5 billion stars! Have you ever read a book that you loved so deeply that you almost didn’t want to finish it simply because the thought of it being over made you utterly devastated? That’s how i felt finishing this book. I don’t even have the words to express how much I loved it. This might be my overall favorite romance read ever to be completely honest. The author painted the perfect mental images of Hannah and Jacobs past memories and present moments, I felt like I was right there with them. I also loved that the author touched on the emotional way K-dramas are, while literally creating a K-drama worthy romance in this book, genuinely every single thing i personally love about watching K-dramas (emotion, plot-heaviness, the dialogue, the writing, the character development, etc.) are things this author put into this book! I felt such a deep connection to Hannah and Jacob both as individuals. I completely sympathized with Hannah’s feelings towards Jacob for the first half of the book, and I was equally rooting for their reconnection along with Jacob. I can go on and on forever and I just know this is gonna be one of the books I talk about all the time because it made that much of an impact on me. Anyway this is such a beautifully written, emotional, k-drama style romance book and i loved it from beginning to end. **Thank you so much to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this arc**

This was a quick read, and had some elements I enjoyed and also quite a few things that bugged me. I'm probably not the target audience, I've enjoyed the K-Dramas that I've watched, but I'm not real knowledgeable about the whole culture around them. Possibly being more entrenched in that world might have made me appreciate this more. That said, I certainly don't think knowledge of K-Dramas is in any way necessary to read this.

Things I liked: I love romance books where the MCs go on a bunch of fun dates. This book had some excellent and fun dates that did a nice job of showcasing the personalities of the MCs and their chemistry together. For the first 3/4 of the book or so, the pacing worked really well for me. I also liked that it was a quick, mostly lighthearted read and I was pretty engaged throughout. The MCs were frustrating at times, especially Hannah, but I still liked them. And I really liked Jacob's younger sister and at times enjoyed the dynamic between Jacob and Hannah's families.

Things that bugged me: Hannah's behavior at the start of the book is so childish. I appreciated that she's allowed to be flawed and felt her abandonment issues were portrayed pretty realistically and that although they were frustrating as a reader, they seemed to ring true to the character. I didn't totally buy the growth arc she had when it came to realizing how selfish she'd been in the past, but aspects of it worked for me. And obviously she's a teenager, so she is going to be somewhat immature. But at the start of the book she was really really immature to an extent that I found hard to believe.
I was also not a fan of Jacob's co-star being a straight up villain. We do get some insight into what might have made her the way she is, but I still didn't appreciate her being a straight up mean girl. I also didn't like how the new girl who Hannah's ex seems interested in was portrayed. And there was a line about how Hannah "makes other girls look like clones" that reeked of "not like other girls" in a way that left a bad taste in my mouth. I did like that Nate, Hannah's ex, is not a straight up bad guy but rather just a regular, flawed teenager with good and bad traits. But I wish the other girls in the book were painted in a better light, maybe as possible friends rather than just romantic rivals.
I ended up wanting this book to be about Hannah finding some friends! First she thinks Jacob is "her person", then she switches to thinking Nate is "her person", then she switches back to Jacob being "her person" and her soulmate. She has no other close friends. I am someone with a very small social circle, so I get it, but I was just not comfortable with her whole social life revolving around a dude. You can have more than one person in your life!
Also I HATED that Jacob has a serious nut allergy but just decides on his own that it is safe to stop carrying his epipen. Listen, I try not to slip into parent mode while reading YA, but as a parent of a kid with life threatening allergies, YIKES. No. Not a fan.
There were quite a few other small things throughout that bugged me. I don't want this to turn into a laundry list of dislikes, so I'll just say there were a number of things that just didn't work for me and some times when the book really hit a wrong note for me.
I also really didn't like the pacing towards the end. There's a constant back and forth of misunderstandings and drama and fighting and tears and stomping away and then running after one another only to have it happen all over again. Had the drama been bigger and more over the top, I might have felt the story was taking a cue from K-dramas, but this just felt monotonous and meaningless.

It was such a cute and a beautiful friends to lovers read for me. I really enjoyed it. The sweeping romance and the connection between both the MCs was something to envy about.
In my humble opinion, it deserves all the stars and more!!

Thank you so much to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book!

Let me start of by saying this was for sure a "Cover buy" pick. It is stunning! So when I saw Seoulmates I just had to try to get my hands on this.

I loved Hannah and Jacob. They are as cute as they come when it comes to main protagonists in a romance. Jacob is an up and coming actor for a K-drama and Hannah is having relationship troubles to start. These two are estranged friends that come together during a planned vacation from Korea to the USA by Jacobs mom (with help from Hannah's mom) after he gets injured and earns a little R&R.

I loved all the Korean references in this book to the food, music, culture everything! That's what sets this book apart from others, The way Jacob is navigating his life in Korea and being famous. Fighting for what he feels is right and what he really wants.

