I hardly ever read YA anymore, but this cover was so damn beautiful I couldn’t resist - yes, I totally judged a book on its cover. Luckily, the inside was just as beautiful as the outside 😍

Hannah is going into her senior year of high school, she’s planned a summer of fun with her boyfriend Nate. It was everything she ever wanted until he uttered the words no one wants to hear “I think we should break up”

Made worse for the fact that let’s be honest, the reasons are pretty BS. Well by adult standards, I guess when you’re a teen, not having the same taste in TV is reason enough 🤦‍♀️

But it’s okay, her childhood best friend re-enters her life *said in sarcasm*

Jacob, now famously known as his Korean name Kim Jin-Suk was her best friend, until he left her (to become a super famous k-drama star). And she then ghosted him in retaliation. He’s back, staying in the room across the hall and Hannah isn’t happy about it. At. All.

This is a lovely friends to enemies to friends again to lovers story that I could not stop reading. The characters are a lot of fun - the Mum’s, Jacob’s little sister, even Nate

If you like declarations of love, teenage embarrassment, aww moments, teens finding their voice and a summer bucket list, then give Seoulmates a read

Susan Lee rates it 5 stars with a review of “I wrote it. I love it” which made me like her even more, because come’on that’s bloody funny 🤣

She also has another book coming out in September called The Name Drop which looks good too (same cover artist) and sounds great!

This book was just a load of drama, laughter, romance and summer teen vibes – but sprinkle some of the power of kdramas in there. In conclusion, it was so much fun!! I laughed (cackled more like), groaned in irritation, cringed and squealed throughout the book, and even if the million and one different third-act breakups got to me a little by the end, I still really enjoyed reading this.

“To me, you’re an open book. And my favorite kind of reading.”

If someone said this to me in real life I’d burst out laughing – and my reaction was the same while reading this. But that’s the beauty of kdramas, and I felt that this book really captured that vibe. I just had such an honestly FUN time reading this, and even while I was grinning in embarrassment, I was excited to read the next page. Our two MCs were just the sweetest little teens, trying their best to discover their identities while simultaneously falling in love, and it was so cute to read about.

Honestly, I almost wish there was more angst, which is kinda insane to say, and not something that usually comes out of my mouth! Nonetheless, with the power of Asian parents, a hint of the pressure that Korean idols and actors face in the industry, and some appropriately dramatic scenes, this book successfully filled all the necessities of the perfect kdrama book!!

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review :)).

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

When her best friend's family left to move to Seoul, Hannah Cho was angry and upset. She's never liked her Korean heritage, and avoids anything related to it. When her boyfriend Nate decides they need to take a break, because they're too different, and she doesn't support his new found love for K-pop and K-dramas, Hannah vows to win him back. But then Jacob Kim, the former best friend, now turned K-drama star, is back, and staying in her guest room for the summer. The way they parted has left a wall between them, and the newfound feelings brewing between them aren't helping either.

This book was just what I needed. Hannah and Jacob were the best protagonists for the story, and their chapters were so fun to read. I didn't immediately warm to Hannah, I think partly because she was all about trying to change herself for her ex, but she was snarky and fun, and I eventually started to love her. I felt really sorry for Jacob. He'd been somewhat dragged into the K-drama life, and it was such a rigorous and tiring regime to follow. He had to give his all to his role, in the show and in reality, and when it got too much, he needed to escape. Returning to Sand Diego, though injured, was a reprieve, and he got to be a normal teenager - in a sense - for some time. I hated his co-star and his manager, and wish Jacob had had a little bit more of a backbone to stand up to them. Even saying that, the ending was perfect for the pair, and I was so happy with it. A great contemporary read, and I'm looking forward to Susan's next book!

I was so excited to read this book after reading the synopsis but I just could not get into it. The premise promised a kdrama worthy swoony story, but this was just not it. As a kdrama enthusiast I had expectations from the book that it failed to meet. I couldn't really bring myself to root for the characters and ended up DNFing this story.

I was lucky enough to receive ‘Seoulmates’ as an ARC through NetGalley :)

This book immediately caught my eye as I remember Christina Lauren talking about it lots on their social media accounts.

