#ILeaveItUptoYou #NetGalley

Spoiler-Free Review

Jinwoo Chong’s *I Leave It Up to You* is a beautifully introspective novel about healing, family, and self-discovery. Imagine waking up from a coma after nearly two years, only to find that life has moved on without you. That’s the reality for Jack Jr., a Korean-American gay man who wakes up to a post-pandemic world with no job, no home, and a family he hasn’t spoken to in years. Forced to return to his family's sushi restaurant in Fort Lee, NJ, he must navigate the delicate process of rebuilding relationships, rediscovering his identity, and figuring out what his second chance at life really means.

What I loved most about this novel was its depth of character. Jack Jr. is flawed, funny, and deeply human, making him an easy protagonist to root for. His relationships—whether it’s with his estranged family, his ex-fiancé, or the people who step up to support him—are written with nuance and heart. Despite the novel’s serious themes, Chong infuses the story with humor and warmth, making it a truly enjoyable read. And while the pacing is on the slower side, it feels intentional, mirroring Jack Jr.'s own gradual process of healing and reintegration.

The book’s exploration of culture and family dynamics also stood out. The restaurant setting and the rich descriptions of food serve as more than just a backdrop—they are central to Jack Jr.’s reconnection with his heritage and his sense of belonging. His relationship with his teenage nephew, Juno, was particularly well done, offering moments of both comedy and tenderness.

If I had one critique, it would be that certain plot points felt unresolved or left to interpretation, particularly regarding the mystery surrounding Jack Jr.’s accident. However, the novel’s emotional resonance more than makes up for this ambiguity.

Overall, *I Leave It Up to You* is a poignant, character-driven story about starting over, finding love in unexpected places, and the power of family—both the one you're born into and the one you create. Perfect for readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction with a heartfelt and introspective touch.

4/5 stars

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really liked the family dynamic in this. I also really liked the writing and characters. The only thing I didn't like was that I felt emotionally disconnected to the story.

A man wakes up from a 2 year long coma, smack in the middle of a global pandemic, surrounded by his family he’s been estranged from for many years, a missing fiancé, and a really cute male nurse. He’s unsure how the car accident that put him into this coma even happened, whether it was an “accident” or self-induced, and confused about how to start his life over again.

I looooved this book. Such a beautiful, complex story about love, loss, hitting 30 and not knowing what to do with your life, queerness, the fear of your parents getting older, and difficult family dynamics. What I enjoyed most about this story, and what kept me from ever wanting to put it down was how well this author writes his characters. Each character, whether it was our male main character, Jack Jr., or the side characters. My personal favorites were his Appa, Juno, and Doctor Gaylord himself- Emil Cuddy. Each of these characters’ relationship to Jack Jr. showed a lot about starting over, growing and maturing, forgiveness versus forgetting, and how the love you run from when you don’t feel ready for it may or may not still be there for you when you are ready, so you shouldn’t take it for granted. I also loved the descriptions of food throughout this book, representing Jack Jr.’s ties to his Korean upbringing.

This story is a literary rom-com, it had me sad and devastated at some parts, and then giggling and kicking my feet at others. The plot being situated during Covid makes it feel a lot more real, and I think this story handles the reality of the pandemic a lot more gracefully than other books do. I really, really hope this gets adapted into a movie, because I think the story would actually shine so much more on a screen. I highly recommend this book to anyone on the precipice of 30, dealing with difficult family relationships, who needs a reminder of how lucky they are even when they don’t feel that way. Can’t wait to read everything else this author writes.

Thank you Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the advanced copy of this book!
4.25 stars!

Jack Jr., a 30-year-old Korean-American, awakes from a coma after 2 years. While he is in the coma, COVID happens, and the man he was going to marry is no longer around. What follows is a story of him finding a new life amidst his dad's Korean/Japanese restaurant in Fort Lee, NJ. Family dysfunction abounds in this story, which will have readers rooting for multiple characters.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

This was AMAZING, and not at all what I expected.

Chong's first book, Flux, was so weird, the weirdest book I've ever read, so I expected more of the same. I loved Flux, so I was excited about this book! As it turns out, I loved this book even more, and it's COMPLETELY different. It's a very normal story, a very normal guy wakes up from a normal coma (as normal as those things can be) and deals with family and emotions and feelings and hopes and dreams and family, etc etc. That sounds kinda ... run of the mill, right? But this was WONDERFUL.

