Yolk is Mary H K Choi's third novel, following on from Emergency Contact and Permanent Record (the latter of which I have read and enjoyed). Choi's novels are exactly what I look for in contemporary YA fiction: realistic protagonists who feel like genuine people and not characters in a novel, flawed in real and relatable ways and struggling with finding themselves in their early 20s.

Choi's latest offering follows college student Jayne, studying fashion in New York City. Jayne lives in a crappy illegal sublet with a guy she used to be sleeping with and which rarely has hot water and is ridden with cockroaches. Her elder sister, June, also lives in the city, although the two don't speak often due to their fraught older/younger sibling relationship and different lifestyles and values. However the two are forced back together after June is diagnosed with cancer and she is forced into revealing a few secrets which bind the two sisters back together. Alongside this, June has also got back in touch with a childhood friend from church called Patrick, another Korean-American from her hometown in Texas who has also moved to NYC, and they begin meeting up again. All this is happening to a backdrop of Jayne barely coping on a personal level - she has a longstanding eating disorder, drinks too much, isn't quite over said douchey roommate who keeps using her bed to have sex with random girls, and has always had a youngest sibling complex when it comes to her very traditional Korean parents.

I thought Choi did a brilliant job of weaving the various plot lines together and conveying exactly how sibling relationships can change in a heartbeat (often for totally arbitrary reasons) and the self-destructive tendencies people can develop when they're unhappy or don't feel in control of their lives. I devoured this novel in less than a day, and would recommend it if you're in the mood for a smart, sad and at times funny contemporary YA with a sprinkling of romance.

Yolk is a multi-layered story which explores many areas of Jayne's life, including mental illness, family, identity and relationships. The graphic depiction of eating disorders explored how they manifest in all areas of life, including your perception of yourself. Jayne particularly struggled with her image, as she navigated her Korean-American identity and feeling like she didn't quite belong anywhere, as well as how her romantic relationships affected her worth. On top of all this insight, the book examines Jayne's complex dynamic with her sister and forces them to confront their relationship and reliance on each other. It was refreshing how flawed and real the characters were, and although it took a while for me to get into the story, I became attached to the characters and their growth. The ending was satisfying but also very emotional, so be prepared with tissues!

content warnings: eating disorders, cancer

I think I found out what I dislike about Mary H.K Choi's books: the fact that she throw out some pretty nasty words without challenging them. In Emergency Contact, it was the constant slut shaming and in Yolk, it's how some words were used and I'm just? Was it really necessary? I understand that this book deals with heavy themes as illness and estranged sisters but I don't understand the need to constantly throw words like 'psycho' or 'lunatic' or 'insane' and use them as insults, you get me? This point kept bothering me because they were constantly use when the sisters were arguing with each other and you truly feel like it was used to hurt. There was also this instance where Jayne's 'boyfriend' is sleeping with another girl and when she confronts him, he throws at her the word 'well you know I'm polyamorous' and to be honest, I don't know if he truly was. And let me say it I don't want to doubt a character sexual orientation but the way and the context where it was said really rubbed me the wrong way. More like it was an excuse to explain why he was sleeping with another girl than anything else because then it never came up again. Like, he just said it and then they moved on? Though it may be my interpretation on that one scene and I didn't see anybody else talk about it.

Oh, maybe I should say that Yolk was one of my most anticipated 2021 releases first. The story itself was okay, I guess. Am I disappointed? Yeah, kinda. But did I like the story? Yeah, kinda. Yolk is hard to describe but I guess I should start by saying that the strongest point is Mary H.K Choi's writing style (if you 'forget' all the words she uses where she shouldn't have lol). The author has a really distinct, strong and sarcastic way of writing books. You can actually tell she also wrote Emergency Contact because her voice is still the same. And I'm not saying her writing style never evolved -- I'm just saying her voice is so distinct you can still feel it two years later. And I kinda like it, honestly. I like it because it makes Jayne (the main character) one of the most sarcastic but also vulnerable character I've ever read. Dialogue is also one of strong point of this story. And I'm telling you, if it wasn't for the writing style, I might have DNF the book halfway into it.

The story itself was quite okay. The author explores important themes as illness, family bonds and the immigrant experience. To be honest, I didn't really know what I was going into when I first start the book. I knew it was about two sisters and one of them had cancer while the other had an eating disorder and I guess this is what I got, in some way. Mary H.K Choi dwells into the relationship and the bond between Jayne and June -- about how they fragile and messed up their relationship actually is. I actually liked how their relationship wasn't all hearts and butterfly because it felt really real and authentic to me. They argue, they joke around but ultimately, they're here for each other. But even though I liked how authentic their bond felt, I failed to understand why they did certain things. Sometimes, it felt like they were just mean to each other for the sake to be mean, you see? And I guess this is why I failed to totally connect with Jayne or June as main characters. Sometimes I just felt totally indifferent about what they were going through even though they were going through pretty shitty stuff.

I also believe that this book was pretty long for what it was going for. I found myself skimming through a lot of part -- especially in the middle. To be quite honest, I really didn't care that much about Jayne and all the stuff she was going through with all the men she met. I tried to connect with her, with her mindset but ultimately, I couldn't. What I did connect with though, was how they felt as Asian immigrants. Granted I'm not an immigrant myself but I did connect with Jayne wondering about what place she could call "home". From Texas to New York, the author described how it was hard for her to find a place where she truly felt like she belongs to. And even when she came to New York -- the place where she thought she was going to find "home" -- it's still wasn't it. I connected with what she was feeling because it's often what I feel and I also believe that many people in the same situation will relate to that.

Having enjoyed the author’s previous books, I was really excited to hear about Yolk - two estranged sisters, forcibly reunited by very unforeseen circumstances. The strained family dynamic, especially between the sisters, felt agonisingly real, as did the internal workings of Jayne’s mind as she spins out of control. Definitely funny and heart-warming at times!

tw: eating disorders

Firstly this cover is just gorgeous.
I would say this book is more new adult over young adult due to the content. It explores the relationship between two sisters who face devastating news.
The character development throughout the books is beautifully written and heartbreaking. I really loved reading this book. Thank you.

Totally fell in love with Choi’s writing. Loved the two sister and especially the mechanics between the perfect one and the not so perfect one. We only spot that there is no perfection at the end and that life can be so messy too. Love the way she writes this two.
Also fell in love with Patrick so badly 🥺❤️