I can't resist a cute sounding love story so when I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately hit request.

I love reading about different cultures so this book had this additional bonus. The book follows Soohyuk, a pediatric specialist who is working in Korea looking for his birth parents. He meets Yuna, a woman who has a business creating homemade boxed lunches. Yuna also has a traumatic past which sees her collapsing when she is approached too closely by men. This was such a cute read but it ended so suddenly. I didn't realise it was Book 1 and now I have to wait eagerly for Book 2 to find out what happens next.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and PoppyPub for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I'm an avid lover of Korean Dramas, so this book was really easy to like. It features a lot of elements that many kdrama fans already know and adore. As a seasoned kdrama watcher, I can probably guess some of the future twists, but I'm sure many other readers will be taken by surprise.

It's not your typical romance book by far. For starters, the romance develops much slower and thus doesn't feel rushed. I personally prefer slow-burns and watching the main couple figure out their feelings was immensely satisfying to observe. If I had to describe the romance, I'd say it was sweet, pure and cute. And whilst progress is slow, it doesn't mean there is nothing else happening in the meantime. The book is packed with hospital life as equally as it is packed with delicious foods. Whilst the fast-paced emergency room cases kept me on my toes, they didn't make me feel queasy nor were they overly graphic. The book does cover some darker topics, but it also covers themes of family, especially motherhood.

One thing I did find unusual though, was that the points of perspective had a habit of switching at any given point, without warning. Typically such switches would happen at the end of a chapter or be indicated by a line break. The translation into English seems to be well done. Obviously not everything can be fully translated into English, some of the phrases will simply sound odd even after they've been rephrased - sort of like how Soohyuk comes off blunt to everyone in South Korea. It helped that I had my kdrama knowledge to fall back onto, so I wasn't confused by anything in particular.

Judging by the ending, I'm assuming the books do have to be read one after another to get the full story. I'm looking forward to hopefully reading the next book and getting some answers!

Soohyuk is a a pediatric emergency medicine specialist. His dry, straightforward personality tends to put people on edge, but he is the best practitioner when it comes to emergencies and children. Yuna runs a business making boxed lunches. Men make her panic. They become unlikely friends but what does life have in store for them? Can they work through their past traumas and finally move forward?
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The premise of this book excited me. What I found was a book that ended on heavy cliffhangers and was full of triggering material. If you are someone who is triggered by any type of abusive behavior (molestation, verbal and physical abuse, etc), abandonment, injured or sick children, and more, then this book is not for you.
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I generally found the book to be mediocre and there were definitely cringy moments. Some of it was choppy which I would guess is because it is a translated work. While there is supposed to be a second book, there was a lot left unresolved. Overall, it left me wanting more. And I almost wished that Soohyuk had admitted to being on the scale of autism, because his behaviors lined up with that and it could have added to the story.
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If you are looking for a story where people are trying to move forward past what has happened to them in their early years, you may enjoy this book.
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just the Two of Us is the first book I have read by Ryu Hyang. I thought it was a quick, light read. It almost felt as if it could be the script of a Romcom movie. I did feel the book was a bit choppy at times. Perhaps that is due to the translation and can be fixed before the book is published (I read a prepublication e-copy).

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters interesting and the main story really grabbed my attention. However I found it a little hard to follow and a little slow in places.

Adopted by an American couple from Korea. Family circumstances change but the son grows up to be a respected pediatric doctor. Returning to soeul for a two year exchange residency. Meeting a chef with problems in her past. You keep your fingers crossed for the couple. Family issues crop up and you still hope. Looking forward to the next installment in the story.

Soohyuk moves to Korea from US as part of an exchange program. He is a pediatric emergency medicine specialist who only cares about treating sick children and never eats something someone else gives him.

Yuna is a chef who makes boxed lunches. She panics and collapses whenever she meets a man, due to trauma from her past.

Once is Korea, Soohyuk struggles to find time and means to find food which meets his tastes and thus ends up being dependent on Yuna for his daily meals. A grouchy and unsociable person by nature, Soohyuk suddenly finds himself being comfortable and different around Yuna.

