Relevant YA fiction

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Frank Li is Korean, but he is also American. Though his parents adhere to the traditional way of living and expect him to marry a nice Korean girl, Frank is attracted to Brit Means, a white girl. Frank's friend Joy is dating a Chinese boy, which is also against her parents' wishes. Together they come up with a plan to fake a dating relationship in front of their parents and date who they want in secret. As they spend more time together, Frank and Joy find that they have more in common than they thought. Through a series of unforseen events and circumstances, they will have to make a decision about their relationship that just might change their lives.
Honestly, this book was unexpected for me in many ways. I was expecting a light hearted romance with mishaps, drama, and comedy, but this book was so much more than that. The racism displayed by all kinds of people, including Frank's parents, was shocking and awful, yet relevant. I wish Frank would have spoken up more when his parents were saying such horrible things. The stakes are quite high at some points in the plot, and the subject matter was so serious and even sad. The writing was effective and the characters were so realistic that they could have existed in real life. I believe there are some important lessons to learn about life, love, and relationships in this book, and I ended up marking a few quotes that touched my heart at the end. The insta-love was a little too much for me, and I didn't care for the excessive use of profanity, especially the f-bomb. Nevertheless, I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary YA and doesn't mind controversial content.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley's Bookish First program. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.