Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Julia Song is Undateable.

I really enjoyed this book! I felt that both main characters (Julia and Tae) were characterized so well. They had flaws that helped to show the growth they both achieved throughout the book.

I definitely recommend!

I loved this! I wondered how Susan would do with traditional contemporary romance instead of her usual YA and she knocked it put of the park. The book felt unique and fresh in a sometimes oversaturated market. I loved the FMC and found her so relatable. I can’t wait to read more of what Susan comes out with!

There are a couple of plot points in this that annoyed me, particularly this archaic idea that a super successful female entrepreneur and CEO should be jumping through hoops to find a man just to please her old-fashioned family. But I really enjoyed the way the author wrote the male main character, Tae, and his struggles with figuring out his own life path and career situation felt very modern and relatable. The romance is sweet (and unexpectedly quite spicy) and I liked that we get to see a slightly older woman (there is a five-year age gap between the characters) dating a slightly younger man and it isn't a huge deal. I think rom-com devotees will find a lot to enjoy here!

Susan Lee’s adult debut did not disappoint! this was a kdrama in book form and i mean that as the highest compliment. the MC reminded me sooo much of Kim Seon-ho’s character from Hometown Cha Cha Cha and this was your classic CEO x fake dating x friends to lovers story that goes over so well in the dramas. this was a quick and easy read and im so excited for more of Susan’s adult romances!

Julia Song was happy and successful, with a great group of friends and coworkers. Her family, however, couldn’t understand how she could be happy since she was thirty and single. In a moment of weekness, she agrees to let her family (and the entire tight knit Korean community apparently) find her three dates. Add in the help of her old friend and neighbor, Tae, and maybe one of them would actually work out.

Thanks to Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Julia Song is Undateable to come out October 28, 2025.

Julia Song is Undateable is a fun and meaningful story with a lovable hero and a strong, relatable heroine. Julia is a successful skincare CEO who’s always been told she’s “too much” for love—too direct, too ambitious, too opinionated. When her halmoni (grandmother) expresses a dying wish to see her married, Julia agrees to go on three blind dates and asks her childhood friend Tae for help. As they prep for her dates, old feelings resurface.

I really enjoyed the way the story stayed true to who Julia was. She didn’t have to change to find love—she just had to find someone who appreciated her for exactly who she is. Tae was sweet, supportive, and quietly struggling with his own issues, which made their connection even more meaningful.

The Korean American representation was a major highlight. Susan Lee did a beautiful job showing family dynamics, cultural pressure, and mental health in a thoughtful way, while still keeping the story light and enjoyable.

Thank you to Susan Lee, Harlequin, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was my first book from Susan Lee and I really enjoyed it.

It features a successful K Beauty CEO female lead and a golden boy neighborhood jack of all trades male lead with a friends to lovers story line. I loved the chemistry and natural progression of the relationship between the two. Both were very likeable and easy to root for.

Julia enlists Tae as a dating coach after her family puts pressure on her to get married and settle down. As he prepares her for 3 agreed upon setups/dates, they realize how much they actually like spending time with each other instead.

Their differing qualities were a great balance and they both truly admired each other.

There of course was the dreaded 3rd act miscommunication/break up but I still had a great time with this book. It was a sweet, fun, and really lovely story.

2.5–I recently read The Romance Rivalry and found it delightful and hilarious, so I was expecting this adult debut to be even better. Unfortunately I found myself a bit disappointed with it. The writing style seemed a little off to me? I found it to be at times really stiff and stilted and repetitive. And though I thought Julia and Tae were cute together, I did not enjoy the breakup and miscommunication at the end. So this one was a miss for me.

I am forever a Susan Lee convert after this book. This story of Julia, the owner of a Korean-American cosmetic company, and Tae, her childhood neighbor all grown up, is a beautiful story of how adulthood evolves and how growth isn’t linear but messy. Every character in this book is engaging and the chemistry between Julia and Tae is fire. This is a love letter to the Southern California Korean community and I can’t wait to explore Susan Lee’s other books

This romance was so much fun! It was a light and quick read! Just what I needed! LOVED seeing the heritage sprinkled throughout the all whole story. Always love a book with a meddling grandmother. This is perfect to those who love a good childhood friends to lovers.

I enjoyed the family members and broader “cast” of characters in this book. Julia was very likable, and Tae was admirable. Overall I found the pace a little slow and the plot predictable. Solid 3 stars.

"To put everything in balance is good, to put everything in harmony is better".

Feels this quote perfectly encapsulates what both characters, Julia and Tae, are striking to achieve. In today's modern world, they are juggling career aspirations, family expectations, and their respective self worth. Their Korean American identities are a very much part of this quest. Set in balmy Southern California, the author perfectly sets the scene with descriptions of the traffic, local Korean cuisine and the network created with members of the Korean American community.

Julia's character is well rounded with her strong female friendship harkening from college, her pride in her professional achievements and her love of family. Tae's character is equally well rounded with his devotion to his family and his reliability in the community. Minor characters like Julia's beloved grandmother added humor and reminds readers of the importance elders have in families. Like that the other characters like Tae's dad place importance and values that are beyond stereotypes.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#JuliaSongIsUndateable #NetGalley

Cute story with the most lovable hero. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Quick summary: Julia Song has spent her life succeeding in school and building a successful skincare company. However, her family is concerned she isn’t married and guilt trip her into going on dates they arrange. She enlists the help of a childhood friend, Tae Kim, to make a better first impression on the dates.

