praise for in full bloom
“Sharp and sweet.”
—Glamour
"A hilarious romp.”
—Los Angeles Times
"Hwang's lively first novel takes a fresh look at the twentysomething dating scene. …Hwang throws in some unexpected surprises and manages to take a different approach to a popular genre."
—Booklist
"Wry humor, lively dialogue, and a compassionate take on being a single woman under a traditional mother's matchmaking thumb enliven this insightful debut. …Hwang paints a deliciously scathing portrait of life behind the catwalk, while her sharp ear for dialogue captures the fictional mother's broken Korean-English perfectly. Perhaps most vitally, though, the story's savvy urban rush never jostles the gently endearing path of Hwang's delicate mother-daughter bond."
–Kirkus
"Witty, insightful, and sharp as a pair of this season's Pradas, In Full Bloom offers a bouquet to any reader who's ever gone looking for love with her mother looking over her shoulder."
–Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes
"I couldn't put it down! Caroline Hwang leads the reader to expect one thing, then hits us with the unexpected every time. She brings Jane Austen's themes storming into the twenty first century–and convention goes out the window."
–Emily Barr, author of Backpack and Baggage
"In Full Bloom made me laugh, cringe in recognition, miss my family, and thank god I had never worked as a fashion assistant! Caroline Hwang has written a funny and sad novel, a truthful portrait of life in the fashionable fast lane as it is lived by a second generation Asian-American woman attempting to resolve both sides of her identity."
–Melissa de la Cruz, author of Cat's Meow
"A smart, funny, elegantly written book, full of wit and intelligence."
–Anna Maxted, author of Running in Heels
"Warm and quirky."
–Wendy Holden, author of Farm Fatale
