book Club, this graphic novel brings us to 1980s South Korea. It's set in a police state where someone is always watching and there are fears of the peace, of spies, of the military, and more.

Hyun Sook and her college performance club at Anjeon University are headed to the mountains for a full weekend to hike and camp and live without supervision. While there aren't adults around, there's still a lot of fear and uncertainty. Eventually, the students explore their identity, make new friendships and strengthen old ones, and pursue their crushes.

The book mixes sweet coming of age feelings with the really intense feelings of fear of individuality, queerness, and exploring banned books and ideas. I really enjoyed reading this and thought the narration from different POVs and the colorful art styles brought this to life.

This is perfect for YA audience, and even perhaps older middle grades audiences ready to explore political suppression and book banning, and definitely can still be appreciated by adult readers. Kudos to these two for delivering again!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: YA graphic novel, historic fiction
Setting: South Korea, 1980s
Reminds me of: Kim Hyun Sook's previous book, but a bit lighter and brighter
Pub Date: Oct 01 2024

Read this if you...:
⭕️ like coming of age stories
⭕️ enjoy learning about South Korean history and culture
⭕️ can handle the tension of political and police suppression
⭕️ love graphic novels

“No Rules Tonight” by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada is a graphic novel that talks about life and repressive rules for teenagers in South Korea in the 1980s, including government curfews along with bans on music and books. The setting is a university folk dance club’s camping trip over winter break, and students are struggling with young love, gossip, planned military service, their sexual identities and fear of being caught with banned books or out of the dress code. I enjoyed reading about this time as well as about the disorganized but fun camping trip and the freedom that the characters experienced there. This book is relevant for U.S. readers because of recent book bans here (and ironically another book by these authors was banned in parts of the U.S.) The authors also include a positive note at the end about changes in South Korea between the time period in the book and today. Recommended for young adults and adults as well, especially those dealing with issues of book banning. Thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the eARC.

If you had Christmas Eve to do whatever you want, what would you do?

In the 1980s, the police in South Korea were constantly monitoring the public, making it difficult for people to express themselves freely without the risk of being arrested. The one exception was Christmas Eve, the only day of the year when everyone could do as they pleased without fear of repercussions. During this time, a group of students from Anjeon University is making plans for a getaway in the mountains. Hyun Sook is taking charge of her friends' banned book club, and Suji and others are summoning the courage to confess their feelings to their loved ones. How will this Christmas Eve Getaway unfold?

The book provided me with a glimpse into life in 1980s South Korea, revealing the harsh realities that I had been unaware of. It effectively captured the emotions of the people during that era and offered valuable insights into Korean culture.
I found Hyun Sook to be a relatable character, and I wished the story had given her more prominence. Suji, a hardworking young lady, evoked my sympathy due to her challenging circumstances. Yuni, on the other hand, came across as a laid-back individual.
I recommend this book to history enthusiasts who appreciate narratives that elicit feelings of nostalgia.

Pub Date: October 1, 2024

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚

Thank you, @netgalley & @penguinworkshop , for the complimentary ARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was cool! I didn't know a lot about South Korea in the 80s or traditional Korean theater and dance forms so this was a fun way to learn about them. Beyond that, the characters and plot were solid, and so was the art though the style wasn't a favorite. If it sounds interesting to you, it's definitely worth a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this! From the incredible characters, to the plot, to falling in love with everything so quickly- I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this!

Hi Again!

I did accomplish my 7 books in a week challenge I set for myself last week, I was able to read a variety of graphic novels, manga, audiobooks, Kindle books, and more. One of the graphic novels I picked up during my 7 books challenge was an E-ARC copy of No Rules Tonight an upcoming graphic novel (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). So without further ado, let’s jump into this new graphic novel!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Hyun Sook lives in South Korea during a very tumultuous time. There are super strict rules about what you can read, listen to, and how to live life in general. However, Hyun Sook is about to go on a trip to the mountains with a club she is in. While Hyun Sook is unable to trust everyone in the group she is excited to get away from all the rules and pressures and maybe do some forbidden reading. It’s going to be a night of freedom for all and everyone could not be more excited. From the start of the trip, things do not go as planned and stuff gets weirder as things go on, but maybe they can still make this trip a night of freedom in some ways.

I learned so much from this graphic novel. I was a history major in my undergrad but I never really had the opportunity to learn much about Korean history. As an adult I got to learn a bit about South Korea but never the history of the country. I feel like this graphic novel did a great job of teaching about some of the history and daily life of people in the country during a tough time. I also really loved all the illustrations and colors that came alive on the pages. This graphic novel comes out on October 1st, 2024.

Goodreads Rating: 4.5 Stars (Rounded to 4 because I can not do half stars on Goodreads).

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.5 ⭐️

CAWPILE: 8 (Characters), 9 (Art Style), 7 (Writing), 8 (Plot), 9 (Intrigue), 8 (Logic), 9 (Enjoyment)

No Rules Tonight is a memoir-style graphic novel that takes us on a journey with a group of teens during their Christmas trip to the mountains in 1980s South Korea. Banned books play a significant role in Kim Hyun Sook's life, and through this story, we witness how they shape her interactions with friends and her community. This was a quick yet impactful read, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the complexity of each character. One of my favorite aspects of young adult novels is the character growth, and this book beautifully highlights that across a diverse range of individuals and lifestyles. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC.

