This is a lovely novel about figuring out who you are and what you want from life. Jack Jr awakens from a years-long coma and is forced to start anew. Working in the family business--which he eschewed years before--he begins to reconnect with family and his roots. He also learns that it takes time to recover from a long absence. There's solid character development and I liked it that there wasn't an uncomplicated HEA--these things are hard! Overall, it's a sweet story. There are some areas of unevenness, but copyedit will smooth those out easily.

I Leave It Up to You is like if Bryan Washington (Memorial, Family Meal) wrote the script for The Bear. The opening chapter should be a short story. Jinwoo Chong's description of Jack Jr. waking up from the coma was one of the most compelling things I have ever read. I loved all the characters and their relationships with Jack, but especially Juno and the connection between uncle and nephew. Like many other novels, I Leave It Up to You fell into some of the same pitfalls where there is a Big Traumatic Event (TM) that severs relationships. In my opinion, BTEs are rarely dramatic enough to warrant cutting all contact, and I think that is true of Jack moving to NYC. When we finally learned what happened to make him leave home, it felt a little anticlimactic. I appreciated the inclusion of addiction and its impact on families, as well as the queer representation. I like to think Jack and Nurse Gaylord got together in the end after all.

I really enjoyed this book and following Jack Jr. after being in a coma for two years. Really looks at getting a second chance in life.

<i>Why do we run from those we love, and why do we still love those who run from us?</i>

Jack Jr (JJ) a Japanese-Korean gay man, woke up in a hospital after nearly two years in a coma, with no memory of how he got there. the only detail shared with him is that he drove his car into a river—an act he can't remember or explain. as he grapples with his fragmented past and uncertain future, he discovers that his boyfriend, Ren, has moved on during his absence and is now married to someone else. (that made me jaw drop BTW)

despite the emotional blow and breakup he had no idea happened, Ren's family, who owns a beloved sushi restaurant, opens their doors to Jack, offering him a place to stay as he begins his journey of physical rehabilitation and emotional recovery. but during his therapy sessions, Jack finds himself drawn to Nurse Emil Cuddy (daddy CUDDY), whose compassion and care played a huge role in his healing and recovery. as JJ keeps working to rebuild his life and uncover the truth about the events that led to his accident, he also confronts the scars of his past relationships and begins to explore the possibilities of new love. his story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the enduring strength of the human spirit, set against the backdrop of a vibrant cultural community and the intimate world of a family-run restaurant. speaking of restaurant, it's a SUSHI one. yes. was i hungry? double yes.

this novel is perfect for fans of quiet, introspective storytelling. its slower pace and touches of ambiguity might not appeal to everyone, but its emotional depth and poignant themes of healing make it a rewarding and heartfelt slice-of-life read. i loved it.

thank you again Random House Publishing Group!!! 4.5!!

Jack Jr. wakes from a coma after two years on life support. Much has changed during that two years. The Covid pandemic has come and gone. His job, apartment, and relationship with his beloved fiancee Ren, all have disappeared. What he does wake to is his family that he walked away from 7 years prior and must rebuild his relationship with all the members he hasn’t spoken to in many years.

Nurse Cuddy is there when he wakes but has very little information for him, he is kind and helps to keep JJ calm.

JJ’s family owns a Korean restaurant so there is fish buying, cooking, serving and food pairing in the storyline. Jack Jr. is gay and has play his fiancée so we encounter a love relationship element. But what I liked most was the descriptions of the world when Jack Jr. awoke the first time after two years of being in a coma. It was fascinating how the author painted a picture of what it would be like. Seeing a shadow, trying to focus, who is there, what’s happening, what are those lights, who is behind the mask, why am I here, why is there something in the way so I can’t speak? I was hooked from the very beginning simply because of these details.

There is some comedic dialog, especially between JJ and his nephew. You will find: redemption, forgiveness, love, growth, maturity, second chances, the appreciation and value of lost time, and best of all, family.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an Advanced Readers copy of this terrific book.

I don't typically read slice-of-life novels, but this book may have changed my perspective on that. I Leave It Up To You, is an incredible heartfelt adventure of Jack Jr's life after waking up from a 2 year coma and finds the life he knew has passed him by as he slept through COVID. With only his family to help him recover and regain his life, after leaving them suddenly and not speaking for 10 years. His estrangement with his family is unique and believable, not homophobia and not mistreatment, simply living at a distance.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tender and loving gay romance for Jack Jr. This was a story I didn't know I needed, a queer life that lives genuinely and authentically. A queer story tha doesn't center or even breathe the complicated and upsetting narrative of being disowned. Reading queer joy and a life that is your own with delight and wonder, was something I desperately needed.