What I liked about the story: while the story paints Julia as ‘too demanding’ and so direct she ‘makes men cry’, I appreciated that the takeaway wasn’t for Julia to soften her edges but rather to find a man who saw loved those pieces of her. Additionally, while I found the third act miscommunication predictable, I liked the emphasis on both of them having to better themselves before they could make it work as a couple. Lastly, I liked the representation of Korean Americans, their culture, and the tie in to mental health.

My biggest issue with the story: I was sometimes confused by the characters’ motivations. For example, Julia would stand up to her family about a lot of topics (e.g., refusing to eat a lot of food even when it was vegetarian-friendly, spending over 10 years not letting her family set her up) but then at other times she came across rather meek (e.g., not asking questions to understand her grandma’s health situation).

Thank you to Susan Lee, Harlequin, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Song is a CEO who holds her own, but without filter, she has been termed "undateable". When her grandmother guilt-trips her into agreeing to arranged dates, she seeks the help of her childhood friend. Childhood friends to lovers and age-gap romance meets Korean drama (complete with the umbrella scene). Susan Lee did a sweet one with this. I also loved the character development. Lovely read.
I got the ARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this early🤍 This is Susan Lee’s debut adult romance, and I absolutely adored it. Reading this book was the equivalent to eating an entire tin of mini chocolate chip cookies. Sweet, addicting, and when the box runs out, you’re rushing to get another.

I loved the familial expectations depicted in this novel, and as an Asian-American, I felt it to my core. Julia Song and Starlight Cosmetics were everything to me and I wanted to go to her beauty event so bad lol. Tae is a kind, down to earth, sweet man, and I thought the two of them brought out the best in each other throughout the book. I loved the female friendships, the generations of Songs together, and overall just a strong (slightly awkward) FMC.

Julia Song es la CEO de Starlight Cosmetics, una marca coreano-americana de belleza en auge que acaba de ser seleccionada como una de las “Cosas Favoritas de Oprah”. A sus treinta años, es una mujer exitosa, inteligente y trabajadora que lo ha sacrificado todo por su empresa y su familia. Pero su vida personal… es otra historia. Para su familia tradicional coreana, el éxito no significa nada si no está casada. Y su abuela, con un diagnóstico incierto en el horizonte, tiene un último deseo: ver a Julia enamorada.

Entre la presión familiar y su historial de citas fallidas (algunos la han llamado indeseable), Julia termina prometiendo ir a tres citas organizadas por su familia. Lo que no espera es que su Halmoni tenga un plan muy distinto: contratar secretamente a Taehyung Kim, el amable y atractivo vecino menor que Julia recuerda vagamente como el niño de al lado, para que la ayude a navegar su caótica vida amorosa.

Tae, que ha vuelto a casa temporalmente para cuidar a su padre enfermo, acepta a regañadientes. Pero mientras más tiempo pasa con Julia, más claro se vuelve que ella es simplemente demasiado real, demasiado fuerte, demasiado brillante para hombres mediocres. ¿Podrá Tae demostrarle que existe alguien capaz de verla tal cual es y quedarse?

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Me gusto que en el conflicto final Julia, se diera su lugar.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

I LOVED this book, and it is not just because I am Asian. Okay, it might have a little to do with it, but I loved it because it's just a really great book. It is well written. The characters are so well developed. The plot is really great. I loved the chemistry between Julia and Tae. The friends-to-lovers trope is just one of my favorites. I connected with it so much because of my Asian heritage. Everyone knows it is darn near impossible for Asian parents to be proud of you. At least they will never tell you they are proud of you. Life is full of impossible standards and constant critiques. It is what it is. But I just loved every single part of this book and I am so honored to have been chosen to read it. Thank you to Susan Lee, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Susan Lee brings us an insider look into modern Korean American families throughout the world with well meaning grandmas and nosy aunties. I couldn't put this one down and ended up staying up all night just to finish it because i just had to know what happened!

I loved this romance!!! It was so much fun!!! I highly recommend this book! I’m excited to read more from this author!!

Julia Song is Undateable by Susan Lee was so relatable! I always get so excited for romance books with Korean representation. As a first generation Korean American, there were several things I related to as I read!

Julia & Tae are two characters that have deep ties to their families. They grew up together as friends. With Julia being slightly older than Tae, she used to babysit him. He had a crush on her. As adults, Julia seems put together. She is driven- a CEO of a thriving skin care line, and she is pursuing opportunities to get into the actual Korean market, but her personal life is a bit of a mess. She is perpetually single and bad at dating... like really bad. Tae is on a hiatus from his job, having relocated to care for his ailing father. He is a little lost. He knows what makes him happy, which is serving others, and he shows up for his family and community in many ways, but at the expense of showing up for himself. He is stuck- paralyzed in anxiety when thoughts and conversations of his future come up and what his plans are.

When Julia's halmoni tells her that her dying wish is to see Julia married, Julia knows that she can't say no, and she asks her family to set her up on 3 dates. She then drukenly asks Tae to coach her how to date, to which he agrees. He sets up practice dates before each of her date to prep her, and in the process, feelings grow. You'll have to read the story to see how they grow. No spoilers here!

My favorite quote from this book:

"There is no "just" before friends. Friendship is one of the most valuable relationships in our lives. It's where we learn to trust. Where we learn to love."

As a note:

This story has an authenticity that Korean American readers can find representation in and relatability to the characters, while simultaneously providing non-Korean readers an insight to the nuanced familial pressures that many Korean children experience, even as adults.

I appreciate how Susan Lee integrated Korean culture into her novel. Lee touches on themes like the duty and loyalty to family, the feeling of never being good enough, of having not only your physical appearance- but every aspect of your life- scrutinized. These seem like heavy topics for a romance novel, but they were written in a palatable manner appropriate for the tone for the narrative!