Let me start by when I first read and reviewed this it was 2021 and it was not disclosed that there would be a sequel. The ending left me very annoyed. There is now a second book which I haven’t read but I’m hoping that Haras story is explained and she becomes slightly more of a likable character because she was so hard to want to like.

I DNF'd this book at the 20% mark. I was super hopeful, but right from the start, I found the narrator to be whiney and immature, and the tropes tired.

On the one hand, there were aspects of this story that I liked (especially the bits about Seoul, as it made me want to go on a trip there one day). And there were some emotional moments, including some sections worthy of a K-drama. But on the other, I got frustrated with our main character a number of times and felt a bit whiplash with the story itself. Also, it’s not a romance (to me), and is more of a women’s fiction read.

Heart and Seoul was a lovely and introspective story of finding one's self and love along that journey. Ari mentions how this reads a lot like a k-drama with tons of dramatic moments, so if you love k-dramas, this is definitely for you. The exploration of the Korean culture felt so authentic and I loved that I got to learn so much about South Korea through this book.

The romance is also adorable. Hara and her love interest (who I very much pictured as Gong Yoo BECAUSE WHY THE HECK NOT????) had really good chemistry. Their relationship is not an easy one and by the end of this book they are facing a major roadblock in their relationship, but it's also obvious that there's more to come (which there is and the sequel is now out).

I look forward to reading the next one as soon as it's my turn at the library!

Audiobook narration: I enjoyed Greta's narration and thought she really understood Hara!

A compelling women's fiction novel with romantic elements from a favorite author, Jen Frederick. I loved the story of Hara going to Korea to discover more about her birth family there after her adoptive father dies. This was a great book full of dramatic moments and a exploration of Korean culture.

I really enjoyed this sweet story of a girl traveling to Seoul to find her roots. I'd classify this book as the perfect intro to Korean culture. If you are a kdrama watcher like me you'll be familiar with a lot of the key concepts (language, food etc) introduced in this book. I enjoyed this story of self-discovery and romance nevertheless and can't wait to read the second book Seoulmates. Thank you Netgalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the story line. It was a bit of suspense, with romance, and women's fiction. The author definitely had a great way of keeping you reading because we all needed to know how it was going to end up, and I will obviously be reading book two of this series. I enjoyed the storyline but honestly the MC was not my jam. However, I did really enjoy the way the author wrote the MC's journey of figuring out who she is, and how her identity and culture have shaped her.

This book was a miss for me. This was more Women's Fiction drama than a romcom as it was marketed. I read the followup to get the HEA. I don't think I am the right audience. This book is perfect for Kdrama lovers.

When Hara Wilson has the opportunity to go to Seoul in search of her birth parents, she is unexpectedly thrown into a whirlwind romance and the drama of the search for her true biological mother, things seem to go awry and unexpected. But as Hara navigates Seoul, she finds herself in a bit of conundrum, unsure about who she truly is.

I gave Heart and Seoul 3.5 stars, finding that the story and plotline was just something that didn’t make me very interested. I found that Hara, for someone who is 25 years old was rather immature and that some of her actions were rather questionable throughout the book. Her thoughts and her actions seemed like something that would have been perfect for a teenager in high school. Although she was in a foreign country searching for her biological parents, she was too childlike and I wasn’t really invested on Hara as I thought I would.

I loved that Hara was really determined to find her birth parents in order to truly find out where she came from. As an Asian American, she’s always felt different and I wholeheartedly agree with the way she felt. The need to travel to Seoul was understandable. But, for a 25 year old traveling alone, this book wrote as if she were an 18 year old just about to go to college and discovering another country. I gave this 3.5 stars because the premise was fascinating and I enjoyed some aspects of it, but unfortunately, her level of immaturity was too much and I just was not a fan of the way she acted.

Could this have been a better written book with stronger plot? Of course. And if Hara acted like a 25 year old and not like she was still a teenager, I would have enjoyed it more. Truly throughout the whole book I was expecting her to go back home to start college until I read the synopsis when writing this review and discovered she was in her mid 20s. I would have liked to enjoy this book a lot more, but unfortunately did not.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Berkley Books for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Let me preface this by saying I intentionally didn't read "Heart&Seoul" even after receiving an ARC for it. (Sorry Berkley & Jen 😭) I heard about the devastating cliffhanger that I knew I had to wait and boy was I glad I did. My heart would not have been able to take it.

First of all I want to say kudos to Jen for creating such a raw character like Hara. She jumped out of the pages and really grew into her own through the course of these books. My heart burst for her as she truly discovered who she was despite having to navigate an unfamiliar world coupled with struggling with her path to self identity.

I don't want to give much away for anyone who hasn't read either books but YUJUN. Like if you've ever watched a Kdrama where the hero is determined to do everything he can to be with the heroine - then you know what I mean. He was steadfast, loyal and downright the sweetest when it came to his love for Hara. He made me melt, swoon and fan myself!

This book was more than just a love story, it's about how family isn't what your born into but one you make. It's about loving yourself before you can let anyone else in. It's about finding who you are and loving the person you've become.

A este libro llegué porque después de leer la sinopsis dije: de aquí soy porque se ve muy romántico. Sin embargo, no esperaba terminar con el corazón chiquito.