This story is an absolute knock-out of humor and lighthearted fun. Deeply relatable and emotionally rich, every page was a delightful adventure. At times I forgot I was reading fiction, the characters and setting really come to life on every page. I laughed, I cried, i suffered secondhand embarrassment. And from the bottom of my heart, Thank You Jinwoo Chong, I will immediately be reading your first novel Flux. The joy for writing and creating shines on every page.

This was such a sweet book! I really enjoyed reading it and loved the characters. I’d love to see what comes next for Jack Jr and Emil. I just can’t believe that this is it for them. They were just too adorable together! Definitely read this book, you won’t regret it if your heart functions.

This one definitely wasnt for me. Nothing wrong with th story, I just couldn’t connect to the characters or the plot. I ended up DNFing around the 49% mark.

You are quickly immersed into this family and will be craving sushi throughout the book. Jack Jr. is funny and witty and there’s a lot of heart in this book.

A story that looks at what it means to truly get a second chance. Sometimes you don't know what you're missing in life until it's taken away. In the case of Jack Jr, his bond with his family had been fractured, and after waking up from a coma he had a chance to reform it.
There is great world and character building, and everything felt so believable. It does help that Fort Lee is a real place, and a real Korean hub for cuisine. It also brings up COVID, but not in a way that felt annoying like other stories that try to force it as a sub-narrative. This story is both lighthearted and humorous (such as a character literally pancaking into a bus after chasing it), yet so hard hitting emotionally (the fight between Jack Jr and his brother was dramatic but felt real).
One of my favorite aspects of the novel is that we never truly know how Jack Jr ended up in the coma. How did the car get off the road? He was seemingly happy with his life at that point, but there was no evidence to point to an accident.
Highly recommend this book to anyone!

Incredibly unlike Flux, Chung's sophomore novel strays from Sci-Fi and lands itself right in the middle of a Korean family's sushi shop. From the jump, I was invested in Jack Jr. I spent the first tenth of this read gripped with needing to know what happened - how did he end up in a coma? Where was Ren? The rest of the read took me on a plumet into a thick family dynamic. Well written and incredibly layered, I Leave It Up to You leaves your heart aching but so satisfied when it's through. This is one of those books you wish you could read again for the first time - take it slow when you pick it up. I see this one getting some critical acclaim.

Thanks to NetGally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Yellowface was to Babel, I Leave It Up to You is to Flux. Something completely different and yet so incredibly well written that you end up having even more respect for the genre-defying authors!
On the surface, the plot seems a bit prosaic - family restaurant, gay son that leaves for the allure of the big city, a few family health crises later and everyone realises what's "truly important in life." And yet, the story does not feel tired or tropey. It feels like being welcomed into a family hospital room and into their Korean sushi bar to cry tears of joy, sadness and anger with them.
I ended up losing a whole weekend because I was so engrossed in this "something about nothing story" so fair warning to you!

Jack Jr. wakes from a two year coma to a changed world. The life he had before the accident has vanished, and
he is now reconnecting with family he hasn't seen for ten years. Falling back into the life he had before he left,
Jack Jr. will discover more about family and what he wants to do with his life.
#LeaveituptoYou #RandonHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this read!! It kept me interested the whole time and had a really good plot!! Can’t wait to check out more books by Jinwoo Chong!!

I could not have loved this warm and wonderful book more. One of my favorite family novels, this will be on my best of 2025 list for sure!!

I expected one thing going into this story and came out of it with something completely different but in a surprisingly good way. I Leave It Up To You opens with the protagonist, 30-year-old Jack Jr., waking up from a two-year medically-induced coma in a hospital in New Jersey with no memory of how he got there. Upon waking up to a brand new world with no knowledge of covid either, Jack Jr. is drawn to his very awkward but kind male nurse.

Confronted with grisly details about things like catheter removal, I was steeling myself for a very grim and depressing story about a gay Korean sushi chef turned New York advertising copywriter, about to get married to his longtime lover, who drives his car into the Hudson River and almost dies. A lot of it was heavy, but it was far from grim.

Instead I got a queer While You Were Sleeping, the kind of story where it is not just a romance between two love interests but you're falling in love with the protagonist's colorful and charming family, as well.

Jack Jr.'s calling had been working as a sushi chef, a vocation he loved and had done all his life. He expected to inherit the restaurant from his father, until family secrets come out and he storms out on his family and never comes back.

Until the coma happens, the medical miracle happens, and he gets a do-over. The love of his life is now married to someone else, and the life he thought he wanted made him miserable. He returns to the family sushi restaurant and his dysfunctional yet loving family accepts him like he never left.

The romance is more of a subplot than the focus of the book but I found the love story between Jack Jr. and his aspiring playwright nurse to be charming.

This is a very cozy, entertaining story about second chances, family, redemption and of all unlikely things, Korean-Japanese fusion food. The colorful descriptions of sushi and cooking made my mouth water.

