This book was not my type, I do recommend but again I didnt enjoy reading this. It was too confusing for me and I didnt like the chemistry between the characters.

First off - I know zero about K-pop, but that didn't stop me from loving every bit of this book.

I highly enjoyed this book. I read this baby within a day and it left me craving more.

The story itself was cute and something you wanted to experience yourself - meeting a rockstar and falling in love. A mutual love, not just you being weird and obsessive. The language flowed easily and the pacing was solid.

The characters were easily likeable (those who deserved to be liked) and I just wanted to jump into the book and give Merri a big hug for all the crap that happened to her throughout the story. Merri is a character that, in one way or the other, you can relate to as a girl. Hopefully not in the way that your boyfriend cheats on you with your best friend, but you know, other stuff.
Lee is your classic moody, broody and mysterious boy-next-door, whom Merri does not see eye-to-eye with in the beginning until she gets to know him and his massive secret.

All in all, a highly entertaining and quickly-read book that I can see myself rereading when I need something quick and sweet.

I thought this was a really sweet story with some very real issues. The story was sincere and fit the age of the characters perfectly. Being Asian and growing up in the culture, I appreciated Kristen Burnham's sincerity in bringing some of the pressures of Asian culture to light. It's not all cute chibi art and fabulous food.
Merri and Lee were so cute together and I loved their banter. And the whole K-pop premise was of course awesome. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
four kimchi stars!!!
D 4/5

<k>I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book, received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</k>

If you're into kpop, dramas or Korean culture in general you're probably going to love this. If you don't, you'll probably think this is another cliché and fluffy romance story about an ordinary teenage girl and a popstar. The main storyline is quite easy to sum up: girl meets boy, they don't really like each other. Drama ensues. Boy falls for girl, girl falls for boy. Girl discovers boy is a runaway K-pop idol in hiding. More drama ensues.

If I'm to be completely honest, I was aware from the very first moment that the chances of me liking this book were slim. While it is a fun read and the Korean references can be enjoyable for kpop fans, for me this book felt like another of those fanfics with "inserte your name" as the main character. However, one thing I did like -and I think it is very important to point out- is how the author addresses the pressure suffered by Korean idols. While I'm not the biggest kpop fan, I enjoy watching the occasional Korean drama and from what I could see, the celebrity world in Korea is insanely harmful. Celebrities train from childhood and have to live in this image of perfection and goodness and rectitude and it just seems so awful and impossible to do. And this can have consequences such as mental health issues, which are hidden under this façade of shiny glamorous happiness until, some times, it is too late.

This one reminded me of one of those titles that just didn't know what it wanted to me. It started out with the content of the story are these characters teens or are they adults? Because, at times they felt like both and this book is sectioned as both young adult and new adult. The story is definitely a weird one. I would recommend this one to someone who die hard loves K-Pop and romance.



Go Into This One Knowing: K-Pop, Romance

This book was so cute and fluffy and swoon worthy I loved every second of it but it does have some hard topics in it also but it still was a good read

Thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Merilee Hart is doing everything she can to keep her life together after her mother left. Her art has become her escape from the world and it’s where she can creatively log the things that happen in her day-to-day life.

A few days after returning from Australia with her father Merilee, or Merri to most, happens to notice that her next door neighbour has a new house guest in the form of her enigmatic nephew. It doesn’t take long for Merri to realise that Lee is moody and utterly infuriating. Not only that but Merri is quick to uncover that she has been betrayed by her two closest friends and is left feeling very vulnerable.

She soon finds herself drawn to Lee and after spending some time with him comes to find that he isn’t anything like she first thought. He’s funny, he’s kind and he definitely has a sparkle to him.

It isn’t long till her life is thrown out of the loop when she realises that Lee is actually a member of the K-Pop mega group Thunder and is currently in hiding and taking a break away from the fame. It doesn’t take long for the fans to try and close in on where Lee is hiding and are ready to do whatever they can to return him to his rightful place in the band.

Merri is not only faced with the fans but with the looming prospect of heart-break as she begins to fall for the singer. After a misunderstanding Merri must learn how to pick up the pieces, gain control of her life and pursue her dreams as an artist.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of K-Pop and was scared to start this book incase I didn’t understand the references. I’m thoroughly glad I did read this. The characters are so well written and I was completely hooked from the first chapter
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Merri goes through so much in this book that my heart goes out to her. Not only is she fighting her dad over her future prospects but her friend’s have betrayed her in the worst way possible. Lee is honestly the only thing that keeps her going.

