Yolk
- Downloads：4899
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-30 10:52:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mary H.K. Choi
- ISBN：0349003696
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Yolk， a new title from Mary H。 K。 Choi about two Asian sisters who swap identities in order for one to use the other's health insurance for a life-saving operation。
Reviews
Jacy Bittner
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So good in the most delicious way。 I loved these characters and will come back and reread to visit them。 The detailsof this book vibrate with the way you feel when you walk around visiting New York。 Captured in my heart。
maya
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objectively i know this book is more 3-4 star territory but if this had been about a white girl it may as well have been my autobiography。 i feel like someone leaked my therapists notes including a checklist of my family trauma LMAO wtf。 i'm shaken。 i never want to think about this book again。 it was great objectively i know this book is more 3-4 star territory but if this had been about a white girl it may as well have been my autobiography。 i feel like someone leaked my therapists notes including a checklist of my family trauma LMAO wtf。 i'm shaken。 i never want to think about this book again。 it was great 。。。more
Willow H。 Wood
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Cor， this was raw。 This was so raw。 It was subtle and yet so obvious。 This is a real piece of painful art。 The protagonist's feelings are so honest it keens - especially when she reflects on self-worth and her anger and hatred。The dialogue is a bit weird， like it seems disjointed a lot of the time， but some of it proper made me laugh too。 June's abattoir bed scene in particular。 A spectacular story about two sisters， dysfunctional families， and the shapes of unseen scars。 Cor， this was raw。 This was so raw。 It was subtle and yet so obvious。 This is a real piece of painful art。 The protagonist's feelings are so honest it keens - especially when she reflects on self-worth and her anger and hatred。The dialogue is a bit weird， like it seems disjointed a lot of the time， but some of it proper made me laugh too。 June's abattoir bed scene in particular。 A spectacular story about two sisters， dysfunctional families， and the shapes of unseen scars。 。。。more
Scottsdale Public Library
，
Jayne Baek spent most of her life in San Antonio after her family immigrated from Seoul， but she was desperate to rebuild a movie-inspired life for herself in New York。 In Yolk by Mary H。 K。 Choi， Jayne shares a rundown and illegally sublet apartment with Jeremy who is Jayne’s inconsiderate friends-with-occasional-benefits and not-quite-boyfriend roommate。 With subtle allusions to an eating disorder and a not-so-stellar college attendance， Jayne’s path contrasts dramatically with that of her est Jayne Baek spent most of her life in San Antonio after her family immigrated from Seoul， but she was desperate to rebuild a movie-inspired life for herself in New York。 In Yolk by Mary H。 K。 Choi， Jayne shares a rundown and illegally sublet apartment with Jeremy who is Jayne’s inconsiderate friends-with-occasional-benefits and not-quite-boyfriend roommate。 With subtle allusions to an eating disorder and a not-so-stellar college attendance， Jayne’s path contrasts dramatically with that of her estranged older sister， June。 June outshines her younger sister with her finance job and luxury apartment， but all her success is diminished when she reveals to Jayne that she has cancer。 This diagnosis sparks a journey for these two sisters which forces them both to face hard truths about their past and forces them to consider where they want their futures to go。 This book is both heartbreaking and endearing because the author developed primary and secondary characters who are all deeply flawed and made vulnerable to the reader。 The author’s forward sums up the heavier aspects of the story well in her introduction， “For those struggling with body image and food， this story might be emotionally expensive for you。 Please be gentle with yourselves。 Sensitivity is a superpower， and please know there is no such thing as a bad body。 Truly。 Take up space。 It is your birthright。 Love， Mary。” Most importantly， I enjoyed this story because it focuses so profoundly on how nobody is perfect， and that’s ok。 -Christina B。 。。。more
AnnaLuce
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This was everything。 Review to come。
Gerald
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"Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top "Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top 。。。more
Riley Wang
，
Hi！ You might want to publish this in a mobile app so a lot of readers can see your lovely work。 Check on the NovelStar app and see how other writers earn by pursuing their passion in writing。 You can also check out their Facebook page to meet other writers。t
ren
，
i am crying so fucking much in my car rn i never would’ve thought this book would mean a lot to me
