With all the humor and heart that are Maurene Goo’s specialty, Throwback is the fresh, funny, yet profoundly thoughtful time travel story you didn’t know you needed—but trust me, you definitely do. An absolutely delightful book.”
- Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of Divergent and Chosen Ones
A REESE’S YA BOOK CLUB PICK!
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Amazon Best Book of the Month
Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Read
Seventeen Most Anticipated
Book Riot Great Books to Read in 2023
Epic Reads Most Anticipated
Rich in Color Anticipated Read
Goodreads Top Reader-Recommended Young Adult Books
A Gen Z Korean American girl gets stuck in the 90s with her teenaged mother in this fresh, funny adventure full of heart, humor, and time-crossed romance. Perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi, Morgan Matson, and Nicola Yoon.
ISBN
9781638930204
Language
English
Edition
Hardcover
Sale date
April 11, 2023
Dimensions
5.5 x 8.25
About the Book
Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what’s harder? Being the daughter of one.
Priscilla is first-generation Korean American, a former high school cheerleader who expects Sam to want the same all- American nightmare. Meanwhile, Sam is a girl of the times who has no energy for clichéd high school aspirations. After a huge blowup, Sam is desperate to get away from Priscilla, but instead, finds herself thrown back. Way back.
To her shock, Sam lands in the ’90s . . . alongside a 17-year-old Priscilla.
Now, Sam has to deal with outdated tech, regressive ’90s attitudes, and her growing feelings for sweet, mysterious football player Jamie, who just might be the right guy in the wrong era.
With the clock ticking, Sam must figure out how to fix things with Priscilla or risk being trapped in an analog world forever. Sam’s blast to the past has her questioning everything she thought she knew about her mom . . . and herself. One thing’s for sure: Time is a mother.
Brimming with heart and humor, Maurene Goo’s Throwback asks big questions about what exactly one inherits and loses in the immigrant experience.
Reviews
“With a hauntingly hilarious premise—getting flung back in time to be besties with your mean girl mom in high school—Throwback is bright, warm and wholly engrossing. Brimming with breezy dialogue and wry fashion observations, Maurene Goo has rendered a captivating jaunt through the mid-nineties, complete with casual racism and vintage identity politics. Slyly provocative, compulsively readable, with an absolutely tantalizing twist, Throwback is a striking, heartfelt addition to the time-travel canon. I want to hang out with the Korean women in this family.”
“With all the humor and heart that are Maurene Goo’s specialty, Throwback is the fresh, funny, yet profoundly thoughtful time travel story you didn’t know you needed—but trust me, you definitely do. An absolutely delightful book.”
“Throwback is one of those rare books that manages to unearth deep truths with the lightest of touches. It’s funny and big-hearted, romantic, and delightfully unexpected in the best way. It was a true pleasure to read.”
“I absolutely adored Throwback! It’s fun and laugh-out-loud funny—but with a message that resonates and characters I couldn’t stop thinking about. A tour de force from Maurene Goo, and a book I know I’ll be returning to again and again.”
“Inventive, fun and fresh, Throwback explores the mysteries of destiny, identity, and more than one kind of love.”
“Throwback is as fun and feel-good as your favorite ’90s teen flick but wrapped up in a beautifully written and poignant story of mothers, daughters, the immigrant experience, and the ‘American dream.’ Maurene Goo writes with heart, humor, tenderness, and an unabashed optimism that will remind readers what’s worth believing in—and the importance of being true to yourself. No other author out there is doing it like Maurene and Throwback is her best yet. An absolute triumph by an unparalleled talent.”
“No one can blend family, humor, satire, and love into a single perfect story like Maurene Goo can. I inhaled this book in a single sitting, lost in the magic of this tale of mothers and daughters and the weight of generational divides. I laughed, I sobbed, and now I want to hand this book to everyone I know.”
Goo’s masterful storytelling examines the complex nature of familial relationships. A deft, delightful, and emotionally complex examination of intergenerational relationships.”
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.”
Sit back and enjoy the ride because Goo fills the story with a range of emotions and universal experiences . . . a delightfully adventurous story.”
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.”
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 . . . 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.”
Filled with the vibes of the 1990s, without shying away from some of the problems of the era, Throwback is a complete joy.”
A poignant reflection on the immigrant experience and understanding one’s parents, Goo’s trippy adventure is sure to warm the hearts of readers.”
The future slams into the past with some hilarious results. . . Charming, fun story where a teen goes back to 1995 to help her then-teen mother and finds not only herself but her mother in the process.”
Maurene Goo
Maurene Goo is the author of several acclaimed books for young adults, including I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Somewhere Only We Know. She’s also written for Marvel’s Silk series. She lives and writes in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and cats.
