Book review: Song for Another Home by Bora Lee Reed
Genre: Historical fiction
Release date: July 21, 2026
Goodreads rating: 4.11
My rating: 3.5
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If you love emotional historical fiction about family, survival, and finding hope in the darkest of times, I think Song for Another Home deserves a place on your reading list.
The story follows Oksoon and her cousin Junho, whose lives are forever changed as the Korean War tears their family apart. While Oksoon and her family must decide whether to flee her home or wait for her father and brother to return, Junho finds refuge in an orphanage where survival depends on quick thinking, determination, and the kindness of strangers.
Bora Lee Reed was a 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellow so I was looking forward to discovering this new author.
The story is a slower-paced read (which I enjoyed). It has strong character development, a heart-tugging coming-of-age setting, and I enjoyed that the two stories converged and gradually built toward a meaningful and emotional conclusion.
I also appreciated that the novel focussed on the everyday realities of war (rather than the battlefront). The story very much follows those left behind rather than those on the frontlines. It explores themes like family displacement, survival strategies, found family, and necessary moral compromises.
I recommend discovering this new author!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
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