행운이 너에게 다가오는 중

This book felt deceptively difficult. The theme and vocab were very familiar to me (I had >96% comp on Kimchi Reader) but even though I knew most of the words I ended up looking up so much phrasing and also some grammar a few times.

The author tried really hard to give the teenage protagonists and the adults around them as authentic voices as possible, and that includes using tons of slang and turns of phrase. Most of it was things I could easily skim over and get the gist of but I committed to looking it all up out of curiosity, it was super interesting. (it felt like at least half of the lookups were different ways to call people an idiot)

The plot centres around a ragtag group of social misfits who come together in unlikely circumstances and touches on things like domestic abuse, poor parenting, feelings of inadequacy and belonging.

Unlike a lot of YA where the characters can be somewhat insufferable teenagers the characters here were quite likeable. It helps that a lot of the book is narrated by someone that views the main characters very favourably and so the reader gets a very warm impression of them and really roots for them and their friendship.

If you like movies like The Breakfast Club or Easy A you might like this.

This book offers a tragic yet compelling narrative centered around the theme of domestic violence, following a young boy and a group of friends as they navigate this challenging situation. While I found it to be an engaging read overall, I didn't enjoy it as much as other works by the same author. The story delves into the difficult subject matter with prose that is raw and honest. I thought that the book did a great job providing readers with a thought-provoking exploration of morality, resilience, and the impact of domestic violence on young lives.