When I tell you I screamed when I got notified that I was approved to read an ARC of this book, I am not joking.

It is/was one of my MOST anticipated books of 2022. And let me tell you something: It did NOT disappoint. Would I have liked it a smidge better if the characters had been a little bit older? Yes. Did it check all the awww boxes? Also yes. This book brought joy to my stressed out heart.

Everyone knows that I enjoy reading a love story where it's Famous Person x Non-Famous Person. Don't know why, but it brings me great joy, so this one being that EXACT SAME TROPE but PLUS the fact that it had K-Pop Idols, and childhood friends to more? YESSSS please give me more.

I felt a little stressed out about the fact that the only reason Robbie came to see Elena in the first place was so that they could be a guinea pig for someone else? I didn't much care for that. But I liked how genuine Robbie was once Elena started calling him out on his fakeness.

I loved getting to see some of the fun side of the K-Pop. Some of the interactions that the characters had with each other. It was giving me RUN BTS vibes. Or In The Soop... Or literally any video where they're doing fun things together.

I loved the strong friendships that this book had, especially the girls supporting girls. Sooyeon was amazing, and I liked that she wasn't catty and petty and just plain mean like a lot of the girls usually are in stories like this. I loved Josie and how she was always there to support Elena.

10 out of 10 would recommend if you're looking for a fast, fun, K-Pop-y kind of read, with an absolutely G O R G E O U S cover.

I will be S P R I N T I N G to the store to get this book when it drops on May 17th, 2022 to add it to my physical collection (and considering I pretty much only do digital e-books and audiobooks anymore, that's saying something)

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC!

*Review will be live on my blog on 1-27-2022 a link to my blog will be added below.
**Review will be submitted to Amazon on the release date 5-17-2022, and I will update with a link to that review when it gets approved.

Netgalley approved me for this gem and I am over the moon!

REVIEW TIME!

Reasons to read: childhood friends reuniting except one is a famous K-pop idol and OMG

I only recently became obsessed with K-pop thanks to a Blackpink reaction video and now I'm devouring anything having to do with K-pop! Let's be honest, I'm on the older spectrum, but I do enjoy a good YA contemporary as it does make this 80-year-old woman feel young again. Jk, I'm not 80, but someday's I feel like I am. I digress...

Before Robbie moved to Korea, he and Elena made a promise to attend prom together. Years later, that promise is the last thing on Elena's mind. She's bust volunteering at her local community center and raising money to keep it going, so when Robbie knocks on her door one afternoon, she's flabbergasted for more reasons than one. One is Robbie is a famous idol in one of the most popular K-pop bands around. His attitude is different and she's initially put off; they have drifted apart over the years and their prom promise was nearly forgotten. But the more Elena starts to get to know Robbie again, the more she sees the old Robbie coming through.

The things I loved:

I adore that Elena is not initially starstruck by Robbie and it makes for some serious tension when she grows to love the man he's become and vice versa. She's focused on the things she cares for and doesn't let anything deter her from her goals. It was fun seeing her loosen her grip on controlling the things that cannot control.

Robbie and Elena's relationship is slow-burn and not as rushed as most YA novels.

Can I take a second to gush over Robbie's bandmates? They are all so kind and unique and added such a fun element to the story.

Some quick issues I had:

I felt like Robbie's POV was thrown in last second and didn't add much depth to the story; it would have been fine without it.

The lack of communication and repeated conflicts felt redundant. I felt like I was in the Twilight zone when the same thing that had just happened, happened again and I'm like, at this point, why isn't Elana asking more questions and communicating better instead of jumping to just assuming she's being used or wronged? She had some woe-is-me moments that took me out of the book and I began to lose my connection with her.

Overall, this was a cute and fun read and will be an amazing addition to your bookshelves.

Once Upon a K-Prom ARC Review

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Title: Once Upon a K-Prom
Author: Kat Cho
Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: May 17, 2022

TL;DR: This is a definite must-read. I loved it.

Let’s get my initial opinions out on the table. I absolutely loved this book. It was so good. The characters were so relatable and the plat was highly engaging. I liked the writing style as it did a great job of not making the teenagers seem like real teenagers and the romance was so adorable. We must also acknowledge that the cover is gorgeous. Definity read it!

