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books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
Valerie Quan runs a successful Korean beauty products business at her school with her cousin Charlie. When a new student, Wes Jung comes to school in the morning with some K beauty samples that his mom gave him to make new friends with, students believe that he too has a student-run beauty business. Seeing a way to support his musical ambitions that his parents don't approve of, Wes draws the attention of Valerie. But with the competition heating up, who will come up on top, especially when love is on the line?
cereal_milk's review against another edition
5.0
Fingers hearts all around for this debut novel by fellow Canadian, Sarah Suk! Charming and SO sweet. I want a sequel!
kimbyy's review
4.0
okay this was a little cute. the neon blue cover is a bit horrendous though.
i got more invested in the characters' lives than usual & the rivals aspect actually pushed both of them into being better people, which is kind of the point of the rivals to lovers trope. or it should be, at least. shoutout to wes for being nice & a music kid because i am also a music kid :^)
the very mainly Korean representation is like mostly like wow! a homey familiar feel because there’s like foods and beauty products which to me feels nicer than some of the other book which are more like Never Living Up To Standards and Ivy League Expectations and just super direct callouts which just feel like a slap on the face & while it might be more honest, it doesn’t make you inclined to like the culture more.
i got more invested in the characters' lives than usual & the rivals aspect actually pushed both of them into being better people, which is kind of the point of the rivals to lovers trope. or it should be, at least. shoutout to wes for being nice & a music kid because i am also a music kid :^)
the very mainly Korean representation is like mostly like wow! a homey familiar feel because there’s like foods and beauty products which to me feels nicer than some of the other book which are more like Never Living Up To Standards and Ivy League Expectations and just super direct callouts which just feel like a slap on the face & while it might be more honest, it doesn’t make you inclined to like the culture more.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Who doesn’t love a little competition fed by an entrepreneurial spirit? Valerie and Wes both feel like they have something to prove. Wes wants to go to music school, even though he knows the only way he can make it happen is by funding it himself—there’s no way his father will support him when Wes’s uncle is already a “starving” musician. Valerie feels like she’s always overlooked and being compared to her perfect older sister. She also wants desperately to help her halmeoni (her grandma) see the world like she’s always dreamed. Valerie figures the best way to solve both of those problems is to make enough money to take her halmeoni to Paris—not only will her halmeoni get the trip of a lifetime, but Valerie will have shown her family she’s capable of great things! When new-guy Wes shows up with a competing business, Valerie is more than a little upset. So the two make an all-or-nothing bet—whoever makes the most profits gets to keep the other person’s profits as well. Except things get a little complicated when they start to fall for each other.
My absolute favorite aspect of this book actually wasn’t the romance but Valerie’s relationship with her grandmother. These two are so sweet together, and it was quite obvious how much Valerie treasured her halmeoni. And whenever the pressures of life were getting to Valerie, Halmeoni was there to lift her up and remind her of what’s truly important. Valerie’s emotional connection to Halmeoni is incredibly strong, and Suk manages to bring the reader right into that relationship so that I was emotionally invested to her too. (I’ll confess that I shed a few tears during some moments between these two.) Another fantastic element of the book was the Korean (and Korean American) cultural references. The delectable food, the beauty products, the K-pop, Korean women divers, church, family relationships, and more. Since all of these things are part of the characters’ everyday lives, the reader is immersed in them too. Plus, both Wes and Valerie explore the ramifications of being raised in a culture that’s different than the country you’re raised in.
In the end, both Wes and Valerie have to figure out what’s truly important to them and determine how far they’ll go to achieve their dreams. And decide which sacrifices aren’t worth making.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was given.***
Who doesn’t love a little competition fed by an entrepreneurial spirit? Valerie and Wes both feel like they have something to prove. Wes wants to go to music school, even though he knows the only way he can make it happen is by funding it himself—there’s no way his father will support him when Wes’s uncle is already a “starving” musician. Valerie feels like she’s always overlooked and being compared to her perfect older sister. She also wants desperately to help her halmeoni (her grandma) see the world like she’s always dreamed. Valerie figures the best way to solve both of those problems is to make enough money to take her halmeoni to Paris—not only will her halmeoni get the trip of a lifetime, but Valerie will have shown her family she’s capable of great things! When new-guy Wes shows up with a competing business, Valerie is more than a little upset. So the two make an all-or-nothing bet—whoever makes the most profits gets to keep the other person’s profits as well. Except things get a little complicated when they start to fall for each other.
My absolute favorite aspect of this book actually wasn’t the romance but Valerie’s relationship with her grandmother. These two are so sweet together, and it was quite obvious how much Valerie treasured her halmeoni. And whenever the pressures of life were getting to Valerie, Halmeoni was there to lift her up and remind her of what’s truly important. Valerie’s emotional connection to Halmeoni is incredibly strong, and Suk manages to bring the reader right into that relationship so that I was emotionally invested to her too. (I’ll confess that I shed a few tears during some moments between these two.) Another fantastic element of the book was the Korean (and Korean American) cultural references. The delectable food, the beauty products, the K-pop, Korean women divers, church, family relationships, and more. Since all of these things are part of the characters’ everyday lives, the reader is immersed in them too. Plus, both Wes and Valerie explore the ramifications of being raised in a culture that’s different than the country you’re raised in.
In the end, both Wes and Valerie have to figure out what’s truly important to them and determine how far they’ll go to achieve their dreams. And decide which sacrifices aren’t worth making.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was given.***
danda's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, I loved this!! Valerie’s character development was just *french kiss*!! Wes Jung is absolutely amazing omgs he carried the whole book. Taemin was so cheeky haha. Usually I’d dislike characters who mess things up with the main leads, but he was unexpected favorite. Charlie is like one of the greatest friends ever tbh!! Loved him too!! I didn’t see Pauline much, but I really appreciate her character.
—> 4.5 stars!!
—> 4.5 stars!!
kimmybartle's review against another edition
4.0
This book was sweetness for my soul (and not just because Sarah sent me hi-chews and a facemask, but that certainly helped with ambiance). I felt like one of Valerie's clients (is that a spoiler?). Ate this book up and clutched it near my heart. There's nothing quite like finding that one person whose voice you hear louder than the criticism that lives in your head. That was the make-it-or-break-it point for me. The reason I couldn't root for either side. I may very well have done the same as Taemin at the beginning, ha!
Valerie's business savvy was admirable, not just from a similar-minded perspective, but seeing how she grew to understand the fire behind it. It was eye-opening to find the root of her perfectionism. Don't get me started on Wes, I'll never stop going. Wouldn't be opposed to a sequel, I can't let them go yet!
Valerie's business savvy was admirable, not just from a similar-minded perspective, but seeing how she grew to understand the fire behind it. It was eye-opening to find the root of her perfectionism. Don't get me started on Wes, I'll never stop going. Wouldn't be opposed to a sequel, I can't let them go yet!
biblee's review against another edition
4.0
charlie, my best boy, if you ever read this, i know you’re fictional but i am free on thursday night if you wanna hang out - i will NOT friend-zone you nor treat you like a handy sidekick, just want to put that out there.
petitetami's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this YA teen romance from Sarah Suk. I especially loved that first snowfall scene, it was very cute. The YA drama between the characters was to be expected and I loved how they each had their own goals/dreams that they were working towards. I also loved seeing the different family dynamics with the main characters. Wes and Valerie make a cute fictional couple! I look forward to reading more from Sarah.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc.