Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tashasbooks 's review for:
The Name Drop
by Susan Lee
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Name Drop is a YA rom-com that features coming of age and workplace romance.
Jessica is eager to attend a prestigious university, but she needs a letter of recommendation for scholarships. She applies for and is accepted at Haneul Corporation, a major tech company, for a summer internship in New York. She is excited to make the most of it, much to her father's chagrin who works for Haneul. Elijah is the CEO of Haneul's son, and is expected to take over the reins and become the next CEO. He arrives to New York to work an executive internship at Haneul, and expects the royal treatment due to his privileged and sheltered life. When Jessica arrives, she is introduced as the executive intern and receives a large luxury apartment all to herself. Elijah is shocked to find he is sharing a tiny apartment with 9 other interns without all his usual comforts. Elijah and Jessica discover the mixup: they both have the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched, Jessica really needs the networking, and Elijah wants a relaxed summer away from all the expectations.
For the things I liked, I thought this was a very unique premise and the plot itself is what kept me reading the book! It's a very fun mistaken identity trope and the romance was super sweet. Jessica and Elijah spend a lot of time together exploring New York City and I really enjoyed seeing their romance grow. It also reminded me a bit of the Parent Trap? Just with the switch and how they pretended to be each other. It is dual POV (which is the best for romance) so you can see what drives their decisions and how they view each other.
This is a YA book, but I was pretty surprised by the internal dialogue of the characters, it read 14-15 years old rather than an 18 year old about to enter college. For example, Elijah's privilege and thoughts about money seemed extremely over-exaggerated and not realistic. That honestly might just have been personal preference and not an issue with the author's writing. Once I got used to it/development in the characters occurred throughout the book, I enjoyed it more and it stopped bothering me. Especially because Jessica and Elijah learn each other's perspectives and both expand their views significantly around wealth and privilege.
There were some plot holes I could not look past. These may not generally be plot holes, but based on my individual experience it did not make sense. There are SO many scholarships, and they often don't require income information, the only ones that do are financial aid directly from schools. Letters of recommendation don't take you that far regarding scholarships, perhaps more for the acceptance into a school? I was a bit confused on why she said her father would be responsible for any loans she would take out, which seems strange considering most students take out student loans and pay in the future using their future income at a job, and usually the parents are not responsible. I think the book could have used a bit more explanation and background in this area!
It did wrap up quite a bit fast, with the epilogue being extremely short. I do think it could benefit from more development in the last couple chapters, but this was overall an enjoyable book!
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Jessica is eager to attend a prestigious university, but she needs a letter of recommendation for scholarships. She applies for and is accepted at Haneul Corporation, a major tech company, for a summer internship in New York. She is excited to make the most of it, much to her father's chagrin who works for Haneul. Elijah is the CEO of Haneul's son, and is expected to take over the reins and become the next CEO. He arrives to New York to work an executive internship at Haneul, and expects the royal treatment due to his privileged and sheltered life. When Jessica arrives, she is introduced as the executive intern and receives a large luxury apartment all to herself. Elijah is shocked to find he is sharing a tiny apartment with 9 other interns without all his usual comforts. Elijah and Jessica discover the mixup: they both have the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched, Jessica really needs the networking, and Elijah wants a relaxed summer away from all the expectations.
For the things I liked, I thought this was a very unique premise and the plot itself is what kept me reading the book! It's a very fun mistaken identity trope and the romance was super sweet. Jessica and Elijah spend a lot of time together exploring New York City and I really enjoyed seeing their romance grow. It also reminded me a bit of the Parent Trap? Just with the switch and how they pretended to be each other. It is dual POV (which is the best for romance) so you can see what drives their decisions and how they view each other.
This is a YA book, but I was pretty surprised by the internal dialogue of the characters, it read 14-15 years old rather than an 18 year old about to enter college. For example, Elijah's privilege and thoughts about money seemed extremely over-exaggerated and not realistic. That honestly might just have been personal preference and not an issue with the author's writing. Once I got used to it/development in the characters occurred throughout the book, I enjoyed it more and it stopped bothering me. Especially because Jessica and Elijah learn each other's perspectives and both expand their views significantly around wealth and privilege.
There were some plot holes I could not look past. These may not generally be plot holes, but based on my individual experience it did not make sense. There are SO many scholarships, and they often don't require income information, the only ones that do are financial aid directly from schools. Letters of recommendation don't take you that far regarding scholarships, perhaps more for the acceptance into a school? I was a bit confused on why she said her father would be responsible for any loans she would take out, which seems strange considering most students take out student loans and pay in the future using their future income at a job, and usually the parents are not responsible. I think the book could have used a bit more explanation and background in this area!
It did wrap up quite a bit fast, with the epilogue being extremely short. I do think it could benefit from more development in the last couple chapters, but this was overall an enjoyable book!
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!