The Judgment of Yoyo Gold

 

The Judgment of Yoyo Gold is a sensitively written and engaging YA coming-of-age lit by Isaac Blum. Released 15th Oct 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Young Readers Philomel imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the publisher in 4th quarter 2025. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. 

The author does a good job of channeling the confusion, strained loyalties, and occasional rebellious urges of nearly all adolescents on the cusp of adulthood trying to come to grips with who they are and where they fit in in the world. With some more isolated groups (such as cloistered religious/ethnic groups) the division is even more stark. Yoyo Gold is trying her best to be a good and obedient daughter; her father's a Rabbi, and she tries her best to be a good and observant Jew. It's not always easy, and as her horizons open up, she tries to navigate the conflicts as well as possible.

It's not all seriousness, there are some humorous moments, and the author is surprisingly adept at writing a realistic young female protagonist. It's not at all derivative, but fans of Cecily von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl) and Erika L. Sanchez (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter) will likely enjoy this one too. There's a fair amount of phonetically transliterated Hebrew throughout the book, but it likely won't present many problems in context.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public or secondary school library, for YA fans, or possibly a YA buddy read.  

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.