Frankly in Love

Frank Li is Korean-American, and he knows that whoever he dates must also be Korean-American to satisfy his parents. He knows, because his older sister Hanna married a black man, and their parents effectively disowned her. So when Frank falls for a white classmate, Brit, he develops a scheme with Joy Song, another "Limbo" at his family's Gatherings - a monthly meet-up of four Korean-American families that came to the U.S. around the same time. The Limbos - the children of immigrants - call themselves that because they're in-between; the parents all came to the U.S. for better opportunities, but they want their children to remain Korean, not become assimilated. Since Joy is (secretly) dating a Chinese boy at school, Wu, she and Frank show more decide to pretend to be dating; that way, they'll have the freedom to date who they choose.

But both Brit and Wu resent being kept at arms-length from Frank and Joy's families, and ultimately, both relationships break up as Frank and Joy fall for each other instead. Even that, however, doesn't solve all their problems. Frank still has to figure out how to deal with his parents' racism - not just over who he dates, but over his best friend, Q, who's black (and has a secret love interest that he won't divulge). There's pressure over SAT scores and college acceptances. And then Frank's dad gets shot at the family store.

Funny, introspective, full of code-switching and slang, this is a diverse, realistic teen romance.

See also: Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Quotes

It's like talking out loud to ourselves, but in front of each other. (8)

Everyone has loveliness inside if you look carefully. Lots of the world is like this. (8)

There are too many worlds in my head...all with their own confusing laws of nature, gravitational strengths, and speeds of light, and really all I want to do is reach escape velocity, bust out into space, and form my own planet tweaked just how I want it. (69)

"I'm just so sick of what they want versus what I want." (Joy to Frank, 79)

"Humanity's greatest strength - and also the reason for its ultimate downfall - is its ability to normalize even the bizarre." (Brit to Frank, 135)

And who are Mom-n-Dad, really? What I see - the little I'm able to see - can't be the whole picture. There are depths to them I can't fathom yet. I probably never will. (188)

"I feel like everyone speaks a different language from everyone else." (Brit to Frank, 207)

People who let themselves learn new things are the best kind of people. (214)

She feels different. She feels like I'm about to leave her. And I feel different. Like a liar. (240)

Love is a belief mutually held. As soon as that belief fades on either end, then poof, the whole thing falls face-flat like a tug-of-war suddenly gone one-sided. (377) show less

Frank Li has watched his parents react to his older sister’s choices and he knows they will never accept him dating anyone who isn’t Korean. So he and a family friend, Joy Song, pretend to date.

Fake-dating is one of my most favourite romance tropes but I’m not a fan when it’s a cover for actually dating someone else -- I don’t like others getting hurt by the deception.

Despite that, I found this YA novel engaging and unexpectedly moving. And an absolutely fascinating look at being the child of immigrants. Frank’s parents live in a Korean bubble, and while Frank is shaped by that -- his parents' values and prejudices, regular gatherings with Korean family friends -- he is also influenced by an American education, Western show more media and his own friends. Especially when it comes to topics that his parents won't discuss with him. Communication with them isn’t only complicated because his parents’ English is limited and he only understands a little Korean, but because they have different cultural ideas about parent-child relationships and what things should be up for discussion.

There are too many worlds in my head -- Palomino High School, The Store, the Gathering -- all with their own confusing laws of nature, gravitational strengths, and speeds of light, and really all I want to do is reach escape velocity, bust out into space, and form my own planet tweaked just how I want it.
Planet Frank. Invitation only. show less

Narrated by Raymond J. Lee. This book fires on all pistons: It's humor, romance, friendship, ethnic identity, and self-identity. Frank's romantic life twists in unexpected ways and his ruminations on life and self are honest and funny. He, best friend Q and the other AP kids are diverse and relatably nerdy. His parents are classic immigrant parents. Lee's narration is appropriately youthful and is laugh-out-loud spot-on with Frank's self-effacing moments; he also does well with the Korean adults' accents. There is a whole section of dialogue in Korean, peppered with "Dad said" and "he said." I don't know if Lee is a native speaker but it sounded fairly good.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon manages to be the stereotypical YA book wrapped up in a tasty and original coating. Yoon’s crisp and funny writing gives readers a smart but relatable main character (Frank), a troupe of diverse, witty and nerdy friends, multiple romantic possibilities, SATs, college stress and a mix of understanding and domineering parents. Throw in some life-altering drama and a YA book is born--but Frankly in Love does it better than most. Yoon handles his Korean American characters and their very Korean parents with honesty and clearly some unique first-hand knowledge (#ownvoices). Don’t worry though, this isn’t a book about being Korean American; it’s about being a teenager, a friend and coming of age in a show more difficult time. Some online comments knock on his excessive use of profanity but I think he captures how teens talk amongst themselves pretty well. Frankly in Love is a perfect book for readers of his wife (Nicola Yoon), Randy Ribay, Mary H.K. Choi and other YA authors. show less

CW: Gun violence, Cancer, Racism (challenged)

I first noticed this book because there was so much hype during the release week, but I somehow didn’t really feel interested in it. But then my friends started saying wonderful things about it, and I received the audiobook, so I just thought why not give it a try. And I’m not exactly sure what I’m feeling after finishing it but maybe I will by the end of this review.

