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.
Review: XOXO by Axie Oh
Monday, 19 July 2021
I am unapologetically a K-Pop fan.
I am also quite obviously a YA book fan.
It was always pretty obvious I was going to devour this book, and boy did I. I finished this book in a matter of hours, because I was so engrossed in my two worlds colliding that I just couldn't help but want more more more of it.
Look, XOXO was never going to be the deepest read. Any sort of YA book with teenage superstars always ends up superficial, reading like a Disney Channel Original Movie. That's okay though, because that's what this genre is about and I love it. For me, XOXO read just like a cheesy Korean Drama, complete with the wrist grabs and the swoony leads and the background friends who always seem to be the characters that I like the most.
I really love Jenny, she was a fun character to read, though she did come across as too perfect at times and I wish that she had just done something wrong somewhere in the book. Jaewoo has all the depth of a K-Drama hero, which is to say not a lot. It's okay though because he had the romantic lines and somehow that made him acceptable.
As far as the background characters go it was a bit of hit and miss. I liked Angela and Gi Taek, I really like Nathaniel and Sori - I wish their story had an ending because at times I was more invested in that than Jenny and Jaewoo. That being said, there were some characters that simply didn't seem to find their place in the story. Ian, for example, shows up towards the start of the book then turns up for like a blink of an eye later on but doesn't really contribute anything definitive to the book.
As for the story, I actually have to say that I did enjoy it solely for the fact that I love hallyu culture, so that aspect of it got me. That being said, I'm not sure how I would have felt had I not been a k-pop fan, as the story didn't seem to throw much out in the way of conflict or drama.
Overall, XOXO was a fun read personally, as it combined two of my loves. That being said, I can admit that the story and characters were sometimes shallow and I don't think it's going to stand out as memorable for me.
Book released 13th July 2021 by Harper Teen
Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review
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