This book jumped quickly into action and I actually really enjoyed Jenny and Jaewoo's meet-cute. But, I am not an instalove fan and this book is very much an instalove story, where the characters cannot be together due to outside circumstances. I also had a bit of reader whiplash with how quickly things transitioned from California to Seoul. Which was super convenient for where this story needed to go, but was too convenient, if you know what I mean. My favourite part of the story was not the relationship between Jenny and Jaewoo (which I felt lacked development), but the friendships she made in Seoul. I especially loved Jenny and her roommate Sori's interactions. How cold Sori started out, but then how they connect, how they uplift each other, and how they harmonize. I loved that they decided to do a duet, it was so meaningful to how their friendship had grown over the last few months. It was frustrating when Jenny kept choosing Jaewoo over her practice with Sori and her own dreams. Also, Jenny's interactions with the other members of XOXO were well done. Her easy way of telling Nathaniel how stupid he is being, her connection to him as another American, her anger at what happened to him and Sori. It is Sori and Nathaniel's past relationship that continues to plague Jenny and Jaewoo. Jenny is scared of what could happen to Jaewoo's career and family and pushes aside her own feelings and dreams because of it. The best part though, the youngest member of XOXO, Youngmin. He was stinking adorable and just super friendly to everyone around him, especially Jenny. The novel does a good job of looking at fame and the right to privacy. The idea that an idol cannot have a significant other as they belong to their fans just baffled me. I was glad when Jaewoo finally let go of his holdups and when his recording company began to actually support his right to a private life outside of XOXO. But then Jenny had to go through her own realizations and have a super dramatic reconnection (was expecting it to be at a karaoke bar to be honest, a little bit of a letdown that it wasn't). To me Jenny just did not have enough character development, although I did love her realization that Jaewoo and her can have different lives, different dreams, and still love each other and be together (it might take work, but if you love someone it is worth it). All the K-pop references were really fun, as were all the delicious foods mentioned. Half the time I came away hungry. Overall, the book was just okay for me, it did not hold my attention to the point of not being able to put it down and it was not the first book on my pile I wanted to pick up. As well, I felt for this being a romance novel there were very few scenes between the two MCs. It felt more like a found family/familial issues novel. Although, I would have loved more in regards to her family, specifically where her mother was concerned (there were moments that did not make sense in terms of her mother's dynamic near the end). That is to say, this book was not a favourite for me, but I have read other Axie Oh novels that I have loved immensely.
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