With that out of the way I suppose I should endeavor to get to the proper part of the review. So when I first saw the cover and title for this book I was intrigued. When I read the description I knew I was hooked. I have been seriously loving books about K-pop idols recently, I have a whole post about it, and this book seemed like another interesting way of approaching the topic. I was so intrigued by the idea of an idol asking his childhood best friend to prom that I had to know how it turned out.

It turns out that it happened in the most entertaining way possible. This was an amazing childhood friends-to-lovers story that was so infuriatingly relatable. I do not want to tell you guys how much I related to Elena at times and how much at other times I wanted to smack her for being so difficult. That is how you know the main character is well written, you love and hate them at the same time. Also, Robbie is doing his best to make me forget how terrible boys are in real life and enforce how awesome book boys are. Their chemistry was to die for. Every time we got to a Robbie chapter, you could just feel how sincere and devoted he was to making Elena happy despite all the screw-ups he made along the way.

Go add this book to your TBR right now people. It was wonderful and I wish I could have spent more time with these characters.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Now, reading this book felt like reading a typical rom-com. It definitely gave me K-drama vibes as well. It certainly sounds like a rom-com. A teenage girl opens the door, and her childhood best friend who moved away and became a K-pop star is there to ask her to the prom because of a promise that they made when they were kids. Definitely unrealistic, but still fun to read.
I love how passionate Elena was about the community center. Her feelings about lacking passion, feeling invisible, and the comparisons she would make were totally relatable. I love how Robbie really wanted her to be a part of his world and how she was accepted by his friends. There were scenes between Elena and Robbie that definitely made me want to squeal. I love mutual pining, and it was cute to see how they reconnected. I stayed up late reading because of how invested I got, and I wanted to see how it all turned out.
However, I think that later on, she had the right to be upset after everything that happened. I wish a little more was done, but I do understand that the author had to wrap it up, and the ending does remind me of how a rom-com would resolve things. While I do love rom-coms, it would’ve been nice to really see them talk it out more.
I think the side characters should have been given more depth. There could’ve been more with her friends and her family. It also felt like her best friend’s behavior changed near the end, and while I understand it was to help serve the plot, it felt a little unrealistic based on how we had seen her act. In general, a lot of it seemed to just wrap up pretty quickly.
Overall, I give it a 3.5/4, but rounded up to a 4. It was definitely a cute, fun read that I did enjoy, despite not knowing too much about the K-pop world.

Thanks @netgalley and @katchowrites for the arc!

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Everyone except her seems to know exactly what they want. The only thing she knows is that she has no interest in going to prom. Elena would rather spend her time working to save the community center, the only place that's always made her feel like she belonged. So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi, her childhood best friend, shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is was Robbie Choi. And the only thing she maybe wants more than is for the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven year ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers.The boy she used to love. Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of fans is the last thing Elena wants ...right?

I absolutely loved this book! I really liked getting to know all the characters. They each had something unique and they were all full of personality. I enjoyed Elena's and Robbie's history together and their friendship. Elena and Robbie were very cute together! I felt this book was a great representation of korean culture and the k-pop industry. It really portrayed what k-pop artists go through, the pressure and the haters, especially when it comes to them dating somebody. I loved the bond and closeness between the band members. You could feel their friendship through the pages. I liked how the author gave each member a different personality and included them throughout the story. I also enjoyed the female friendships throughout the book and the growth amongst the characters. I also liked the references to real life k-pop groups.

This book was amazing! If your a fan of k-dramas, k-pop, friends to lovers and celebrity dating tropes, then you will love Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho.

3.5 stars
I was very much looking forward to this because I *loved* the Wicked Fox books by the same author and, while I did enjoy this, it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. We follow Elena whose childhood best friend turned K-pop idol comes back after 7 years to honor his promise to take her to prom. My main issue with this book was that the characters did not act their age. They're supposed to be juniors in high school, but they read more like late middle school/early high school. This is definitely for those reading on the younger end of YA and while it is still enjoyable for older readers, it's hard to take these characters seriously for their ages because they seemed very immature. In addition, our main character was very frustrating for the first half of the book and she eventually grew on me, but she was stubborn past the point of likability for a good bit of the story. I did very much enjoy the K-pop plot line and the immersion into this music culture that Robbie's group offers us. I also really enjoyed the community center that Elena was a part of! This was an enjoyable, light-hearted read overall, though I would recommend it more for younger readers.