The humour, for me, was on point and had me laughing to myself but most of all Kristen Burnham made me fall in love with Merri and Lee. I recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, light-hearted read with a sprinkle of K-Pop on top.

Absolutely lovely in every way. I won’t forget this book and it’s words for a long long time. Completely unforgettable!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for letting me read an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

<i>Hart and Seoul</i> is the debut book for Kristen Burnham. I found this book...adorable. There were some hard things discussed in it, but I feel like it's things that teens are facing now. Especially with the rise of internet bullying and social media.

First I'm going to talk about what I wasn't a fan of with the book. The spelling/mispronunciation of some of the Korean words. The biggest one - <i>deh</i>. I'm not sure if Ms. Burnham had looked at any Korean language tutorials or if she speaks Korean, or how she did her I research. I'm Korean - with a mother who likes to yell at me in Korean good or bad. Deh is not a word. Neh is the correct way to say and spell 'yes'. Also, <i>bo</i> is not a word either. From the context, it should be <i>mo</i>. The mispellings are the biggest things that I had a problem with in the book. It's not hard to google translate something and get the right answer.

That being said - why I loved this book! It was sweet and lovely. This is the first time I've read a book that had a Kpop star in it. Kristen got a lot of aspects correct in that way. I've heard rumors, but don't actually know any Kpop stars that can confirm. The things they go through are rough. They do start training at an early age and they have to do what the managers say and when they say it. The way that she described the ordeals that people go through when it comes to depression are spot on. These are also things that happen to everyone.

All in all, I recommend <i>Hart and Seoul</i> to everyone! It was an extremely satisfying book and I'm hoping to see more of Lee!

When a book can make you laugh, make you hungry, make you want to travel the world, and make you feel the looks the characters are exchanging, all while highlighting an important topic that is impressive!

This novel is fun, with a capital F. There is romance, but it isn’t graphic and the moments that could be cheesy are endearing because the characters laugh at their own cheese factor. There is K-Pop music with obsessed fans, but not in a way that feels fake and certainly not in a way that makes you wish for fame. Most of all, there are two main characters and a supporting cast that through a short novel manage to grow, love, hate, and become the friends you didn’t know you needed. Hart & Seoul is one of the books that has characters you wish you could hang out with in real life which is always a sure way to make me love a reading experience. The writing is fun and light and the sprinkling of Korean and Australian words and confusion over sayings is just right making the book speed by while many months are covered in the book’s timeline. Because of the way that passage of time is handled, the end of the books seems fitting and doesn’t end with a quick fix which can be a common pitfall of shorter YA books.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an enjoyable book, needing a laugh, getting over heartbreak, jamming out to K-Pop on the regular, or anyone who has learned who their friends are the hard way. Just don’t read this one on an empty stomach! No kimchi for me, but I’ll be ordering in bibimbap tonight!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute light read. Not my usual cup of tea but a nice summer read
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Merri comes home from a summer abroad to discover that her boyfriend and best friend have betrayed her. Luckily, she's distracted from her broken heart by the gorgeous but grumpy Korean boy, Lee, who has moved in next door. They're just starting to get past hating each other when she discovers his secret: Lee is a member of Thunder, one of the most popular K-Pop bands in the world. Why is he hiding out in Virginia? And will he break Merri's heart all over again when he inevitably has to go back to his real life of being a global superstar?

I know absolutely nothing about K-Pop, but I got completely swept up in this book. I've read several others where the heroine is Korean-American, and I often feel lost (like the American hero) as she introduces him to K-Pop and Korean foods that I'm unfamiliar with. Here, the heroine is the American who introduces her Korean neighbor to American food and music while he shares kimchee and Korean phrases with her. I really liked the exchange of cultures. Both of them were a little lost to begin with, and their mutual interest in learning what they could was adorable. I liked this set-up much better because the reader was able to learn all the ins and outs of K-Pop along with Merri.

There's a very sweet romance in this book, but there's more to it than that. Merri wants to be an artist, but her dad is absolutely against it so she struggles with getting him to accept the future she wants for herself. Lee has some dark secrets in his past that are part of the reason he's hiding out in America. The story has plenty of fluff, to be sure, but it's got some depth to it, too.

