A review by alysereadsbooks
Heart and Seoul by Jen Frederick

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I loved the concept, but I felt like the overall plot fell flat. As a Korean adoptee, I appreciated the representation, because I'd never seen a fiction book about Korean adoptees. 

I loved the descriptions of Seoul, and the description of cultural practices, 'eye smiles,'  naming conventions, how funerals and death are handled in the Korean culture. Like Hara, I have a lot to learn, and I loved her perspective about being a bit in between (physically presenting as Korean, but being removed from your culture and thus relating more to white people),  but I think the striped/polka dot 'motif' was a bit overdone and oversimplified. 

However, I had major issues with this book. I found myself really enjoying the chemistry between Hara and Yujun...until the reveal that he's actually her stepbrother. This really killed the book for me, and I found the more romantic scenes uncomfortable and weird. While their relationship as stepsiblings creates a source of conflict, star-crossed lovers situation, it feels strange and very fanfiction-like to me. I liked the journey to find her birth mother, but Hara was annoying at times. Why did she jump in the river? Why did she not prepare (even somewhat) when traveling to Korea to learn a bit of the language?  

The ending with Hara sacrificing her relationship to save her mother's company was interesting and a good twist. I liked the complicated dynamics between Hara and her birth mother, but I found it weird that she referred to her adoptive mother by her first name, because that isn't something I do.
I really wanted to love this book but found it really disappointing. 
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