This really was just a lovely fluffy romance. I think if I was a little younger I would have ADORED! It. It is a cleaner YA romance if that is something which is particularly important to people with MANY MANY KPOP and KDrama references!

Just note that if you’re not overly familiar with Korean culture some words you might not quite get as they’re anglicised Korean/Hangul words!

I would definitely recommend this to KDrama fans (as it definitely felt like one) and anyone looking for a super cute YA romance :)

This novel helped me rediscover what it means to read for pleasure. The story follows the journey of two estranged Korean American best friends, Hannah and Jacob, who by the laws of Korean idols and crappy high school boyfriends are forced to spend summer together in San Diego. Lose yourself in their teenage love story as they battle Korean drama fans, social climbing peers, and overbearing mothers to learn to let go of the past and find joy in the present. This is the kind of novel I lived for as a young teenager and I am so excited to have had the opportunity to fall back into the sugary drama I’ve missed so much.

Seoulmates has all your standard YA cliches—estranged childhood friends, summer love, bucket lists, and romantic drama. I like my dose of cute YA, but I felt like this was a tad too cheesy with a little too much drama for me. That said, I might have just outgrown it all since I've read A LOT of YA romances these last few years.

What resonated with me though, was the MC Hannah’s feelings of being American Korean. She clearly struggles to forge her own identity between the two, and that's something that I felt personally as an Asian born in a western country as well. I also enjoyed the inclusions of Korean food, the language and the fact that her childhood friend/love interest is a popular Kdrama actor. These brought in fresh aspects that I love to read.

Additionally, what sets this book apart from your typical YA romance is that it's not entirely clean. It goes a little beyond kissing scenes, with some feeling up of private body parts. There's also a moderate amount of swearing. Both didn't affect me personally, but it was a little surprising as I didn't expect that.

Overall, if you're into cheesy YA romances with dual POV, the main focus being romance and coming of age lessons, and/or love Korean culture, you'll be sure to love this book.

A lighthearted ya romance for fans of K-pop and kdramas. Hannah is dumped by her boyfriend at the beginning of her summer break and to complicate things further her old best friend is coming to visit. It just so happens that he is a rising Korean star! I really enjoyed this book and found it reads like a comforting kdrama plot. The main character can be a bit much at times but sometimes it’s nice to see a bratty mc who is struggling with their identity and attachment. Loved the Korean mothers they are the best!
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was a massive fan fiction reader when I was younger so the “best friend turns famous and they fall out of touch” is a trope I’ve read plenty of times but I’m still gonna eat it up every single time I read it. This took me back to those roots so it was a nice comfort read for me.

I don’t know anything about kpop so there were a few things that took a second to figure out but it didn’t ruin the reading experience at all. This book is perfect if you’re looking for a cute, low drama read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC to read and review.

This was a very sweet and easy read about best friends and long distance, high school and K-dramas. I don't know a lot about K-dramas, but it's not actually essential knowledge in this one because the book gives you everything you need to know.

Ultimately, Jacob is a star in one of them. And he used to be Hannah's best friend before he moved away after his dad died. They haven't really spoken since.

In the meantime, Hannah has started dating the boy who used to pick on Jacob when they were younger kids. Nate seems lovely, until he breaks up with her. This only makes new again the feeling of betrayal Hannah feels when everyone in her life leaves her. And then it turns out that Jacob is coming back to America for a holiday while his ankle heals.

The novel is written in dual PoV between Hannah and Jacob, which is great from the point of view that we get both of their alternating memories from when Jacob left. Jacob still feels pressure to provide for his family, but what we end up seeing is that it's making him more and more miserable. And because he's such a sweetheart, nobody wants that.

This is a novel with no particularly amazing characters and no terrible ones. Unfortunately for the character driven drama it is, it makes it not particularly memorable in a sea of YA fiction.

Hannah's boyfriend Nate has recently broken up with her. On a quest to win him back, Hannah and her K-pop star childhood friend Jacob, who is in town visiting, set out to get him to notice how much time they're spending together. But could it be that the two old friends have something more themselves?

Such a wholesome friends to lovers story with a side of fame thrown in! I absolutely adored this one. If you like YA romance and haven't read this one yet, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy.