I absolutely loved this book! It was a beautiful look into Korean culture and even though I'm not Korean, there was so much I could indentify with - especially the struggle to feel enough. Can't wait for Susan Lee's next book!

I devoured this book. DEVOURED. I am going to the bookstore today to get more of Susan Lee. I already have her “Romance Rivalry” so I cannot wait to get into more of her books.

I will say this book was so hard to put down. The relationship between Tae and Julia was just chefs kiss. I would read 3732882 more books about them. Like what’s happening next with them in Korea? I hope only good things!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This has truly been the year of Susan Lee—I loved the Romance Rivalry and really enjoyed Julia Song is Undateable. She has a way of bringing such warmth and humor to her characters that really makes me feel like I’m reading/watching a Korean drama with a fun premise.

I enjoyed the depiction of the Korean American family dynamics, and found their interactions resonant and endearing. I also really enjoyed Tae as a character, especially in the ways he allowed Julia to relax around him and be herself. I thought they had great chemistry and that Lee was able to weave together so many different threads of this story—family dynamics, mental health, classism, healthcare, societal expectations, etc.

However, just like with the Romance Rivalry, there was something about the ending that just didn’t stick the landing for me. I’ve tried to mull over how to articulate it, but I guess it comes down to not believing they would be able to reconcile after such a confrontation. The third act breakup led me to feel that Tae seriously needed to work on himself, and Julia, while grateful for the support Tae initially gave her, could ultimately find happiness on her own. While the epilogue explains that this internal work happened after time separation, it all happened “off-screen” and didn’t really feel earned to me.

That being said, Susan Lee has been a bright spot in my reading year and I will continue to seek out her future works!

4⭐️ I’m fully in my K-Pop era and absolutely loving it.

This book was so cute and so fun and I adore Susan Lee. The Korean culture throughout the book was so much fun, and I loved the K-Pop and BTS references (Jimin is my bias hehe). The relationships and interactions between the characters in the Korean community were so fascinating to me and I really enjoyed it! I feel like have a whole new appreciation for Korean culture. I plan to read more Korean stories!

I LOVE TAE. He’s so cute. Definitely the definition of “if he wanted to, he would”.

Thank you so much to Susan Lee, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

Julia Song Is Undateable is a charming, heartfelt rom-com. Julia and Tae's journey from childhood crushes to potential partners is sweet and engaging. It's a delightful read that expertly balances humor with themes of self-discovery and family expectations. Would’ve been five stars if it wasn't for the miscommunication.

This book was a great, quick, fun, summer read. The characters were sweet and the Korean culture seemed to be well represented. Julia is loveably portrayed and frustrating in the best way. You want her to find love but you’re also proud of her strength. Tae was a great compliment to her outward strength with his quiet consistency. I was not a fan of the background of Julia being his babysitter in the past. The 5 year age gap didn’t bother me until the author mentioned the babysitting and hanging around. I also wish there had been more of a resolution for Min and Tae. Overall it was a great read.

This would likely make a really cute tv show or Netflix movie. As a book, I found it weirdly stiff, repetitive, and predictable. The start was promising, we love a woman heading a very successful business. After that, everything got a little tedious. The grandmother lying to get her way was an eye-roll moment; the fact that this intelligent, savvy businesswoman would fall so hard for something so transparent was silly. The number of times points about the lead characters' personalities and circumstances were hammered home got very repetitive. We understand Julia wants to do whats expected of her. The reader understands that Tey doesn't like feeling underestimated, and he has the weight of his family on his shoulders. These things were repeated ad nauseam, and it began to feel like filler. The way the characters all spoke to one another didn't feel natural and often felt stilted or wooden.

The premise was generally fine, the writing did not do it for me.

Well this was fun! Susan Lee is a new author to me with her first adult romance novel. She’s written YA novels previously.

Julia Song is smart, beautiful and awkward about dating, but she’s also the CEO of Starlight Cosmetics, a company she founded. She’s thirty years old and successful but her family frets that she isn’t married yet.

Julia is Korean American and close to her family but they tend to drive her a little crazy about her prospects for marriage. I suspect many cultures have their own way to pester their kids about their futures but this felt totally relatable.

Her BFFS have her back and her family loves her. Her close neighbors are like a second family who happen to have a son that Julia grew up with but hasn’t seen in years. Enter hot, handsome and kind Tae Kim. They reconnect as the childhood friends they once were but both think and feel there could be more.

