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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I fully adore Maureen Goo and want to read all her books. The voices are effortless and real and it’s cozy and easy fun to read. This one was a little cheesy at times but still sweet and enjoyable.
This book is so ridiculous cute and fluffy!!
I love the way Maurene Goo depicted Hong Kong and it makes me miss it so much! It was like going on a vacation all over again and eating amazing foods in that beautiful country
I love the way Maurene Goo depicted Hong Kong and it makes me miss it so much! It was like going on a vacation all over again and eating amazing foods in that beautiful country
Okay. So. First of all, the cover tells you *nothing* about the story. It’s not a bad cover, it just fails to convey a lot of important information that one might want to know before reading this book.
For example: it does not tell you that the story is set in Hong Kong, or that one of the protagonists is a K-pop star, or that the other protagonist is a regular schmegular banking intern who moonlights as a paparazzo. It does not tell you that the book reads like a questionable rom-com, in which the characters spend almost the whole book lying to each other, one of whOM TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN THE OTHER
I liked it. I was just, like, really angry the whole time.
For example: it does not tell you that the story is set in Hong Kong, or that one of the protagonists is a K-pop star, or that the other protagonist is a regular schmegular banking intern who moonlights as a paparazzo. It does not tell you that the book reads like a questionable rom-com, in which the characters
I liked it. I was just, like, really angry the whole time.
This book was a super quick and fun read. Both Lucky and Jack are likable characters. The book left me homesick for Hong Kong- it's basically an eating tour of the city. I was jealous of everything Lucky got to eat!
I wish that Lucky's anxiety was explored a bit more. I felt over all the book was lacking emotional depth.
I wish that Lucky's anxiety was explored a bit more. I felt over all the book was lacking emotional depth.
I really enjoyed this book. The adventure of the main characters go on is fun and endearing. Having the secret build behind them and knowing how it's going to explode gave the right amount of tension and high stakes. I feel like the ending was a bit soft, considering how high they started. This would make an amazing movie. The visuals would be stunning!
DNF about 100 pages in. An intoxicated teenager on the streets of a foreign country late at night by themself is NEVER OK! Couldnt get past that part of the plot.
3 stars
Read for the 2020 OWLS, Charms: Read a book with a white cover
This was cute and fluffy and just what I needed before I read a million fantasy books.
Read for the 2020 OWLS, Charms: Read a book with a white cover
This was cute and fluffy and just what I needed before I read a million fantasy books.
read for Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a book that takes place in a single day
I think I'm settling on a 3.5 rating, but I'm not quite sure if I want to round up or round down for Goodreads.
I enjoyed my time reading this! Maurene Goo has such a fun style and really interesting premises that sucks me in every damn time. This book was pitched as Roman Holiday but with a k-pop star in Hong Kong, and I knew I had to get my hands on it. Lucky and Jack sightsee and eat their way through the city (don't read this on an empty stomach), and become more and more infatuated with one another. It was so sweet and I squealed and curled my toes and had all the proper reactions one should have in a rom-com.
The main reason I feel iffy about giving this a higher rating is that the entire foundation of Lucky and Jack's romance is built on a lie. Lucky is pretending to be a normal girl, and Jack is pretending he doesn't know who she really is in order sneak a story about her. Oh and how they first connect is when Lucky is super high on sleeping meds and that just felt... icky. The power dynamic was off for a lot of the book, and frankly, I don't love rom-coms that are built on lies. I know this is a retelling of a classic film! And it's hard to modernize a story about celebrities having a free day out in a world of social media. And I do commend Goo because I thought she did that well. It's just... I think there's only so far this modernization can go. And I just felt so uncomfortable during their initial meeting because Lucky's written as if she's out of her mind drunk. It just made Jack seem way creepier at first, even though it didn't at all imply that Jack was anything but a gentleman and had absolutely zero designs on taking advantage of her (until he finds out she's famous and talks her into spending the day together). I don't know if I'm making sense, but I just couldn't really start to enjoy the book until about third of the way in.
I did enjoy this though! It's a fun, light romp as long as you don't think too deeply about how they get into this situation. Jack and Lucky play off each other well, and I love the variety of cultural experiences they have. They're both Korean-American and ex-pats, Lucky in Korea as an idol and Jack in Hong Kong. It gave the book a really new fresh take, which is one of the reasons I think Goo is such a great voice in the YA contemporary community. This wasn't my favorite from her, but I'm still willing to pick up anything she writes!
I think I'm settling on a 3.5 rating, but I'm not quite sure if I want to round up or round down for Goodreads.
I enjoyed my time reading this! Maurene Goo has such a fun style and really interesting premises that sucks me in every damn time. This book was pitched as Roman Holiday but with a k-pop star in Hong Kong, and I knew I had to get my hands on it. Lucky and Jack sightsee and eat their way through the city (don't read this on an empty stomach), and become more and more infatuated with one another. It was so sweet and I squealed and curled my toes and had all the proper reactions one should have in a rom-com.
The main reason I feel iffy about giving this a higher rating is that the entire foundation of Lucky and Jack's romance is built on a lie. Lucky is pretending to be a normal girl, and Jack is pretending he doesn't know who she really is in order sneak a story about her. Oh and how they first connect is when Lucky is super high on sleeping meds and that just felt... icky. The power dynamic was off for a lot of the book, and frankly, I don't love rom-coms that are built on lies. I know this is a retelling of a classic film! And it's hard to modernize a story about celebrities having a free day out in a world of social media. And I do commend Goo because I thought she did that well. It's just... I think there's only so far this modernization can go. And I just felt so uncomfortable during their initial meeting because Lucky's written as if she's out of her mind drunk. It just made Jack seem way creepier at first, even though it didn't at all imply that Jack was anything but a gentleman and had absolutely zero designs on taking advantage of her (until he finds out she's famous and talks her into spending the day together). I don't know if I'm making sense, but I just couldn't really start to enjoy the book until about third of the way in.
I did enjoy this though! It's a fun, light romp as long as you don't think too deeply about how they get into this situation. Jack and Lucky play off each other well, and I love the variety of cultural experiences they have. They're both Korean-American and ex-pats, Lucky in Korea as an idol and Jack in Hong Kong. It gave the book a really new fresh take, which is one of the reasons I think Goo is such a great voice in the YA contemporary community. This wasn't my favorite from her, but I'm still willing to pick up anything she writes!
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Somewhere Only We Know is a story about personal growth. About the dilemma we have, the different strings pulling us in opposite directions between what we should do, versus what we want to do. The paths we are dragged along and the ones that inspire our heart. Passion for what we love, what moves our heart and quickens our breath - before we give it up, package it, before it becomes a second mask.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-somewhere-only-we-know-by-maurene-goo/
Somewhere Only We Know is a story about personal growth. About the dilemma we have, the different strings pulling us in opposite directions between what we should do, versus what we want to do. The paths we are dragged along and the ones that inspire our heart. Passion for what we love, what moves our heart and quickens our breath - before we give it up, package it, before it becomes a second mask.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-somewhere-only-we-know-by-maurene-goo/