It was addicting and captivating even tho it was a totally cheesy guiltily pleasure book that I didn’t know I needed! The writing had my hooked from the first page!

I don't really read YA romance books to be completely honest but this book had me at Seoul. I'm very new in the whole k-pop thing and I yet have to watch a k-drama but this book spoke to me because I wanted to read something about this.

First off, this book has many Korean cultural references which I can't tell if they're right or wrong so I'm not gonna get into this part. The only thing I can tell you is...damn this made me hungry as hell. I never had Korean food and I really badly wanna try it. Somebody, please take me to a Korean restaurant. There's also references to k-dramas and k-pop (obviously) which people might enjoy in this book.

Okay, now to the story. I don't really have to give a summary because, well, you can read it on the Goodreads page of the book obviously but long story short, we have Merri, who lives with her dad while her mom left them a year ago. She has a boyfriend and a best friend and a friend in Australia (where she had been for 2 months prior to the start of the book). We start with her watching a car drive into the neighbours' driveway and a Korean woman and a younger Korean guy get out of the car and they are in a deep argument and here's where the story starts. Merri doesn't know but we know that he's a k-pop star from the well-known band Thunder and that he's out in hiding for unknown reasons. Those two meet and get to know each other and a lot of shit happens and yeah. That's the main plot of this story.

Now, when I finished this book I was left speechless. Again, I am very new into this k-pop stuff and I don't really know what's going on behind the scenes and how everything works over there. However, if the things happening in this book are legit common things happening to k-pop stars then I'm appaled and sad. I can not believe what they have to go through to be "perfect" for the managers and the fans. This book, again, not sure how legit, gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of a k-pop star and how badly it can make them feel emotionally and mentally. I felt bad for Lee all through the book and I just wanted to hug and protect him. Not to mention, the fans. Crazy is an understatement. Again, not gonna say all the fans are. The author also wrote in her authors note that Lee is loosely based on the events that happened with the guy from SHINee who successfully committed suicide so I sure hope she made proper research to get this accurate.

To end this long ramble, I really enjoyed this book. There wasn't a lot of plot and it was a very easy read but you really just follow the characters and love them and get to know their stories. So, if you like k-pop, Korean culture, k-pop/k-drama references and cute, fluffy contemporary, you could definitely give this a try. Just be warned about some triggering stuff like suicide attempts, depression and mental health.

TW: Suicide, Suicide Attempts

I think this book stole my Hart and Seoul.

This book was INSANE and had everything I loved. First and foremost, Kpop. Ahh the Kpop. It wasn't an overload of it which in all honesty, surprised me. It was more focused on K-culture not just the music but also the food, dramas (K-Dramas) and Korean culture. Oh and definitely the kimchi!

The story follows Merrilee Hart, a girl who wishes to become an artist against her father's wishes. A year ago, her mother left her and her dad on their own and to cope, Merrilee designs comic strips detailing her everyday life. What she doesn't expect is the arrogant and annoyingly charming nephew of her neighbour moving in next door. As they grow closer, they fall in love with each other however, Lee is keeping a secret. A secret that could change their whole relationship and each other's lives.

I loved everything about this book. I was so hooked on it I avoided my homework for about 2 days just to finish it because I was THAT addicted. I must admit, Lee, Bree and Luke were the characters that made me ridiculously addicted. Lee was arrogant and sarcastic and an absolute sweetheart. I loved him so much. I think that his love for Merrilee might've increased really quickly but it wasn't increased too quickly to annoy me. Merrilee was definitely a complex character and the stuff she went through with her so-called "friend" and "boyfriend" were so low I felt so sorry for her. In terms of her voice, it didn't really do much to me. Her voice wasn't that much different from other stories however, I still enjoyed reading from her perspective.

Now, let me talk about the worst characters in the world: Bree and Luke. I HATED them with a passion. As in, they've done something I would never ever ever forgive. But I must admit, they totally deserve each other with how cruel each of them are. Out of the two of them, Bree was the real demon. What she did at the start of the book and the end of the book made me want to literally strangle her. She was written so well that she seemed so real. The things she did seemed real it was terrifying. It felt like the situation she created was something any normal person could've potentially gone through.

It was really past page 100 when the real issues surrounding the Kpop industry came to light. The industry is really corrupt, there's sometimes abuse, starvation, depression, anxiety and even suicide. The situation and treatment of these idols is getting better but a lot still needs to be done. This book was written after SHINee's Jonghyun's successful suicide attempt which really shone a light on mental health in the Kpop industry. The author of this book herself mentioned this in her author's note at the back of the book. Mental health played a major part in this book especially when Lee was talking about the things he has been through. I won't go into this for spoiler reasons. The book also talked about plastic surgery in relation to being a Kpop idol. It didn't go super deep and dark about it but I really felt for the character who had to go through it.