What follows are the ups and downs of old friendships that can morph into more plus the fun of rediscovery. Especially fun are the three setup dates her family arranges for her.

Don’t miss this, you’ll love it!

Thanks Edelweiss and Canary Street Press.

I have some mixed feelings about this book! It's my second time reading Susan Lee's work, and as someone who loves Asian American writers, I went in with high hopes. Unfortunately, I found that this particular novel didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Julia Song is a successful businesswoman who, despite her career achievements, struggles with her romantic life. Thanks to some well-intentioned meddling from her grandma, she finds herself with an unexpected dating coach in the form of the charming and beloved Tae Kim. It's a "noona romance"—an older woman, younger man pairing—and it reminded me of Kim Seon-ho's character from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. It was sweet seeing Tae interact with the community. The settings in Southern California and Seoul made the book surprisingly relatable to me.

I usually enjoy cliches in light-hearted romance books, but this one was just okay for me. It was clear from the beginning where the plot would climax with miscommunication so it was a bit underwhelming. The ending was quite cheesy and it definitely felt like a k-drama moment!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Susan Lee for the ARC!

This was a really cute cozy romance. I loved the hilarious friends like Rachel, and the ending tying in the old rival as a bridesmaid. I loved the grand gesture and the tie in to Korea. Her halmoni was hilarious. I loved the humor of the book that also touched on really important topics. I cannot wait to read more books by Susan. I don't have the links but reviews have been shared on goodreads and Instagram.

I got this as an eARC from NetGalley (thank you!)

I liked this book better than the other that I've read by Susan Lee, Romance Rivalry, and I think that's in large part due to being an adult novel as opposed to YA.

What I liked about the book: I loved the Korean-American representation, and the complicated family dynamics the book explored, for both main characters. Their families were ultimately quite different but they both felt a lot of pressure to succeed and please their parents. I thought the set-up dates were funny and relatable (we've all been on bad dates, after all) and the "practice" dates were cute and fun. It was also fun to learn more about Korean culture along with Julie, who despite being Korean-American, struggled with not feeling connected to her culture. I also liked Julie as a character, and her self awareness in general. I think she grew a lot as a person from her experiences.

What I didn't love: the age gap thing was really not a big deal but there were definitely times when Tae did feel immature, especially compared to Julie. A lot of his POV is whining about how he doesn't know what to do with his life and feels judged for it. He complains that his brother doesn't do much to help their family, but rejects help when it is offered and insists on taking on everything himself.

Miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes in general, and it was in abundance here. And even when the miscommunications were cleared up at times, the characters STILL felt slighted rather than relieved. Even the big romantic gesture at the end of the book had a miscommunication moment and I rolled my eyes hard at that. It honestly felt like it undermined some of the growth the characters has demonstrated.

Finally, the spicy scenes were fine but not amazing. There was a lot of tension built up prior to the characters realizing they had feelings for each other, but the second they kissed it went from 0-100 real quick and was honestly a bit of a let down from the slow burn we'd been developing up until that point.

All in all, a really cute book with fun banter, memorable side characters, and relatable dating woes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I had such a fun time reading this; the book was so funny and the characters really hooked me in. I personally loved the overall flow of the book and how some aspects were "predictable" without taking the fun out of seeing it all unfold.

Julia was such a strong FMC, I loved seeing a successful character and seeing how her success continued to be a strong point of her storyline; it's so nice to see a win/win.

Halmoni was a standout favorite for me, I love getting the hardcore giggles from book moments and definitely had quite a few from this one!

Julia is very much an Adult, and a girl boss, CEO, slaying the day away, but even she has her own personal issues. Her family expectations, her own insecurities, her own expectations all are such relatable aspects that I think many adult readers will find relatable. While I am not Korean (I am adopted from China) I can understand the weight of expectations that Julia faces, despite being extremely successful in her career and surrounded by family and friends. This is something I can empathize with and I love how Susan weaves it into her story. I love Julia and I love that she’s so hardworking and successful and SO DESERVING OF LOVE!!! she’s a multidimensional character with flaws and insecurities, but I found them to be realistic and relatable. I loved her success within the Korean American community and just love her so much 😭😭. Her humor and her personality are such gems and I just think she deserves the world😭

I thought Tae was such a great complex character. Not your typical leading man, he’s the neighbor, younger brother, and not as successful compared to others his age. I loved that he’s a reliable member of his community, helping anyone and everyone and that that makes him happy doing so. I loved that he defended Julia when she wasn’t even there, like wow thats hella romantic and I may have even swooned a bit. He’s very encouraging and supportive to others and I loved how he realized that he doesn’t have to carry everyone on his own shoulders. I felt that I could relate to him the most with the way he feels so loyal to his family and wanting to do everything for him even though it’s unfair of him to do (that’s pressure he puts on himself).

