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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.7/5 ★ such cute characters and a loving storyline! definitely as cheesy as a good kdrama, including all of the giggling and screaming at the two love interests to just get together already >.< it was surprisingly very realistic as i do love a good cheesy book, it’s refreshing to see a teen be a teen with all of the fears of love and future that we often see ourselves worrying about at such a young age. a cute lighthearted read indeed!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very Seoul-ful, bad puns aside it was a lot deeper than the summary suggested. I was really surprised that I was hooked from chapter 2. I related a lot to Hannah’s struggles. I loved Jacob. He was so shy and sweet while Hannah was loud and fierce. Jacob was like the 2nd lead in a K-drama rather than the main lead, so it was so endearing to see that personality type shine for once.
This was the absolute perfect execution of childhood best friends to lovers. Hannah and Jacob were so cute. I love that the miscommunication trope wasn’t exaggerated. You could see their previous friendship shine through quickly rather than being told they were best friends. I was obsessed with how well they understood they each other through expressions. I just wanted to keep reading more of them.
Sometimes there were important conversations that felt inorganic. I appreciate those issues being discussed by the realistic aspects and fictional drama weren’t balanced well together at times. I also disliked the shift from first person to third person for one of the POVs but thankfully it was very short. I’ve read first to third person shifts 4 times this year, I’m not sure why it’s not uncommon anymore but I really dislike it in most cases.
This was a wonderful debut book and I can’t wait to read more of what Susan Lee writes. Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
This was the absolute perfect execution of childhood best friends to lovers. Hannah and Jacob were so cute. I love that the miscommunication trope wasn’t exaggerated. You could see their previous friendship shine through quickly rather than being told they were best friends. I was obsessed with how well they understood they each other through expressions. I just wanted to keep reading more of them.
Sometimes there were important conversations that felt inorganic. I appreciate those issues being discussed by the realistic aspects and fictional drama weren’t balanced well together at times. I also disliked the shift from first person to third person for one of the POVs but thankfully it was very short. I’ve read first to third person shifts 4 times this year, I’m not sure why it’s not uncommon anymore but I really dislike it in most cases.
This was a wonderful debut book and I can’t wait to read more of what Susan Lee writes. Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5 stars
rep: Korean-American protagonists and side characters; (Korean-American author)
cw: mentions of death of a parent (father) due to cancer
Ever since I heard about this book, I was so hyped for it. I’m not a huge friends-to-lovers fan but I’ve read a few estranged-childhood-friends-to-lovers books that I really enjoyed recently, so I decided to give this one a try! Seoulmates told the story of two estranged childhood best friends reuniting and finding their identities in a world that’s always told them what to be.
Hannah has spent her entire life shunning her Korean side to fit in with her American classmates. Now that K-pop and K-dramas are all the rage, she feels left out, especially when her boyfriend essentially breaks up with her because she doesn’t know anything about them. Someone who might be able to help her is her estranged best friend, Jacob. In the three years since she’s seen him, Jacob has become one of the most popular drama stars in Korea. He’s grown tired of the demanding schedule and the impact that’s had on his social life. When his family comes to stay with hers for the summer, he enlists Hannah in helping him have fun while in San Diego, bringing the two of them closer together and mending the break in their relationship from three years ago.
I thought the protagonists’ character arcs were interesting! Her entire life, Hannah has rejected so much of the Korean side of her Korean-American identity; this wasn’t something I really related to but can understand in concept. She wanted to fit in with her white American classmates, and now that they’re all fascinated by her culture, she doesn’t get it. However, this doesn’t mean that they get to judge her Korean-ness just because they know a little about the culture from dramas. Over time, Hannah grows to learn that how she identifies with her culture is enough and that she doesn’t have to compartmentalize a part of herself to fit in.
Meanwhile, Jacob is happy to be able to provide for his family after years of hardship. However, his acting career has taken a toll on his social life, or lack thereof, and he can’t help but feel stifled, especially when his studio is forcing him to seemingly date his cruel co-star. Hannah helps him realize that he doesn’t have to put up with this in order to be successful, as well as his mother telling him that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of providing for their family by himself.
The romance itself was cute! Hannah and Jacob were friends “even before birth,” as their mothers put it since they became friends while pregnant with the two of them. Three years ago, when Jacob and his family moved to South Korea, the two of them had an argument and haven’t talked since then. Hannah is reluctant to spend time with him when his family comes to stay with hers, but they quickly find that they know each other too well to hate each other.
