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A review by adriannasophiabookss
Throwback by Maurene Goo
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Group for this ARC! I knew I was going to enjoy this but it completely surpassed my expectations!
This is a YA contemporary/romance with magical realism. Samantha Kang is in her senior year at high school and has just been nominated for homecoming queen. Her mother Priscilla is ecstatic but Samantha couldn’t care less and after Samantha’s beloved grandmother goes into a coma she and after a big fight with her mother concerning their fraught relationship, Samantha finds herself quite literally thrown back to 1995. Her mission: Make sure Priscilla Kang wins homecoming queen. While in the 90’s however Samantha starts to develop a life and romance of her own and with the clock ticking down to homecoming she finds herself not only learning more about her mother but also more about herself.
This was just so WHOLESOME. I found myself tearing up multiple times both happy and sad tears. Maurene has created such a beautiful story about the complex relationship between mother and daughter but also what it means to be a first generation Korean-American and the expectations placed on them. The struggles of their parents and how no matter how hard they may try to do the best for their children it’s not always what their children need. Watching Sam develop a real friendship with her teenage mother was so heartwarming. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Sam and Jamie, I was rooting for them the whole time.
The 90’s vibes in this were on point as well. I was born in 1997 so I don’t really remember the 90’s past mashing food into my highchair and screaming the house down when my Mum wanted to sleep but the descriptions of the shops, clothes and “gadgets” from the 90’s gave me a kind of nostalgic feeling. I also really enjoyed seeing how certain “landmarks” had changed. It’s really sad to see that white people are still cluelessly racist even to this day and that the weird comments that are supposed to be compliments are still made.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted and wholesome but also deep and emotional read. I honestly enjoyed every minute of reading this and can’t wait to check out more of Maurene Goo’s work! This was released on 11th April 2023 so check it out now!
This is a YA contemporary/romance with magical realism. Samantha Kang is in her senior year at high school and has just been nominated for homecoming queen. Her mother Priscilla is ecstatic but Samantha couldn’t care less and after Samantha’s beloved grandmother goes into a coma she and after a big fight with her mother concerning their fraught relationship, Samantha finds herself quite literally thrown back to 1995. Her mission: Make sure Priscilla Kang wins homecoming queen. While in the 90’s however Samantha starts to develop a life and romance of her own and with the clock ticking down to homecoming she finds herself not only learning more about her mother but also more about herself.
This was just so WHOLESOME. I found myself tearing up multiple times both happy and sad tears. Maurene has created such a beautiful story about the complex relationship between mother and daughter but also what it means to be a first generation Korean-American and the expectations placed on them. The struggles of their parents and how no matter how hard they may try to do the best for their children it’s not always what their children need. Watching Sam develop a real friendship with her teenage mother was so heartwarming. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Sam and Jamie, I was rooting for them the whole time.
The 90’s vibes in this were on point as well. I was born in 1997 so I don’t really remember the 90’s past mashing food into my highchair and screaming the house down when my Mum wanted to sleep but the descriptions of the shops, clothes and “gadgets” from the 90’s gave me a kind of nostalgic feeling. I also really enjoyed seeing how certain “landmarks” had changed. It’s really sad to see that white people are still cluelessly racist even to this day and that the weird comments that are supposed to be compliments are still made.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted and wholesome but also deep and emotional read. I honestly enjoyed every minute of reading this and can’t wait to check out more of Maurene Goo’s work! This was released on 11th April 2023 so check it out now!