Plot:
There’s nothing like the old family guilt tripping. I think it’s sweet that Tae wanted to help out and I also like that Julia’s circle we’re all so supportive.

The first date - listen even if I didn’t know the plot of this book, I’d still know that this is a disaster. The guy is clearly not even paying attention to who he’s with and then he was incredibly condescending about her extremely successful company. We already checked him off the list for marrying but it’s been 20 min into the date and I’m crying for Julia.

The second date: I don’t even have words, but yikes. Very self centered and didn’t even bother asking her more questions about herself and then assuming she’d follow HIM? Ick.

The third date: I felt like he and Tae had a better time together until they noted that Tae was not currently employed. The rest of the time was also icky. I did love that Tae was jealous and Julia just gave up and was eating her way through it.

Their date 🥹💕: yesss I loved that he cooked for her and that all her friends snuck him into her apartment to surprise her. Very cutesy and intimate and just so thoughtful. My fav thing about this was how supportive everyone in both Juli and Tae’s circles were for them to be together, no matter how misguided or devious.

Third act breakup: honestly I was a little annoyed this even happened, but it also made sense. Tae had had a lot of foreshadowing to his character about feeling lost and not sure of himself. It was upsetting to see him crash out and hurt Julia with the very fears she shared with him. I didn’t love that BUT I loved that he apologized and gave her the space. I also loved that he went and got closure in Chicago from his job and sought professional help before making his grand gesture for Julia.

I truly enjoyed this book and think it’s a wonderful, heartfelt adult romance. Susan is such a phenomenal writer and is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

If this doesn’t get turned into a K-drama, I swear I’m rioting.
This book was everything I wanted: swoony, emotional, and actually funny—like I-giggled-alone-in-my-kitchen funny.

Julia is a powerhouse CEO with no filter, no patience for BS, and apparently no dating luck either. Tae is her cinnamon roll childhood friend who still lives with his parents but somehow still makes you swoon?? Their dynamic had me grinning nonstop. The fake date prep turning into real feelings thing? Adorable. And the way Tae looks at her like she hangs the moon? I MELTED.

There’s Korean American family pressure, a meddling grandma, friends who ride or die, and an umbrella scene I will be thinking about for the rest of the year. I also loved that the story didn’t ask Julia to shrink herself—she found someone who loved her because she’s blunt and bold, not in spite of it.

Honestly, this had the exact emotional payoff I needed, with a healthy dose of chaos and charm. Susan Lee is now one of my enw favorite authors!!

⭐ 4.5/5

I had a great time reading this!

Julia Song is undateable. According to the douchbags she previously dated. So when she gets guilt tripped by her grandma to go to three setups, she fears for the family name and her reputation and decides to ask Tae Kim, who does everything for the Korean Community in Irvine, to help her be dateable. While they go on their practice dates, Julia starts to question if The One may have always been right in front of her.

I loved Julia and Tae so much! Julia's struggle to meet her family's expectations, and the pressure of keeping a successful business and Tae's struggle with what he wants to do with his life, and feeling lost was so relatable and done very well.

As much As I love romance, I also love friendships and Julia's friends are the best! They did everything for Julia and were there for her every time she needed it.

Tae Kim reminded me so much of Hong Dusik from Hometown cha-cha-cha. Which btw is one of my favorite Kdramas ever. He compliments Julia so well, their chemistry is off the charts! It got me giggling and kicking my feet!

I literally screamed when I read that text from the epilogue. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Highly recommend this if you love childhood friends to lovers, kinda fake dating, and he falls first and hard!

Thank you to the publisher, netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Once again my petition to add half stars to Goodreads! This was almost a 4 star read for me. Loved the plot and idea of the characters, the only thing that held me back was the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. I definitely felt it there and felt it grow throughout the book, but it didn’t feel as deep of a connection between them as I hoped!
Otherwise, this is my first Susan Lee book and I’m hyped that she’s venturing into adult fiction! Can’t wait to read more by her and so excited that I got this arc from NetGalley
3.5/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

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!