T。 Rosado
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5 Stars！When I read Emergency Contact three years ago， I had a couple issues with it， but ultimately enjoyed it。 This is my second book by the author and I believe she’s written what will become one of my top favorites from 2021。 I loved this book！ I loved it for all its dread and I loved it for all its sibling rivalry， love， and snark。Jayne （the main protagonist） is an early 20-something college student who’s completely self-absorbed， but not necessarily in an arrogant or mean spirited way。 Yet 5 Stars！When I read Emergency Contact three years ago， I had a couple issues with it， but ultimately enjoyed it。 This is my second book by the author and I believe she’s written what will become one of my top favorites from 2021。 I loved this book！ I loved it for all its dread and I loved it for all its sibling rivalry， love， and snark。Jayne （the main protagonist） is an early 20-something college student who’s completely self-absorbed， but not necessarily in an arrogant or mean spirited way。 Yet， I’m sure she’ll come across that way to some。 It’s a self-absorption that keeps her fixated wholly on herself - being invisible， her body image， comparing herself to others， and trying desperately to be seen as worthy。 When I started reading， I was afraid I would dislike her， but instead， I was overwhelmed by my emotional attachment to her。 I was not exactly this girl in college， but I was still her in so many ways and I felt everything she felt。 The cringe moments， the shame， the turmoil， the fear， the invisibility。 She's trying hard on the outside to mask all that’s on the inside。 This author nails it。 There’s a sweet romance in the book， but it’s ultimately about Jayne and her sister， June。 These two have been somewhat estranged， but when needs arise， they have each other’s back。 In all the ways a bickering， but loving sisterhood could be。 Unfortunately， I could connect with that as well。 Lol。Yolk was emotionally moving， funny， and so dang realistic。 When I turned the final page， I just wanted to hug the book to my chest。 。。。more
Alicia
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Okay this book fucked me up。But it is excellent。I was extremely stressed for maybe。。。。50% of it。 It's just that it's so raw you can like *feel* it。 But it's beautiful too。 I really loved Emergency Contact but couldn't finish Permanent Record （I don't know what it is about that one - maybe the POV？）， so I'm not a stranger to Mary H。K。 Choi's writing。 Something about the way she writes， you're just thrown into the story。 Jayne hurt my heart but I loved her and wanted the best for her。 Definitely i Okay this book fucked me up。But it is excellent。I was extremely stressed for maybe。。。。50% of it。 It's just that it's so raw you can like *feel* it。 But it's beautiful too。 I really loved Emergency Contact but couldn't finish Permanent Record （I don't know what it is about that one - maybe the POV？）， so I'm not a stranger to Mary H。K。 Choi's writing。 Something about the way she writes， you're just thrown into the story。 Jayne hurt my heart but I loved her and wanted the best for her。 Definitely if you are sensitive to stories about disordered eating， mental health， or cancer go in cautiously， but it really is a great book。 。。。more
Amy Kett
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*sigh* Mary HK Choi is a national treasure。
Ilse O'Brien
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This is billed as YA 14-18， but it's more adult， in my opinion。 I think it's too mature for 14-16 year olds。 This is billed as YA 14-18， but it's more adult， in my opinion。 I think it's too mature for 14-16 year olds。 。。。more
Mandy Genge
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Mary H。 K。 Choi has done it again！ Two estranged sisters， Jayne and June， find each other because of a cancer diagnosis。 You follow these two sisters around New York in this gritty， raw， and real book。 I laughed。 I cried。 I wanted to crawl into the book， at times。 A must YA read！
Eileen
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4。5 starsHow often can an author make the main character not exactly likable and yet you end up rooting for her？ At least that was the case with me。 Jayne Baek is a hot mess， especially compared to her older， "perfect" sister， at least that's the way she's always seen it。 She's had a love-hate relationship with not just her sister， but her mom， and has spent her life rebelling against what she sees as the expectations of her family and church community。 She grew up with her family in TX and is n 4。5 starsHow often can an author make the main character not exactly likable and yet you end up rooting for her？ At least that was the case with me。 Jayne Baek is a hot mess， especially compared to her older， "perfect" sister， at least that's the way she's always seen it。 She's had a love-hate relationship with not just her sister， but her mom， and has spent her life rebelling against what she sees as the expectations of her family and church community。 