The characters and writing style seem overall fine and engaging. However, the overt and unneeded tones of racism are completely off-putting to me. I believe it is supposed to make the tone of the book more "gritty" and "real". But honestly, I don't think a book with a synopsis like this one has needs to feel more gritty and real by heaping racism into everything. Also, I am not entirely convinced that all the racism is intentional. Park is Asian American and certain inner monologues, like going on about his mom's accent and how she cannot get past it but that he thinks she keeps it for his white father... reads super weirdly to me. I could respect it if this book was written by someone writing about their lived experience. But from a white woman, it just reads very weirdly and is unnecessary, IMO. That is not to mention the blatant and over-the-top fat phobia. There was a good bit just dedicated to how Elanor is way fat compared to her mom, and if only she wasn't fat. And again, if this was just the characters' viewpoint and meant to build something... I would get it. But the narrator, all the other characters, and Elanor just keep harping on it. It isn't a description. It isn't a character trait. It is just a whole lot of "eww fat" peppered all over by everyone. 

I just cannot read a whole book with the above issues that seem to be constant background noise and not really something to deconstruct or think about.