XOXO

5/5 stars

Jenny is set on attending the Manhattan School of Music. She has devoted most of her life honing her skills playing cello. After some disappointing feedback on her latest performance, she finds herself challenging a mysterious boy to karaoke. She has the chance to see him again when she and her mother move to Seoul for a few months to take care of her grandmother. Jenny soon learns that not only is this boy attending the same prestigious performing arts school as her, but he is a world-famous K-pop idol. Jenny must figure out her new life in Seoul while also navigating a potential relationship with a superstar. 

XOXO was a light-hearted and fun read that kept me turning the pages. It definitely fed into my love for Kdramas and Kpop. The story was paced well. I liked how it jumped right into Jenny’s time in Seoul. There was some story development of her life in LA that catalyzed the plot, but within a few pages she was in Korea. 

The romance was a bit lacking for me. Her relationship with Jaewoo, the K-pop idol, was flirty and reminiscent of a first love, but the tension and development was a bit lacking. It felt like a whirlwind and it was often kept secret due to Jaewoo’s publicity and obligations as an idol. 

Jenny’s coming-of-age moments and her friendships took more of a front seat which was completely fine for me. I liked seeing her figure herself out and learn to stand up for herself at school and at home. The tensions between classmates and friends was a bit predictable, but still very enjoyable and heart-warming.

Overall, I loved XOXO. I was excited when it became obvious in the story that while in Korea, the characters were speaking Korean unless explicitly stated otherwise (because duh, why wouldn’t they). I love how there was tension and unresolved storylines up until the very last pages. This was a very captivating story that I will consider a comfort read from now on.