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.
TW: Racism, shooting, cheating, death, cancer
Review: Overall, I struggled a few times to connect with Frank’s character. I did enjoy learning about his life and how it is with his family, it took me a bit to connect with the style too. I began listening to the audiobook which helped me get through some parts of the book.
We meet Frank, his family is from Korea, they’re expected to be dating someone Korean as well. He began fake dating his friend Joy while he’s actually dating Brit means an American girl from his school. As they begin to fake date, Frank realized that Joy makes him feel differently, through that, he realizes that he really wants to date Joy instead. We also learn about his senior year of high school, his experiences with his friends from The Gathering. “I’m talking about a gathering of five families, which sounds like a mafia thing but really is just Mom -n- Dad’s friends getting together for a rotating house dinner. It’s an event that’s simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary in that all five couples met at university in Seoul, became friends, move to Southern California together to start new lives, and have managed to see each other and their families every month literally for decades.”
Frank doesn’t agree with the way his parents think when it comes to dating only Korean girls. “My ideal woman should probably be Korean- American. It’s not strictly necessary. I could care less. But it would make things easier.” He thinks how it’s easier to date a Korean girl to make it easier on himself and due to his parents. He believes he’s falling in love with Brit, however, while he’s fake dating Joy, he realizes how great they are together. The part I didn’t enjoy was mostly how Joy and Frank’s relationship affects his relationship with Brit and Joy’s relationship with Wu. They were genuinely happy and in love with each other when suddenly they receive the news that Joy and Frank have feelings for each other. Overall, I preferred the audiobook, I did struggle with some parts of it especially Frank’s monologues.
Rating: 4/5 stars
David Yoon
Frankly In Love
Book Lover Book Reviews 
Great review, I keep seeing good things about this book!
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Thank you! It was okay for me, I preferred the audiobook though
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