Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, super cute and fast read. The couples were adorable and the story was cute.

Calling all K-drama and K-pop lovers: go read XOXO now!

So we’ve all heard of K-pop at this point. The K-pop genre is known globally now and, even if it’s largely associated with big-name groups like BTS and Blackpink, this idea of idols has been catching on. There are TV shows and mobile games that are known globally that revolve around this idea of idols training to become the next big thing. And of course, there are also novels about the K-pop and idol experience. One such novel is XOXO by Axie Oh.

For anyone who maybe hasn’t heard of the book just yet, let me give you a quick breakdown. Our main character is a cello prodigy named Jenny whose big goal is to get into a prestigious music conservatory but her plan is turned upside down when she meets Jaewoo one night in LA. Right as she’s letting down her walls and rethinking things, he disappears. Some months later she moves to South Korea and meets Jaewoo at an elite arts school where she finds out that he’s a member of a popular K-pop group. K-pop idols are forbidden from dating and thus start their adventures of navigating their feelings and responsibilities.

Alright, so maybe that doesn’t sound like the big K-pop deep dive that I was hyping but let me say it’s even better than that. This novel is a tightly packed ride with plenty of romance, drama, self-exploration, and emotional twists from start to finish! It feels a lot like a Kdrama in spirit and it keeps you turning the pages long after you’d planned to sleep.

There are a lot of characters to dig into and get to know throughout the novel but of course, the standouts are Jenny and Jaewoo and their story. The exploration of the K-pop industry and the pressures of being an idol are a large part of what stuck with me after finishing the novel.

As a fan of idols and the community surrounding them, and as a general nerd with an interest in how media affects perception, I’ve always been fascinated by the strict curation of image and branding that comes along with the idol title. My journey into idol communities started with mobile games and animes about idols but these franchises, while they do give an interesting perspective and critique on some of the harsh realities of idol life, tend to not always be the most grounded in reality. Between foreign prince characters hailing from fictional countries and strange manner of speech which more closely resembles the monologues from classical Russian fiction, it can be hard to take anything said about the idol industry seriously and lots of details are just glossed over. For example, the very well-known no dating rule amongst idols is hardly ever brought up in the media I’ve consumed because they need to make these characters (and the possibility of a relationship with them) sellable.

XOXO on the other hand doesn’t cut corners with the truth of things. Of course, it is a fictional novel so it’s hard to say that absolutely everything is realistic about it, but the author does go out of her way to show that there are a lot of struggles with being an idol, especially a popular one. For example, Jeawoo isn’t even allowed to have a phone which isn’t monitored and his group’s schedule is packed so tight that the concept of free time doesn’t exist for them.

One of my favorite scenes by far is a discussion between the characters about mental health and idol life. Mental health is something that needs to be discussed much more openly in general and to see this tackled alongside something as glamorized as the idol lifestyle was eye-opening. There’s a lot of the novel and its plot that wasn’t always realistic but it was scenes like this that helped to make the reader feel a deep emotional connection with the story.

And of course, there’s much more that the novel explores. There’s a large cast of characters and the connections between them all are central to the story. Jenny’s struggles are related to those of her friends around her as well as her mother and grandmother. The setting and descriptions of South Korea are so immersive and magical, that the love and care that went into portraying the culture can be felt.

All in all, XOXO is a bit like a fairytale in how it leaves the reader feeling at the end. For all the struggles that characters went through there is a happy ending to be found and you can’t help rooting for everyone. From struggles of identity and career to the struggles of finding love and friendships despite the obstacles, this novel is nothing short of an emotional masterpiece. This novel is a love letter to the struggles of young adulthood and the hope that can be hope in between it all with the added spice of K-pop idols and life in the entertainment industry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This is such a fun and captivating contemporary read! I loved every moment with these characters. The relationship dynamics make this truly addicting.

My Thoughts:
This is the perfect summer read, no thinking necessary, just enjoy the ride as these two high schoolers in an elite performing arts school in Seoul Korea live out their K-pop lives. Jenny is a Korean American from Los Angeles who is a serious concert cellist. She is technically flawless but she is missing the soul and passion that will take her to the next level.

Jaewoo is a BTS style K Pop star. Their group has recently debuted and he has a lot of rules to follow as part of the K Pop boy band machine. He cannot bring scandal to his family or to his group by being in a relationship. But then he meets Jenny as he is hiding in the dark in a private karaoke room that is managed by Jenny's uncle.

This story is deliciously unrealistic and saccharine. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, there is too much reality and drama happening around us. Why not escape for a bit. Everyone deserves a little escape and this is it.

From the Publisher:
Jenny’s never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk. A modern forbidden romance wrapped in the glamorous and exclusive world of K-pop, XOXO is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Maurene Goo.

Jenny didn’t get to be an award-winning, classically trained cellist without choosing practice over fun. That is, until the night she meets Jaewoo. Mysterious, handsome, and just a little bit tormented, Jaewoo is exactly the kind of distraction Jenny would normally avoid. And yet, she finds herself pulled into spending an unforgettable evening wandering Los Angeles with him on the night before his flight home to South Korea.

With Jaewoo an ocean away, there’s no use in dreaming of what could have been. But when Jenny and her mother move to Seoul to take care of her ailing grandmother, who does she meet at the elite arts academy she’s just been accepted to? Jaewoo.

Finding the dreamy stranger who swept you off your feet in your homeroom is one thing, but Jaewoo isn’t just any student. Turns out, Jaewoo is a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world. And like most K-pop idols, Jaewoo is strictly forbidden from dating anyone.

When a relationship means not only jeopardizing her place at her dream music school but also endangering everything Jaewoo’s worked for, Jenny has to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love. XOXO is a new romance that proves chasing your dreams doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your heart, from acclaimed author Axie Oh.

Author: Axie Oh

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication date: July 13, 2021

<i>"I'm saying, people do strange things to protect their hearts. But when you're afraid, your heart is closed and it's never the right time but when your heart is open, and you're willing to be brave enough to take a chance, the time is always right."</i>

TL;DR: A well-written,super (but not overly) sweet contemporary romance about a teenage girl who unknowingly meets and falls in like with a K-Pop star, before moving from LA to Seoul to spend a semester abroad, where she reconnects with him.
By all accounts, I SHOULD NOT LIKE THIS BOOK. And yet I do. I loved it. I couldn't put it down. More below, but I think this is a testament to Axie Oh's writing style and character development and the way she draws you in, like a Nora Ephron of contemporary, Korean rom-coms.
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. </b></i>

Vibes: Your middle-school TigerBeat Boy-Band dreams come true, but make it K-Pop.
(C'mon. Most of us had that fantasy where we'd "run into" [insert 90s heart-throb] on the street and we'd be "so different" that they'd fall for us. This is THAT, in book form.)

Genre: True-YA Contemporary Romance
*Definitely True-YA, as there is a lot of angsty-teen-first-love as well as some high-school drama.

Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤
Axie Oh scaffolds some other subplots in -- but this is, first and foremost, a romance.

Character MVP: Sori, the resident misunderstood-mean-girl-turned-BFF-because-underneath-she's-a-marshmallow. Actually got A LOT of Veronica Mars vibes from her...once popular girl because of her familys connections, but after a scandal, she becomes a high school pariah and intentionally distances herself from everyone around her to protect herself.

Verdict: As I mentioned above, I SHOULD NOT HAVE LOVED THIS BOOK AS MUCH AS I DID.
I definitely preferred [book:The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea|56978100], and I do wonder if, I had read this book first, I might not have read it. (I don't think so, but it's hard to tell.) I prefer the storytelling and lyrical prose style and lush fairy-tale vibes of TGWFBtS -- in general, I prefer fairy tale / fantasy to contemporary romance -- but Axie Oh will probably become an auto-buy author for me.

XOXO wasn't a perfect story -- in fact, it ticked a lot of my quirks -- but, in the end, I just didn't mind. I really, really enjoyed it. It's a great fluffy-feel-good read, a 90's high school romcom in the vein of <i>10 Things I Hate About You</i> in book-form.

For instance:
✖️ -- Time passed really quickly, and weirdly. We'd just skip over months at a time or important events just to move the story along. We go from November to March in the blink of an eye, and once Oh establishes Jenny's schedule at SAA, we don't spend much time in the school or classes again.
Normally, this irritates me; here, not so much.

