(2) YA Twenty-first-century Korean American teenager Sam Kang and her mother, Priscilla, do not get along. Free spirit Sam feels the disappointment of her high-achieving, buttoned-up, country club–aspiring parents, and her mom, whose homecoming-queen hopes were dashed in high school, has relocated those pressures onto Sam's shoulders. When things come to a head after Sam's beloved halmoni (grandmother) has a heart attack, mother and daughter have a brutal argument in which hurtful words are exchanged. Left without a ride to school, Sam downloads a rideshare app--Throwback Rides--and finds herself back in 1995, at her mother's high school, just days before homecoming. Bewildered and disoriented, Sam must find a way to help Mom win homecoming queen to make it back home--or so she thinks. Goo has created a vivacious, authentic teen voice (one that at times wanders into didacticism as Sam tries to tone-police her nineties classmates). Perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read, the story also introduces plenty of Korean cultural elements into a tale of family relationships and intergenerational connections.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) YA In this modern-day take on the classic film Roman Holiday, K-pop superstar Lucky meets Jack in Hong Kong. Though Lucky uses a fake name, Jack (secretly a part-time paparazzo) figures out who she is--and knows he can land a full-time job if he sends the scoop to his boss. The problem: he's falling for Lucky, and she for him. Lucky and Jack are both charming, funny narrators with serious chemistry.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) YA After a school prank goes too far, sixteen-year-old Clara Shin must spend the summer in L.A. working in her father's Korean-Brazilian food truck rather than visiting her Instagram-famous mom in Tulum, Mexico. The job, however, forces Clara to drop her defenses and open herself to new relationships--including with her dad, for whom she has renewed appreciation. Humor enlivens this enjoyable account of summer self-discovery.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Desi Lee has always been an over-achiever--except when it comes to landing a boyfriend. So when a good-looking new boy arrives at her school, she applies herself to attracting him the same way she approaches her homework. Much hilarity ensues in this effervescent rom-com, thanks in large part to the inspiration Desi gleans from her father's beloved Korean soap operas.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Acerbic Holly hates both high school and her family's traditional Korean ways. Holly's well-known sarcasm and wit earn her a column in the school paper, which provides a creative outlet for her vitriol. Holly and her friends are a notably diverse bunch, but their interactions and adventures never go beyond the generic teen drama Holly claims to loathe.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald