Throwback

Starred review from March 6, 2023
Sixteen-year-old Korean American Samantha Kang must figure out how to return to her own time after a ride-share app inexplicably transports the Gen Z teen to 1995 in this reflective Back to the Future–flavored jaunt by Goo (Somewhere Only We Know). Student politics in Sam’s racially diverse Los Angeles high school are a far cry from what they were when her mother, Priscilla, attended it. Though Priscilla is now a successful lawyer, she spent much of her high school career working long hours at the family dry cleaner while trying to fit in with her popular white classmates. Sam and Priscilla’s differing values cause tension between them, and things become further strained when Sam’s beloved grandmother, Halmoni—with whom Priscilla has a contentious relationship—falls ill. After an emotional blowout with her mom results in Sam downloading a ride-share app called Throwback Rides, the app sends her back to 1995, where she meets teenage Priscilla. Via sharp-witted humor and multidimensional characters, Goo crafts a layered, intergenerational telling of compassion and empathy that, rather than excusing the actions that drove a wedge between Sam and Priscilla, provides context that helps Sam make peace with their relationship. Ages 14–up. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group.

April 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 In a Freaky Friday meets Back to the Future story with a Korean American angle, Goo (Somewhere Only We Know, 2019) introduces confident and headstrong Sam as a teen who loves her maternal grandmother but struggles to connect with her mother. When a dire medical event puts Halmoni's life in jeopardy and catalyzes a fight with her mother, Sam finds herself magically transported back to 1995, where she thinks the key to solving all her problems--and getting back to 2025--lies in ensuring her mother is elected homecoming queen. In an arrestingly charming story with plenty of heart, Goo expertly takes readers on a mother-daughter relationship journey full of lessons on empathy and perspective. Readers will appreciate the sweet, but not overbearing, romantic subplot tucked into this tour of the '90s. Grounded by understated and accurate pop-culture references, the magical time-travel element fits seamlessly into a narrative that is ultimately about generational differences and seeking common ground. An excellent choice for readers who enjoyed Diana Ma's Heiress Apparently (2020) and Katrina Leno's Sometime in Summer (2022).

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2023
Twenty-first-century Korean American teenager Sam Kang and her mother, Priscilla, do not get along. Free spirit Sam feels the disappointment of her high-achieving, buttoned-up, country club�? aspiring parents, and her mom, whose homecoming-queen hopes were dashed in high school, has relocated those pressures onto Sam's shoulders. When things come to a head after Sam's beloved halmoni (grandmother) has a heart attack, mother and daughter have a brutal argument in which hurtful words are exchanged. Left without a ride to school, Sam downloads a rideshare app -- Throwback Rides -- and finds herself back in 1995, at her mother's high school, just days before homecoming. Bewildered and disoriented, Sam must find a way to help Mom win homecoming queen to make it back home -- or so she thinks. Goo has created a vivacious, authentic teen voice (one that at times wanders into didacticism as Sam tries to tone-police her nineties classmates). Perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read, the story also introduces plenty of Korean cultural elements into a tale of family relationships and intergenerational connections. J. Elizabeth Mills

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 1, 2023
Goo takes readers on a journey examining the impacts of Korean American heritage and parental expectations on mother-daughter relationships. Sixteen-year-old Samantha Kang doesn't understand her perfectly poised mother's desire to conform to wealthy White American society. Likewise, Priscilla Kang doesn't understand her daughter's choice of boyfriend or lack of ambition. When Halmoni, Sam's beloved maternal grandmother, falls ill, intense feelings bubble up, leading to family turmoil. Sam downloads Throwback Rides, a magical ride-share app that drops her off in 1995, where she must help teenage Priscilla's all-American dream come true if she hopes to return to the present before her phone battery dies. Goo's masterful storytelling examines the complex nature of familial relationships: As Sam observes the daily microaggressions Asian students face at school and the tense relationship between Priscilla and Halmoni, each still dealing with residual grief following Priscilla's father's death, she begins to empathize and understand the person her mother becomes. The strength of this realization lies not in excusing her mother's behavior but compassionately understanding the ongoing fallout of trauma. Sam navigates the delicate balance between the ways parents' dreams for their children can be at odds with what children wish for themselves. The story maintains lightness as Sam attempts to make her mom homecoming queen, falls for a football player in the '90s, and tries her best to fit into an era at odds with her progressive 21st-century values. A deft, delightful, and emotionally complex examination of intergenerational relationships. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Twenty-first-century Korean American teenager Sam Kang and her mother, Priscilla, do not get along. Free spirit Sam feels the disappointment of her high-achieving, buttoned-up, country club�? aspiring parents, and her mom, whose homecoming-queen hopes were dashed in high school, has relocated those pressures onto Sam's shoulders. When things come to a head after Sam's beloved halmoni (grandmother) has a heart attack, mother and daughter have a brutal argument in which hurtful words are exchanged. Left without a ride to school, Sam downloads a rideshare app -- Throwback Rides -- and finds herself back in 1995, at her mother's high school, just days before homecoming. Bewildered and disoriented, Sam must find a way to help Mom win homecoming queen to make it back home -- or so she thinks. Goo has created a vivacious, authentic teen voice (one that at times wanders into didacticism as Sam tries to tone-police her nineties classmates). Perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read, the story also introduces plenty of Korean cultural elements into a tale of family relationships and intergenerational connections.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)