This is a deeply heartfelt treatise on time, as in lifetime. Are we making good use of our time? Have we wasted or time? Do we have enough time? Will we later wish we had spent more time?

What set this apart the most for me was the dry humor. I don't usually laugh out loud as I read, but I did this time, several times. It was so easy to devour this book, because I never wanted to set it down. I'm going to miss spending time inside Jack, Jr's head.

I wish I could quote sections here to highlight the humor, but since I read an ARC, technically I am not supposed to quote from it. So just go read it yourself.

The other thing that sets this apart is the FOOD. I got so hungry reading this. Brace yourself, and have your favorites ready on standby: japchae, ramen, jeon, salmon, sushi, shrimp, dumplings .... whatever does it for you, you'll want it. The descriptions of food and food preparation were so detailed and felt so real that I assumed this is semi-autobiographical and Chong himself apprenticed as a sushi chef. (I believe I'm wrong about that.)

I have only one tiny quibble. This was set in Fort Lee, NJ, and several times (five times, to be specific) the locals refer to NJ as "Jersey." I grew up in NJ, and I checked with my mother who still lives in NJ. NO ONE from NJ calls it "Jersey." I looked up Chong's bio, and he lives in NYC now, but he grew up in Princeton, so he should know better!! Maybe it's different in Fort Lee, or maybe Chong has been living in NYC for so long that he forgot, or maybe that was a subtle signal that Jack Jr had lived in NYC so long that HE forgot (in which case, this is not a quibble at all, it's my utmost admiration for Chong's subtle genius).

I really, really loved this book. Jack Jr. wakes up from a two-year coma to find that he's lost his job, his apartment, and his fiancé, and that he really only has his family left - family he hasn't spoken to in years. As he gets back on his feet, he moves in with his father and starts working at the Korean sushi restaurant his parents have owned for years. Along the way, hilarious shenanigans and emotional breakthroughs ensue.

The premise of this book sounds really depressing, but this was actually one of the funniest, most heartwarming, and most uplifting books I've read in a long time. Jack Jr.'s interior dialogue is snappy and straightforward, and the insight we get into family dynamics and each character is so deep and interesting. This narrative explores how to move forward after catastrophic loss and life changes; getting along with your family when you feel so different from them and everyone is always disappointing each other; the chaos and joy of running a restaurant; falling in love when you don't really know who you are anymore; and so much more. The relationships between Jack Jr. and his various family members made me smile so much - how he wants his father to be proud of him but also chafes at his expectations, how he and his brother have no idea how to relate to each other, how he becomes a safe place for his teenage nephew, etc. This really made me think about how families change over time, and it also was just so much fun. It made me crave sushi so much - the descriptions of Jack Jr. and his father slicing fish and preparing omakase were truly meditative. I highly, highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

"I Leave It Up To You" by Jinwoo Chong is an absolute gem that deserves every bit of its five-star rating. From the moment I picked up this book, I was captivated by the rich storytelling and the depth of the characters. Chong's narrative style is both engaging and thought-provoking, weaving together a tapestry of emotions that kept me turning the pages late into the night.

The plot is both original and compelling, exploring themes of vulnerability, trust, and self-discovery in a manner that resonates deeply. Chong's ability to delve into the intricacies of human relationships is unparalleled, making each character's journey feel profoundly real and relatable.

What stands out the most is Chong's exquisite use of language, painting vivid pictures with words that linger long after the final page is turned. The book is a masterful blend of heart and intellect, leaving the reader with plenty to ponder.

"I Leave It Up To You" is a testament to Jinwoo Chong's talent as a writer and is a must-read for anyone seeking a beautifully crafted story that speaks to the soul. Highly recommended!

I loved the humor and wit, which was welcome since it was such an emotional story. This was a slower paced read and more of a character /family study.

Jack Jr wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how he got there. What he does find out is that he’s been in a coma for almost 2 years and that he hasn’t seen his family for almost 10. As he is released from the hospital, he decides to return to Fort Lee, New Jersey with his father and his sushi restaurant. As he rebuilds his life, he also realizes he needs to rebuild his relationships with all of his family.

