BONUS: A Weekend Book Recommendation!

Surprise! I’m dropping in with a quick book recommendation before the next chapter of STOP. KISSING. FINN. goes live. (If you’re not yet subscribed, please do so!)

This is big for me. For the past two-ish years (not coincidentally the age of my son), I’ve struggled to read a novel in an amount of time that allowed me to retain meaningful details of the plot. Essentially, I’d get in bed, read five pages (three of which I’d half-read/half-hallucinate), and then inevitably fall asleep. When this is your process, it takes a really long time to finish a book, never mind form an opinion about it. 

So, I’m thrilled to confidently recommend Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi, which I tore through in record (for me) time.

While I learned about this title on an episode of the podcast Hey YA, it’s more new adult than young adult, as the main characters are a bit older. Jayne is (half-heartedly) pursuing a degree in fashion school in New York City while her older-by-a-few-years sister, June, is making their parents proud with a soul-sucking job at a financial firm, also located in NYC. You’d think they’d hang out, even just to grab dinner once a month, but their relationship is strained and has been for years… Until June gets sick. 

Now, don’t think some switch flips and suddenly Jayne becomes the devoted caretaker, June the appreciative patient. Nope, these characters and the evolution of their relationship is so much more complicated than that, which is part of what makes this book so satisfying. You can also expect:

• razor-sharp dialogue

• hyper-realistic depictions of gritty New York

• honest and vulnerable storytelling (the author uses her own experiences with disordered eating to inform Jayne’s struggles)

• an adorable romance! 

• but, also, a completely relatable entanglement with a certified F-boy

• complicated family dynamics 

Not to be all “I laughed, I cried,” but I definitely laughed out loud (there’s one scene in a Trader Joe’s that’s so cringeworthy you have to giggle) and shed a few tears. The end will get you—that’s a promise. 

If you’re looking for a great book for the weekend, I highly recommend Yolk.

I’ll see you next week with Chapter 6 of STOP. KISSING. FINN!