Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Synopsis:

High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo–his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance–“Date Korean”–which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful–and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love–or himself–at all.

My Thoughts:

Oh my gosh! This debut novel is billed as a fake dating rom com, but it's SO MUCH MORE. Frank is in his last year of high school, on the cusp of everything changing. He navigates dating (and yes, fake dating) while having great, deep discussions about children of immigrants, what it means to be American (or a hyphenated one), race, and socioeconomic statuses. This sounds dry, but it actually isn't. I particularly loved the long talks he had with best friend Q, because they seemed organic and authentic, the kind of real talks I had with my friends when I was 17. 

This is also a bittersweet homage to growing up, leaving high school, and recognizing that while our parents are not perfect, our relationships with them are important and precious. 

Frank, Q, Joy, Brit, and everyone's parents are so perfectly characterized. There are no cookie cutter stereotyping here, and I loved it because I'm a sucker for complicated, three-dimensional characters. As an Asian-American (though not Korean-American), I could relate to most of what happened to Frank. It feels so good to have such honest representation. I just wish I could have read this when I was 17! 

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?