There was a lot of angst !!! The whole book I was just wanting to turn the pages to find out more.
I loved this book!! I will keep my eye out for any other books this author writes!

This was such a good read!! I really loved the unique characters and the smooth plotline. I was never bored because the story kept moving at a great pace. This was a great book and I highly recommend this to everyone. Great book!

This was a sweet story. The characters had really good communication and the story was interesting, it would make a really interesting webtoon. It was a little cheesy, but I liked the use of different narrators, and the familiarity of the love between characters. Like falling comfortably in love. A sweet friends to lovers.

Beautiful, moving and poignant. A love story to Korea and its culture. So much of this book made me squeal or awe with glee (or tears in my eyes) and I definitely fan-girled over some of the bands, shows and actors mentioned in the book.

So much of Hannah's story hit home to me. Trying to be the strong one and carry everything. Being hurt by people leaving so you start to push people away at a minor wrinkle in the relationship to save yourself from hurt. I feel that in my soul. Putting fake versions of yourself on display for different friends because you don't believe someone would stay for the "real" you. I loved every part of this book from the Dedication page that made my cry to the acknowledgements at the end.


So many things have found me right when I needed them. This book found me in the most round about way (almost the way BTS did lol Borahae Susan! ). I follow a BookTuber who re-shared Susan's Instagram story and I was immediately hooked. I think I jumped on to request an ARC less than 5 minutes after they appeared on NetGalley. Thank you again to NetGally and Inkyard press for an e-ARC for an honest review. I enjoyed this book so much!

This book is a must read for any K-drama fan.
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The relationship/friendship between the two MCs was super relatable and you could totally feel their feelings through the writing. I personally did struggle with the beginning but it's been a minute since I read a straight up YA book.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc e book.

4.5 ⭐️

Jacob Kim and Hannah Cho were childhood best friends until Jacob had to move away due to financial reasons after the death of his father. Because of a misunderstanding and Hannah’s hurt feelings of always being left, their friendship crumbled. Until one summer 3 years later, they meet again. Would things change for the better or for the worse? Both Jacob and Hannah have two completely different lives, and what challenges lie ahead when the truth about their feelings for each other surface?

I loved Jacob and Hannah’s story, their journey back to each other over the course of a summer. From Jacob’s summer bucket list to the really frustrating things the Korean entertainment studio makes Jacob do to Hannah’s development of feelings. Feelings that they both have had from the start. And the moms! Love how the moms are involved. The cultural identity part was also an added bonus, how one identified as Korean while living in America, and how K-dramas had become so mainstream.

Solid work, perfect for fans of TO ALL THE BOYS.

Ever since I heard about this book, I was so hyped for it. I’m not a huge friends-to-lovers fan but I’ve read a few estranged-childhood-friends-to-lovers books that I really enjoyed recently, so I decided to give this one a try! Seoulmates told the story of two estranged childhood best friends reuniting and finding their identities in a world that’s always told them what to be.

Hannah has spent her entire life shunning her Korean side to fit in with her American classmates. Now that K-pop and K-dramas are all the rage, she feels left out, especially when her boyfriend essentially breaks up with her because she doesn’t know anything about them. Someone who might be able to help her is her estranged best friend, Jacob. In the three years since she’s seen him, Jacob has become one of the most popular drama stars in Korea. He’s grown tired of the demanding schedule and the impact that’s had on his social life. When his family comes to stay with hers for the summer, he enlists Hannah in helping him have fun while in San Diego, bringing the two of them closer together and mending the break in their relationship from three years ago.

I thought the protagonists’ character arcs were interesting! Her entire life, Hannah has rejected so much of the Korean side of her Korean-American identity; this wasn’t something I really related to but can understand in concept. She wanted to fit in with her white American classmates, and now that they’re all fascinated by her culture, she doesn’t get it. However, this doesn’t mean that they get to judge her Korean-ness just because they know a little about the culture from dramas. Over time, Hannah grows to learn that how she identifies with her culture is enough and that she doesn’t have to compartmentalize a part of herself to fit in.

Meanwhile, Jacob is happy to be able to provide for his family after years of hardship. However, his acting career has taken a toll on his social life, or lack thereof, and he can’t help but feel stifled, especially when his studio is forcing him to seemingly date his cruel co-star. Hannah helps him realize that he doesn’t have to put up with this in order to be successful, as well as his mother telling him that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of providing for their family by himself.

The romance itself was cute! Hannah and Jacob were friends “even before birth,” as their mothers put it since they became friends while pregnant with the two of them. Three years ago, when Jacob and his family moved to South Korea, the two of them had an argument and haven’t talked since then. Hannah is reluctant to spend time with him when his family comes to stay with hers, but they quickly find that they know each other too well to hate each other.

