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.

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!

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.

I get this book by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review, so here we go.

I requested this book because it felt like an lighthearted love story and it was, is a story of grumpy but amazing pediatric doctor who finds himself "charmed" by a chef who fears men, which somehow intrigue him and wants to know more about her.

I don't watch K-dramas but I watch turkish stories which aren't the same but some are adapted from K-dramas, and this gave me so much K-dramas vibes that I feel like I need to go and watch some dramas.

The story felt so "easy" and quick to read, and I said "easy" because I feel like the story could be victim of their translation, which makes the story a bit hard to follow, but it doesn't mean that the story per-self is slow, but need a better translation.


I recommend this story if you have a soft spot for k.dramas and love stories.


I want to know this story ends.

My thanks to NetGalley and POPPYPUB for an eARC copy of this to read and review.

I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. It's translated from Korean and takes place mainly in Korea. I have never been to Korea and don't know much about the culture and like to try to read books that expand my horizons, however this just didn't work for me. I had to DNF at 18%. I didn't like the H and the translation seems like it might need some more work.

It is stated multiple times that the H uses crude/non-polite forms of speech, but American English doesn't have a polite and casual form of speech, at least, not to the extent that other languages do, so the H doesn't come across as crude and vulgar, just as a bit brisk and rude.

Also, a lot of the word choices seems off and I just couldn't immerse myself into the story. I wanted to, but I wasn't able to do so. It was too clunky for me, it didn't flow.

That being said, I am not against reading books in translation, but another book I had tried to read that was a translation from the Spanish also confused me, so maybe it's just me and I need to learn the culture of a place before I can understand the fiction that comes from there.

With the understanding that this is all quite possibly from a reader who may not comprehend the culture appropriately, but who WANTS to and isn't negative towards it, I am rating the book on how well I enjoyed it.

2, it might be me or it could be the translation, stars.

If anyone has any recommendations, I would welcome them. Thanks and while this book didn't work for me, it may work very well for other readers and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest it to someone looking for something different in the contemporary romance genre.

I thought this was a book that would be like everything else I’ve read. I was wrong. Ryu Hyang I can’t wait to read the next book. You did an amazing job.

As I mention in any review for a book that I give a lower rating, I would like to acknowledge that I appreciate any author who has the talent and will to write a full length novel and give it to the world for our reading enjoyment. I love to read, but couldn't conjure up enough writing skills to effectively describe the breakfast I ate this morning. In saying that, I didn't find this book as delightful as I had expected. Now, part of that I believe rests on my shoulders and I shall explain.

Seeing the description for this book, I got excited for a sweet, quirky, mainly fluffy Kdrama to float away in for a while. I have recently watched a few episodes of Kdrama here and there and am quickly becoming a fan. Reading this book, I did indeed get major Kdrama vibes just from the little amount of Kdrama I've seen. That part was not disappointing. A huge hurdle for me was the translation of the book. It made the book harder to get into and I didn't invest myself as much into the story. I understand that part of that would probably translate better if I knew more about the Korean culture and language. A large reoccurring tension builder in the book is how the main character, Soohyuk, speaks in a way that the other main character, Yuna, takes as crass or vulgar language. Instances like that were harder for me to understand as I didn't have a better background of knowledge to pull from. So, the translation was the biggest issue for me in regards to this book in both actual translations of words in meaning and social context.

As for the plot, some of the storylines were a little darker than I expected. I had an inkling of the background of Yuna, the background of Soohyuk was also more of a given for me, but the plot piece involving Yuna's nephew came out of nowhere for me. It's not to say that I didn't appreciate the effect and point the situation was trying to convey, but I was just expecting a lighter read I guess with some sadder bits thrown in here and there. The book was also left open for another installment so be ready for an abrupt cliffhanger of an ending. I guess that's why it says Book 1 on the front cover.

On a completely positive note, I did like the descriptions in the book about the food Yuna makes. Those parts were calming to me for some reason. All of the food sounded delicious. Ultimately, this book was harder for me to fully invest in because the translation provided clunky wording or an inability on my part to understand the context of what was being described. However, I did for the most part like the overall plot and development of the main characters and even the supporting ones. I give this book 2 out of 5 kalbi patties. They sounded rather tasty in the story.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Soohyuk moves to Korea hoping to find his birth parents. A doctor working in pediatric surgery, he isn’t known for being the friendliest, he’s there to work. In Korea he meets Yuna, a woman with her own quirks and history who begins feeding him.

This two-book story had a cute premise, but unfortunately fell a little flat for me. Some of the language was awkward, but that may be due to translation (I didn’t realize this book was first published in Korean). It feels a little slow and awkward at times and is fairly predictable. It did bother me that it ended so abruptly, but luckily I already have a copy of part 2 so I don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens next. Overall, I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped to. That being said, those who more regularly enjoy kdramas might love this one and I will still give book 2 a shot.

Thank you to POPPYPUB and NetGalley for the digital copies of this book in exchange for an honest review. Just The Two of Us Book 1 is available now.

This book had a lot of promise, it seemed like it would be super dramatic and amazing BUT I ended up DNF because the writing just wasn't doing it for me. I couldn't get into the characters, the chaining POVs and I felt the translation wasn't done well.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC