Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Almond was one of my favorite reads of the year so far so I was eager to get my hands on this and, sadly, I have to say it didn't live up to the hype. I enjoyed it just fine but it didn't have the magic that Almond had for me. And while it was clearly an ode to despondency in your 30s which caused it to be a bit meandering, I felt like it just couldnt keep me engaged.

Counterattacks at Thirty is a book about an ordinary group of people who are so tired of being pushed around by the system and higher-ups that they decide to bite back.

The book focuses on Kim Jihye, an ordinary thirty-something who is still an intern and trying to figure things out (and struggling). Her motto is simple: don’t work hard, do just enough. And then one day, a new intern starts working with her, Gyuok. Gyuok recruits a few thirty-somethings to start a pacifist (and petty) revolution against the people who have annoyed/wronged them.

This book was a nice surprise. Gyuok is a radical and Jihye is just someone trying to make ends meet and find a career, they’re sort of opposites and it’s fun to see their philosophies clash at times. I loved the lowkey and mundane vibe the book had, but I wished we had known more about Muin and Nam Eun, and the ‘petty protests’ the group engaged with. Other than the ‘grand finale,’ the few activities we get to see are just small and petty. Which is the point, but I don’t think they were quirky or funny enough for me to say I’ll remember them next week. I do think the group’s activities had the potential to be funny, because Sohn does pull up fun stuff in her narration (i.e., Kim Chu-bom being better than being named Koh Chu-bom lol) (Koh Chu sounds like penis in Korean).

Reading this book as a thirty-year-old who still doesn’t know what she’s doing was kinda therapeutic. But I was expecting a more life-changing/lingering book from Sohn after she pulled off the masterpiece that is Almond. The ending was super satisfying.

Counterattacks at Thirty by Won-Pyung Sohn is a novel that revolves around a generation transitioning into adulthood and experiencing disillusionment. It starts in 1988, the year when Seoul hosted the Olympics, bringing South Korea into the global spotlight and igniting large-scale pro-democracy protests.

The protagonist, Jihye, feels invisible, much like her excessively common name. She works in an office, performing mundane tasks with no prospect of advancement. She meets peers who share her disillusionment and frustration with societal norms. Together, they retaliate against nonsensical aspects of life by engaging in a series of pranks. Ultimately, the book emphasizes how acts of solidarity and resistance, whether big or small, can be empowering. It offers a humorous and cynical perspective on reclaiming one's power.

I would like to express my appreciation to NetGalley and Harpervia for providing me with an advanced reader's copy (ARC) of the book.

Counterattacks at Thirty by Won-pyung Sohn blends office satire with a rebellious spirit. The story follows Jihye and her quirky colleagues who, under the influence of a new intern, take small but defiant stands against office tyranny, discovering the strength of unity and friendship along the way.