This is a solid story about a man figuring out who he is when he doesn’t really remember who he was. Jack Jr. missed the hardest part of COVID and trying to help his family with their restaurant that was struggling before the shutdowns is a challenge since he doesn’t know what went on. I liked how this was addressed but also talked about as someone who didn’t get it. Through the story, Jack Jr. meets a few new people in his life that didn’t know him before. I loved his relationship with his nephew, as it felt very genuine and real.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available March 4, 2025.

I enjoyed reading "I Leave It Up To You" for its premise: an Asian-American gay man awakened from being comatose and found himself having to learn how to live and love again. There's the messiness of being Asian with all the cultural obstacles, secrets being kept from him by his family, desperately trying to find out what happened in his past life, etc. What I did not enjoy as much was the uneven pacing. The book started off with a bang. It was easy to turn the pages during the first quarter of the book...intense and edgy. Then it went into a long lull that made me want to stop reading. Not until the last quarter did the pace pick back up again. This book has its moments. Thanks to NetGalley for the courtesy read.

4⭐️

**Thank you Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC**

TW: story does reference COVID 19 pandemic

Jack Jr. has just woken up from a nearly 2 year coma. The world is post Covid pandemic. His fiancé is gone. He is going to be living and recovering with his somewhat estranged family. Life is complicated. Jack Jr. does the only thing he knows to do: work in his father’s sushi shop. He works to rebuild family ties and figure out what he wants from life.

This book is so well written. It has depth and really creates a group of characters you get to know. However, there are some moments that are so full of thought and almost run on concepts that I would have to stop and reread to understand what it was saying. The dialog is wonderful. At times it’s full of banter and makes you laugh out loud. Juno, Jack Jr.’s nephew, is the perfect person to bring humor but also make them all stop and reevaluate themselves.

Highly recommend this book.

Really enjoyed this. Excellent family drama with nice characters. Good to see a family getting along well after divorce. Jack Jr’s story was a sad one but it felt real and honest.

RATING: 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to the Jinwoo Chong, Netgalley, and Random House for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel as if it has been forever since I willingly read an adult contemporary/literary fiction novel for leisure. As a fan of Asian cuisine, an advocate for Asian American characters in novels, and a continuous seeker for LGBT media, I Leave It Up to You ended up checking all criteria and has made me want to read more non-romance focused contemporary books.

The story follows the aftermath of Jack Jr's awakening from a coma. Waking up in a reality post-COVID era, he finds that his life has changed forever. His fiance has left him, he no longer has his big city career, and he's forced to move back home with his family in New Jersey. From there, Jack Jr. gradually gains his passion back for sushi-making as he aids his father in saving their struggling restaurant from closure.

It's definitely refreshing to read a book that's rooted in themes of family bonds and Asian identity, with just a smudge of an MLM romance. I enjoyed Jack Jr's cynical humor and being shown the various relationships he has with various characters-- from the strain of his relationship with his brother, to the uncle-nephew bond he has with Juno, to the slow friendship he has with Emil. I also liked the glimpses of Jack Jr.'s past, serving as pieces to explore the reason why Jack Jr. abandoned his original goal to take over the family restaurant.

I did wish Jack Jr.'s conversation with Ren happened a little sooner than I did. While I was invested in the mystery behind what their relationship was like prior to the accident, I think having their encounter earlier in the book could have helped with adding more development with Jack Jr. and Emil's romance. Nonetheless, this didn't take away too much of my overall love for this book and would highly recommend adding to your TBR!

This was an interesting read for me. It took me a long time to read (compared to how quickly I typically get through books), and most of the time, I didn't find myself eager to pick it up and read it. It was a somewhat slow and "quiet" read, yet I was interested enough in the characters and plot to keep going.

I'm glad that I didn't give up on it. The author writes perfectly flawed and very realistic characters. He writes relationships incredibly well. The family dynamics in this book felt so real and authentic to me. I love when books about families feel so realistic to me. The tension, grudges, frustration, anger, and above all, love, that are such a part of family life are weaved beautifully throughout the pages of this book.