She grew up with her family in TX and is now in NYC， along with her sister， but not with her sister。 Her sister is living a wealthy executive life while she is a struggling student living in an illegal apartment with a white guy she hooked up with but was never really a boyfriend， where nothing works and roaches abound。 What surprised me about this book was how it hit so many serious topics， including mental illness， eating disorders， infant death， dealing with immigrant parents， Asian American identity， social media， health care （especially the abysmal state of health insurance in this country）， the love and hate relationship that siblings can have， sex vs。 love， and the difficulties of human relationships in general。 Truly， this protagonist is not someone I would meet in real life and think， "Hey， we're going to be good friends--I want to hang out with her， " and yet， by the end， I was really rooting for her。 The mother was also an interesting character， and I was totally cringing at some of the things she said because I could totally hear my own mother saying similar things。 The main thing I appreciated was that as much as I winced at some of how she treated her daughters， by the end， I felt like I understood her more， and more importantly， Jayne understood her better， leading to both forgiveness， peace， and some healing in their relationship。 Truly， this book was about relationships and how messy， awful， painful， and wonderful they can be。 It was about the sibling bond and how that can be stronger than anything else。 It was about facing the broken parts of you and reaching out to the help that is available around you。 It's about admitting to your loved ones that you need help and letting them help you。 It was about the challenges of navigating living in this country as an Asian American and trying to decide how much of your immigrant parents' life you want to take with you。 Although my experiences are not those of Jayne's， I totally appreciate this book seen from the lens of an Asian American and hope to see more like it。 。。。more
Sam
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2。5 I can't decide whether I liked this book or not。。。 sometimes I could barely tell where the focus was and what I was supposed to feel about certain scenes events and depictions。 It didn't help that being in Jayne's head was more harder than I expected。。。 and June as a character just overall made no sense at least to me。 The writing didn't connect with me either。 It just wasn't as hard hitting as I had hoped it would be and the things I wanted to be explored were just。。。 not there enough and o 2。5 I can't decide whether I liked this book or not。。。 sometimes I could barely tell where the focus was and what I was supposed to feel about certain scenes events and depictions。 It didn't help that being in Jayne's head was more harder than I expected。。。 and June as a character just overall made no sense at least to me。 The writing didn't connect with me either。 It just wasn't as hard hitting as I had hoped it would be and the things I wanted to be explored were just。。。 not there enough and other aspects seemed too clunky and just a bit all over the place。 。。。more
arianna
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4。5*** holy shit this was so good。 it was so real and raw and i just loved it， choi really stepped her game up
Jocelin
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This story is about more than two sisters， it’s about how one can only see themselves in the reflections of others。 Jayne is going through a lot of stuff！ She’s battling bulimia， self-deprecating， and yearns to feel at home in herself。 On the other side， we have June who is her older sister and seems to have it all。 Until we learn she has cancer or as Jayne puts it ‘vagina cancer’。 It’s a raw story about becoming comfortable in ones own identity， dealing with secrets we want to k Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This story is about more than two sisters， it’s about how one can only see themselves in the reflections of others。 Jayne is going through a lot of stuff！ She’s battling bulimia， self-deprecating， and yearns to feel at home in herself。 On the other side， we have June who is her older sister and seems to have it all。 Until we learn she has cancer or as Jayne puts it ‘vagina cancer’。 It’s a raw story about becoming comfortable in ones own identity， dealing with secrets we want to keep hidden， and mending relationships we didn’t realize were so broken。I enjoyed the banter and honest relationship the sisters shared， which really reminded me of the one I have with my own sisters。 TW: Anxiety， bulimia， cancer， violence， language， and unworthy men。 ✨✨✨Favorite Quotes:“The totality of death is inconceivable。 It’s intolerable that you’re completely， utterly， irrefutably alive， filled up with decades of inside jokes， goofy facial expressions， all the love of your family， and then not。” p。67“Sometimes the female gaze is just as systemically toxic the way it postures as provocation。” p。