My fave of any K-Pop/K-Drama books I've read to date! And this is the author's debut novel, so I'll be checking out anything she writes in the future.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!***

As someone who knows very little about K-pop, I can't vouch for the authenticity at all. But this novel is fun, with strong chemistry between the two main character. The reader often hits the major beats before the author writes them, but sometimes, that's part of the fun. I also felt the message board/blog posts helped move the story without feeling tacked on or intrusive.

Hart and Seoul was a really fun, light read. It followed the typical Korean drama formula, but made it feel fresh and interesting. I actually liked the characters from the start, and grew to care what happened. I also liked how it didn't shy away from the darker side of K-pop. Great for Korean drama lovers and romance readers, for young adults and higher due to mention of suicide.

From the beginning, I didn't really like Merri's voice and it took a 1/3 Of the book for me to warm up to her. The dialogue felt forced and awkward in the beginning chapters and it was painful to read how oblivious Merri was to what was going on around her. (We find out in the first chapter that her BF is cheating on her with her BFF)

The fun does build with the arrival of Lee visiting his Aunt for a undetermined hiatus/vacation from Korea. There is mystery surrounding why he is there, and his aunt keeps contriving for Merri and Lee to do things together.

Lee is the reason I kept reading, he is a lovable male lead with a good heart and watching Merri and his little love story unfold was precious! I grew to like Merri a lot more towards the end of the book. This is a cute and fluffy read, I loved learning about Korean culture and food - defininitely need to check out some K-dramas. I also enjoyed that Merri was an artist and she uses comic panels to process and journal her life online.

The author did try to touch on some important topics, some were done fairly well, while others were skimmed over too quickly.

- Popularity/Self Worth - The pressures of social media
- Jealousy - Even if it looks like someone has the perfect life, underneath they may still be struggling.
- Self Harm - Tying into the whole idea, that just because a person appears to have everything, doesn't mean their life is good and healthy.

How the author addressed self harm and attempted suicide was the biggest let down for me. It was only mentioned on one page at the very end of the book and was used more as a big plot reveal, than actively recognizing and addressing the issue. The afterward by the author filled in the blanks some, but as someone who has been directly affected by suicide, it wasn't enough and read more like a statistic than something that would help someone.

If you want to read a cute romance that features two different cultures and somewhat addresses current social issues this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of this book for an honest review.

Review has been posted to Goodreads and will be shared on my Instagram in the month of June.

I had a very difficult time with this book. Don't get me wrong, the subject matter alone was enough for me to give it 5 stars, or more if possible, but there was something about it that really bothered me.

When I saw it available for request, I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Luckily for me I didn't have to wait long and I jumped right in as soon as it hit my kindle. I was finished it within the day and I've been struggling with how to review it ever since. There are many problems with it, but the main thing I struggled with was the slight racist tone. I will not pretend that I am anything but white and some of the scenes written bothered me. Merri, the main character refers to Lee Hyungkim as 'Mr. Kimchi' on multiple occasions, she seems to make fun of his superstitions and the way he speaks English. The author uses weird romanized Korean words, which don't really make sense. The constant use of 'deh' instead of 'ne' will haunt me for the rest of my life. What could have been a touching romance, turned into something strange.

All of that being said, the way the author touched on the hardships Korean idols face is important. In her 'Author's notes' she writes about Kim Jonghyun, a member of the group SHINee and his suicide. Being a kpop fan for 10+ years, his death affected me greatly and opened my eyes to the ugly side of Kpop and what the girls/boys/men/women must endure. I thank her for touching on the darkside. I felt like she could do so much more with that angle, but at least she made an attempt.

Ummmm……. Yeah that was cringe.

To be completely honest, from the synopsis of this book I was somewhat aware of the fact that chances were very slim that the author was going to get this right, and, lo and behold, I was correct.

This book read like it was written by a twelve year old that loves K-Pop and knows nothing about Korean culture except for the little information gained from K-Pop, for example:

The only Korean words used were ‘Aigoo’ and ‘Deh’??????? Um ok 10/10 great job, fluent in Korean, totally didn’t get that from one episode of a K-Drama
‘KIMCHI EAT KIMCHI IT’S THE ONE KOREAN FOOD I KNOW YAY KIMCHI’
Along with this, the overall tone of the book, to me at least, almost seemed… kinda… fetish-y? Like just a weird obsession with Korea and Koreans on behalf of both the author and Meri (the protagonist). This was pretty much solidified through the constant emphasis on Lee being Korean, it was unnecessary and actually kinda confused me. Basically, through the book, Lee uses a few words per sentence that are Korean, unnecessary, basic words, (‘deh’) that clearly aren’t needed but are there to draw attention to his Korean-ness. Also, it gives the impression that he isn’t fluent in English, and all his speech sounds like its from Google Translate, and then he talks and understands very American English??

Also, the plot. SO PREDICTABLE UGHHHHHH. It was so predictable, literally no thought or effort or innovation whatsoever, and I wouldn’t of minded this if there were good characters and writing skills to make up for it, but nope, nada. It was horrible, honestly, we don’t even need a spoiler section here, but I’m going to add one just in case, so SPOILERS AHEAD!

Meri was? Such a hypocrite??? Like she’s upset at her mum for valuing her art over people and then does the E X A C T S A M E
Also, how is it that she was more upset over Lee than her boyfriend of 2 years and best friend getting together behind her back? Sis needs to get her priorities straight
Also, and this was the killer for me: through the book we see Meri become rather curious about Lee’s wristbands, and of course, we may assume that he is self-harming. This could’ve been a really enlightening look into the harsh aspects of the Korean entertainment industry, and then, we get half a paragraph on his scars and ‘do you have a councillor?’ umm… is that it? And then, this author had the audacity to mention Jonghyun in the Author’s Note (for those of you that may not know, Jonghyun was a member of K-Pop group Shinee who commit suicide at the end of 2017, the event got a lot of media attention, and even managed to reach the UK, giving many an insight into the harshness that many face in the entertainment industry in Korea. If you’d like to find out more let me know and I’ll reply to any comments with some articles that explain the inaudibly sad event far better than I’ll be able to). The anger I felt at that may have been emphasised considering my love for the group, but I think its absolutely unacceptable to brush over such a serious issue in such a nonchalant and blase manner, and then mention a real life event, that actually happened, and was so much more serious than the stupid portrayal in this book and I am quite genuinely disgusted, so, if the author ever comes across this: screw you. And find some source of research other than Wattpad for your books, I could’ve done a better job.

A romance between a K-Pop Idol and the girl next door, is the order of the day in this book and I loved it.

As someone who now wishes to be the next door neighbour of Suga (but sadly Not Today) a story about a girl who has a romance with a kpop Idol was so damn up my street, I had to request this book, Hart & Seoul, I Need U.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, the love/hate relationship growing into friendship and more is one of my favourite things in romance tropes and this book does it so well, it’s really dope how the writer builds up the tension incredibly well through the book and the end totally does make it right. This story kept me awake at night, it would just run through my head.

I’m not a huge fan of girls screwing over girls in books, I know it happens, but I wish I didn’t and for me the side-plot wasn’t my favourite thing, but I like how Merilee has a best friend online, I feel online friendships are considered lesser, but I love how seriously this is taken in the book and how strong that friendship is shown throughout the whole of the story.

Not at all a spine-breaker to read, Hart & Seoul doesn’t need a cypher to understand and it makes for such a great read, especially when you’re not feeling great like I was when I was reading this. Probably one of my favourite books I’ve read this year, this book was paradise to read!

I don't usually read contemporary but being a big Kpop fan myself I was definitely intrigued about this book. Unfortunately I found that it just read like a fanfic and decided to put it down at 60%. Although I can appreciate that younger readers would probably love this book, I think I'm just not the target audience even though I am a Kpop fan.

If you're into Korea, kpop, dramas, Korean food, or if you've ever been to Korea, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS! If you don't, you'll probably think this is too cliché, fluffy and unoriginal, and I can definitely understand that.

Anyway, I enjoyed the heck out of this and all the Korean references made me laugh out loud so many times and are basically what made me love this book so much. I just got back from Seoul 2 weeks ago and this made me miss everything there so much more! I felt like it was meant to be that I got approved to review an ARC right after I got back.
I also loved how the author randomly name-dropped BTS and Boys Over Flowers so many times lol! They're my favorite k-pop group and first k-drama ever!

The author's note made me cry though. Kim Jong-hyun, I still miss you <3