I loved, loved, LOVED everything about this book. Lee's writing flows across the page as this heartfelt story balancing diaspora and betrayal unfolds into a love story that reaches into your heart and takes firm hold. All the stars for this gem!

Seoulmates was a totally delightful summer romance full of realistic characters, fun and heartwarming tropes, Lee's exploration of Korean-American identity through both characters is nuanced and important, and her book strikes the perfect balance between fun and charming and meaningful. A wonderful summer read!

Seoulmates is a book that sticks with you long after you read the last word on the last page. Susan Lee has created a set of characters that made me laugh, shuttle back to that angsty teenage time while also handing me a sweet wholesome romance all wrapped in a beautiful package. Have you seen the cover?? Loved it loved it loved it!

Hannah Cho's carefully planned out summer is starting to unravel - her boyfriend Nate breaks up with her with claims that they're nothing alike, leaving Hannah in confusion as everyone around her seems to be obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas. Further adding complications is her former best friend Jacob Kim, who is back in San Diego for the summer after moving to Korea to go star in a K-drama himself years ago.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship through the bucket list that Jacob has, and I loved this look of San Diego that we get.

I really enjoyed the discussion around identity as Hannah and Jacob struggled in parallel ways as Korean Americans - Hannah feeling like she had to hide the Korean part of herself growing up to fit in, Jacob struggling to not feel "too American" to his fans and audiences in Korea. In particular as an Asian American, I empathized with Hannah's anger at having "rejected" the parts of her culture to fit in and feeling a sort of whiplash when it seems to suddenly be accepted and even popular to enjoy these same things that would've gotten you bullied or ostracized as a kid.

I loved Mrs. Cho, Mrs. Kim, and Jacob's sister, especially the family arcs in this book. I really liked how Hannah, who suffers from feeling abandoned by everyone in her life, ends up seeing some new perspectives on the situations from her mom.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of Seoulmates.

Hannah Cho, recently dumped by her boyfriend, has a summer long plan to win him back. Unfortunately, her plans are upended when her childhood friend, Jacob Kim, and his family come to stay with Hannah for the summer as he recovers from an ankle injury. Jacob is a newly minted K-Drama star, but Hannah, while Korean, hasn't really been interested in that stuff - much to the dismay of her K-pop and K-drama obsessed classmates.

Hannah was heartbroken when Jacob moved to Korea and told her that he didn't need her anymore,, and she can hold a grudge. But old memories and thawing interactions has softened her resolve - can she have a fun summer without her ex and deal with her growing feelings for Jacob?

I enjoyed this book, it was a fun read and very entertaining. It's definitely rom-com-y, but well written and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and well written book.

Seoulmates is my soulmate. I love Hannah and Jacob and was rooting for them from start to finish! It is literally kdrama on the page.
If you are a sucker for "we used to be friends but we grew apart and now we are not even sure we want to see each other anymore but let's take a chance on love" then this book is for you. Seoulmates delivers all of the angsty love themes in a wonderfully written story. The book's uniqueness is tied to the kdrama insight from both the fan and artists perspectives. This adds to the dramatic tension for the main characters and gives the reader insight into the world of a beginning kdrama actor.
After reading this book I added Susan Lee onto my 'Follow this Author' list and I know that other YA Romance and Kdrama fans will too.

I enjoyed Hannah and Jacob's journey as they navigated the ups and down of their tumultuous past. I liked Jacob's point of view more than Hannah's, just because he was more mature than she was, but Hannah grew into a better person at the end of the book. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Absolutely LOVED this book, and read it in one sitting! Loved the romance and thoughts about being Korean American, trying to fit in, and the fun camaraderie between the families. This book made me tear up, laugh, and really want to be with Jacob!

This book is exactly what I needed! It's adorable, it's sweet, it's funny, it's also the best tourism ad for San Diego ever because now I would like to go, and I have my own bucket list of things to do and see. Starting with trying a California Burrito (WHAT A REVELATION!)

But the best part of SEOULMATES is the relationship that re-blooms between Hannah and Jacob. Having both of their points of view (AND the POV's of their parents sporadically) made this read so much more delightful. Watching their slow, steady feelings come back was so sweet. I don't think I'll ever stop recommending this book.

Also, like Jacob Kim, my first time was in a school parking lot as well.

This book was too good!! I haven't particularly read much related to the K-Entertainment industry, BUT THIS BOOK? THIS BOOK WAS PHENOMENAL. I loved the angst and betrayal and hurt. How Hannah & Jacob were so hurt yet through the course of the book they tried to heal from things, and started to fall in love with each other. I LOVEDDD Jacob's sister— and Mrs. Cho & Mrs. Kim. Almost everyone is this book was awesome 😭 Except a *few* if you've read Seoulmates you probably know 😡 Overall it was a great read!! I recommend!! I will be posting a longer review on my blog closer to the publishing date.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a super fun read that explored Korean-American dynamics, fame, and a friends-to-lovers romance (my favorite trope!). Hannah was stubborn x1000, and definitely a little emotionally scarred. Jacob was a complete and utter marshmallow who must be protected at all costs. Their relationship was definitely complicated, but mostly because of their own lack of communication. I really enjoyed this book, and can see myself revisiting it when I need a good YA contemporary fix.

