Seoulmates

July 11, 2022
Told in alternating perspectives, Lee’s stirring debut follows two estranged Korean American childhood best friends’ rekindling as they navigate identity and blossoming first love. After her boyfriend Nate, who is white, dumps her, stating they have nothing in common (“You just don’t know anything about K-pop or Korean dramas,” he says), 17-year-old Hannah Cho’s dreams of their carefree summer together are ruined. To win Nate back, she endeavors to learn more about Korean pop culture, but the arrival of her former best friend Jacob Kim, 18 and now a K-drama star, throws a wrench into her plans. Unaddressed feelings of hurt and abandonment resurface, stemming from Jacob’s move from San Diego to South Korea three years prior, as the duo help each other through individual internal conflicts, including Hannah’s fears of being left behind by the people she loves and Jacob’s feelings of isolation and anxiety caused by his career. Recalling the effusive expression, fast pace, and dramatic moments of a K-drama, Lee celebrates Korean culture, and examines its objectification within the U.S., via a good-
humored and tenderly written second chance at love. Ages 13–up. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.

July 1, 2022
Childhood friends reconnect only to discover a new type of love. Korean Americans Hannah Cho and Jacob Kim were the best of friends growing up. That is, until Jacob's father died and he and his mom moved to South Korea. Now 18, Jacob is starring in a hot K-drama and feeling the pressures of fame. After Jacob is injured while trying to help a distressed fan, his mother decides they'll escape to San Diego for the summer and stay with their old friends the Chos. Hannah, fresh from a breakup, is preoccupied with getting back together with her White ex-boyfriend, Nate, who is even more into K-pop and K-drama than she is. When Jacob and Hannah are thrown back together, years' worth of unspoken hurt feelings--and affection--resurface. Despite their initial walls, Hannah and Jacob quickly realize how much they have missed their friendship. The two fall back into their friendly rhythm, and it turns into something more. The narrative alternates between Hannah's and Jacob's first-person perspectives, with third-person interludes following the pair's mothers. The love story flows easily as Lee incorporates the trappings and obligations of life as a K-drama celebrity, such as fake dating one's co-star, as well as humorous and occasionally frustrating incidents that come with the territory and affect the couple's budding relationship. The novel also meaningfully examines issues around Korean American identity, code-switching, objectification of Asian culture and people, family dynamics, and finding inner strength. An honest, fresh, and thoughtful summer romance. (Romance. 14-18)

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September 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-Two former best friends reunite in this enemies-to-lovers story of identity, Korean culture, and K-drama fandom. Hannah Cho was recently dumped by her boyfriend, which is honestly bad timing as their summer before senior year is about to start, and she had it all planned out. Jacob Kim is a late-bloomer-turned-hottie who has hit it big acting in a K-drama. The two former childhood best friends haven't spoken in years, but when Jacob returns to his native San Diego from Seoul, the two must confront the hurt that has kept them apart. Although Hannah has struggled her whole life with her Korean identity, she's not ready to face the fact that Jacob is a much sought-out star that her own friends recognize. Can she win Nate, her former boyfriend who is white but loves all things K, back? Can Jacob enjoy California even though he's under strict contractual obligations? And can the two teens possibly be feeling something other than friendship? This story is told in alternating voices, and it has two very relatable main characters. The "will they or won't they?" trope is fairly predictable, but an inside view of the world of the machines that are K-pop and K-dramas will attract a wide range of readers. Most teens will see some of their own realities depicted in the main character's story and that's the best part of the book. VERDICT A great purchase for all high school collections.-Carol Youssif

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2022
Grades 8-11 The summer before Hannah Cho's senior year is off to a rocky start, largely due to getting dumped and drifting apart from her friends. While Hannah has been trying to set aside her Korean heritage to focus on just being American, she sees some of her friends enjoying Korean culture, such as television dramas and K-pop. She begins to realize that this is a part of her that she may finally need to explore. This becomes almost comically unavoidable when she suddenly reunites with her former childhood bestie, Jacob Kim, who now stars in a K-drama. Back in town and seeking a respite from the attention of celebrity, Jacob quickly slips back into his friendship with Hannah, but now the two connect in ways they never did before. Lee takes readers on an emotional ride as they watch Hannah and Jacob's reunion and evolving feelings for each other. A quick and lovely read that touches on themes of identity and internal growth, this novel is perfect for the romantics at heart.

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