I will admit that I was initially drawn to the book because of the Korean characters and the concept of someone waking from a coma after two years to find their old life essentially gone. The idea of having to return home to your childhood bedroom and start over (as an adult) was fascinating to me. The book ultimately ended up not putting much focus at all on the coma, but rather what came after. The rebuilding of Jack Jr's life was happening page by page, but in an understated, natural way. It wasn't dumbed down or put right in the face of the reader. It felt so authentic and visceral, the way one would rebuild their life - day by day, each interaction building upon the rest, slowly rebuilding old relationships and forming new ones. Really, the same things that made the story understated and quiet are the same things that made it really beautifully written. I could personally feel the emotions the characters were experiencing. I don't want to spoil anything, but there was one interaction between two characters that felt so painfully raw and real that I felt the emotions right along with the characters, despite one of the characters not having actually been in the book at all up to that point.

There were some minor loose ends; one in which a supporting character just kind of disappeared without any further explanation or follow-up. I'm not sure of the reasoning for that as it didn't seem to serve a purpose in the story. It felt more like the character was just forgotten altogether towards the end of the book.

Overall, I really did like this book. I think it's one I'll appreciate more the longer it sits with me. Even though it took until about the 75% mark for the story and pacing to pick up for me, I really felt it was worth it. I love when authors write characters and relationships so well, and Jinwoo Chong did this so beautifully that I'll be sure to check out his future work.

Thank you to Ballantine Books (Random House Publishing Group) and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

"I Leave It Up to You" by Jinwoo Chong is a novel that tells the story of Jack Jr., a young man who wakes up from a two-year coma to find that his life has changed a lot. The book explores themes like love, family, and getting a second chance in life. Jack Jr. has to deal with the loss of time and the challenge of reconnecting with his Korean American family in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Jinwoo Chong, writes in a way that is both emotional and sometimes funny, making the story engaging and relatable. Jack's journey back home is filled with moments of self-discovery as he tries to understand his past choices and how they affected his family and his own identity.

An interesting aspect of the story is how Jack learns about sushi-making, which becomes a metaphor for understanding life's complexities and the importance of knowing where you come from. As Jack works at his family's sushi restaurant, he learns valuable lessons from his father and faces his own fears and insecurities.

"I Leave It Up to You" is a touching story about starting over and the courage it takes to face the past. It's a book that many people can relate to, especially those who have experienced personal growth and family challenges. The story is both entertaining and moving, reminding us of the power of love and the importance of staying connected to our roots.

There is something surreal about reading someone who doesn't know what Covid is or how they ended up in a coma. But this book doesn't dwell on the implications about the pandemic. Instead it focuses on the relations of a gay Korean who is still trying to piece together his life.

I can honestly deeply relate to how Jack Jr. (MC) and Juno feel as a fellow first generation Korean living in America. Sometime parents are too much and the inherent guilt about wanting to leave is just a lot to deal with. But also parents don't always mean what they say, sometimes you need a break, and others you need an escape from their ideas of a perfect you.

If you ever wonder what asian generational guilt would feel like this book has it, but also the cast and dialogue feel so real I wonder if any of this is Biographical.

I loved this one! Jack Jr was such an interesting character to follow, and I felt like his story was too. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC!

A complex story that melds food, familial relationships, and the unknown so well. This is one of the only books post COVID that I've not minded having it in the book. Expertly done, I found myself so connected to each of the characters and their motivations.

Imagine losing two and-a-half years of your life to a medically induced coma. Then imagine waking up to find you lost your fiancé, your car, your apartment, your job, and your independence. For Jack Jr., this means moving back in with his parents and resuming his high school job cutting fish in his father’s sushi restaurant. But it also brings some gifts: a renewed relationship with his dad, a chance to mentor his nephew, and a new love interest. While some might sink into a depression and rot, Jack Jr. chooses to get back up again. But it’s not so smooth as Jack Jr. deals with what he left behind the first time, relationships he cut short, family he ghosted. A sort of going back in time and being able to do it all over again and get it right this time.

I really enjoyed Chong’s writing style and narrative structure. He delays some details and reveals them with subtle drama when the time is right. At times the narrative feels like it verges on melodrama, but Chong reels it back into balance. Jack Jr.’s character is easily relatable and easy to root for, even though he makes some questionable decisions. That’s where the humanity is.

I have not read Chong’s first book, Flux, but after reading I Leave it up to You, I would pick it up.

The writing was so gorgeous and poetic, but the actual plot was kind of hard to get into.
The feeling of connection and family was told so beautifully that I enjoyed reading it enough, but I don't think I would pick it up to read it again.