e-Audio, 10:04:31
Narrated by: Hannah J. Choi
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: May 4-6, 2022
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Family Drama
For Readers Interested In: Family Diversity, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Drama, DNA test revelations, YA, Realistic FictionA sparkling K-drama inspired debut teen novel by Grace Shim, THE NOH FAMILY introduces irrepressibly charming teen Chloe Kang, who is reunited with her deceased father’s estranged family via a DNA test, and is soon whisked off to Seoul to join them…
When her friends gift her a 23-and-Me test as a gag, high school senior Chloe Kang doesn’t think much of trying it out. She doesn’t believe anything will come of it–she’s an only child, her mother is an orphan, and her father died in Seoul before she was even born, and before her mother moved to Oklahoma. It’s been just Chloe and her mom her whole life. But the DNA test reveals something Chloe never expected–she’s got a whole extended family from her father’s side half a world away in Korea. Her father’s family are owners of a famous high-end department store, and are among the richest families in Seoul. When they learn she exists, they are excited to meet her. Her mother has huge reservations, she hasn’t had a great relationship with her husband’s family, which is why she’s kept them secret, but she can’t stop Chloe from travelling to Seoul to spend two weeks getting to know the Noh family.
Chloe is whisked into the lap of luxury, but something feels wrong. Chloe wants to shake it off–she’s busy enjoying the delights of Seoul with new friend Miso Dan, the daughter of one of her mother’s grade school friends. And as an aspiring fashion designer, she’s loving the couture clothes her department store owning family gives her access to. But soon Chloe will discover the reason why her mother never told her about her dad’s family, and why the Nohs wanted her in Seoul in the first place. Could joining the Noh family be worse than having no family at all?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I added this to my TBR because I noticed it was part of the trend of DNA test revelations. And I am a SUCKER for this new trend. Most of them that I’ve read I’ve loved, so I was excited to read this one too. And sure enough, I was sucked into the drama of the Noh family.
Chloe has always wanted to know her father, but he passed before she was born, and her mother doesn’t like to talk about him. So as a gag to find out if someone famous is her father, she finds out that everything she thought she knew about her father’s family was a lie. She has a whole extended family in Korea that she never knew about. Why did her mom keep this from her? Why didn’t she want her to know them? Whatever the reason, Chloe doesn’t care. She wants to know her family and she won’t let her mom get in the way.
As I said, I’m a sucker for the new trend of DNA test revelations, so I have been basically SALIVATING for this book. I wanted it at TLA, but they didn’t have it 🙁 So I had to wait for the library (well for me lol) to buy it. I grabbed it as soon as I could. And I have no regrets. This trend cropped up when DNA tests became really popular, but it’s something I never thought I’d see in a YA book. But I think that’s why I like it so much. Well that and because I know it’s going to come with some drama. And chile this one is filled with it.
The drama in this is never ending. It really is reminiscent of a K-Drama lol There’s a lot going on and I thought that might not work for me, but it really did. I was INVESTED. I don’t think I’ve been that into drama that wasn’t on tv in a long time. I didn’t want to stop listening. It’s the reason why I finished this so quickly. And don’t think that the drama is all in your face…. No. It will surprise you. If you’ve watched K-dramas or have read a lot of things like this, you can probably predict what will happen, but I liked this so much I didn’t mind that I did.
I also liked the visit to Korea I got with this. No we don’t get to see the actual Korea streets very much, but to see the sparkly and glittering of how the rich were, was just fine with me. I wish I could visit the department store, the penthouse, the fancy restaurants, all that. And I wished I could see the clothes in person as well. Chloe is a designer and some of her stuff sounded like it was bussin. I wouldn’t mind seeing or wearing it IRL.
I also loved the writing style. Is this really her debut? Because man, I was really sucked into this like it was a K-drama and I was watching it on the tv. It was like I couldn’t look away. I knew I was enjoying this because I was talking to Chloe like she heard me and would take my advice or something. And then when she didn’t I got mad. But I was also happy that she was trying to make her own decisions and be her own person. And this is how I knew I liked her writing style. If my feels are all over the place, I can safely say I loved it.
The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was because the characters were basic. As a character driven reader, I wanted more from Chloe. But she followed literally every checkbox for this trope of found family. It just seemed basic. And from the rest of the writing style of this book, I expected more. The other characters were also basic. I knew who the emailer was and I knew who the love interest was and it was just all too easy to pick out because I knew the boxes they would check as that character. If that makes sense. I DO love that this is an Own Voices book tho. I’m not a part of the marginalized group from this book so I won’t say whether or not the representation was done right, but I thought it was done great and I learned about some new things, along with wanting to try some new foods.
In the end since I listened to the audio I wanted to talk about the narrator. She was a BEAST. So much so that I went to see what other books she’s done. And it appears this was the first one. And I was surprised! Her intonations, her voice changing for other genders, and the way she was able to do different things like make her voice seem as if she was crying and more! It was so good. I can’t wait to see what else she can do.
This book was a surprise for me. Believe me when I say I wasn’t expecting to love this so much. But the drama took hold of me and had me in a chokehold! I remember not even realizing that much time had passed while I was listening. And that’s just the type of book I’ll always want to read.
Overall, I give this
