Jayne Baek is finally out of Texas and in New York City. She imagined a vivid life in the Big Apple, but instead, Jayne floats through fashion school, has trouble making rent, struggles with an eating disorder, and barely speaks to her family. On the other hand, her older sister June seems to have everything. June, who has a fancy finance job and lives in a gorgeous apartment; June, who never struggles in school or life; June, who is her parents' proud first-born; June, who seems to hate Jayne. Until the arrival of an unexpected phone call that could bring the two estranged sisters back into each others' orbits.

YOLK hits a particular spot in my heart because of the similarities between June and Jayne and my sibling. Jayne's narration of her family dynamic reminds me of my younger sister's experiences growing up. As the oldest kid who fortunately didn't struggle much academically, it is heartwrenching to hear that my doing well in school could invalidate her desire to explore non-traditional paths or even make her feel unseen. Thankfully, our relationship isn't nearly as dramatic as June and Jayne's.

My only gripe with YOLK is the amount of cursing. Maybe because I listened to the audiobook, the f-bombs are a bit much at times, and I find June and Jayne's fights sometimes too theatrical. Nonetheless, the dynamic between the two sisters and their struggles as immigrants are beautifully portrayed. YOLK is very heavy on the descriptions of eating disorders and mental health; I would encourage those interested to check out the trigger warnings first.