A review by azieyosabor
XOXO by Axie Oh

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

3 stars !! ★

𓍢 ִ ໋ “will we ever have a moment like this again? but none of that matters. i push it all to the back of my mind. because tonight, the world is ours.”

it's like a rollercoaster of cheesy, cringe, and fun vibes, and honestly, i had a blast reading it.

➛ the plot. so, jenny, the award-winning cellist, usually chooses practice over fun. but then she meets jaewoo – mysterious, handsome, and a bit tormented. they spend an unforgettable night in la before he heads back to south korea. fast forward, jenny and her mom move to seoul, and guess who she finds at her new arts academy? yup, jaewoo. plot twist: jaewoo is a member of a massive k-pop band. now, dating him could jeopardize jenny's dream music school and everything jaewoo's worked for. tough choices ahead for the sake of love.

➛ the writing. at first, i thought it was just okay, but then i started noticing it's a bit on the cheesy side. like, it felt a bit wattpad-ish, you know? but hey, even with those quirks, i still enjoyed the heck out of it.

꒰🎻⌗ jenny. she's kind of like a y/n character, you know, where all the cute guys are drawn to her. her journey wasn’t easy at all, she worked hard, and i'm glad she got her happy ending.

𓍢 ִ ໋ ”i'm saying, people do strange things to protect their hearts. but when you're afraid, your heart is closed, and it's never the right time, but when your heart is open, and you're willing to be brave enough to take a chance, the time is always right.

꒰🎤⌗ jaewoo. total anchor material. responsible, cautious, and down-to-earth. he's like the guy you want to have around, and he reminded me of chan from stray kids, shouldering all that responsibility.

𓍢 ִ ໋ ”i meant to tell you earlier," he says with one last devastating smile, even though i just broke his heart and mine,"you were beautiful tonight.”

╰┈➤ jenny and jaewoo. okay, so it's an instalove rollercoaster. i'm more of a slow-burn fan, so the quick kisses had me like 🤨. also, it felt more like jaewoo's story than jenny's. but hey, they were cute, if not a tad cheesy.

𓍢 ִ ໋ ”you're stubborn and loyal and good, and when you love, you love with your whole heart”

꒰❤️‍🩹⌗ sori and nathaniel. move over main couple, because these two stole the show for me. sori's like a pineapple – prickly outside, soft inside. nathaniel? hilarious and accepting from day one. seriously, everyone needs a nathaniel in their friend group.

𓍢 ִ ໋ “in a heartbeat. even after the scandal, even after the accusations and the heartbreak and the pain. he was my first love. i wouldn’t give that up for the world.”

꒰👭⌗ angela and gitaek. total lovelies. their dynamic? so darn special! just wish there were more scenes of them and jenny.

𓍢 ִ ໋ “i don’t have to agree to a secret friendship, not when i have people in my corner willing to be my friend, like angela and gitaek”

➛ overall. k-pop fan or not, this book's a cute, wholesome read. it grazes over some darker k-pop stuff but keeps it light and fun. totally recommend it. and i'm diving into sori and nathaniel's book asap. can't wait!