Perfect novel. Loved Julia and Tae. Undeniable chemistry with an excellent build up. Great supporting characters. Fun plot and interesting stories all over. Highly recommend. Just the right amount of emotions, laughs, spice and love!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced reader copy.

Julia Song is a powerful CEO of her own Korean American skincare company. And yet she still feels unaccomplished because she's thirty and isn't married. When her grandmother suggests that she might be dying and asks Julia to agree to be set up on dates so that she can see Julia happy "before she dies" Julia agrees. But the traits that make Julia an excellent CEO are the traits that have made her a disaster at dating (she's made men cry and one of her dates says outright that she's undateable). She asks her childhood friend, Tae, to help her practice dating, so that she doesn't embarrass herself and can maybe find The One.

Tae has his own reasons for agreeing to be Julia's date coach: he's home taking care of his parents after his dad's second cancer scare and is trying to figure out what to do with his life, he enjoys helping others, and he's had a crush on Julia Song since they were kids. With all the time they spend together, their feelings for each other grow stronger, but both will have to work out their own issues if they want to find a happily ever after.

I really enjoyed ROMANCE RIVALRY, so I was excited to see what Susan Lee's adult debut would be like. And it definitely delivered. The characters are fun and the dialogue snappy. It was nice to see, in a romance, the woman be the externally successful one and have the man be enamored with her powerfulness and want to support her. This is a great romance read for those who enjoy fake (practice) dating and friends to lovers tropes.

Julia Song Is Undateable is out October 28, 2025

This is Susan Lee’s first adult novel, so this seemed the right time to try out her books since I’m not gravitating to ya romance much nowadays. I know people love her books so I went in with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.
Julia Song is undateable a very successful business woman that is approaching the age of 30. She is also first gen Korean American so her family is freaking out about it and trying to hope her into dates to find suitable men she could marry. Problem is, Julia is not good at dating, she would say the complete opposite actually. Enter Tae, her slightly younger neighbor who she’s known for ages, and is famously not socially awkward, he’s actually really good at dating. You can see where this is going… he offers to coach her in dating.
This book is funny and lighthearted while also dealing with heavy topics. The characters are flawed and the problems are real life issues. It deals with healthcare, anxiety, success, expectations and pressure. I admit I’m not overly familiar with the way elderly Korean people treat their kids, but from what I’ve heard this is a very good depiction of it.
I just take issue with one overused plot point, but that’s a personal preference. I also really like the ending, it was really sweet.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Julia Song is the successful CEO of her company, which specializes in Korean skincare products. Looking to expand to the Korean market and grow her company, she doesn’t have time for dating. Not to mention the fact that she’s simply undateable. But when her grandmother tells her it’s her dying wish to see Julia married, she agrees to allow her family to choose three dates for her. She enlists the help of her childhood friend and neighbor, Tae Kim, to help her become dateable. The two embark on a series of practice dates to help Julia prepare for her dates. As the two reconnect and learn more about the other, Julia can’t help but wonder if the right man who can accept her as she is was right there all along.

This was such a lovely story with a cinnamon roll hero! Julia Song is an ambitious, determined, and intelligent woman who has built her company from the ground up. Even though she’s received accolades and managed to get attention from Oprah, it’s still not good enough for her family. They want to see her married and settled. The problem is when she goes on dates, Julia is herself, which tends to be “too much” for insecure, arrogant men. She’s given up trying to date and would rather focus on her career. I really appreciated how she respected her family and was willing to appease them, though at times it did give me anxiety. I liked that they were reasonable and agreed to only three dates. Though she’s described by others as an “Ice Princes and “a woman who makes men cry”, I found her to be quite likeable and kind, just misunderstood. Her frankness and honesty is empowering. And honestly, making men cry is pretty bad ass.

Tae was such a sweet and endearing man. He sees and accepts Julia for who she is. He’s had a crush on her since they were kids, but never felt good enough to date her. Not to mention she was the older woman who saw him as a little brother. When he agrees to be her dating coach he sees it as an opportunity to reconnect as adults. Their dates were fun and lighthearted. He really listened to Julia and kept that in mind when he came up with their dates. He’s such a good guy, and I was rooting for him the whole way.

Typically, I’m not a fan of a third act breakup, however, in this case it works and is a natural extension of the personal internal struggles each character is going through. It’s a case of the right person, wrong time. There’s a bit of a separation, but it’s needed. I really liked the mental health rep and Korean representation. The side characters were great and really added levity to the story. I had a great time reading this, and look forward to reading more by this author.

