Parents' Guide to

Frankly in Love

By Amanda Nojadera, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Heartfelt coming-of-age tale about love, family, identity.

Book David Yoon Coming of Age 2019
Frankly in Love Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

BethBook
BethBook Adult
September 27, 2019
age 15+

Read yourself and let your kids read it.

Smart kids in AP classes are very smart about how their parents influence them. Frank and his non Korean girlfriend must hide their dating from Franks Korean parents. Many good thoughtful scenarios where smart kids try to do the right things. I thought language was too peppered with profanity in authors effort to be “relatable”. But kids will probably hardly notice. These kids spend lots of time studying and aiming for near perfect SAT scores. Non drinkers too.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

FRANKLY IN LOVE tells the story of Frank Li, a Korean American high school senior in Southern California. His parents emigrated from Korea and expect Frank to live up to their traditional expectations, which include dating a Korean girl. There's just one problem: Frank's fallen in love with Brit Means, a white girl in his AP Calculus class. Frank knows his parents won't approve of Brit, so he turns to Joy Song, a family friend who's in a similar situation with her Chinese-American boyfriend. Frank and Joy's plan to fake-date each other sounds like the perfect solution, until life takes an unexpected turn, making Frank wonder if he knows anything at all about love, his family, or himself.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (5 ):

David Yoon's heartfelt coming-of-age novel thoughtfully tackles first love, complex family relationships, identity, and racism, making it a must-read for teens. Yoon pulls from his own experience growing up with immigrant parents and understands what it's like to feel caught between two different cultures. It's clear that Frank doesn't share his parents' racist attitudes, but he feels the pressure to meet all of their expectations after his sister was disowned for dating a non-Korean. And while there are plenty of hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments in Frankly in Love, an emotional plot twist leads to poignant moments between Frank and his family as they learn to love each other despite their flaws. Readers will laugh, cry, and root for Frank as he begins to appreciate his Korean-American identity and see that life is too short to focus on what separates us.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the generational conflict in Frankly in Love. Teens: Do your grandparents or parents have values or traditions that you think are old-fashioned and have no place in today's world?

  • Does the romance portrayed seem realistic and relatable? Do YA romance novels help readers sort out their feelings and learn how to communicate, or do they create false expectations about teen relationships?

  • Talk about the various kinds of diversity in the novel. Why are diverse representations important in children's and young adult literature?

  • Why do you think Yoon decided to write a story that mirrors his own life? What kind of power do immigrant stories hold?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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