Two friends. One fake dating scheme. What could possibly go wrong? Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl--which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh ...
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Two friends. One fake dating scheme. What could possibly go wrong? Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl--which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white. As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love--or himself--at all.
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Add this copy of Frankly in Love to cart. $7.20, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Thorndike Striving Reader.
Add this copy of Frankly in Love to cart. $46.45, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2019 by Thorndike Pr.
This novel turned out to be so much more than a teen boy trying to figure out who he is and where he fits in. It's a story about friendship, family, sacrifice, priorities, racism, first love, and clash of cultures and economic hierarchies. The author has expertly dealt with tough issues in an authentic and sensitive way.
What I loved about this debut novel:
1) The point of view character Frank is flawed, lovable, intelligent, and sensitive
2) The family dynamics go deeper than just Korean culture verses American culture; the author explores what it means to sacrifice for family, including keeping secrets to protect others
3) The diverse characters represented, not only in race, but also in sexual orientation
4) The humor, sarcasm, wit, and private jokes characters share
5) The raw emotions from elation to grief that I felt while reading
I highly recommend this debut novel and will seek more by this author.
