Melody Lee has longed to know about her Korean family side, so when the opportunity strikes and her family moves her and her mother to join their father there, what can go wrong. She gets more of a luxury than she expected. But sometimes more isn’t always the best thing, especially when family secrets starts to unravel.

I really like the development of Melody and her character. Her life struggles and upending her life to restart a new one. The complexity of family units. I loved the whole culture and aspects we get introduced to. I felt like I was transported to a K-Drama and I love those.

I really hope there’s a second book with the way the book ended. It left me wanting more to explore.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I loved so much how this book resonated with me and with the struggles of growing up and finding yourself. Melody’s journey of suddenly moving to a country she has roots in but doesn’t know spoke so clearly of the diaspora experience, and the struggle to find where she fit between Korea and her American upbringing was a compelling part of this read.
Alongside family secrets, navigating first kisses and crushes, and the highs and lows of friendships and figuring out who you are, I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW is the perfect YA read. All the incredible, hunger-inducing food descriptions were the cherry on top!

A really fun and easy read! I loved the descriptions of food and restaurants. One of my favorite things about the book was the realistic ups and downs of a mother daughter relationship.

This was a cute book but not for me. I think it was difficult to get into because I don't typically love books about family dynamics. I also found the romantic subplot to be a little predictable. I did love the setting and melody's character though. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to her.

Fair warning: make sure to have your favorite Korean snacks or meal on hand before starting I GUESS I LOVE HERE NOW by debut author, Claire Ahn. And your favorite caffeinated beverage too. This book officially releases tomorrow, Tuesday May 24, 2022.

How does time just slip away, I read this book back in February, and I'm only just getting to posting about it. Trying to decipher my notes and handwriting.

Right before the start of her junior year of high school, Melody's parents decide that she and her mom will join her father in Seoul. Melody has a few days to pack up her life in NYC. While she finds herself angry at her parents, she soon finds friends at her new school, a few even live in the same complex.

I really enjoyed this book, parts of it were a refreshing change. Especially as to how easily Melody was able to make friends, and never worried if she was Korean enough.
It isn't just a book about coming of age in a new country, and the struggles one faces. There are various facets to the story.

One of them is dealing with parents that are strict/ have high parental expectations. This is shown to us as something that is intergenerational - it's not just through Melody's relationship with her parents, but her dad's relationship with his parents, and her mom's relationship with her sister (and in turn their parents). It's the relationship some of her new friends have with their parents. This gives us little perspectives on how to deal with expectations, and heal. That while parents have this shared goal of making sure their children are successful, the motivation is very different. This is just a small part of the underlying story.

Additionally, I loved learning about the hanoks, and visiting different districts through Melody's eyes, all in the name of research for a school project. The way that Koreans try to preserve buildings where they can. The information that is provided in the makes me wonder if it was just a lot of research that went into this, or if Ahn was previously involved in urban planning.

Thank you @penguinteen for an eARC I'm exchange for a review. (I pre-ordered a copy before I was provided the eARC.)

No café that I visit has a name as pun-ny as CappOH!ccino in but I think that Cafe LaTTea and Caffé:in come close.

Content Notes: teenage alcohol use, family secrets, controlling parents, parental death (past, off page), queer character outed to parents.

I was swept away by the world that Claire Ahn built in I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW. Moving to a completely new country may not be the most relatable thing, but all the growing pains she goes through are things that everyone deals with. She has to learn how to make new friends and also maintain her best friendship with Sophia in New York.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Content warnings: internalized racism, homophobia

Thanks to PenguinTeen for the free digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really cute book. The writing could have been better and stronger but I loved the main character because not only was she able to be a teenager in terms of discovering more about herself and her identity but she was such a smart young woman too. While I would have liked to have seen Melody in New York more, I appreciate all of her interactions and feelings when and while she moved to Korea. I almost feel like...if I were to ever go to Korea (where my mom is from) I would feel many of the same things she did: discovering the food, the land, the culture, etc. It was so nice to follow Melody as she did these things. I understand, too, that there is a level of diaspora that I won't comprehend in the same way.

The complicated relationship Melody had with her father was...interesting. I almost feel like an entire separate story could be written about her parents as well, considering their situation. I'm glad that the author didn't neglect how Melody's mother felt in the grand scheme of things or how difficult Melody's father was at times. The latter (and most of Melody's friends in Korea, to be honest) really falls into that traditional East Asian stereotype of the family business and how children will take over their parents' company when they get older. The pressure that Melody faces at school, too, from her father is kind of frustrating. He really expects her to be good at certain things (Honors Korean class for example) and doesn't seem to understand--or even want to understand--how difficult it is for her. But I could see her father slowly opening up and understanding Melody more, so I thought that was a good. It's really slow progress though.

I enjoyed how Melody was able to find friends quickly and friends that she could depend on. The contrast between how rich they are compared to how Melody and her mom lived in Korea is really important to note as well, though I thought Melody seemed to adapt pretty well. I wasn't super convinced of the romance between Melody and one of the male characters but it was kind of cute.

As I stated earlier I didn't find the writing super strong. It reads as a younger YA book, but I don't mean that in a bad way. For me personally I struggle with contemporary YA books sometimes because it's the writing that is either a hit or miss for me. I think the writing has been stronger than this would have received a solid four stars. It's definitely not a bad book, and I look forward to what else Ahn will write as I hope her writing will mature.

I tried so hard to enjoy this book but I simply couldn't.