✖️ -- Jenny's mom felt *really* flat, and the secondary characters come and go as is convenient. For example, much is made over Jenny going to visit her grandmother and establish a relationship with her, and then she just...kinda vanishes from the story. Same with Mean Girl Jina and Creepy Ian (more on him in a bit). They play pivotal roles in the story, and then just fade into the background...And yeah. I get that her mom is a busy lawyer, but we don't get those big moments that you'd expect. She's absent from most of the book and seems to just serve a stock placeholder role as "oppositional force."
Normally, this irritates me; here, not so much.

✖️ -- Creepy Ian. He pops up near the beginning of the story and then is absent until one other scene in the back half. I *understand* his role: (1) establish Jenny as That Girl (who all the guys seem to like /gravitate towards) and (2) denigrate K-Pop music as "lesser" and inferior to other types of music, specifically classical music here. So I get his function and the role he's supposed to play within the story, and I don't necessarily disagree with it, especially the latter part. I'm assuming this may be something Axie Oh has encountered before -- and it's true of many things that we "fangirl" over; they tend to be dismissed as trivial and "lesser" and are often used as a way of denigrating and debasing fangirls -- but I just didn't like Ian's character, or his creepiness. The romantic interest I think was the part I could have done without.

So I know that seems like I'm criticizing a lot -- and normally, for another book that didn't have other strengths -- that would be what I focus on. But my point is that I saw all those things and just didn't care.

I thought the romance that Axie Oh told was sweet and cute and engaging. Her characters are, for the most part and even if they fade into the background, well drawn and differentiated and fleshed out. Like...what happened with Gi Taek's pseudo-eating-disorder? Did he overcome it? Get help? Realize he needed to bulk up instead? Gain self-confidence when he got friends? I have questions because I cared about the secondary characters too.

I also really enjoyed the Seoul setting, and reading about the K-pop culture/industry. Its something I'm aware of existing, but I don't know much about it nor do I listen to the music much. But the boyband "industry" was fascinating to read about, if not a little heartbreakingly sad. Fan culture seems to be different in Seoul than in America, which is also engaging to think about...

A strong read, despite things that normally make me twitch. Will definitely be reading more of Axie Oh's work.

This book was a fun coming of age romance. If readers want something entertaining and sweet this is a great option.

Let me just start off by saying that the cover of this novel is one of the best of 2021 hands down. Sadly the content's inside did not live up to the cover in my personal opinion. This is an author I'll be reaching for again but I do not foresee myself reading this novel again.

K-Pop is a popular topic of YA literature lately ... and with good reason! The energy that K-Pop brings to the music scene and the droves of fans it amasses ensures that any book about the industry is going to be highly entertaining and engrossing. Axie Oh's new novel XOXO, which features a cello prodigy who unsuspectingly falls for a K-Pop idol, is no exception. This book is fresh, bold, and exciting, and is a delight to read.

Jenny, a teenage master at the cello, has big plans to attend a distinguished music school for college, but fate has other things in mind for her before she achieves that goal ... mainly by way of JaeWoo, the most attractive guy Jenny has ever seen. When she kicks him out of her uncle's karaoke bar for loitering, she has no idea that their paths will cross again later that evening and that they will spend an amazing night together in Los Angeles. Nor does she know that months down the line, she will run into JaeWoo again when Jenny and her mom temporarily relocate to South Korea to care for Jenny's grandmother. But most jaw-dropping of all, Jenny has no idea that JaeWoo is a mega K-Pop star. Yes, she has literally fallen for one of the biggest names in K-Pop, and it appears the attraction is mutual. The only problem? K-Pop stars are not allowed to date? Can Jenny and JaeWoo keep their relationship a secret? Or will their clandestine love affair be the next big K-Pop scandal?

If you are a K-Pop fan or have any interest in learning more about the genre that has taken the music industry by storm, then XOXO is a must-read for you! Axie Oh infiltrates this adorable love story with tons of K-Pop references and information about the Korean culture in general, making for a satisfying read that educates as much as it entertains. Korean food? Yep, it's in here and it sounds delicious. Korean "year ages" (something I knew nothing about before reading this book)? Yes, that's discussed too! Korean beauty products? Axie Oh has got you! And K-Pop? K-Pop is everything and it is everywhere! Prepare to be dazzled by both the very public and very secret lives of Korea's hottest stars.

Axie Oh's XOXO is recommended to readers who loved Lyla Lee's I'll Be the One. Both books cover the K-Pop industry in great detail, and feature strong, talented female leads.