71“I have never doubted that my sister， as alienated as we were， had my best interests at heart。 I knew I annoyed her。 I knew she judged the way I dressed， who I hung out with， the way I studied， but even when we were at each others throats in high school， I knew that somewhere deep down she loved me。 She might not have liked me， but she loved me” p。 126“I’m crying。 And watching myself cry only amplifies my sadness。 I’m filled with devastating pity for every single mirror version of me， all those times before， the youngest ones making me saddest of all。 Watching myself have compassion for me in the absence of anyone else makes me cry harder。” p。351“But I know that wherever I am， if June’s around， I’ll be okay。 Even if she hates me a little。 Because even when she hates me， she loves me the most” p。384 。。。more
Crystal
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Probably going to end up in my top ten of the year。 Previous to reading this I had never seen an a character with an eating disorder written as a fully realized person who has a personality and life outside her eating disorder， who is a love interest but whose partner isn't the lynchpin for her healing， who is not the ED stereotype of frail white girl， who has a family that doesn't follow the ED stereotype， whose healing is multi-faceted， and who has a sense of humor。 Most authors tackling the s Probably going to end up in my top ten of the year。 Previous to reading this I had never seen an a character with an eating disorder written as a fully realized person who has a personality and life outside her eating disorder， who is a love interest but whose partner isn't the lynchpin for her healing， who is not the ED stereotype of frail white girl， who has a family that doesn't follow the ED stereotype， whose healing is multi-faceted， and who has a sense of humor。 Most authors tackling the subject end up written the Person with an Eating Disorder book in which there is very little living or the other sort in which the eating disorder isn't a major plot point， just a troubled person quirk。 Choi tackles a complex topic with skill and humor。 。。。more
Shelee Wilkerson
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This was a difficult read。 I didn’t like it at first。 It is not for everyone but it has a message。 A message of healing。
Yvonne Ang
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I do love this book but felt that the build-up at the front could have been shorter or more exciting perhaps。 I had a hard time dragging myself through the book in front but I do like how detailed the author is in describing the protagonist’s thoughts。 It’s as I was really in her mind， reading what she is thinking with her every actions。 The closure was really good with all the reconciliation and things falling into place。 But everything good might have happened too fast and too close to one ano I do love this book but felt that the build-up at the front could have been shorter or more exciting perhaps。 I had a hard time dragging myself through the book in front but I do like how detailed the author is in describing the protagonist’s thoughts。 It’s as I was really in her mind， reading what she is thinking with her every actions。 The closure was really good with all the reconciliation and things falling into place。 But everything good might have happened too fast and too close to one another to be true。 Overall， still a good read。 I learned more about eating disorders and a little about the lives of Asian Americans。 Especially the latter because it was interesting to see how children of Asian parents struggle to keep their Asia-ness at bay and strive to keep up with the typical American values。 。。。more
Amanda
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This is a typical Mary H。K。 Choi novel with highly unlikeable characters。 I really enjoyed it though because it examine the complex relationships between two sisters with their own issues。 I think this was mostly because the relationship was lowkey。
Sofie
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This book was chaotic and all over the place but I adored it nonetheless！ It was sad， warm， bittersweet， traumatic， and lovely all at once。 This quote especially was everything to me: "Humans need to share their darkest parts。 Unburdening makes you closer to everyone。" This book was chaotic and all over the place but I adored it nonetheless！ It was sad， warm， bittersweet， traumatic， and lovely all at once。 This quote especially was everything to me: "Humans need to share their darkest parts。 Unburdening makes you closer to everyone。" 。。。more
Amber
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OMG！！ So much crying！！ I didn't know what to expect going into this book and it was wonderful。 What an amazing journey。 Love this book so much！！！ OMG！！ So much crying！！ I didn't know what to expect going into this book and it was wonderful。 What an amazing journey。 Love this book so much！！！ 。。。more
Mariah