This was a heartwarming, well-written book with absolutely beautiful writing that also had deep things to say about human nature, family, lost chances and what it means to age well. I thought this book was utterly delightful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book hit hard. I loved the characters and relationships so much. It felt like a real family dealing with so many complicated things. I loved the daily look into their lives, the struggles, the hope, the love. I loved how it opened with Jack Jr. waking up and everything that came after. It was a little strange to read about covid, but I enjoyed that while it was a part of the story it wasn't the entire story.

The huge lesson from this book is of how life is short and we really shouldn’t be sad for long. It’s not worth it to be sad. I’m happy about the conversations that happened with the family. To me, I saw parts of my family reflected back, as I am sure others will. The disfunction and miscommunication, but also the effort being put forth to work on those things with each other. Also Emil 😭. Also so refreshing to not have the queer relationship be the reason that the family is dysfunctional.

The writing was so enveloping and sucked me in right from the first page. I felt different while reading this book, it just felt so real to me. Like I could walk down to my local sushi place and find them all there. Just the slowness made me want to savor life, savor this book. Savor being awake and happy, and living. This book is a hug when you need it, a warm cup of tea when you’re looking for it, and the conversation you’ve felt like you’re missing right now. Instantly loved. I have never read a book about the main character waking up from a coma, but this was way more than I ever expected. I just want to read this again. I want to cry and smile all over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of this ARC, my opinions are my own.

**Book Review:**

*I Leave It Up to You* is a deeply introspective novel that explores themes of healing, self-discovery, and the complexities of relationships. The story follows Jack Jr., a Japanese-Korean gay man who wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma for nearly two years. With no memory of why he's there, he’s told that he drove his car into the Hudson River. His boyfriend, Ren, has moved on and married someone else, but Ren’s family, who owns a sushi restaurant, takes Jack in as he begins to recover. As Jack rehabilitates, he can’t shake his thoughts of Nurse Emil Cuddy, who played a key role in his recovery, and his journey becomes one of healing not only his body but his heart.

This novel is not a fast-paced thriller, but a slow-burn, slice-of-life story that focuses on the emotional intricacies of healing and self-rediscovery. It’s about reconnecting with family, understanding oneself, and navigating the complexities of relationships after a traumatic event. The writing is gentle yet poignant, offering readers a window into the struggles Jack faces as he rebuilds his life while dealing with the ambiguous feelings surrounding his past.

The pace is deliberately slow, which may not suit those looking for a quicker plot or a more mystery-driven narrative, but it beautifully suits the contemplative tone of the book. The dynamics within Jack’s family and his relationship with Ren are tenderly explored, and the subtle, often heartbreaking moments of growth are what make this novel resonate. At times, certain scenes reminded me of the TV show *The Bear*, but with a unique Korean flair, blending culture with the rawness of personal struggle.

Overall, *I Leave It Up to You* is a novel that will likely be adored by readers who appreciate quiet, reflective storytelling. While its slower pace and the ambiguity surrounding certain aspects may leave some wanting more, its depth and emotional richness will make it a meaningful read for others. A poignant journey of healing that is well worth the time for those in the mood for a reflective, slice-of-life story.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jack Jr wakes form a two year coma and has to face the family he left a decade ago and hasn’t seen since, as well as the COVID pandemic. This book was a wonderfully slow slice of life, character-driven story focusing on the beauty in mundane, everyday life. That’s usually right up my alley, but there were a few things about this book in particular that just didn’t work for me. First, I don’t enjoy consuming media about COVID times (it’s just too soon for me), so a big heads up if you’re the same way. Secondly, as someone who’s spent a lot of time around hospital systems and healthcare, the some of the beginning hospital scenes and the romance subplot really took me out of the book, so much so that I had to set the book down after two chapters and didn’t come back to it for a couple weeks. There were also some past memories that were introduced with a lot of suspense, but the build up to these reveals was too much and unnecessary. It made parts of the book confusing because you didn’t have the background context for why characters were acting a certain way to really care, and I don’t think it was necessarily to hold back on revealing those moments for so long. Juno and Jack Jr.’s dad were both really strong characters that I really connected with and cared about throughout the story. Jack Jr. wasn’t a flat character, but I didn’t feel as connected to him as I did to his dad and nephew, which also meant I wasn’t as connected to the core of this book about the growth of the main character. I appreciated the grounding reminder from this book of the importance in family and that everything will work out in the end. This book accepts you and says “take a breath, you’re doing alright.”

Jack Jr. has been in a coma for 2 years. After finally waking up in the hospital, he has to learn the meaning of his life again. He learns a lot about love, sacrifice, and family secrets, all revolving around his aging father's Korean-Japanese restaurant business. It's rather slow moving and somber. The ending was sweet and satisfying, but it seemed like it took a long time to get there.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review I Leave It Up to You.