I also thought the side characters, namely Hannah’s and Jacob’s families, were so funny. Their two mothers have been waiting for the two of them to get together and essentially strong-arm them into spending time with each other over the summer. Jacob’s little sister, Jin-Hee, teases the two of them, and they both dote on her. I wish we had gotten to see more of Hannah’s sister Helen more, but a part of Hannah’s character is that she’s tired of people leaving her and moving away.
This book was more character-based than I thought it would be. I thought the bucket list mentioned in the summary would be a larger part of the plot, but it wasn’t. Instead, we focus more on Hannah and Jacob, along with them dealing with their respective antagonists. Nate was the worst by the way, and I was just screaming at Hannah to kick this Koreaboo to the curb from the very beginning.
Seoulmates was a heartwarming story of becoming comfortable with yourself in your culture and your career. I liked the characters and thought the romance cute. You should look into Seoulmates if you’re looking for a heartfelt contemporary with a “estranged childhood friends to lovers” romance!
this was cute! a little too melodramatic for me tho and I thought it would hinge more on the two of them getting to know each other again but still fun!
read on my blog
rep: Korean-American protagonists and side characters; (Korean-American author)
cw: mentions of death of a parent (father) due to cancer
**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Inkyard Press!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
Ever since I heard about this book, I was so hyped for it. I’m not a huge friends-to-lovers fan but I’ve read a few estranged-childhood-friends-to-lovers books that I really enjoyed recently, so I decided to give this one a try! Seoulmates told the story of two estranged childhood best friends reuniting and finding their identities in a world that’s always told them what to be.
Hannah has spent her entire life shunning her Korean side to fit in with her American classmates. Now that K-pop and K-dramas are all the rage, she feels left out, especially when her boyfriend essentially breaks up with her because she doesn’t know anything about them. Someone who might be able to help her is her estranged best friend, Jacob. In the three years since she’s seen him, Jacob has become one of the most popular drama stars in Korea. He’s grown tired of the demanding schedule and the impact that’s had on his social life. When his family comes to stay with hers for the summer, he enlists Hannah in helping him have fun while in San Diego, bringing the two of them closer together and mending the break in their relationship from three years ago.
I thought the protagonists’ character arcs were interesting! Her entire life, Hannah has rejected so much of the Korean side of her Korean-American identity; this wasn’t something I really related to but can understand in concept. She wanted to fit in with her white American classmates, and now that they’re all fascinated by her culture, she doesn’t get it. However, this doesn’t mean that they get to judge her Korean-ness just because they know a little about the culture from dramas. Over time, Hannah grows to learn that how she identifies with her culture is enough and that she doesn’t have to compartmentalize a part of herself to fit in.
Meanwhile, Jacob is happy to be able to provide for his family after years of hardship. However, his acting career has taken a toll on his social life, or lack thereof, and he can’t help but feel stifled, especially when his studio is forcing him to seemingly date his cruel co-star. Hannah helps him realize that he doesn’t have to put up with this in order to be successful, as well as his mother telling him that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of providing for their family by himself.
The romance itself was cute! Hannah and Jacob were friends “even before birth,” as their mothers put it since they became friends while pregnant with the two of them. Three years ago, when Jacob and his family moved to South Korea, the two of them had an argument and haven’t talked since then. Hannah is reluctant to spend time with him when his family comes to stay with hers, but they quickly find that they know each other too well to hate each other.
I also thought the side characters, namely Hannah’s and Jacob’s families, were so funny. Their two mothers have been waiting for the two of them to get together and essentially strong-arm them into spending time with each other over the summer. Jacob’s little sister, Jin-Hee, teases the two of them, and they both dote on her. I wish we had gotten to see more of Hannah’s sister Helen more, but a part of Hannah’s character is that she’s tired of people leaving her and moving away.
This book was more character-based than I thought it would be. I thought the bucket list mentioned in the summary would be a larger part of the plot, but it wasn’t. Instead, we focus more on Hannah and Jacob, along with them dealing with their respective antagonists. Nate was the worst by the way, and I was just screaming at Hannah to kick this Koreaboo to the curb from the very beginning.
Seoulmates was a heartwarming story of becoming comfortable with yourself in your culture and your career. I liked the characters and thought the romance cute. You should look into Seoulmates if you’re looking for a heartfelt contemporary with a “estranged childhood friends to lovers” romance!
original review:
this was cute! a little too melodramatic for me tho and I thought it would hinge more on the two of them getting to know each other again but still fun!