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I really really really liked Yolk， y'all， in a way I wasn't quite anticipating？ But I reached the last page and CRIED， so here we are。 It's a sucker punch to the heart in the best possible way。 First， the design of the book itself is simply gorgeous with the hands holding between the front and back covers？？！！！！ Jayne， our protagonist， is frustrating and endearing in equal measure & painfully painfully relatable。 But mostly I love how clearly Mary H。K。 Choi is able to portray a family relationshi I really really really liked Yolk， y'all， in a way I wasn't quite anticipating？ But I reached the last page and CRIED， so here we are。 It's a sucker punch to the heart in the best possible way。 First， the design of the book itself is simply gorgeous with the hands holding between the front and back covers？？！！！！ Jayne， our protagonist， is frustrating and endearing in equal measure & painfully painfully relatable。 But mostly I love how clearly Mary H。K。 Choi is able to portray a family relationship that's bound up in resentment as much as it is affection。 It's messy and broken and real， and just an incredibly cathartic read。 。。。more
Maja
，
ehhhhh？？？
Hanah Shields
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I think the reason people get frustrated w MHKC’s books is because the main characters often suck， in a deeply relatable way。 all of these characters kind of suck but they are all deeply relatable， and we just do not want to admit it。 MHKC literally pours the human condition onto a page and serves it PIPING HOT。 I love。 I love。 I love。
Laura de Lee_Soellvertu
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¿Por donde empiezo？ 。。。 😭Comencé a leer este libro por su portada， es sumamente linda， pero que no te engañe como a mi， la mayor parte del tiempo sentí que estaba leyendo los pensamientos mas íntimos de Jayne， toca temas que pueden ser un detonante para muchas personas， como lo son los desórdenes alimenticios， pero que aunque tiene sus partes brutalmente honestas， sentí que era una lectura necesaria， la mayor parte del tiempo quise abrazar a Jayne。。。Ocupo procesarlo unos días。。。IG @lee_soellvert ¿Por donde empiezo？ 。。。 😭Comencé a leer este libro por su portada， es sumamente linda， pero que no te engañe como a mi， la mayor parte del tiempo sentí que estaba leyendo los pensamientos mas íntimos de Jayne， toca temas que pueden ser un detonante para muchas personas， como lo son los desórdenes alimenticios， pero que aunque tiene sus partes brutalmente honestas， sentí que era una lectura necesaria， la mayor parte del tiempo quise abrazar a Jayne。。。Ocupo procesarlo unos días。。。IG @lee_soellvertu 。。。more
April
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RTC
Shima
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This book feels a little like pressing your tongue on a loose tooth。 It's painful in a rewarding way。 This book feels a little like a trap。 By understanding what it's talking about so well， you're implicating yourself just a little。 This book feels a little like a twisted mirror of Erised， instead of showing you what you most want to see， it shows you your own weirdest most twisted thoughts。 This book feels a little a precarious balance; a little like being known， a little like standing in publi This book feels a little like pressing your tongue on a loose tooth。 It's painful in a rewarding way。 This book feels a little like a trap。 By understanding what it's talking about so well， you're implicating yourself just a little。 This book feels a little like a twisted mirror of Erised， instead of showing you what you most want to see， it shows you your own weirdest most twisted thoughts。 This book feels a little a precarious balance; a little like being known， a little like standing in public naked。 This is a book that feels like what it is to be a young woman。 This book is not for the faint-hearted， proceed with caution。 （and it might not be for anyone struggling with an active eating disorder either。）（Or it might be exactly what you need， to feel a little sick to your stomach， but also a little less alone。） Attending college is like praying to God。 It’s not that you believe in it; you do it just in case。 Because other people are。There’s nothing more humiliating than trying so hard for everyone to see and still ending up a loser。 I want her to tell me the day， the hour， and the exact minute when she’ll die。 And I want her to go away so I can start preparing for it now with zero new memories because I have enough that I’ll miss。 。。。more
Gabriella
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Just all around ok。 I listened to it on Scribd， it made time past。。。 I can’t say it was that entertaining， but I do think that is just a personal taste （I rarely enjoy contemporary books） because the writing was great。 I loved the sarcasm and the references。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Yolk
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Yolk&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Yolk&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0