Overall rating 3.5/5

The premise of this book got me so excited for it. The idea of a childhood crush keeping his promise to take the main character to prom even though the promise was made 7 years ago and he is now a big time K-pop star living in Korea while she is just an ordinary teenager living in suburban Illinois sounds so cute. And don't get me wrong it was adorable.

There were aspects of the book i really liked. I felt that the characters were written really well, they came off to have their own lives and didn't revolve around just the main characters. I also loved the girl friendships in this book because I am so tired of every girl having to hate each other in a YA book. and also the mention of the community center hit so hard for me, i related to Elena in a heartbeat. When I moved to America my parents both had to get jobs that wouldn't end in time for them to pick me up from school, and we couldn't afford a babysitter since my whole family had just moved, so I went to the community center everyday since they picked us up from school and had awesome teachers do activities with us and play games with us and help us with out homework, and most days it was open till 7pm so my parents didn't have to feel ashamed to bring me there, so having that included in a book was really amazing.
I also felt the book was very fast paced and easy to read, and of course there was a bunch of cute romantic moments throughout the book.

The only real reason I had to take it down to a 3.5/5 is that it read a bit to cliche in some aspects. Elena often felt like she was overlooked, and so much of the stress in her life could have been avoided if she just took a moment to reflect on her actions. Like the idea of kids renting dresses and donating to the community center, I feel like that was such a struggle because everyone thought she was anti-prom, but in reality that could have been fixed so easily with a better written pamphlet? And a lot of her relationships with her family, especially her brother, like I felt bad because Elena quickly assumes shes a no body when in reality nothing has happened to her to be a nobody, and there's a handful of people who have to point out all the ways Elena has wronged them too. It really made me dislike Elena because she had such a woe-is-me attitude about herself., and made her shallow.

So yea overall, its really chessy and cute and I think if it ever got a show or movie based on it, I would 100% in a heartbeat go watch it.

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Once Upon a K-Prom provides a glimpse into the glamorous and intense K-Pop industry while remaining at its core a love story between childhood friends. The book follows Elena, a high school junior who is trying to raise funds for the local children's community center... by asking her fellow classmates to forego their expensive prom season in favor of donations. It's an obviously unpopular opinion among the student body, and now everyone thinks that Elena is anti-prom. Of course, one of the reasons Elena is dedicated to the anti-- I mean, *alterna*-prom initiative (besides the fact that she adores the community center) is because her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi, asked her to prom many years ago as a promise, and he's now a big K-Pop idol who hasn't spoken to her in three or four years, so the one person she wanted to go to prom with isn't even in her life anymore.
...Well...
Suddenly, Robbie himself is knocking on her door and asking her to prom, and Elena gets swept up in his chaotic idol lifestyle--including the very dedicated fans, paparazzi, and managers. What could possibly go wrong?
This was a super cute book! I really enjoyed seeing how the author translated the K-Pop industry onto paper, and even though I'm not very invested in K-Pop groups or idols, I could feel the energy of the very popular entertainers and their loyal fanbase. It was super fun! I'm all over the "peek behind the curtain" storylines with celebrities and popular entertainers. The writing is clearly for younger YA audiences, which I enjoyed as a refreshing break from the older YA and adult books I've been reading. There were some parts where the writing got a bit choppy, but it didn't really detract too much from the actual plot. Speaking of plot: I think it could use some more balancing, ex. Robbie was talking with Elena for more than a few chapters before introducing her to the rest of the group members, and then they were pretty inseparable. It's understandable to not want to overwhelm the reader at first with details like meeting the other four group members, but plot points such as that just needed to be spread out a bit more evenly, in my opinion. I did enjoy the lead-up to the big events, such as the festival, and I liked the build-up of the various subplots, relationships, and storylines. For example: I liked seeing Ethan's reactions to Elena change as the book progressed. Sure, it could have been elaborated upon more, but I'm a strong side character advocate and I'm always of the opinion that they need more screen time! As for the romance: I think it's a very cute childhood-friends-to-lovers with a strong dose of "I got upset that you stopped talking with me and now you need to make it up and oh my God, am I getting a crush on him again?" Ah, lovely. It's kind of dual POV, but Robbie's POV is in third person and it isn't in relation to Elena, but rather in relation to the story and its conflicts, so I'm only going to half-count it. It was nice to see because of plot stuff, but it definitely threw me for a loop to switch from first- to third-person POV. But back to the relationship! I love pining, which Elena does more than a little bit of, so I really can't complain. Robbie has his moments as well! And while I was a little miffed at the characters' actions and responses (especially during the conflict-resolution at the end, which I think was not the greatest apology? Sorry not sorry, it felt rushed and very easily accepted/forgiven), I think the overall ending was adorable and I was overall pleased with my reading experience.
This is a really cheesy, very cute high school romance perfect for younger YA readers! 4 stars.

