Thank you Penguin Teen for the eARC of this graphic novel.

This is a historical fiction graphic novel that is based in South Korea during the 1980's. I had actually no idea what this book was about- the cover was super cute so I signed up for it- it was a heavy read.

Hyun Sook and her theater troupe are getting ready for their yearly camping trip that is at a mountain in South Korea. When the leader of the group is arrested for listening to banned music the troupe must band together to make sure the trip continues. This story is set after the curfew has ended but there are still rules in place in regard to banned books, music, proxies that are spies, and automatic enlistment in the military.

This story follows the theater troupe and their night of freedom as they camp in the mountains. It is heart warming, sad, a story of self exploration and discovery, and a story of the kids coming to terms with what the future has in store for them.

The illustrations were beautiful and I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about trying to not conform and finding your own happiness even when it's hard. I really liked the friendships they all made on their trip

While this graphic was entertaining and visually pleasing, it was also a great way to learn about something I never knew about. I wasn't aware of how strict the South Korean government had been at this point in time.

No Rules Tonight will make cry and laugh out loud. Laugh because it’s funny and laugh because it so painful. 1980s South Korea was not a fun place, a very different place than what we know today. Hyun Sook is involved in a dance/music troup that tells acts out old stories that are still relevant. The students all want to express themselves and find a small amount of freedom. They get one night of freedom on annual winter camp trip. Eating only potatoes, crushes new and old, fear of spies, failed ghost stories and there is only one sleeping bag are just a few of the hurdles these young people have to deal with.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this DRC.
#NoRulesTonight #NetGalley

No Rules Tonight is a young adult graphic novel set during the 1980s in South Korea. This was not a time period that I am very familiar with in South Korea's history, but the book did such a great job explaining what it was like to grow up under that much censorship! I ended up reading much more about the time period & history.

I loved how many different characters were in this book. Somehow they all still had great voice & motivation. It was beautifully queer & a great read about censorship.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kim Hyun Sook, and Penguin Group for the chance to read and review!

This is an interesting book to give you a site of how another county has changed over the years. We get to follow a group of kids who are going on a trip where they will get a day of freedom in a society with so many rules. The guy who planned the trip gets arrested for having banned music. As we get to see how each kid is struggling with their own issues and by the end of the book we get to see how they learned and grew into themselves. As well as how their society has changed.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. There is so much I don’t/didn’t know about Korea and I truly appreciated the insight.

There were some parts that had tingle holding my interest and for such a short GN there were a lot of characters. I might have eliminated a few of the side characters and focused on more fully developing other storylines.

I thought the artwork was great and helped tell the story/maintain flow.

It might be hard to believe that the democracy that South Korea is enjoying is fairly recent. Up until the 1980s South Korea was under a military dictatorship, and there were banned books, banned music, and for a while a curfew for everyone at midnight.

It is in this time period that this book takes place, with the author of the previous book, Banned Books, talks about getting away from school, getting away from everyone so they could have a little bit of freedom, on Christmas Eve. However, one of their classmates gets arrested early on, for not stopping to listen to the national anthem at 5pm, because he was distracted.

From there, things go badly for the group of kids that are together because they put on plays that aren’t banned, because they are too old to be. Yes, they criticize the government, but it is a government from hundreds of years ago.

The main character Hyun, thinks that one of the boys that joins the group is a spy for the police, and here she is with one of the banned books.

I liked this book, as I liked her first book. She is amazing how hard she had to work to get the books that were banned, and the funny story she tells of how Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see got banned because the author had the same name as a radical writer. The same mistake some of the book banners in the US have made. Because of course they didn’t bother to read the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out the 1st of October 2024.

Great story! I loved the art and the characters! The history behind this book is super interesting! When I read this book, I hadn't read the authors Banned Book Club. Now I bought it since it seems amazing! Definitely will be recommending this book and purchasing it for myself when it comes out.

This book is so informative yet so fun and cute at the same time. I loved learning about South Korean history in this format, especially that one segment about the author of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Workshop, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up No Rules tonight on October 1, 2024.

What a fascinating look into South Korean life in the 1980s. I had no idea people endured these rules and regulations, and I love how the author painted this reality through a lens that many teens and adults can relate to and understand. I appreciated the several interconnected storylines, and enjoyed the art style! This was a really well-done story that balances teen relationship drama and the importance of political action and activism.

Another wonderful graphic memoir by Kim Hyun Sook. While it is not necessary to read her previous graphic memoir, it was nice to revisit Sook and her dance club members as they navigate a changing South Korea during the 1980s. As the troupe gets ready to take a trip to the mountains over the Christmas holiday, Sook learns the former leader of their banned book club will be stepping down as he leaves the school to pursue further education and passes leadership to Sook. While South Korea no longer has curfews, soldiers still patrol and search bags looking for banned items (specifically books) and arbitrarily arrest people they suspect of being subversive. When there troupe president, Hoon is arrested, they decided to call the former president to lead their expedition, but the trip grows awry - however this brings the group closer together, and Sook discovers the new member isn't a government plant, but someone just looking for a sense of community with other like-minded people. While K-pop and manwha have gained in popularity here in the United States, it is intriguing to see the history of South Korea, although it can hit a bit too close to home in some respects. Estrada's art fits seamlessly with Sook's storytelling - I hope we have future installments of 1980s South Korea - Sook-style.

From the creators of Banned Book Club comes another YA graphic novel about life in South Korea.
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Hyun Sook is headed to the annual winter camp at Anjeon University where she gets an entire weekend over Christmas with no parental supervision. She’s feeling very confined in her city of constant police patrolling, curfews and banned books. However, when she gets to the retreat, she has to hide her books from a boy she suspects is a spy.
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The artwork by @ryanestradadotcom is gorgeous and will definitely reach its target audience while Kim Hyun Sook delivers a funny, yet poignant tale based on her own experiences. Like Banned Book Club we get a small peek into life in South Korea during the 1980s. This one will circulate well when it releases October 1. Thanks @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC.

CW: ableism, violence, war, sexism, death, injury, hate crime, gaslighting, censorship, homophobia, misogyny

This was a beautiful representation of how important self expression is for everyone, no matter where you are.

This was really interesting! No Rules Tonight is a YA graphic novel memoir about growing up under dictatorial rule in 1980's South Korea. It captures what it was like to be a young person dealing with curfews, banned books that could put you in prison, fear of government plants in community groups, and mandatory military service. But it's also about friendship, young love, and having adventures. The author says at the beginning that she took four years of experiences going on trips with a traditional musical theater club and condensed them into a single narrative. It's entertaining at times, but also informative in an interesting way that would be accessible to teens. I do recommend it! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.