*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: XOXO
Author: Axie Oh
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 9780063025011
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word. Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating. When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.
This was a fantastic bit of fluff that I just delighted in reading. It was the exact thing I needed to turn my brain off this week and just enjoy an adorable romance story full of travel, K-pop, and art school. It’s exactly like all the sweet K-dramas out there: perfectly light and innocent, and easy to digest. I was through this book in 2 days and it left me wanting more.
Jenny and Jaewoo meet at her uncle’s karaoke bar and end up bumping into each other later that same night. They have a whirlwind night of fun at the LA Korean festival, only for him to disappear. When Jenny’s family situation brings her right into the heart of Seoul for six months, the last person she expects to run into is Jaewoo. Their mutual love of music and their inherent connections brings them together instantly, but Jaewoo’s fame makes having a relationship impossible. Though they fight their feelings for one another, there’s little they can do to go against their hearts.
The characters are all lovely and endearing, even the secondary characters. Oh has brought them each to life and developed them fully. Their stories are so robust and so no one is forgotten. Her story is not only one of romance, but of friendship, family, and identity as well. Jenny is on a journey to get to know her maternal grandmother, a woman she’s never met, and to understand the country that her family comes from. Simultaneously, she’s working hard to fulfill her dreams and to reach all of her goals, all while crushing HARD on Jaewoo. He’s not an easy distraction to overcome, nor does she want to.
This book is fun, light-hearted, and absolutely addicting. I’d read it again in a heartbeat. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 