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wafflesnbooks 's review for:
Somewhere Only We Know
by Maurene Goo
I'm a big fan of Maureen Goo, so I was really looking forward to reading this. While I enjoyed it well enough, I'm sorry to say that it didn't grab me like her previous titles.
Somewhere Only We Know takes place primarily over the course of one day in Hong Kong. Our protagonists are Lucky, a wildly successful K-Pop star on the verge of her American debut, and Jack, a photographer moonlighting as a paparazzo while working up the courage to reject his parents' plan for his life. Both are hiding something: Lucky has shed her famous persona, relishing the chance to be a normal girl for a day, while Jack has figured out who she is and is hoping to document their day together and make his big break as a photographer. For both, this day in Hong Kong is a chance to reevaluate their plans and make some tough choices.
I had two big problems with this book, and the first was Jack. I just found it too skeevy that he was secretly photographing her the whole time and that he was using her to make his big break. The second problem was the pacing: I just don't buy that kind of insta-love, especially with all the lies between them. Between those two concerns, I spent most of the book waiting for reality to come crashing down on them, which didn't make for a fun reading experience. This book actually took me weeks to complete, since I actually kind of didn't want to know what was going to happen next. I ended up devouring the final chapters in just one sitting, but I'm still conflicted on how it wrapped up. Some scenes had me cheering and practically pumping my fists from my couch, but certain major plot points were too quickly and tidily resolved.
All in all, I'm pretty conflicted about this title. I was personally a little disappointed, but that won't stop me from recommending it to the teens in my library. I enjoyed it well enough for a fluffy romance, and I suspect I would have liked it a lot more as a teenager.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Somewhere Only We Know takes place primarily over the course of one day in Hong Kong. Our protagonists are Lucky, a wildly successful K-Pop star on the verge of her American debut, and Jack, a photographer moonlighting as a paparazzo while working up the courage to reject his parents' plan for his life. Both are hiding something: Lucky has shed her famous persona, relishing the chance to be a normal girl for a day, while Jack has figured out who she is and is hoping to document their day together and make his big break as a photographer. For both, this day in Hong Kong is a chance to reevaluate their plans and make some tough choices.
I had two big problems with this book, and the first was Jack. I just found it too skeevy that he was secretly photographing her the whole time and that he was using her to make his big break. The second problem was the pacing: I just don't buy that kind of insta-love, especially with all the lies between them. Between those two concerns, I spent most of the book waiting for reality to come crashing down on them, which didn't make for a fun reading experience. This book actually took me weeks to complete, since I actually kind of didn't want to know what was going to happen next. I ended up devouring the final chapters in just one sitting, but I'm still conflicted on how it wrapped up. Some scenes had me cheering and practically pumping my fists from my couch, but certain major plot points were too quickly and tidily resolved.
All in all, I'm pretty conflicted about this title. I was personally a little disappointed, but that won't stop me from recommending it to the teens in my library. I enjoyed it well enough for a fluffy romance, and I suspect I would have liked it a lot more as a teenager.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.