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with this ARC to review.
I can pretty much agree with Christina Lauren's promo blurb on the cover - this is an excellent childhood friends-to-lovers story. I wondered if my unfamiliarity with k-dramas would impede my enjoyment of this novel, but it didn't at all. Maybe because I am a fangirl at heart. I found both the characters and the plot of Seoulmates thoroughly enjoyable! The dual POVs worked very well, and although I connected more with Hannah than Jacob, I can say that their distinctive personalities definitely came through.
There felt like just the right amount of angst and conflict, without anything feeling overly contrived. I didn't feel that any of the issues that came up were conflicts just for the sake of conflict. In fact, every drama that did arise was true to the situations and to the characters. This includes Hannah's relationship with her family, with Jacob, and with her peers.
If I had to pick an aspect of the book that bugged me it would be that none of the San Diego crew recognized Jin-Suk as their former classmate Jacob. I would think that fans of his show would have been stalking his bio, if nothing else. But that is so minor, it didn't at all affect my enjoyment.
I would highly recommend this novel!
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with this ARC to review.
I can pretty much agree with Christina Lauren's promo blurb on the cover - this is an excellent childhood friends-to-lovers story. I wondered if my unfamiliarity with k-dramas would impede my enjoyment of this novel, but it didn't at all. Maybe because I am a fangirl at heart. I found both the characters and the plot of Seoulmates thoroughly enjoyable! The dual POVs worked very well, and although I connected more with Hannah than Jacob, I can say that their distinctive personalities definitely came through.
There felt like just the right amount of angst and conflict, without anything feeling overly contrived. I didn't feel that any of the issues that came up were conflicts just for the sake of conflict. In fact, every drama that did arise was true to the situations and to the characters. This includes Hannah's relationship with her family, with Jacob, and with her peers.
If I had to pick an aspect of the book that bugged me it would be that none of the San Diego crew recognized Jin-Suk as their former classmate Jacob. I would think that fans of his show would have been stalking his bio, if nothing else. But that is so minor, it didn't at all affect my enjoyment.
I would highly recommend this novel!
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
This book was just a load of drama, laughter, romance and summer teen vibes – but sprinkle some of the power of kdramas in there. In conclusion, it was so much fun!! I laughed (cackled more like), groaned in irritation, cringed and squealed throughout the book, and even if the million and one different third-act breakups got to me a little by the end, I still really enjoyed reading this.
“To me, you’re an open book. And my favorite kind of reading.”
If someone said this to me in real life I’d burst out laughing – and my reaction was the same while reading this. But that’s the beauty of kdramas, and I felt that this book really captured that vibe. I just had such an honestly FUN time reading this, and even while I was grinning in embarrassment, I was excited to read the next page. Our two MCs were just the sweetest little teens, trying their best to discover their identities while simultaneously falling in love, and it was so cute to read about.
Honestly, I almost wish there was more angst, which is kinda insane to say, and not something that usually comes out of my mouth! Nonetheless, with the power of Asian parents, a hint of the pressure that Korean idols and actors face in the industry, and some appropriately dramatic scenes, this book successfully filled all the necessities of the perfect kdrama book!!
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review :)).
This book was just a load of drama, laughter, romance and summer teen vibes – but sprinkle some of the power of kdramas in there. In conclusion, it was so much fun!! I laughed (cackled more like), groaned in irritation, cringed and squealed throughout the book, and even if the million and one different third-act breakups got to me a little by the end, I still really enjoyed reading this.
“To me, you’re an open book. And my favorite kind of reading.”
If someone said this to me in real life I’d burst out laughing – and my reaction was the same while reading this. But that’s the beauty of kdramas, and I felt that this book really captured that vibe. I just had such an honestly FUN time reading this, and even while I was grinning in embarrassment, I was excited to read the next page. Our two MCs were just the sweetest little teens, trying their best to discover their identities while simultaneously falling in love, and it was so cute to read about.
Honestly, I almost wish there was more angst, which is kinda insane to say, and not something that usually comes out of my mouth! Nonetheless, with the power of Asian parents, a hint of the pressure that Korean idols and actors face in the industry, and some appropriately dramatic scenes, this book successfully filled all the necessities of the perfect kdrama book!!
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review :)).