4.5/5

A delightful adult debut from Susan Lee. I love reading any kind of Asian representation in romance, and I truly enjoyed reading this one. Julia is a badass FMC and I was really rooting for her to find her happiness. She is struggling with her love life and feels insecure about herself and asks her childhood friend, Tae, for help. Tae himself is trying to discover what he wants for his future. He enjoys helping his community, and can't resist it when his childhood crush asks for his help with her dating life. I loved Tae - he has such a good heart and is truly selfless. While he feels that Julia is out of his league, he still wants to show her what she truly deserves from her future partner. Despite their insecurities, Julia and Tae like each other for who they truly are and make each other feel happy and at home.

While there's a lot of lighthearted moments, the book also explores a lot of relatable and deep topics, like familial responsibilities, dealing with health issues and the overall healthcare system, finances, struggling with cultural identity, and the hardships of being a primary caregiver. I also really liked reading about and related to aspects of Korean culture, such as family dynamics and community values, and I felt like I was truly immersed in the community created by the author.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars.

This is the first book I’ve read by Susan Lee, but don’t foresee it being the last. This was a really fun, easy read that I devoured in under twenty-four hours.

Julia Song is driven, the CEO of a Korean-American skincare company. She’s done a lot at the young age of thirty, but one of the things she hasn’t accomplished is being successful at dating. To her Korean parents and grandmother, marriage is a box she should be checking off sooner rather than later. Her grandmother shares news with her at her 80th birthday party that rocks her world and has her agreeing to three dates that her parents and aunts arrange to find her a partner.

Requirements: smart, successful, and tall. Oh, and not a wimp since apparently that one time it happened gave Julia the reputation that she makes men cry.

She had more than one past date tell her she was undateable because she’s too blunt, too harsh, too stubborn, just too much. She’s taken these words to heart and has decided she’s just no good at dating. So with the three dates looming in front of her, she does what she’d do with any other aspect of her life: she hires a coach.

Enter Taehyung Kim, her neighbor who she used to babysit and who she firmly put in a box as “little brother.” Except he’s not little anymore. He’s twenty-five and has come back home to take care of his dad who was battling cancer for the second time. The life he was living in Chicago prior to returning home didn’t quite fit for him, and now he’s trying to figure out what his future holds while he helps everyone who asks with whatever they need. Thus, it’s an easy yes when Julia drunkenly asks him for his assistance getting more comfortable about dating. He knows it’s going to be hard to take this on, what with the crush he had on her growing up, but how can he pass up the opportunity to take Julia on practice dates.
I loved how open Julia could be with Tae on their practice dates, where the nerves slipped away and she could just be herself without worry of judgment. He saw her and liked what he saw, not wanting her to shrink herself in any way. The dates were trainwrecks, but that’s just because maybe what you’re looking for is closer than you think and you just need to open your eyes.

One of my favorite parts was when Tae got Julia to see that the age gap that exists between them is really not a big deal. I also adored how soft he was with her, how even before they got together he did all he could to show her that she was worthy and that any man would be lucky to date her, that she could be honest with him and he wouldn’t shy away from it but instead find it refreshing.

Julia fought so hard to be the woman Tae needed, the one to support him without pushing while he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. To be the woman to see him as Superman without needing Superman to save her.

This gave me lots of ooey gooey feelings, the butterflies, and even when the misunderstanding trope came into play, I got it, and I was rooting for them to work it out. It was a funny lighthearted story with lots of heart. The family dynamics on both sides were a joy to watch.
There was just a dash of spice, but I bet you’ll never look at a race car bed the same way again.

And those requirements, turns out that Tae had all of them even if not in what society would consider the traditional sense. But he had one extra quality that was vital: he made Julia’s eyes sparkle with joy. And joy is something we all could use in our lives.

I’m crossing my fingers that Susan will have Rachel’s story slated for future release, because she was the friend I was most interested in learning more about.

Check this out if you’re a fan of:

- Friends to lovers
- Childhood crush
- Fake dating/dating lessons
- Strong FMC
- He falls first

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the eARC.

This was a tremendous adult debut from Susan Lee—swoony, hilarious (so many delightfully cringey rom-com moments!), heartfelt. I loved the role family played in this novel alongside the romance and the nuanced themes about finding your path and caring for yourself and others. A total delight, and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Julia Song is a successful in many ways, such as heading a popular cosmetic brand, but she is unsuccessful in the one area her family values most: dating. When her grandmother comes to her family with some sad news, Julia is suddenly desperate to find a boyfriend and turns to her family to help set her up on dates. She also looks to Tae to help "coach" her through this dating process and, as a shock to no one, they end up falling for each other instead.

This book was a fun time with so many charming components: a meddling family, a journey of self discovery for both the FMC and MMC, and of course a sweet romance at the center. Susan Lee is a phenomenal YA reader, and this adult romance release from her is sure to be a huge hit!

I LOVED this book so much!!! This is my first book was the author and I cannot wait to read her others! Julia was such a fun character to follow, and Tae! What a dreamboat. I’m obsessed with him. They were so cute together! Loved this love story.