IT'S GIRLS LIKE YOU, MICKEY

A secondary character gets to tell her story in this companion title.

A lot has changed since I’m Ok (2018). Headstrong Mickey’s best friend, Ok, has moved away, and they now communicate infrequently through postcards. She and former pal Asa have also drifted apart, only sharing greetings in the hallway. And as if middle school weren’t hard enough, she still takes care of her little brother, Benny, while navigating the volatile moods of her mother, who is exhausted from working nights since her dad up and left. While Mickey scrounges up meals at home, the confidence she exudes at school means that no one there knows of her struggles. Her prospects seem to brighten when she befriends a new student, Sun Joo. Mickey takes it upon herself to help Sun Joo—or Sunny, as Mickey nicknames her—learn English and navigate American culture. Mickey also learns more about Korean culture, bumbling Korean words all along the way in a sweetly equalizing manner. When the popular Sydney threatens to steal Sunny away, Mickey struggles once again to find her footing and confidence. The tightly written narrative bursts with personality and energy, but the sheer amount of issues Mickey faces frequently takes precedence over the girls’ friendship. Sunny herself goes through a drastic transformation, but her backstory is largely left to readers’ imaginations.

Despite a few loose ends, Kim offers a charismatic heroine with plenty of grit.