Reviews with content warning for Death - XOXO

Reviews tagging 'Death'

XOXO by Axie Oh

8 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Finished reading: May 7th 2024

"Because the people who live for tomorrow don't take risks. They're afraid of the consequences. while the people who live for today have nothing to lose, so they fight tooth and nail. "

I confess that the main reason I bumped this title towards the top of my TBR was that I needed a title starting with X for the Popsugar challenge. I've been meaning to try Axie Oh's writing for a while though, so it was by no means a struggle to do so... I'm so glad I did now, because I ended up having a fantastic time reading XOXO. I think this book came at exactly the right time for me, because I was craving a cute and mostly uplifting romance and this is exactly what this story turned out to be. I loved the whole music element and while I'm not exactly a K-pop fan nor did I know just how big of a thing it was, it was still easy to follow XOXO. The main characters were easy to warm up to, and I loved spending time with Jenny and the rest. The romance was cute in general, but also had a dose of forbidden romance and drama along the way... I could have done without the love triangle vibe, but as a whole I wasn't too bothered by that. I especially loved the descriptions of the South Korean setting and the food, which definitely made me crave Asian food. I ended up having so much fun reading this story, and I already can't wait to read the sequel with Sori in the spotlight. This was my first time reading Axie Oh, and I already know she will appear on my list of favorite new author discoveries of 2024!

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12dejamoo's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just had the best time reading this. It had my favourite thing in a romance book which is a good supporting cast of friends (give your heroes friends!! It’s important!!) and it also had just the right amount of romantic tension and payoff. The characters all felt very real and fleshed out and so believeable as teenagers and the setting was so fun. I know nothing about K-pop but the book didn’t assume any level of knowledge, but also it didn’t feel like I was being dumbed down to. Not every Korean term was translated, but the context was always there for someone like me who has no clue about the language. Overall it just felt like a lot of love went into the writing of this book and the joy just spilled off the pages.

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

This was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed how the author gave such a detailed look into Korean culture and society. My one complaint is that Jaewoo didn’t feel that developed as a character compared to others. I felt the main character had more chemistry with Sori, honestly.

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samcanuel's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I really liked the premise of this book! There were many cute characters and lots of fun details. My biggest issue with this book is that I didn’t like the main character, Jenny, all that much. Also, she and her love interest had no chemistry. I wasn’t really rooting for either of them. The ending, also, felt rushed and a little random. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this book, but I wouldn’t try to steer anyone away from it either.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Title: XOXO
Author: Axie Oh
Genre: YA Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: July 13, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Oversimplified • Cliché • Cultural

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Jenny, a Korean American teen and classically trained cellist with aspirations of pursuing it professionally, experiences a disastrous performance that shatters her confidence. At her uncle's Karaoke bar she meets a mystery boy, one with the potential to upend all her plans. Sparks fly, he drags her out of her comfort zone for one incredible night, and then he simply disappears.

Fast forward three months, when Jenny travels to Korea with her mother who intends to care for her own ailing mother. She soon discovers Jaewoo is enrolled at the same elite arts school as her, and that he is one of the biggest K-pop stars in the world.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I picked up XOXO to fill the letter X for my A-Z Reading Challenge. This isn't something I would normally read, and it's very obvious this is YA, coming across as a story that's been done a million times before.

It was cute, the writing was pretty basic, and there's a lot of teen angst. I didn't necessarily feel any connection (or liking) for any of the characters. Everything just felt too easy and convenient. It touches on a lot (stalking, cancer, bullying, etc.) but doesn't flush any one of those things out fully.

I appreciated that it didn't focus solely on the romance, rather it was Jenny's friendship with her roommate Sori, the familial dynamics, and learning about Korean culture that I liked most.

With all the said, this just wasn't the book for me. I like a little more depth in my reading, but it's pretty much what you'd expect it to be, if that's your thing you'd probably enjoy it.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• K-pop or K-drama fans
• YA romance readers

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Because the people who live for tomorrow don't take risks. They're afraid of the consequences. While the people who live for today have nothing to lose, so they fight tooth and nail."

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lilycollings's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It's like the cutest k-drama in written form featuring idols and I cried.

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sunsetcity's review against another edition

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funny relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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