This book was so SWEEEET!! I knew going into it that I would love the kpop aspect as an avid kpop fan for the past several years and this did not disappoint.

I thought that the pacing was well done and I never found myself bored.
Not to mention the romance was so cute and I found myself smiling a lot throughout this book.

I can't wait to read more by Axie Oh !

You can't help falling in love with this book! Fantastic read! A great addition to your library’s collection. This Own Voice book has broad appeal, it’s quick read, and it captures readers from the beginning. A very swoon worthy read! Plus, KPop! I’m not a KPop fan nor am I familiar with Korean Dramas, but I know that in itself can sell this book to reluctant readers. I’m really surprised this book is not making the rounds on BookTok – at least from what I’ve seen. I have and will continue to recommend XOXO by Axie Oh to young adult readers of all ages. I look forward to more young adult novels from Axie Oh.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

Delightful and fast-paced, this sweet teen romance novel grabs readers by the hand, pulling us along on the journey of a cellist to study music in Seoul. We enter the world of a performing arts school, where K-pop trainees and idols come of age. How can talented artists in a relationship balance demanding schedules with their longing to be together? And how does this work when one person is a K-pop idol, trying to avoid the paparazzi?

At Jenny’s first encounter with Jaewoo, she hears him sing in her uncle’s karaoke bar, and realizes that,
“After all, a true musician doesn’t just perform a song but makes you feel something. And it’s clear with how my heart aches from the memory and the music, he has the spark.”

Very cute and sweet romance! The portrayal of Kpop idols and secret dating wasn't too unrealistic. If you enjoy Kpop or Kdramas, this one is a perfect, quick read!

I have read a few K-Pop infused ya books this year. It definitely is trendy. But this one blew them all out of the water for me!

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of XOXO!

From the beginning of the story we get the mystery surrounding our male lead and the hardworking nature of our female lead. They both are reaching for their goals, while falling for each other in such a sweet way.

I loved that a large part of this story takes place in South Korea - I feel like I didn’t know that going into the book. The story has such a strong sense of place which I loved.

I would definitely recommend this to my K-pop or YA lovers. A sweet story with great pacing and and enjoyable conclusion.


Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4 Stars

This was SO. STINKING. CUTE! I can’t even count the number of times this book had me grinning like a total fool. I ended up listening to the audiobook at work and was totally sucked into it. I listened to it all throughout my shift and the minute my work day was done, I picked up my kindle and finished reading the eARC. I just needed to know what happened right away.

I loved getting these glimpses of Korean and K-Pop culture, and honestly learned a lot that I didn’t know before picking up the book. I also loved that the main character developed such strong friendships while she was in Korea and that the focus of the book wasn’t solely her romance with Jaewoo.

The only reason this was 4 stars instead of five for me was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and anti-climactic to me. There was all of this tension building and then it was rushed. Jenny never really resolved things with her mother, I felt like there were things left unfinished with her grandmother, and the resolution with Jaewoo, while sweet, was a bit cheesy and seemed too easy.

I hope that we get more of these characters and would love to see some of the other XOXO band members get their own stories. I loved Nathan and definitely want to learn more about him.

This was such a cute book and I loved it so much! All of the main characters were so great. I really loved the development of everyone's relationships. I loved their little crew and wanted to be a part of them. I totally wanted to eat all of the Korean foods they mentioned and to go to Seoul so bad! If you love all things Korean this is the book for you :D

What a cute story! I was so excited to read this. I had never read a romance revolving around a k-pop idol and I was obsessed. It was so fun to follow Jenny go from being a studious LA high school student to breaking out of her shell during her adventures to South Korea for a semester abroad. I swooned when Jaewoo and Jenny had their moments and felt for them when his stardom got in the way. I loved the relationships Jenny had with the other band members and the friends she made in South Korea. Closer to the end of the book I did start to check how many more pages were left where the story could have been tighten a bit more or I wanted more from the characters but I still really enjoyed this. It's a super cute and fun read.

This book was so good! If you like kdramas or kpop then this is the book for you. I loved this book and read it super fast. I think anyone can enjoy this book

I absolutely loved this book! Wonderful, engaging, romantic—I didn't want it to end, and my only complaint is I wish it was a little longer. :D