I Am FRANKLY IN LOVE with this Book!!!

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I'll start with a few facts and an anecdote.

First, in case you didn't know, David Yoon is the husband of Nicola Yoon, who wrote Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star. He also did the illustrations that are in Everything, Everything. This is his debut novel.

Now, for the anecdote. I had always planned on reading this book. When I was at ALA, I went to the Penguin booth and asked if they had Frankly in Love. They said that they did, but that they were only giving it out at the signing. So, I figured I’d go to the signing. However, the line was quite long, so I decided not get in line since the book would come out in September, which wasn’t too long of a wait. But then I ran into Laurie Halse Anderson at the Penguin booth, and she recognized! She also RAVED about Frankly in Love and said it was one of the best books she had read this year and how it touched on themes of racism, identity, and acceptance. So I was like, “I have to go get that book!” The line was like 5 feet away and a Penguin team member was standing at the back of the line and said the line was closed L. But I hung around the back of the line, and there were maybe 5 copies left, so I ended up getting a copy and getting it signed!

Now, on to Frankly in Love. Laurie Halse Anderson was absolutely right! This book is phenomenal, and it is also one of my favorite books of the year. It’s funny and while it is a rom-com, it has a lot of depth to it. It’s also an own-voices novel, and you can really tell that David Yoon put so much of his heart and personal experiences into the novel.

Frankly in Love follows a boy named Frank Li (yes, the title is ingenious!) who is Korean American. His parents are Korean immigrants, but Frank himself doesn’t even speak Korean. And like so many people in our world, Frank’s parents are racist, basically towards anyone who isn’t Korean. In fact, his parents disowned his sister, Hannah, when she fell in love with a black man. When Frank finds himself falling for Brit, he realizes that it’s a problem because Brit is white. So, Frank devises a plan with his friend Joy, who is in a similar situation to Frank. The two of them decide to fake date so that when they go out, they can actually meet up with their respective love interests.

I just loved this book so much! It’s a rom-com, but it’s a deeply riveting and moving commentary on our society. It does a lot of really important work and it’s just a damn good book! I particularly connected to the theme of identity within this book; as someone who is biracial, I understand what it is to feel like your identity is split in two, which is how Frank feels. To white people, to the world, Frank is Korean. He looks Korean and both of his parents are from South Korea, but he himself was born and raised in Southern California. He is very American and his parents have essentially forced him to Americanize, and in some ways abandon Korean culture. But in other ways, they are very Korean and hold on to traditional values that Frank doesn’t agree with, such as the idea that he should only ever be involved romantically with a Korean girl.

Frankly in Love comes out September 10th, and you should pre-order a copy not only because it’s amazing, but also because the first print (only!) will have blue sprayed edges!

XOXO, 

Isabella 

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