I also thought the side characters, namely Hannah’s and Jacob’s families, were so funny. Their two mothers have been waiting for the two of them to get together and essentially strong-arm them into spending time with each other over the summer. Jacob’s little sister, Jin-Hee, teases the two of them, and they both dote on her. I wish we had gotten to see more of Hannah’s sister Helen more, but a part of Hannah’s character is that she’s tired of people leaving her and moving away.

This book was more character-based than I thought it would be. I thought the bucket list mentioned in the summary would be a larger part of the plot, but it wasn’t. Instead, we focus more on Hannah and Jacob, along with them dealing with their respective antagonists. Nate was the worst by the way, and I was just screaming at Hannah to kick this Koreaboo to the curb from the very beginning.

Seoulmates was a heartwarming story of becoming comfortable with yourself in your culture and your career. I liked the characters and thought the romance cute. You should look into Seoulmates if you’re looking for a heartfelt contemporary with a “estranged childhood friends to lovers” romance!

I just love the story of childhood besties turned enemies forced to live together who eventually fall in love, as they should!! There’s just something so sweet about two people (Hannah and Jacob) who just understand each other and trust each other will their whole heart. Also I love Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Cho, and the chapters where they had a pov snippet were so funny, like me too, I ship Hannah and Jacob too, I’m fangirling over their ship too😆 Love Jin-Hee and her daebak reactions to their relationship! I really liked how the book explored Hannah’s struggle with her identity. How does one come to live their culture when all their life they’ve been made to feel ashamed of it, and now suddenly it’s popular? It dealt with this really well. It’s so wonderful to read Jacob choose happiness instead of the conventional path where everyone believed that being a famous actor is great. He really showed that it’s okay to be a kid and not have to grow up so soon and choose what makes you happy in life. It was a very relaxing read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good summer romance!

SEOULMATES is an addictingly sweet childhood best friends to lovers young adult romance between Hannah and Jacob. They reunite after a three year break in which Jacob moved to Korea with his family and became a rising kdrama actor. When circumstances bring Jacob back to San Diego, Hannah is not quick to forgive. The girl can hold a grudge. But they need each other during this unexpected summer together and as they work through Jacob's San Diego bucket list, their reconciliation reveals the depths of their friendship and blossoms into a sweet romance.

This book is warm and funny. Hannah's and Jacob's feelings are big and messy. I couldn't put this book down and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Inkyard and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was the CUTEST!
It's been a long time since i read a straight YA book with no fantasy or no teetering on the edge of New adult.

This was a great example of best friends to enemies to back to best friends to lovers! And so much angst! What I really loved was that both of the main characters were likable from the start. It was such a cute romance and I couldn't put it down!

This is perfect for fans of K Drama and now, I'm intrigued!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced eARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Where do I even begin? The perfection of the cover? The fact that Jacob was played by Mingyu of SEVENTEEN in the little movie playing in my head as I read? This best friends - to enemies - to lovers is deliciously angsty, and needs to be adapted into its own Kdrama immediately. Susan just knows how to make you feel things with her words. You’ll laugh, you’ll rage, and you’ll swoon when she wants you to, darn it! Hannah and Jacob were written with so many relatable layers to them, and even side characters made such a big impact(those bestie moms are just too cute). I flew through this book, and still crave more. Thank you NetGalley for letting me get my hands on this early! Thank you Susan for writing such a treat for the world to soon devour!

This was a really cute romance. Hannah was a very strong and likable main character, and the love story on the page was great—I was really rooting for them! I loved the family dynamics so much.



Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book! Opinions are entirely my own.

I was surprised how much I really loved Seoulmates. I was hooked on this story from the very first chapter and couldn't put it down. Hannah and Jacob are amazing characters who you can't help but root for, This book is perfect for fans who love watching K-dramas.

Hannah Cho shunned the Korean side of her identity to fit with her American friends. However, all her friends are newly obsessed with Kpop and Kdrama and they leave her behind. She meets her former friend Jacob Kim, now a star in Kdrama. Can they get together in the midst of these real life drama?

I do like Hannah a lot and her desire to fit in is certainly understandable. Jacob is darling. and totally lovable. I like how they both grow together and learn things about themselves.. They are really wonderful together. Such a sweet story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I loved Seoulmates. It has the right amount of emotional drama to keep you on your toes, the banter between Hannah and Jacob was great (like really great), and it addresses some important topics about growing up and making your way in the world. All the characters are well thought out and really resonate with the reader. I can’t wait for others to be able to read this book! Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Seoulmates!

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for allowing me to read Seoulmates early!

I enjoyed this YA romance novel. While I didn't love it as much as I thought I would, I'm not sure what caused this, perhaps the pacing or maybe the love interest, I'm really not certain about the reason and I'm sad because this sounded incredibly swoon worthy.