I really wanted to love this book since both the synopsis and cover seemed interesting to me, but I ended up being very disappointed. It's so boring and bland! I don't give out too many "negative" reviews, because I always want to find the good in a story, but this was just not for me. The only reason why I didn't finish it, was because I kindly was send an eARC. I couldn't really connect to the main characters at all.

<b> Thank you to NetGalley and the author for kindly providing me with an eArc, in return for an honest review. </b>

honestly, i feel like people either really like this book or hate it. and, i honestly didn't like it. i mean, i feel like the characters were just annoying and just so unlikeable. and also how they talked about how the main male character was talking to someone, so like the male character calls this girl a slut cause she gets in his way and then she calls him an orphan, and it was just so uncomfortable and weird and so unnecessary. and then there was just so much drama and like petty middle school crap, like pulling hair and slapping and just so much petty crap.

and yeah, this might have just been lost in translation, but everything about this book was bad, like the writing and the dialogue. and also how the male character referred to people as sluts and even a cheap porn star. and the tone and the writing was just so misogynistic and i hated this book so much. and he also was a cheater, but it just got to be annoying after a while.

I read some reviews on Goodreads about this book. Some are good and some are bad. So I decided to give it a chance despite my gut feeling was telling me that I'm not gonna like it. And I only got to read 4% and I had to put it down. I instantly hated all the characters that was introduced till then. Ugh! I can't bring myself to like that guy, Matt I think who's the main male character? Gah! Whatever. He was cheated on by whomever that girl was because he didn't even define his relationship with that girl. All he was thinking about was hygiene. 🙄🙄🙄

This was such a fun and amazing book! It really started off the series with a bang! I am already looking for the next book. I absolutely fell in love with these characters and this story. This is truly a love story.!

Matt our hero is a Korean child who was brought up in America with an abusive step father. Still he made good of himself and became a successful pediatrician. But while being very scrupulous at his job, he comes of as cold and callous to other people. He comes to Seoul for a two year stint in hopes of finding his birth parents and meets Yuna, who has a local shop for lunchboxes.
She is very close to her family especially her nephew Minjoon whom Matt mistakes for her son at first. Like Matt, or as he is known in Korea, Soohyuk, she had to deal with a trauma that still affects her and her relationships to others. These two slowly gravitate towards each other overcoming their childhood traumas, and soothing both their souls along the way. They need to overcome some miscommunications mainly due to Matt's poor language skills. We are often explained that his Korean tends to slip into vulgar expressions or lack of manners without him realizing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It felt like watching a Korean daily drama with a lot of makjang (melodrama), serendipity, Korean cuisine and heartfelt backstories. But also somewhat predictable plot trajectories and Korean drama staples like the nasty mother in law. I am not sure how the book lands itself to people with no cultural background.

Thank you to NetGalley and POPPYPUB for ARC which I received in return for an honest review.

This is going to be very hard for me to review, because I am somewhat confused. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this book. Is it me? Is it the book?

I was drawn to this one with the cute cover, the synopsis sounded TERRIFIC, and I just had to have it. But as soon as I started reading I was kind of shocked by the writing itself. I am still slightly intrigued... is the writing and the way characters talk a cultural thing? Is it the translation? How can an immediate disconnect like this happen to me?

To be quite honest I was frustrated with all the cursing and the directness of the main character. At the very start, our main character exchanges words with the woman living in his apartment, him calling her a slut, and she calling him a damn orphan!? The conversation felt so unnatural, so uncomfortable. And don't get me wrong, I love an arrogant dude who can hold a great conversation and even a bickering session, but this felt unnecessary.

I would have put the book down immediately if Yuna wasn't introduced. She was cute and quirky and kind and funny. I liked her voice, I loved everything about her.

But somewhere half into the book, everyone starting being a drama queen. A lot of 'HOW DARE YOUS'' and a lot of slapping and even pulling of hair wow! I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into. I think this may have been a shock for me, and having not expecting all the drama I was startled.

The book did have its funny or cute moments. I really enjoyed reading about Yuna's cooking, how Dr. Cha worked, the cases in the hospital. The setting was great...It was so promising!

Towards the end, I was starting to get used to it, tho unfortunately it wasn't an enjoyable read.

I will read Book 2 now, in hopes that it's a more fun experience.

It may be due to the translation, but the dialogue is just so bad. I can’t read this. Also I really don’t like that he referred to a woman as a “cheap porn star.” The tone felt very misogynistic and instantly made me hate the main character, and feel sympathy for the cheater. Like, I don’t condone cheating but igi girl, he seems awful. DNF.

Give me more!!!!! I loved this book, do you hear me, LOVED. I cannot wait to read more. The concept was perfect, the cover was so cute, and knowing that there is more to come just warms my heart.

I unfortunately struggled reading this and I had to DNF it. I think it was the dialogue I couldn't get on with and found myself rereading sentences or flicking back to remind myself of what happened. I felt like I had to concentrate too much on how to read the book rather than follow the story. I have heard amazing things though which I amglad. Unfortunately it was me this time.

Rating: 3 Stars

I was really excited about this book but it just didn't hit the mark for me, unfortunately. I had issues with the writing style and the characters. It was ok. I would still definitely try out other books by this author though.

I want to see if the writing improves or I don't know, just something improved.

This took me sometime to finish because I really struggled with the writing or rather the way the book was translated. There were also POVs in this book that just got me confused, I feel some POVs were unnecessary.

