Titles: XOXO
Author: Axie Oh
Genre: Romance, Young Adult
Published: 2021
Rating: 5/5
Trigger Warning: racism, homophobia, bullying, character being outed, cultural appropriation.
BLURB
Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word. Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating. When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love. (add on goodreads)
THOUGHTS
As a K-Pop fangirl, all I have to say is I lived my dream through this book. A dream of meeting my favorite idols, to attend highschool with them and attend their concerts. *wow* it was easily one of my favorites of this year.
I fell in love with the MCs as soon as I started reading. The only reason I picked up this book was because it mentioned Romcom and K-Pop on it. I went into it blindly as I always do. But, let me tell you it was way more than that. This book was about family values, friends who become our family and gave a lot of information about the cultural values of Korea. I got a tiny glimpse of the lives of immigrants and read the thoughts of family they left behind. The main female character Jenny was a Korean who had never been to Korea and the way she was excited to visit her homeland for the first time and meet her halmoni (grandmother) was so heartwarming. This book made my heart flutter and eyes tear at the same time.
People do strange things to protect their hearts. But when you’re afraid, your heart is closed, and it’s never the right time, but when your heart is open, and you’re willing to be brave enough to take a chance, the time is always right
The plot of the book was so realistic. It was something I could easily see happening in a K-Pop idol’s daily life. When you are into K-pop you get used to these rumors and everything. But to read it happen and to know the exact behind the scenes of what happens to idols and their lives. even if it was a fictional book, it felt so real. I personally imagined it happening to some members of my favorite bands. If you are someone who is into Korean dramas, you will be able to imagine this entire book with background music and everything. *hahaha* And, if you are not into Korean dramas this book will definitely make you want to watch them. Even though the characters were young and wild, they had so much wisdom put into them. I could see when life throws a lot at you, you become so much more mature than you are expected to be.
I loved the way the author was thorough about every detail in the book. She described every hardship a K-Pop trainee / idol goes through during and after debut. The way she described both LA and Korea was so atmospheric. It made me want to visit both the countries sooner than I was planning to.
Because the people who live for tomorrow don’t take risks. They’re afraid of the consequences. while the people who live for today have nothing to lose, so they fight tooth and nail. I’m saying that maybe you should stop caring so much about your future, about getting into music school, about what’ll come after, and . . . live a little. Have new experiences, make new friends. I promise you can get the life you want now, if you just live in it.
Other than amazing characters, extremely cute scenes and amazing tropes.. this book had a lot of wisdom and amazing amazing quotes. If you are looking for a fast paced romcom with super cute characters and something with Asian backdrop. This is it. Stop looking further.
have you read this book? what are you currently reading?
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Pages And Quotes 