Frankly in Love was definitely one of the books of 2021 that I enjoyed the most. At first glance, the book seemed like it is nothing more than a fake-dating romance, but soon unraveled to be more of an exploration of conflicting cultural identities. Romance definitely takes a back seat to the drama being Korean American brings for Frank Li, who feels enormous pressure to be one or the other because of rising expectations. Frank also deals with the backhanded racism of his parents, who he thinks should know better as Koreans, while maintaining friendships with people who look just like the people his parents talk about. This book engages with themes such as cultural identity, finding oneself, fake dating, and racism.