I did enjoy this one because Soohyuk and Yuna together just screams KDRAMA romance, honestly they were adorable. I am always a sucker for the grump and sunshine couples, and this is the perfect description for the two. Both had experienced trauma when they were younger but I loved seeing them outgrew that individually and together, and I loved how they learned to open up and trust each other. Honestly, their journey was great. Sometimes I had a hard time connecting with Soohyuk honestly. I guess I read this book with too much expectation to love him being a doctor and all but unfortunately I sometimes find his character bit boring.
Aside from these two, we also see Yuna’s family and I absolutely love them. They were so supportive, caring, and loving of her and honestly just parents being parents.

All in all, as a huge fan of KDRAMAs, I still enjoyed the romance despite the book ending in such a cliffhanger (to be fair I was not aware that this was not a standalone haha). This was a perfect weekend read as it got to make me laugh and relax while reading it!

I heard about this book from my sister and then it was a read now on netgalley, so I figured why not. One thing to know about this book is its originally written in Korean, so the translation from Korean to English can be a little hard to read/understand at times. Even with that you still get the gish of the story and the slow burn romance.
Matt aka Soohyuk is the first man charter we meet. He’s a successful doctor in the United States but he decides to go to his birth country of Korea as an exchange doctor. Soohyuk comes off as very standoffish and him learning a new language doesn’t help him come off as less standoff. Part of the reason he is the way he is, is from childhood trauma. Our female lead Yuna also has some childhood trauma of her own. That’s part of the reason she acts the way she does. She’s also an amazing cook and aunt. She’s very much all about her family. The romance is very slow,
slow burn. I’m talking they don’t even
kiss until the books almost over and
even then it’s more of a peck.
There are other characters who have
their one point of views but I honestly
found myself not looking forward to
their POV’s. The transitions between
our two main characters and the other
POV’s could be very rocky sometimes.
Overall I though it was a pretty good
read and it has a lot of set up/
background information for the
following book or books. If you’re
looking to broaden your romance
reads you should definitely give
this one a try.

I would like to thank POPPYPUB for the book in exchange for an honest review. The review is up on my blog: https://bookieecookiee.wordpress.com/2021/03/29/a-melodrama-in-a-book-just-the-two-of-us-by-ryu-hyang-book-review/

It was a nice story. Very Kdrama-esque. I enjoyed it, but I do have a few complaints.

The book might have been really good in Korean but it did not work as well after the translation. Quite a few bits about Korean grammar mistakes and commentary did not land well in English, especially since it felt like a literal translation. Language plays a huge part in how things are perceived and some things felt very off in English.

The writing also switched focus on the characters a lot. Even though it was in third person narrative, the writing mainly follows a primary character. But, in order to make the book more three dimensional, occasional p paragraphs are written from the perspective of other characters with NO distinction or warning about perspective switch. It got really confusing. It would switch for a paragraph or two in the middle of a page. It was annoying.

The plot was also not very secretive. I clearly saw the birth mother connection from a mile away. It was obvious and kept reading to see when they'll realize it.

The book kept dragging the scenes a lot and I realized why quite late—it's because this IS NOT A STANDALONE. It cuts off in the middle and will be continued in a sequel. That grated me because it could have been finished in one book.

Overall: I enjoyed it but it should have been a standalone book, and the translation could be better. Also, it's clearly felt that the book is targeted towards Kdrama fans because the scenes are written exactly like how Kdramas work. Books need more details at places and less repetition, but this felt more like a Kdrama plot pitch.

Loved this! It satisfied all of my KDrama needs, but in book form! As with most KDramas this was a little over the top, but it had some really serious and heartwarming elements that I think really added to the reading experience. I'm also very excited to see that this is book 1, I can't wait to see where the story goes!

This book was a little confusing to understand in the beginning but once it gets going it really is a cute romance!

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a fun and cute read! The characters were super well fleshed out and I liked the romance and the topics discussed! Even though I enjoyed my read, I'm not sure I'm interested in reading Book 2.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Poppy Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is one that I feel could translate into a drama very well. Its definitely something I just got invested in no matter what occurred with the characters. I also appreciated all the education I received through all of the cooking and hospital protocols that were presented. Trigger warnings for abuse, rape, blunt language, death, surgery, and familial distress due to pediatric disease. This is a duology so keep that in mind when you read the book because its just going to end at a random point in time. Definitely a slow-burn on every aspect of this book including character development. My only issue I had was with the writing style being so jumbled in perspective and could at moments be dense. However, I think if you're invested, you will finish excited for the next book. 4 out of 5 stars

This was super sweet and fluffy! Unfortunately, the writing frequently pulled me out of the story, which may just be due to the translation. There wasn't a natural flow to the writing for me, so I'm not planning on continuing to the next book.

Matt, or Soohyuk moves from Korea to the US as part of a medical exchange programme, a skilled paediatric specialist - he's in search of his roots, finally ready to try to find his birth parents. He's grouchy, doesn't trust anything someone else has cooked, and only lives for work.

Yuna is a chef who doesn't speak to men. Ever. They terrify her to the point of collapse. Until now, when an awkward Doctor who can't seem to eat anything walks past her restaurant and seems entraced by the food. He needs someone to help him be able to eat, and Yuna seems to be the only person he'll trust.

This was a sweet, slow-burning story about self-discovery, friendship and romance. This was fun and light, but I felt it took a long time for me to find depth to the characters and found them mildly flat through parts. That being said, that's a personal taste and I think maybe the nuance of this story may have been slightly lost in translation.

The ending was very abrupt and sudden, and while I may check out the next one, this ending didn't really leave me dying to know what was happening next.