Let's just say I felt a lot whilst reading this. I definitely got a lot of feels. I 100% need the sequel ASAP!

Copy given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

ACTUAL RATING: 4.8 STARS

This was a cute read that I enjoyed, especially all things K-Pop lol. It was enjoyable, wholesome and fun, and those who love/are curious about all things K-Pop will come to love (or at least like) as well.

This is a quick and light hearted read. It wasn’t for me - I absolutely know nothing about K pop. I think younger teens who are more familiar with it would enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet story about love and heartbreak. Merilee “Meri” has just returned from her summer vacation when she meets her neighbors nephew, who has come for an unexpected visit. Lee is an angry, private Korean boy and Meri is immediately infuriated by his rudeness. Meri is just fine ignoring his existence, content to return to school with her best friend and her boyfriend. That is until Meri catches them kissing. Finding herself as sullen sand angry as Lee, they form an unexpected friendship which begins to blossom into something more. Pretty soon Meri discovers that Lee is more than just a simple Korean boy, he is a favored member of an insanely popular K-pop boy band known worldwide.

At first I struggled with this book. Lee felt very stereotypical and the depiction was not very flattering to the Korean culture. Some of that does lessen as Meri gets to know Lee better. Additionally, Lee was a somewhat flat character early on but did fill out a bit later. I wish we could have seen a reunion scene but I’ll be hopeful to see more in later books.


Trigger warnings- mental illness and mental health are large focuses of this book.

It was a bit too immature for my taste. And I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning but it soon picked up and I started enjoying it.
It was a easy read.

At 256 pages this was an extremely quick read. While it was fun and fast paced it was also glaringly predictable. Within the first chapter I basically had the entire book plotted out. Every single "twist" was known well in advance and it kind of made reading less enjoyable. I never really got excited over what I was reading because it was all so obvious. Everything happened exactly as you would expect it too, which is a good and bad thing. Bad because it makes it a tad bit boring, but good because you get exactly what you signed up for: A fluffy YA romance novel with occasional Korean culture.

That leads me into one of my favorite parts of this book, the Korean culture! I feel like I learned a lot of new things about Korean culture, food, and music. I enjoyed diving into the world of K-Pop and Kimchi, and I appreciate how much research the author did to make this more informative for people who have little to no knowledge of Korean culture.

Aside from the overall predictability, the only thing I disliked about this book was the ending. I felt like this big topic was discussed for about 5 seconds, and then almost just brushed under the rug? I feel like the author had a real opportunity to discuss a very important societal topic, but didn't... I noticed there is a second book in production, which hopefully means it will be further discussed.

Overall this would be a book I recommend to fans of K-Dramas and K-Pop, or to anyone looking for a quick and quirky YA novel.

I will take a stand here and say, I love k-dramas. So when I got approved for a copy of this book, there was much squealing.

This story was such a quick, enjoyable read. I spent most of my time giggling over the escapades of Merri and Lee. Their dynamic was so adorable. For the most part, things were light and fluffy, perfect for a weekend read.

However, there were some darker notes in this read as well. Which has things to say about mental health and the k-pop industry. All of which influences the characters but somehow the story remains this magical little romantic comedy in most places.

There were times in this read when things got too predictable and the side characters were a little flat and generic. They were mostly used to move the two main characters along and create very trope-like situations. But they still had me loving every minute of the k-drama type contemporary.

I found this book very adorable and giddy - and yes a bit ove the top sometimes.
I really liked it, i know that there are issues that they don't talk that much about korean culture and keep saying deh, aigoo and more and i really disliked the kpop-star for a while, but he kind of grew on me. But i also got used to it, because honestly? it felt like a k-drama just in bookform, and k-dramas are supposed to be wierd, adorable, over-the top sometimes. But nontheless. I liked it :)

I could not get into this story. I love, love, love, kdramas and Chinese dramas, and I assumed this would be close to that. It honestly fell short for me. I like the idea of a kpop star moving in next door. A hot kpop Star at that. The writing just seemed a bit too immature.

Do you like Kpop, Kdramas? Do you fantasize “What would it be like to meet a kpop member or a korean actor. Not as a celebrity, but as a person I can greet across the street?”. Yes?, you’ll love this one, get.it.right.now. If you are still reading this instead of squealing while getting a copy of this book, you are probably hoping I’ll tell more about the romance and story in general:

Merilee Hart is a teenager living with her father, escaping reality and her life troubles through art. One day, she meets the nephew of her next door neighbor. Their first encounter starts off on the wrong foot. As both of them struggle to deal with their personal life’s circumstances, they become close and learn to lean on each other. With some bumps and twists along the road, their sweet and innocent love begins to bloom.

The story was entertaining. I never get tired of lighthearted romance with all of its clichés and typical plots (shoujo manga readers are well used to this). Fair warning, it can feel like a fan fiction at times. It might make you cringe if your experienced heart and brain can’t handle it. It has dialogue bits in Korean and many references to their culture, but I’m not well-versed in Korean affairs, just general knowledge, so I can’t say much about it. I’m pretty sure that any K-fan would love to indulge in this romantic story between a Kpop star and an ordinary girl.

A bit silly. A bit cliché. Maybe a bit of a guilty pleasure. That said, it wasn't too bad but had room for a multitude of improvements.

I'm definitely bias, and I will not apologize, I will only shove this to everyone and shout "REEEADDDD IIIIITTT!!!!" 🥰

Recommended: YESSSSS
For accurate and hilarious cultural misunderstandings, for anyone who loves Korean entertainment (kpop, k dramas...), for a lighthearted and entertaining read!

Thoughts:
Oh my GOD, was this just a fangirl's heaven. It's a lot more than that, too, but man if you like Korean entertainment and young adult novels, this is the book you never knew you were missing.

I'm in a somewhat unique position, I think, of having experience actually living in Korea. That's relatively common for Americans, but maybe not Americans my age. So I had a lot of moments reading this where Merri is completely baffled or insulted by something Lee does (*snicker* SHE CALLS HIM LEE) and I can see both side of the situation. I get why Lee is doing it, and I get why Merri is baffled. It's like I'm in on the secret and get to watch with double enjoyment!

Even without that experience, though, this book is really funny. I feel like anyone could pick it up and get right into it. It was written with the deliberate intention to filter everything through how Merri would understand it, which is how most Americans would understand it as well.

The romance was somewhat whirlwind-y, which is pretty standard for a young adult novel. Everything happens within a few months, so the pace is rather quick. The wrap up is predictable but sweet, so I'm not mad.

My favorite aspect is how Burnham embraces so many tropes of Korean entertainment and fandom and slides them in with a cheeky self-aware grin. It's positively delightful, and made me want to rewatch Boys Over Flowers - I'm just not sure my heart can take it!

This is a five-star read for me because of the intensely critical personal connections I have in common with it. However, I still think it will be delightful and fun for anyone who picks it up. Also, can we PLEASE get more books in this niche?! I have Korean tv and Korean music, but no Korean books!! (I gotta get back to learning that...)

Thanks to NetGalley and Mascot Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was AMAZING!! The best part was the ability to live vicariously through Merri and pretend to have a relationship with a k-pop star (I mean, with Lai Guanlin in real life though). Their relationship was SO cute, and this book really gave it all. I laughed and I cried, and it was one of the best emotional rollercoasters I've been on. ;)
I particularly loved how he called Merri "Christmas" and the scene where she described him driving. My friend was literally describing how they drove in Korea right before I read this book, so that scene definitely stood out to me--it was so accurate!
If you like k-dramas, and Wicked Fox by Kat Cho, or I Believe in A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, you DEFINITELY need to check this one out. You won't regret it!

I tried several times reading this book. I love the premise and the Korean culture added in. But I just couldn’t make it through more than a few chapters.

I think this book fell a bit short for me, the characters were lacking and the storyline didn't keep my interest unfortunately. I wouldn't recommend it.

I'll be the first to say I don't know anything about K-pop but a lot of my friends are super into it so picking up a YA featuring a K-pop star felt like a good start! This was a very sweet read, and exactly what I was looking for at the time: fun, quick, and engaging. While I can't speak to the representation of K-pop or Korean culture at all, the depression and anxiety plotlines felt as grounded as the rest of the book, if a little lightly treated at times. I would absolutely pass this recommendation on to my K-pop friends!

Hart & Seoul shouldn't have worked for me; I am by no means the target audience. But I loved it, it's lighthearted and fun and I really cared about the characters. I rarely reread but I'd turn to this fi6r a pick me up any time.

I have been trying to finish this book for about a month. I have dropped and picked this book up quite a few times. I think it’s about time to call it quits and DNF. I did like the idea of the book, but the execution wasn’t very good for me.