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A review by readingthroughinfinity
XOXO by Axie Oh
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
After reading and loving Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea in January 2022, I decided to jump straight into more of her work and read her YA contemporary, XOXO. I'm a big fan of K-pop music so I enjoy books that focus on K-pop and this was no different.
Jenny and Jaewoo's burgeoning romance was really sweet and I liked seeing how kind and gentle they were with each other. But the relationship that stole the novel for me was between Jenny and Sori. Their friendship was incredibly heart-warming. When they first meet, they hit things off poorly and Sori doesn't like Jenny (to be fair, she did accidentally look through her things). But as the story progresses, we see Sori begin to begrudgingly accept Jenny (she stands up for her/helps her on several occasions) and then they become friends, and it's such a lovely friendship.
You can tell Axie Oh loves music from the amount heart she puts into her descriptions of XOXO's concerts and Jenny's cello recitals. Her writing draws you into her worlds and is thoroughly enchanting.
Content warnings for bullying, injury, death of a parent (previous), family member with an illness.
Jenny and Jaewoo's burgeoning romance was really sweet and I liked seeing how kind and gentle they were with each other. But the relationship that stole the novel for me was between Jenny and Sori. Their friendship was incredibly heart-warming. When they first meet, they hit things off poorly and Sori doesn't like Jenny (to be fair, she did accidentally look through her things). But as the story progresses, we see Sori begin to begrudgingly accept Jenny (she stands up for her/helps her on several occasions) and then they become friends, and it's such a lovely friendship.
You can tell Axie Oh loves music from the amount heart she puts into her descriptions of XOXO's concerts and Jenny's cello recitals. Her writing draws you into her worlds and is thoroughly enchanting.
Content warnings for bullying, injury, death of a parent (previous), family member with an illness.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail