KDramas are probably the most watched genre in my peer group at the moment. This book is perfect for plugging that gap and filling time in Lockdown - but in book form! Fun and easy enough to read. There is some awkward vocabulary which I am not sure is due to original language or translation. I am always keen to recommend authors of East Asian descent for more representation on our bookshelves - try out this book for yourself and enjoy! ❤️

Maybe because the setting is in Korea and everything about it is Korean but reading Just The Two Of Us is like watching a Korean drama. It’s filled with the usual tropes Kdramas have and if you like watching them like I do, you’ll know what I mean. This is an enjoyable read for me especially because I am a big fan of Korean culture and the characters are pretty likeable. Because of my love for Korean culture, I am currently learning their language and I would LOVE to read this book in its original language.

It was hard to read the book at times because of the poor translation. I liked reading the book, but I think I would like it more if the translation was better. It’s not super super bad for me because I understand the basics of the Korean language and it helped me understand things in the book, but it will definitely be confusing for people with zero ideas about the language.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the translation but the POVs were really confusing. It’s not like the usual setting where each chapter is told on one character’s point of view only. It could be like that sometimes but when the characters gather in one place, their personal thoughts and point of views mix and it was really confusing.

Also, that ending?! WHAT the heck. I mean, I understand that it says this one is Book 1 but I didn’t expect it to end with a “to be continued” and a random ending? Like, usually there would be an exciting cliff hanger but for this book, there isn’t.

With all that, I would DEFINITELY need to read the second book because I’m invested with their stories now even though I didn’t like it that much.

I really wanted to like this book - it felt like it had all the makings of a kdrama and I was ready to immerse myself into that world.

Perhaps it was the translation but unfortunately, this book felt slightly too flat for me. The plot lines were very obvious right from the get go. There were no real twists or anything which could’ve improved the story. The ending was also very abrupt. I can’t say I won’t read the next instalment because I’m nosey but it doesn’t excite me!

The best thing about the whole book were the insanely delicious-sounding meals that Yuna makes. I was craving Korean food throughout the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a complimentary copy in exchange for a review.

DNF for me- the writing is really stilted and frankly uncomfortable and difficult to read. It's probably just a bad translation, but I couldn't tolerate it. The character point of view shifted without warning and to random characters, and the exposition was so dumped on the reader that there was no space for nuance.

as a lover of kdramas this book was one i’ve been eager to read. it’s your typical sixteen episode kdrama rolled into a book. stereotypical kdrama characters that you slowly start to relate to and fall in love with. admittedly the plot is kind of predictable but it’s a light fun easy read that once you start you kinda just want to finish to see where it goes.

Absolutely entertaining read, I could not put this book down. Yeah there seemed to be a few problems in translation (originally written in Korean) but if you can overcome it(and it’s worth doing) this is a really lovely story, with great characters , I think a lot of people didn’t appreciate this as it’s quite like a Korean drama and if you’re not used to the, it might be a bit confusing, but this is full of drama, full cast of quirky characters and most of all novel about family, perseverance, and love.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Reading this book feels like watching a mediocre kdrama. But that's not necessarily bad, as banality can help you kill time. Except this book is too stereotypically mediocre and boring.
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The plot has used every commonly used tropes in kdrama: siblings being separated, mean wealthy mother-in-law, stoic characters with dark childhood, the one doctor that is a jerk but is also a genius. The progression of the story gives you no surprise either: you know the whole plot and how the story will progress after max.3 chapters. Cute child? He will either die or get very sick. A lady whose child went missing 30 years ago got a familiar vibe from a man? That's her child.
I actually don't really mind if the plot is too predictive. When it's executed well I can still enjoy the writing. But the writing is bland like oatmeal cooked with only water. That's really a shame for the book: though very formulaic, the side characters have their own personalities and the family dramas look pretty fun.
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I don't want to get started with the medical aspect of the book (I have so much to rant I can make a separate essay for it lol). It simply sucks and physically hurts to read. The main character is a traditional genius doctor that happens to be a jerk. But the point is, you can't be a good doctor when you don't listen to your patients. Doctors really are not the kings in a hospital, collaboration is so important. But in this book, nurses and other health professionals are reduced to people who make coffee. Also, why are the doctors are male? As a medical student I had so many question marks when I was reading this book.
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That being said, I'm not going to blacklist the sequel. I might want to read it when I want a bland oatmeal to get through the day.

I have a lot of different feeling about this book. The writing in this book is very poorly at times but I do not know if it is due to poor translation (the book is originally written in Korean) or the book is poorly written to begin with. This is especially a problem in the beginning of the books where it is objectively really bad at times. I think it did get better further in, but I am not sure if is because I got used to it or if it actually got better. I was however not a fan about the changing in POV. At times the perspective changed to the POV of random people, and I thought that it did not really add anything to the story.

I thought it was pretty sad to see one star review from people who did not really read much of the books. Also saw people saying that it was very easy to figure out who a person was in the book, but I do think you are supposed to figure it out. The set up is more we know the “mystery”, but we can see how the people in the book deals with it while we know. Personally, when I got into the story, I really enjoyed it. I liked the couple and it kept me engaged because I wanted to see them together. The character did deal with a lot of childhood traumas throughout the story and how they dealt with it together.

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book and I immediately picked up book two because I needed to know the ending of the story. So, I really enjoyed reading it even if I can see that it has flaws. If you think the story sounds interesting, I think you definitely should give it a chance but be prepared for the writing is very flawed at times. I finished this book yesterday and I am already read through 70 % of book two.

Just the Two of Us Book 1 is the first book in the story of Soohyuk and Yuna. It’s a great book for a light read but it is one of those books that leaves you hanging for a happy ever after until the next book. So, if you don’t mind getting the happy ever after right away, this book is great. Unfortunately, I like to have everything in one book so waiting for the next book is frustrating! But it will be worth the wait I am sure.

When I read the premise of this book, I was excited about it because it sounded like exactly my type of read.
After reading it, I am not quite sure if there were things that might've gone lost in translation (the way some words were translated just didn't make sense in English or western culture) or if I'm just too unfamiliar with Korean culture.

I just felt like there was a thread missing throughout this book. I never knew where it was going and when I was done with it I still wasn't quite sure what happened. I also didn't realize there was a sequel coming so I didn't love the cliffhanger.
It all felt like it was happening on one note. It all felt like it all had the same level of excitement and drama no matter what was happening and I couldn't find myself connecting with any of the characters.

I just can't tell if this book is simply not for me or something has gotten lost during translation or isn't relatable for western audiences.

Just the Two of Us by Ryu Hyang is a rom-com Korean drama centering about two people who complement each other despite the opposites they stand on; a stoic, eccentric pediatrician named Soohyuk and a loveable blogging chef named Yuna.

While the language issues are distracting, the story is pretty bad too.
It starts out extremely slowly and isn't particularly well-developed.

I had a difficult time with this book. The characters were supposed to be so unlikeable but you couldn't help admiring them a little bit anyway. The issue for me was the writing. I'm not sure if it's because it was a translation but it was not easy to get lost in the story. There's no other way for me to describe it other than the sentences seemed curt, forced. It just wasn't for me.

I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

📖 "Just The Two Of Us (Book 1)" by #RyuHyang (Translation by @poppypubus)

⚠️TW: Trauma Related Content.

🩺 Soohyuk Cha is a Pediatric Emergency Doctor living in the US when an incident occurs that becomes the deciding factor in his decision to take up a 2 year residency in his homeland Korea to seek out answers.. Answers to who his birth parents were? Why can he not remember anything past a certain age? Why did they give him up? Not to mention he needed to escape the guilt his adoptive mother had been trying to make up for after he was subject to abuse by his adoptive father.

🍳 Yuna is a Small Restaurant Owner whose business specializes in Boxed Lunch deliveries. She was orphaned early in her childhood and experienced a major trauma that caused her to suffer from severe social anxiety and PTSD making her unable to be in confined spaces or around people, specifically men. She spends most of her time either in her small shop preparing the meals to be delivered or helping her brother & sister in law care for her nephew.

🥢 The story has a gang of supporting characters that give the novel a multidimensional feel as the writer takes you into the mind of every character so you get a complete understanding of what is going on within the many layers of the story and the mystery surrounding Soohyuk's past.

🇰🇷 The book reads like a Korean Drama so if you enjoyed KDramas like "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" - THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

❕The book does end on a cliffhanger but lucky for you, BOOK 2 in the Series is dropping MARCH 9, 2021.

I am very confused about this book.
When I read the premise, I was so excited for it because it sounded so very lovely.
After reading it, I am not quite sure if there were things that might've gone lost in translation or if I'm just too unfamiliar with Korean culture (then again, I do watch Kdrama from time to time).

I just felt like there was a red thread missing throughout this book. I never knew where it was going and when I was done with it I still wasn't quite sure what happened. It all felt like it was happening on one note.
Grocery shopping, hospital emergencies, romance - it all felt like it had the same level of excitement and drama and I couldn't find myself falling in love with the characters or... connect with them even.

At this point, I am quite unsure if that's because this book is simply not for me or - as I said - something has gotten lost during translation or isn't quite relatable for western audiences.

I liked the two main characters in this book. The internal monologues were well written. Felt like some of the description could have done with being reduced down a bit and replaced with more action.

DNF page 9.

There are some issues with the translation.

I'm giving 3 stars as I don't feel I've read enough to properly judge a rating and you can't review without the rating.

This book really wasn't for me. I thought the "cheating" at the beginning was a strange scenario, and when that was followed by a drop that he was working 3 days straight because of a school shooting I decided this book wasn't for me

This really is my fault, I keep on trying contemporary romance expecting to like it and thought maybe a Korean one would be my thing since I love k-drama. But no. Not my thing.

Ok so I understand that our hero is supposed to be this brooding, sexy doctor type, but unfortunately, he just came across as extremely rude and misogynistic. I understand the effects of a horrible childhood, I really do, but that doesn't give you the right to be an asshole, at the end of the day you are still accountable for your actions, not your childhood. I found the relationship and the development between the two characters to be very flat and awkward. This story had heaps of potential, however, it missed it in the execution. It was a nice story at points but was just overshadowed by everything else going on.

I received a digital ARC (advanced reader copy) from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but the story was really slow and the plot didn't always make sense. Right off the bat, I had trouble understanding the prologue and the first couple of chapters since many of the characters are unnamed. I also had a really hard time visualizing the scene while reading because the places had names like 'H Hospital' and were never really described. The author tends to tell the reader what is happening instead of showing the reader what is happening. Overall, the book kind of reads like a screenplay instead of a novel

The male main character is a thoroughly unlikable doctor. I read about 75% of the book and he did not seem to have any redeeming qualities. I would have stopped reading earlier if it wasn't an ARC. His personality and the medical inaccuracies made the hospital scenes difficult to enjoy. The only redeeming part of this book is the female main character and her family. Although the characters don't have much depth, I thought the family scenes were heartwarming.

If this hadn't been an ARC, I would have DNF'ed it a long time ago... probably around 5%. I won't be doing a long review because honestly, I spent way too much time on this book even though I hated it and I just want to forget about it to move on to better things! Now, if you've seen a few reviews of this book, you'll know that it has huge problems of translation/writing but even if the translation had been perfect, I don't think it would have been a great read either way. If you're like me and expect an enjoyable romance standalone by looking at that cover, change your expectations. If you enjoyed reading this book though, I'm glad for you. You must stronger than me since this was a chore from beginning to end. Sorry.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)