On the surface, it seems like a good premise. A teenage girl with dreams of becoming an interior designer is unceremoniously uprooted from her life in New York City and moved to her family home in Korea. Sounds interesting, right? That's why I'm so confused about how the author made this book so boring.

Without the food and location descriptions, this book would have been 75 pages shorter. I'm not even kidding. Those things are great for creating atmosphere, but they were over the top. I also didn't like the characters. The writing style was first person, but I still felt like I didn't really know the main character. I was told how she felt without seeing it in her mind. Also, the first-person point-of-view kept me from getting to know the other characters well and it was weird when she became super close friends so quickly with people she hardly knew.

The plot was so low stakes that I wanted to quit reading multiple times. There simply wasn't anything going on. Also, Solmi's family moves her to Korea with little to no explanation, they keep things from her, they try to plan out her life without her consent, and they end up taking little to no responsibility for the emotional turmoil they cause her. It's just treated as "I'm just a teenager and I was wrong to disrespect my parents by asking questions." Like... WHAT?!

If you're interested in a meandering, unfocused book with tons of food and location descriptions, give it a shot. Just don't expect anything earth-shattering.

I don't usually give 1-star reviews to books unless the book is problematic, but I truly do not think this book is good and it was a waste of my time to read it.

This was an interesting contemporary rom-com. The mood changed from cute friendship outings to family secrets really quickly. Melody moves to Seoul extremely suddenly and ends up with her rich dad, Korean family expectations, her mom's secrets and rich friends with similar problems.
Kimbeom is gay and has a boyfriend but is sent on dates with rich girls. Yura has quietly accepted her future as heiress and tries to see the good side of her parents' choices. Spending their parent’s money excessively is the only thing they can control and they do so happily. The little friend group enjoys all the fun things money can buy in Seoul.
I mostly felt bad for these kids, especially since the parents were very unsympathetic at times. Melody's story ended with her parents understanding and loving her, but I felt like the ending was a little too perfect, especially compared to her friends'.

Although I struggled to connect with the main character (and the book) as much as I would have liked, the humor is one of its strengths. I especially appreciated--and felt for--Melody and her best friend when they experience their "after school transgression." It's a great contrast to what is clearly two teens who have been quite the rule-following "good" kids.

The storyline and the writing are two of the book's weaknesses. However, I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW does give readers an opportunity learn about Seoul from a character (and author) living there. Given all of the awful hate directed at AAPI people, a book like this can help younger readers learn more about their Korean classmates and (hopefully!) make a difference.

Thank you the author and publisher for an advanced edition in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Solid representation matters book and debut novel

Spoilers ahead
I really liked this concept of this book, but it seemed an absolute contrast on how the main character lived and ended up. I loved the mom I think she made the story a million times better and the Mc new friends but I didn’t like that she basically dropped her bestie and that everything was 100% perfect. I understand happily ever after but this was a huge difference imo… being set up on dates was something I could definitely relate to but the extravagant lilfestyle not so much.

Please tell me there is going to be a sequel!?

So, my first impression of this book wasn’t great. I felt like it started off kind of slow and I didn’t love the main character, Solmi. I thought that maybe I’ve finally outgrown YA contemporaries. However, do not be discouraged! I really grew to love Solmi as a character and the story picks up a lot.

So, now that we have that out of the way, this story is more than just moving to a different country. It’s about healing parts of a broken family, learning about where one comes from, and what makes a home, home. I think that Solmi is 100% relatable when she first moves to Korea. I mean, talk about devastating! She’s in the middle of her high school career and switches up countries, cultures, and languages. It’s a jarring experience. I thought that the author was great at keeping Solmi’s experience authentic.

Next, I LOVED the descriptions of Korea and Korean food! I felt like I was transported there. The food had my mouth watering and the setting had my wanderlust kicking into gear. Korea has always been on my list of places to travel to, but it just jumped up a few spots!

Lastly, the author doesn’t shy away from the complexities of learning one’s identity and complicated family history. I mean, what family doesn’t have a complicated history? I think that this book does such a great job of describing the struggle that kids/grandkids of immigrants feel. Sure, you have some customs and idea of your cultural background, but you still feel out of place in your family’s country of origin and in the country you were born in. I think this book will resonate with a lot of readers!

Now, I just have to say that the book ended SO suddenly and I’m dying to know what happens next. Sure, a bunch of loose ends were tied up and it ended on a positive note, but surely the story doesn’t end there!?

Thank you PenguinTeen and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC! I highly enjoyed it and I think anybody who loves YA contemporaries will enjoy this one as well. If you’re a fan of I’ll Be the One (for the drama) or From Little Tokyo, With Love (for the descriptions that transport you to the place), then I highly suggest picking this one up.

I really wish I'd liked this one more, but I struggled to connect with the main character. I think this book is very reminiscent of Crazy Rich Asians meets Princess Diaries, and so I wouldn't be surprised that many audiences like this one! It just wasn't for me.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

I thought this book was pretty enjoyable! It's flashy, but in a good way, and has a hilarious main character with grit, and who genuinely felt like a teenager! Though, I just don't think this book is for me. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing, and a lot of the dialogue felt like texts that would be sent instead of things people were saying out loud. Despite this, I do think a lot of people will really enjoy this book, since my qualms are really just personal preferences!

I would love to interview the author for pop-culturalist.com. I guess I live here now really is the perfect mix for fans of Never Have I Ever and Crazy rich asians.