Hannah Cho has her summer in San Diego all planned out until her former best friend, Jacob Kim, returns from South Korea, where he has lived for the past several years and become a huge star. Their friendship slowly rekindles, then turns into a lovely YA romance. I loved the Korean rep in this book and Hanna's struggle to fully reconcile her Korean and American identities. Both Hannah and Jacob have a nice arc, and the friends to enemies to lovers trope is expertly used.

This is such a special book. Good romance done well is always a treat and Susan Lee is definitely up to the task of delivering a romance story that will make you cheer, gasp, and cry (at least for me!) Hannah and Jacob are such well written characters that you can't help but root for them. And to add in themes of self acceptance and identity is what takes this book to the next level. I can't wait until it comes out so I can recommend it to my teens and fellow librarians!

Thank you to the publisher/ SLJ for getting me this ARC!

This book was definitely a 4.5⭐ read for me; the perfect contemporary romcom! It had everything I love in a contemporary: quirky characters, witty banter, lots of drama, and an ending that leaves your with the warm fuzzies.

Hannah and Jacob were childhood friends until they weren't. Now they are both trying to navigate through their lives without their best friend to help them. Hannah is trying to get her boyfriend back after he dumps her. Jacob has been in Korea becoming a star in a K-drama but stardom is a lonely place sometimes.

The two reconnect and their journey back together is both hilarious and super sweet. There were a lot of my favorite tropes included: alternating POV, friends to enemies to lovers, miscommunication, and an HPA that made this book un-put-downable.

I think Susan Lee did a fantastic job of making all of the characters very dynamic and the story was so enthralling. I was cheering Hannah and Jacob on the entire time, and I thought that a lot of the other characters were hilarious. There were lots of poignant moments in this story that were woven into the narrative seamlessly.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley.

I have never been a Kpop/Kdrama fan or anything similar, but I am a sucker for romance and character development. This book had all three! Being a YA/teen book, it is not surprising that the characters started as very shallow and had extremely fast character development to the point it can feel forced. What was surprising was there being a scene that could best be described as a little “spicy” and not really what you would want to market towards minors.
Overall, the book reads similar to the Kdramas it draws inspiration from. It will definitely appeal to hardcore fans of Korean celebrity culture.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced book where boy gets girl and everyone lives happily ever after.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do not miss out on this book! It will warm your Heart and Seoul!

It’s not often I find myself giving 5 stars. But something about Susan Lee’s debut novel really captivated me. It stole my heart and I couldn’t put it down.

There’s so much to love about this book. The K-pop and K-drama references, the Korean families struggling to find their way, the friendship between the moms, the older supportive sister, the younger adorable sister, the complexities of high school drama and bullying, and certainly trying to find your place and what it means to be Korean American.

The biggest, most impactful part for me, is the main theme of the story. That is, the challenge of always being the one left behind, and most of all, finding love, self-acceptance, and healing throughout all of it.

Susan Lee really wrote an incredible story. Thank you for this! I plan to buy a physical copy for myself AS SOON as it is released!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and InkYard Press for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

An incredibly charming and swoon-worthy read! This was the perfect way to fill the void after my latest k-drama binge, and was a super quick read as well! In retrospect I wish I'd paced myself a bit so I could have spent more time with the characters, but I was glued to the page!

DNF at 15%. The characters were incredibly unlikable and the writing was extremely juvenile for the target age range.

I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have always loved these second-chance type of books. This one is no different. A great story with well developed characters.

Seoulmates is a cute story about childhood friends reconnecting later in life.

I love the idea of childhood friends reconnecting. It’s always interesting in YA because realistically you only have so much of a time gap that’s available to play with. In Seoulmates Hannah and Jacob have been separated for three years. So a good amount of time to have had a very solid friendship and amount of time apart to be significant.

I think I felt even more endeared to Hannah because of the Author Note in the beginning of the book and you could really understand how she might feel out of place. Where do you fit in culturally? I think books are such a good window into worlds we might not understand first hand. I was team Hannah all the way. She also has some abandonment issues to work out and I thought it was good to see her kind of come to an understanding with it. My dad actually traveled a lot for work and I have three older brothers. I think all our perceptions on what it was like for our dad to be gone are different.

Jacob has his own things to work through. You went into acting for one reason but then needs to figure out if it’s really what he wants to do. I think he’s just working things out after what happened to his family and finding himself with more choices now. What is it that he really wants to do?

The story is just cute and uplifting. From when Hannah is totally avoiding Jacob to when they finally start hanging out. It’s kind of like an enemy to lovers…sort of…ha ha. Friendships fading and coming back together are just a part of life. I remember one of my best friends and I having a falling out over something totally stupid and when we got older we were finally like, we just want to be friends that was stupid. I liked seeing them figure out that some parts of what happened were misunderstandings on both side.

Also all the other characters from the moms, to the sister and even Nate. He’s not the worst I guess. They all create a lot of cute interactions that I just loved.

Again back to Author Notes/Acknowledgements, I see your shout out to Army’s Susan Lee. Love it. Borahae!