A handwritten letter to falling in love and opening yourself up to the world. A delicious treat!”— Aminah Mae Safi, author of Tell Me How You Really Feel

Can a 17-year-old with her first girlfriend prevent real-life folks from discovering her online fandoms? jaewoo and Jenny meet coincidentally and spend the way together only for Jaewoo to disappear for the next couple of months without any word. That is, until Jenny gets admitted into a prestigious performance arts school and finds out that jaewoo goes there too. And he’s in a very famous k-pop group. tw/cw: loss of a parent, hospital depictions (past + present), cancer mentions, cancer treatment depiction, bullying, brief mention of dieting, unwanted pictures being taken/paparazzi, stalking by the press/"fans", misogynistic comments/names, grief depictions. De Cseu nem csak egy átlagos álompasi, akivel egy osztályba kerülnek - hanem az egyik legnagyobb k-pop-banda tagja, egy idol, akinek tilos randiznia... The forbidden aspect really played an important role here and I loved that. I feel like I’m most of my recent romances, the forbidden aspect is only for the sake of the trope or because they hate each other so they’re forbidden to be together? Like that makes sense🙄. But here. It was so good. Then sneaking around and finding time to be together was adorable.

Since Jenny grew up in U.S., I love her learning about the Korean culture and embrace her roots. She also made very good friends and it's obvious she enjoyed her stay. Jaewoo is obedient and hardworking guy. His years of training surely paid off and the dedication he puts in is all for his family. I admire him for living a life a little and stand his ground. I think the majority of k-pop stans (and when I say majority I mean about 90%) want their idols to be happy no matter what they do or who they end up with. I’m no exception to that rule because honestly if any member of BTS would find their significant other I’d be super happy for them. They deserve it! They did so much for ARMY and all I want for them is to be happy and healthy. <3 Unfortunately not everyone in the fandom is like me though and there are the ugly sides of being an idol as well. Stalker fans (saesangs) and people in the fandom that criticize everything their idols do. People that think they can dictate what their idol wears, who they date or even what haircut they should get. (Let alone all those people that constantly give idols hell for getting tattoos or piercings. They are adults and grown women/men and it is their body! They can do whatever they want! You either love them as they are, because tattoos and piercings are an expression of themselves as well or you just don’t stan them. Period!) He means so much to a lot of people,” Sun continues, “not just to his family, of course, but to everyone here at Joah. He started training at the company when he was twelve years old. It’s been difficult for him, away from his family for all those years. But he kept on working hard. He’d spend hours in the studio training his body and voice.” Oh’s narrative reaches an enjoyable clip that is both accessible to readers unfamiliar with K-pop and pleasing for fans of K-dramas as well as anyone who enjoys a breezy contemporary romance." — Publishers Weekly I mean that quote!!! It’s every k-pop group that has a fandom! There will always be ships no matter if it’s among the members in the group or with members of other groups. XD And speaking of the k-pop bands themselves. The representation of XOXO as a k-pop group was more than just accurate too! The way the band members cared about and supported each other was so heart-warming and relatable. Everyone who’s a fan of a k-pop group will know that the members are basically family and that they spend a lot of time together. Most of the times even their youth because they become trainees when they are still very young and the other band members kind of compensate for their real family. So by the end of their trainee days and when they have their debut they are actually already a found family that gives each other strength. =)

Oh is such an amazing writer and I loved the books that I have read from her. I was so excited for ASAP and it did not disappoint! ASAP is the companion novel to XOXO and it was just soooo good

The Bottom Line: 4.5/5 Brookie Stars

XOXO follows Jenny and Jaewoo who meet unexpectedly in Los Angeles at Jenny’s uncle noraebang, or karaoke bar. They have a magical night of dancing, singing, and exploring the city before Jaewoo suddenly leaves. Three months later, Jenny and her mother move to South Korea to care for her ailing grandmother, and while she’s there, she’s enrolled in Seoul’s most prestigious arts academy.

Jenny’s never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk. A modern forbidden romance wrapped in the glamorous and exclusive world of K-pop, XOXO is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Maurene Goo. This book is an Axie Oh classic: endearing characters, a swoon-worthy romance, and with addictive quality only she knows how to write. I mean, what more do you want from a second chance romance set in Seoul? It is a beautiful, captivating story that will leave you yearning for more when reading the undeniable chemistry between the protagonists. Prequel Scarlatiny přichází s ještě temnějším příběhem pro fanoušky Tima Burtona | RECENZE Smaragdina For a dream come true and realistic fan-meets-idol scenario in snowy Seoul (with MOUTH-WATERING food descriptions)Sori was a relatable character and I loved getting to read about her. I loved getting to read about Sori as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with their life and how to help her family. Nathaniel was such a fun character. It was fun to read about him from Sori’s eyes. He grew a lot throughout this book and I loved how steady he was. He was always ready to help Sori. Jenny's journey is never defined by her love story but instead pushed forward by stolen moments that will make romance fans swoon. At its core, this is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that will remind readers love for a friend, family, your art, and a partner can all find space in your heart." — Booklist El único pero que tiene el libro es que, al igual que XOXO, se me hizo un final un poco apresurado. Me sorprende esto porque, juzgando otro libro de Axie "The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea" esto no fue un porblema, pero con estos dos libros si. Me hubiera gustado un poco más de desarrollo, pero no quedo en lo más mínimo insatisfecho. Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.

Nincs értelme azon töprengeni, "mi lett volna, ha", hiszen egy óceán választja el őket egymástól. Ám Jennynek és anyukájának egy időre Szöulba kell költözniük, hogy gondját viseljék Jenny nagymamájának. És vajon kivel találkozik az elit művészeti akadémián, ahova beiratkozott a félévre? Cseuval. Axie’s writing is effortless and incredibly engaging. I love how she included part of her cultural heritage into this adorable romcom. Somewhere Only We Know meets I’ll Be the One in this modern forbidden romance wrapped in the glamorous and exclusive world of K-pop, which follows Jenny as she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol and has to decide whether their love is worth the risk. Is it weird if I take a picture?” Angela asks. “Like as a souvenir for myself. I’ve never seen such great visuals.”

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If you’re BTS ARMY and didn’t immediately think of Jungkook when you read this description of Jaewoo then I really dunno. *lol* It was my first thought and from then on out I always pictured JK when I read about him. Don’t judge me, I needed to live vicariously through Jenny’s POV. ;-P I mean which k-pop fan doesn’t dream of meeting their idol and actually being together with them? XD Okay, so this out of the way we can finally talk about the actual book. But it becomes pretty much impossible to follow when Candace finds herself in the middle of a love triangle between a sweet boy trainee and a superstar member of the hottest boy band in the world.Will all of her hard work be wasted if she follows her heart? Or can she be the perfect, hair-flipping idol and stay true to herself at the same time? In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. I love the forbidden nature of their relationship because he’s not allowed to date because his life is so public