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A review by heartscontent
Just the Two of Us by Ryu Hyang
3.0
You can find this review of Just the Two of Us on my blog, Heart's Content!
Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This is a difficult book to review. I’m not even sure how to explain what was difficult because I’m not sure I can articulate to my own mind what I found difficult. When I found out that the book was translated there was definitely that little bit that I had to set aside in my mind. But then again, I didn’t particularly have an issue with the writing in itself. It was translated well enough and yes, there may be lots lost in translation but I think for the most part, the translation was comfortable enough.
The largest staggering spots for me with the book was perhaps the style, mostly because I wasn’t used to it in books. Usually books are written in first person, second, or third or alternate between characters in any one of these three styles. However, in Just the Two of Us, the narration was as it would be on television. Within a scene, many people appear on screen taking turns expressing their feelings/thoughts. That’s kind of how it is in JtToU; meaning within a paragraph, the POVs jumps among the characters interacting on page. But I find it hard to blame the writing for this because if this is a writing style that’s normal for the original language that the book was written in, then I can’t judge it for that. So I can only say, this style was personally very disorienting for me because I wasn’t used to it and hindered with my progress.
I loved the details. It truly was like watching a Korean Drama show. There was slow but steady progress with the characters and there were many things happening around both the protagonists and many other characters who are a part of the book in the story. The characters were true to their personalities steadily throughout. Soohyuk was difficult in the beginning and difficult at times even towards the end. What was redeemable about him was how we come to understand how his personality was forged and how he slowly breaks out of the shell. Yuna was a sweet heroine, brave and gentle. Like with Soohyuk, Yuna too slowly reveals herself and finds her own as the book progresses.
A big benefit for the book was that this isn’t a standalone which means the author took their time to let the characters find themselves slowly and just at the cusp of their understanding oneself and one another, the setting for book two was created.
I’m hovering on a slightly more neutral rating, because I struggled as much as I liked the book. 2.5-3 stars.
Happy reading and stay safe!
Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This is a difficult book to review. I’m not even sure how to explain what was difficult because I’m not sure I can articulate to my own mind what I found difficult. When I found out that the book was translated there was definitely that little bit that I had to set aside in my mind. But then again, I didn’t particularly have an issue with the writing in itself. It was translated well enough and yes, there may be lots lost in translation but I think for the most part, the translation was comfortable enough.
The largest staggering spots for me with the book was perhaps the style, mostly because I wasn’t used to it in books. Usually books are written in first person, second, or third or alternate between characters in any one of these three styles. However, in Just the Two of Us, the narration was as it would be on television. Within a scene, many people appear on screen taking turns expressing their feelings/thoughts. That’s kind of how it is in JtToU; meaning within a paragraph, the POVs jumps among the characters interacting on page. But I find it hard to blame the writing for this because if this is a writing style that’s normal for the original language that the book was written in, then I can’t judge it for that. So I can only say, this style was personally very disorienting for me because I wasn’t used to it and hindered with my progress.
I loved the details. It truly was like watching a Korean Drama show. There was slow but steady progress with the characters and there were many things happening around both the protagonists and many other characters who are a part of the book in the story. The characters were true to their personalities steadily throughout. Soohyuk was difficult in the beginning and difficult at times even towards the end. What was redeemable about him was how we come to understand how his personality was forged and how he slowly breaks out of the shell. Yuna was a sweet heroine, brave and gentle. Like with Soohyuk, Yuna too slowly reveals herself and finds her own as the book progresses.
A big benefit for the book was that this isn’t a standalone which means the author took their time to let the characters find themselves slowly and just at the cusp of their understanding oneself and one another, the setting for book two was created.
I’m hovering on a slightly more neutral rating, because I struggled as much as I liked the book. 2.5-3 stars.
Happy reading and stay safe!