Brown bear, brown bear...what do you see?

This book was a great graphic read- notably for adults or young adults. I haven't read anything like this is a graphic novel. It is an educational graphic novel - and I enjoyed this much more as an adult. I found it much easier to follow than some of the adventure graphic novels where the story seems stunted or jumpy -or where they seem "childish" in language despite being labeled for adults.

This graphic was great at putting fun/interesting facts in with more serious storyline of how South Koreans lived. Including information on vampire deer (water deer).

I would have loved something like this as a mandatory read in high school versus the heavy content dense reads that we typically had. Reading 3-4 graphic novels like this would have encouraged more diverse conversations and transitioned us between topics much more easily. Versus spending a month on a single dense book.

Likewise adults who are more serious/bookish readers who are interested in trying a graphic novel - this would be a good way to start.

Thank you to Penguin Reading Group and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions in the review are my own.

At Anjeon University's annual winter camp, set against the backdrop of 1980s South Korea’s oppressive regime, students seize their rare Christmas Eve freedom to pursue personal goals and forbidden dreams. Amid the snow-capped mountains, Hyun Sook hides from a suspected spy while trying to relaunch her book club, Taehee and Kiwoo struggle with their feelings for each other, and Suji faces the risk of revealing a long-held secret.

I really loved this one! It’s packed full of heart, humor, love, but also shows oppression, sadness, and fear really well. I absolutely adored this group of kids. How they thought about their world around them was so insightful and I loved their attempts to stand up against oppression. The art in my opinion was beautiful and I adored the story. Very well done!

*I was provided a digital copy of the book for review, all thoughts are my own.*

No Rules Tonight shares different character's perspectives of the rules their country has them live by that are not fair or just. Our main character reads banned books and becomes part of an underground sort of banned book club. In a day and age where books are still challenged and banned in my country all the time, this was wonderful to read about and the author recommendations at the end was a nice touch.

No Rules Tonight by Kim Hyun Dook and Ryan Estrada is a vibrant and exhilarating graphic novel that pushes the boundaries of storytelling with its dynamic art and engaging plot. The collaboration between Dook and Estrada results in a visually captivating and emotionally charged narrative. While the book's unconventional style may not appeal to everyone, it stands out for its originality and creative flair.

I learned some things I didn't know about an older South Korea. The politics and such.
Very interesting wrapped in a an easy to read book about kids trying to find their place in the world.

DNF at 30%.

I really couldn’t get into this, not a huge fan of the art and honestly I’m in a reading slump so if this sounds interesting to you then check it out!

I admittedly don’t have a lot of knowledge of South Korea’s sociopolitical history outside of some major events in the past few years, so this was such an interesting peek into the lives of a few teenagers in the 1980s, with recently lifted curfews and lots of government overview still in place. But, this isn’t just a history lesson of a graphic novel, although it provides one, it’s also a night of several teenagers figuring out what they want to do with one night of freedom. There’s self-reflection, romantic reflection, and looking toward their future, all in a troupe of a folk music/acting troupe. Even though there were a lot of different characters, it was fun to explore all their different storylines, and I felt like it all flowed pretty well in terms of interconnecting stories. I also really enjoyed the art for the book and I felt like it fit the story well! If you’re looking for a coming-of-age graphic novel, this is definitely one I recommend reading!

This is a historical YA graphic novel that follows a class at their annual winter camp. I liked the romance in this book and Teehee, Kiwi and also Suji's story. I also like that it highlighted banned books in history because it is also relevant to books being banned now. There's also some cute animals. I didn't love the art style in this one and at times was a bit bored

♡ Banned Books
♡ Beautiful Artwork
♡ South Korean in the 1980’s

First off, the artwork in this was seriously so good! Second this graphic novel was so well balanced, it showed the harsh reality of what it was like growing up under dictatorial rules in South Korean in the 1980’s, but also the friendships and relationships built.

Banned books, adventures, and young love being some of the highlights of this book, leaving in some lighthearted moments to the depressing time of curfews, mandatory military service, and overall fear of the government. It was a great and informative way to tell a story and a part of history.

After living under strict curfews and political tensions they get a night where they’re allowed to break some of the rules their government forced on them. Taking a trip to the snowy mountains where things don’t go as planned but everything seems to work itself out in a once in a lifetime kind of trip.

I loved this graphic novel! I had no idea how strict South Korea used to be. I learned a lot about how things were at that time and it genuinely made me appreciate my freedom. I also really liked the illustrations in this book.

This was so cute ♥️ our main character is going on a trip but soon she finds herself in possession of some interesting contraband. I wish I would have walked into this story with more knowledge of South Korean history. I wanted more about the contraband itself but it held themes of freedom and self expression. This graphic novel has plenty of dialogue, and the illustrations are great. I loved how the author ends this with an encouribg message; “Never Stop learning. Never stop fighting. Never stop being free”

This one was… okay? I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it either. It just felt like there was something missing to really pull it together for me. It’s also just not super memorable for me.