I buddy read this with a friend. I would love to interview Kat for pop-culturalist.com. Once Upon a K-Prop was adorable. I loved reading about Robbie. It took me awhile to start liking the protagonist.The storyline is compelling!

I loved this book! It was a super cute story. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters. I was rooting for Elena and Robbie the whole time and I was so glad it was a happy ending! It was a quick easy relaxing read. I highly recommend this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

This is so stinkin’ cute! I am so weak for stories about childhood sweethearts. So a boy coming back to town to take his childhood crush to prom because of a promise they made seven years ago? Instant swooning for me!

I also loved how much this reminded me of Axie Oh's ‘XOXO.’ It honestly felt like a spin-off novel and I was just reading about a different member of the K-pop group. I had to keep reminding myself that it's a completely different band and a different story/world altogether! lol.

I loved the banter between the boys, the sweetness between Elana and Robbie, the cute plot of going to prom, and the importance of growing up and discovering what's important in life. This hits all the bases and is definitely a book you will want to pick up!

it was okay!
it seemed more like I was reading a script than a book though. maybe it's the writing style or the plot. Or maybe I'm just not cut out for rom-coms. thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for providing me with an EArc of " ONce upon a K-Prom" in exchange for an honest review

I think that the concept of the book is just not for me. Most of the books where one of the characters is famous just comes off as cringy to me, but that is definitely not the fault of the author. I actually really enjoyed it considering my preferences. I really liked Robbie’s character, and the way that he was portrayed as almost a new person compared to when he was a kid when really he’s still the same but he has to hide. Elena came off as annoying at some parts. The whole boycotting prom thing got to be a little bit much but overall, this was a really cute read and I’m glad that I read it!

“What makes you interesting isn’t any one thing. You so many beautiful things put together.”
🕺🏻
Elena Soo would consider herself invisible if anyone asked. Invisible next to her popular twin brother, ex-best friend cheerleader and former childhood best friend turned K-pop superstar. When Robbie Choi turns up on her doorstep after seven years of not seeing each other to fulfill a childhood promise to attend prom together, Elena is shook. Now she’s getting more attention than she ever thought possible as Robbie doggedly pursues her in front of the world. Just as she starts to let her guard down, Elena realizes Robbie’s motives for asking her to prom may not have been entirely honest. Will she be able to forgive and forget or will she fade back into obscurity?
💃🏻
This YA book was 🔥 I seriously cannot wait to get it in my school library! I will be recommending this one constantly. Fans of K-pop, Jenny Han’s books, and BFFs to lovers trope will adore this book releasing in May!

CW: blood, hospitalization, parental death from a car accident

This was such a cute, fun read that I devoured in a few short hours. Once upon a K-Prom tells the story of Elena, a regular highschool girl, whose estranged childhood best friend and K-Pop icon Robbie, turns up at her door and asks her to prom. So begins their journey in rekindling their friendship, developing into a delightful friends to lovers storyline amidst the chaos of K-Pop icon fame and highschool life.
The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because Robbie did sometimes frustrate me with how little he communicated with Elena. Sometimes he went days without texting her back while she just worried and got into her own head, and that didn’t sit well with me.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick, cute read that made me smile.

Making good on a promise they made when they were 10, Elena's childhood best friend shows up at her house, camera crew and all, to ask her to prom. Robbie is now part of a world famous K-Pop group and the two haven't spoken in a number of years.

I really enjoyed how absolutely out of touch and lost Robbie seems for the first half of the book, despite living a celebrity life and having multiple advisers, he doesn't understand why someone he hasn't seen or talked to in years is not over joyed to go to prom with him.

I did think the motivations for Elena's character did not suit with how old she is supposed to be. This read a lot like a plot fora Disney TV show episode, but did not make Elena seem like a real teenager, at best she read as someone that is in such an upper class neighbourhood/high school that she's not easily relatable, but if that were accurate her community centre motivation does not match.

Cute and cheesy. But that’s kinda the point of RomComs, right?

There wasn’t much that really set this apart from any other book like this. It’s predictable, the plot was a little “meh” once you find out what’s happening behind the scenes. But I still enjoyed this book and the characters, and once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.

I think a part of us all can heavily relate to Elena’s character. She comes from a big family, she’s a twin, her best friend moved to the other side of the world when they were both very young. I’ve never read about a more relatable character in a contemporary YA romance story. What I loved most was seeing Elena mend all her strained relationships with her family and those she’s held at arm’s length—and seeing that our own hurt feelings can easily blind us from the bigger picture.

This story brought back so many memories and nostalgia of my teenage, teenie-bopper years. I know next to nothing about K-pop, but it was nice to see this genre of music getting some attention in literature when every other focuses on the same old recycled American boy bands.

The only reason I gave this 4/5 stars is because of the change in POVs…It isn’t often when I see first-POV being alternated with third-POV, and I found that a bit off-putting. Granted you don’t have a whole lot chapters in Robbie’s POV. Still, I don’t understand why the author chose to write his chapters this way when it could’ve been just as well in strictly first-POV.

I've read other books with the childhood bff - turned pop sensation trope before, but this was the first time I'd read one with a kpop twist, and it was very cute.

This definitely had a positive spin on being a kpop idol and didn't dwell too much on the negatives of being a celebrity. Overall, a very lighthearted and fun read.

It did feel like it was a bit too long without giving balanced focus on everything (e.g. Elena's relationship with her siblings, especially her brother).

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

What would you do if the world's biggest K-pop star asked you to prom? Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon, this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school.

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing - she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that's always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants - even if she can't stop thinking about Robbie's smile...right?

*Spoiler free, 4.5 stars*

Having read and really liked Wicked Fox, I knew that Kat could seriously write romance, and was very eager to see what how she would write a contemporary! Plus, a book about a girl who reunites with her childhood best friend, who is now an international kpop star, when he invites her to prom sounded freaking incredible.

I completely adored this book.

It's completely adorable and full of fluffy wonderfulness. It feels like a hug in the best possible way. Seriously, I know that it's common sentiment to call books adorable, but this book is ADORABLE. It stars two dorks and there is so much mutual pining and so much feeling between them that it practically seeps off them. It's so great.

There is also a deeper emotional undertone to this book. It has the best kind of angst, which only serves to make everything more adorable because trying to fight off rising feelings is the best and I'm a sucker for mutual pining. But the characters also make this book shine. I adore Elena. The way she feels invisible and how she desperately wants to find her place in life and people who will stay with her. She feels unmoored and she hates it. And seeing her grapple with that, I really, really loved it.

I also fell in love with Robbie. He's funny and sweet and just a good person at his core. He's passionate about what he does, and he deeply cares about the people in his life. I also really loved how openly discussed his previous depression was and how he still struggles with other factors of his life. Just seeing that so clearly, was really amazing.

The side characters were also fantastic! The rest of Robbie's group was hilarious. I do wish that Elena's relationship with her best friend could have been fleshed out slightly more, along with previous friendships and those with her family. It felt like they were sort of brushed over, and I would have liked to see more of them.

It did feel like there were a couple things that could have been fleshed out a bit more, such as Elena's overall emotional journey; it sort of felt like it just came to a close. Though, this honestly didn't hurt my enjoyment of the book at all. Everything else that I loved about it, I loved so much that I ended up just completely loving the book.

Overall, this book is truly, truly adorable. Old friends reconnecting, a whole lot of prom shenanigans, and I have so, so much love for it.