Heart and Seoul nos cuenta la historia de Hara, una mujer coreana quien fue adoptada por una familia estadounidense desde pequeña, por lo que siempre ha experimentado problemas para sentirse parte de la cultura coreana pero también de la cultura estadounidense. Sin embargo, cuando su vida empieza a dar giros inesperados decide ir a Corea en busca de sus raíces.

La travesía de Hara es algo inimaginable, sinceramente esta historia está llena de giros, unos cuantos un poco predecibles, otros no tanto, pero todos llenos de emoción y expectativa. Tener la oportunidad de evidenciar el desarrollo de la historia, de conocer los personajes y ser testigo de lo que cada uno brinda a la vida de Hara hicieron que disfrutara este libro un montón.

A lo largo de la historia podemos observar cómo Hara va aprendiendo de una cultura que no conocía mucho por haberse negado en el pasado a aprender de ella, y a la vez, su crecimiento como persona y el impacto que las personas que la rodean han tenido en ella. Y definitivamente, fue inevitable no caer rendida por Yujun, un personaje dulce y romántico que le da un toque precioso a la historia.

HEART & SEOUL follows Hara Wilson, a Korean adoptee who flies to S. Korea searching for her birth parents. While this book is marketed as a Romance novel (and part of it is), it’s mainly focused on Hara’s journey in Seoul and the unexpected ups and downs that come with her first visit to her birth country.

I loved following Hara’s footsteps as she experienced Seoul for the first time. Frederick does an incredible job capturing modern Korea, from the crowded streets, the never-ending amount of fried chicken shops and cafes on every block (honestly), the extraordinarily fashionable and polished citizens of Seoul, the subway, the endless supply of small shops, all of it. So many passages from HEART & SEOUL had my heart yearning to return to my motherland.

It was also fun to see Hara navigate the city with her limited Korean and learn about our weird customs and cultures. Frederick reminded me of all that I love about Korea: the food, the people, the bustling streets. But also the parts of our culture that I’m not so proud of, the stigma around adoption and single-parenthood, sexism, class division, our obsession with everything western, and the dangerous beauty standards. But she handles it with care and compassion. That is until the latter parts of the book.

Things take a wild turn. What was to be a book about Hara’s quest of finding her birth parents abruptly becomes an over-the-top, eye-rolling Korean soap opera (what Koreans call 막장 drama) with unbelievable tortuous plots that had me pissed off. Did the author go on a K-drama binge while writing the last parts of the book? I AM SO MAD. Yet, I will still dive right into the sequel, SEOULMATES,

This book is the first of two books in a duology telling the story of Hara, a Korean American adoptee, journeying to Seoul to not only find herself. What she finds is friendships, a love for Korea, and a forbidden love.

This book will make you laugh and cry and feel so much joy! It was so amazing to read Hara’s journey of finding herself, learning to break free from her past pressures, and opening herself to a wildly different future than she ever had planned.

I don’t want to give much away, but I just adored this book. Can't wait to read book 2!

HEART AND SEOUL is a beautiful story of self-discovery. There was so much more than just romance to Hara and Yujun's story, which felt fitting for the style and message of the overall book. I can't wait to read the second book in this duology -- SEOULMATES -- and see how the story finally concludes!

I loved Hara and Yujun’s story. There was romance, but so much more too. It was about finding your place in the world, and being true to yourself. So, not a straight out romance, but they did fall in love and have me rooting for them. I cannot wait for their story to play out in book two, as I am on the edge of my seat wanting their HEA!

I had high hopes for this book, but this one just didn't work out for me. Thank for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am going to be honest, if I didn't know there was a sequel on the way, I would be fuming about the direction this book took. It was not the romance I believed it was going to be, nor was it light and fluffy. Rather, it was a woman's journey to finding her roots with the hope of finding herself.

Hara felt "othered" her whole life. Being one of very few Asians in her community, she was also a trans-racial adoptee. Her adoptive mother attempted to help Hara explore her culture, but she refused to partake after being made fun of for being different, and her mother gave up.

I had high hopes for Hara when she embarked on a trip to South Korea to meet her birth father. Let's just say things did not go as planned. I saw one of the twists coming, but the other was quite a surprise. Well played, Jen Frederick. My heart ached at the end of this book, but I am very hopeful that Seoulmates will give me a resolution I will love, or at least that I could live with.

This was a sometimes painful journey, but it was also beautiful in many ways. I look forward to continuing this story and to see Hara find what she was searching for.

I really enjoyed Heart & Seoul - I couldn’t put it down. Honestly, the worst part of the book was the ending, but I just saw that there is second book about Hara (out in 2022) I also don’t know if I’d consider this a Romance book - I definitely would have classified this as Women’s Fiction. Adopted Hara decides to travel to Seoul, Korea to find her birth parents. Hara has never quite felt like she fit in with her white family in Iowa. While she literally walks off the plane and straight into the man of her dreams when she gets to Seoul, the journey she takes to find her birth parents is gut wrenching. If you’re not looking for a traditional romance, you should check this out. If you’re like me and don’t speak any Korean, I highly recommend the audiobook - it’s well done.

Heart and Seoul was so fun to read. I have been to Korea and it was my favorite trip of all time. Reading Heart and Seoul put me right back where I was. Gave me all of the kdrama meet cute feels and I really enjoyed it. However, think Crash Landing on You, not One Spring Night.