Review - Orange and the Bread Knife by Cheong Ye, Slin Jung (translator)

 

 

 Title: Orange and the Bread Knife

Author: Cheong Ye, Slin Jung (translator) 

Pages: 195

Publisher: Wildfire

Release Date: 11th June 2026

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 The thrilling high-concept Korean bestseller about conforming to society's standards, where one woman decides she has HAD ENOUGH 
 
Oh Young-a, a warm-hearted schoolteacher, lives to please - smiling through people's demands, moulding her hobbies and even her heart to match what others deem to be "right". But beneath her cheerful facade, the weight of constant self-restraint festers, dragging her into a haze of depression and numbness. Desperate for relief, she turns to the Seohyang Medical Research Centre's cutting-edge four-week emotion regulation treatment, promised to sculpt her into a better version of herself. 
 
What follows is chaos - but also liberation. The treatment unravels her carefully curated control, unleashing a torrent of suppressed desires, biting truths and long buried anger. Young-a curses, speaks her mind and revels in the guilt-ridden thrill of her bad behaviour. When she seeks answers, the Centre offers none, urging her to wait it out. But why return to a life of stifling conformity? 
 
As Young-a embraces her raw, unfiltered self, she begins to dismantle the weight of the exhausting expectations and ideals imposed upon her. 
 
Why would you ever go back when freedom feels this good? 

 

 Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review: 

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline* 

 

Oh Young-a is a young woman who moulds herself to please others, to be a good teacher, friend, girlfriend, even a good person. 

However, Young-a realises that all of this people-pleasing is making her miserable. 

Young-a signs up to a medical trial that gives her the ability to be free of other people's and societies expectations of how she should behave. 

How will Young-a's life change? 

Can she go back to her old self? Will she want to? 

 

The premise of this book intrigued me, so I requested a copy. 

I found Young-a to be likeable and relatable. I felt sorry for her with the way she moulded herself to act the way other people wanted her to, but I could understand why she did it - I think all people do to an extent, but young women especially feel the pressure. 

The setting of South Korea was interesting. 

The plot was mixed for me - while I did find the topics the author discussed interesting, they didn't quite hit the mark for me and I didn't feel that I was fully engaged or invested. However, I did find this to be a unique book that did make me think. 

 

Overall, this wasn't quite for me.