The first thing you’ll notice about this book is it’s writing style. It’s very unique, almost like the main character is having a conversation with the reader. There are a lot of broken sentences, hyphenated sentences, very current teenage lingo and a lot of gaming references. All these things would be perfect for show more the right audience, but I unfortunately I am not one of them. I found it a little difficult to follow in the beginning, but once I decided to not overthink everything and go with the flow, it became a much easier read. In parts it felt like the author was trying too hard to sound like a teenager, but there were parts where it felt really authentic. Its a slice of life kinda story, exploring the life of our main character in his senior year, but the pacing was always fast and I never got bored. The author also manages to bring lots of laughs, makes us think and ultimately also made me cry. The narration by Raymond J. Lee is awesome, him bringing a lot of authenticity and uniqueness to the various characters. My only quip is that his voice sounded a little old for a teenager.

I’m an Asian immigrant too but I’ve only lived here for a little less than a decade, so my experiences are vastly different from either the parents in this book or the kids. But it’s just all so relatable in a way that I can’t explain. The author does a great job exploring the lives of immigrants like Frank’s parents - who come to America to make something good of their lives but never want to lose that connection to their homeland, and they keep at it by socializing only with their fellow countrymen, hoping that their kids date others of the same race and essentially live in their own bubble, which ignores the rest of America. And I can’t deny that most of us Asians do this, including me and everyone else I know.

The author also doesn’t shy away from discussing the deep rooted prejudices and racism in the Asian community, particularly regarding the African-American community or the Hispanic community - and how this is a bone of contention between the older generations and their much younger Americanized kids who also happen to be more educated and progressive. And this feeling of not belong to either their parents’ homeland or America, and how much this looking for belonging and identity can affect the lives of these first generation immigrant kids was depicted very thoughtfully by the author. We also see stark differences between the kind of relationships that kids and parents have with each other across communities, and this was another aspect of the writing that I felt was done very realistically.

And along with all the important themes of identity, racism and privilege, the author also gives us an authentic look at how crucial the senior year is to the kids. The unending expectations of excellence from the parents regarding SATs and college applications, the fear of disappointing them, the joy of going to a dream college and the utter sadness of losing all our close friendships - it was written so beautifully that it made me very nostalgic and emotional. It’s really been a while since I’ve read such an authentic and relatable high school experience that it really impressed me.

I absolutely loved all the kids characters in this book. Frank is a smart, hardworking, responsible and respectful young man and I just wanted all the happiness for him in the world. I felt every single emotion that he felt, particularly towards the second half of the book. He really feels everything with all his heart and it made me very sad whenever something not so nice happened. Brit is a very woke and progressive young lady, and I admired her being so thoughtful and sweet. Joy is a real spitfire, extremely smart and ambitious, but like a normal teenager doesn’t want to disturb the status quo a lot. Q is Frank’s best friend and gaming nerd and adored their friendship so much. They were just there for each other without any expectations and it reminded so much of my best friend whom I haven’t seen in years. Their last scene together made me sob (and I’m also crying right now while typing this) and I just wish we could have gotten more of their scenes together. There are other high school kids as well with whom we only get a few scenes, but they were all written with a lot of care and it shows in the writing.

Finally, I just want to say that this book has taken me completely by surprise. It’s beautiful and poignant and very resonant in a way I haven’t felt in a while. If you love YA contemporaries where everything is not always hunky dory but it hits you right in the feels, then this is the book for you. If you are an Asian immigrant or a first generation American, you will definitely find something very relatable in these pages and I highly recommend this book to you. I just realized there is going to be another book in the series and I really really hope we will be following the same set of characters because I don’t feel done with them yet. show less

I feel like I say this about every other YA romance, but this was really cute! The entire thing being in present tense felt a little odd at first, but it really sets the reader right in Frank's head. There's a ton of specific cultural notes for second generation Korean-Americans (am reminded of the Viet Thanh Nguyen quote about writing as if you're the majority, do not pause to explain, etc. The romance also has a bit of that universal teen feeling of wondering whether this is a for now romance, with college looming at some point but "then what?" after that ends.

There's what I felt was a clever use of language about ~290 pages in, when two adults have an argument. As a second generation kid, Frank isn't necessarily fluent in Korean, so show more the text actually changes to Hangul and most readers will be right there with Frank, not comprehending why two friends are suddenly mad at each other. I used a phone translation app and while I know that wasn't perfect, it got across the point (and another adult later gives their version of what happened in the next chapter). That REALLY felt like an unapologetic existence, and I thought it was neat.

Also oh man I did not need to remember the stress around college admissions and then knowing that your friends will be farflung after graduation. :( show less

This book is sarcastically funny with tons of heart. The smart humor cuts the tension of some of the deeper issues that the book dives into.

Frank Li is a second-generation Korean-American, struggling to deal with his strict Korean parents' views of the world and their racism. They no longer speak to his older sister Hanna because she started dating a black boy. When Frank falls for an American girl, Britt, he decides to set up a fake dating relationship with his parent-approved Korean friend Joy, who struggles to find time to see her boyfriend, too. Telling the parents they're out together then splitting off to their separate dates may buy them some time, but the lies take a toll on their respective relationships. Then Frank finds show more himself falling for Joy, too, and has to decide what he really wants.

Frank is an adorable confused nerd, who aces AP classes and plays video games with his friend Q and wants to argue with his parents, but can't quite work up the courage to make a big stand. He says things like, "Mom-n-Dad are like this big ice wall of ignorance, and I'm just a lone soldier with a sword." Frank is sweet to his dad who never really learned English and devoted his life to his store so his son could have a better life, even if this meant that Frank, who only speaks English, never really knew him despite their living side by side. Frank's confused in love, too, falling for multiple people for multiple good reasons - both girls are awesome, smart and have good hearts. All three of them - Frank, Joy and Britt - are the kind of people who score over 1400 on their SATs and can get into almost any college they want.

In the end, Frank will have to confront what it means to be both Korean and American, and what it means to live his life and love his parents. show less