Can Soohyuk and Yuna find a way to be at ease with each other while being able to deal with their personal traumas?

This was a fun and light read!

I felt like as if I was reading the script of a K-drama. The story was sweet and cute at the same time. I loved all the characters. Apart from the romance aspect of the plot, I also liked reading about how each of the characters deal with the different challenges they face owing to their personal traumas.

Also, being a foodie, I loved all the descriptions and talk of food. Wish I could also actually order a boxed lunch from Yuna.

There are some obvious flaws in the translation and at times it does cause a bit of hindrance. So, I really hope they are corrected. Apart from that an enjoyable read, and eagerly looking forward to the next book!

Thank You to NetGalley and POPPYPUB for this ARC!

This book was very boring and I know I read an advanced copy but this book read wrong. It feels like it was badly translated from another language and the editors should go over this book again before it's published.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
So sad I couldn't connect with this story!
I love kdramas and this book is the perfect screenplay for one of them (with Park Seojoon as MC, please!) but transferred into a book it's too slow paced for my taste.
Although I was very interested I couldn't connect with the story. I know Soohyuk has OCD and that is the reasong for his behaviour but he's so emotionless sometimes it bothered me. The rest of the characters are more likable but if you know something about Korean society you already know thet they're shy and not into exposing their emotions. The book is pretty accurate showing us that but made the whole story too cold.
However, the ending cliffhanger has left me wanting to know what's going to happen with Soohyuk, so I'm going to keep reading the series.
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[SPANISH REVIEW]
Este es un libro de esos de "no eres tú, soy yo". Creo que lo habría leído de otro modo si llego a saber que <b>la siguiente entrega de la serie es una continuación de esta</b> y no otra historia distinta.
No es un libro que esté mal, únicamente que yo no he conectado con él (especialmente por el modo en el que está escrito, carente de emociones). Es un <b>kdrama</b> que, si llego a ver en formato audiovisual (ya me ouedo imaginar a Park Seojoon como protagonista 😍), me lo devoro pero que, como historia escrita, no me ha conquistado, me ha costado horrores conectar con ella. Creo que hay que conocer un poco la sociedad coreana y sus valores para entender el porqué de algunos comportamientos y reacciones.
Sin embargo, deja la historia tan en el aire que probablemente lea la continuación, ya que siento mucha curiosidad por ver cómo se resuelve (si es que se resuelve en la segunda parte) la historia de Soohyuk.

Just the Two of Us by Ryu Hyang follows a doctor, Soohyuk Cha, as he moves from the US to Korea as a part of an exchange program. As a doctor, he treats his patients with care and kindness, but outside the hospital, he's quite closed-off and blunt. When walking to work one day, he passes by a restaurant that has an intoxicating smell, and eventually meets Yuna Lee, the owner. Soohyuk finds comfort in her food, and eventually in their friendship and then romance.

This was such a cute, soft read!!! This book has many of my favorite tropes, including a meet-cute over home-cooked food and the classic grump/ray of sunshine duo. Soohyuk and Yuna have solid character development over the course of the book — both of them experienced trauma when they were younger and were hesitant to trust people outside their immediate circle. Over the course of the book, they really grew to understand and trust one another. I'm excited to read part 2 of the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this book. I don't know if it was something lost in translation or what but the writing was off, the first chapter was so weird. Like they were together but they weren't or something? I was so confused by the 2nd page. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

"To be continued..." I flew through that and I didn't even realise, bring on book 2!

I would say although this can be considered a light hearted book it does dive into some serious issues. For instance, we have the main lead who is a tsundere type kinda guy, he doesn't care about how he comes across, he's not afraid to put you in your place no matter who you are and he's a successful doctor who has a heart of gold for kids. His duty comes first to the point he prioritises it over his own health.

We also have the female lead who runs a lunch box service which is doing quite well but she also has a trauma that she's trying to overcome because of her past.

I like how they help each other and come to understand each other from the get go and the side plots are quite interesting too, I'm interested to how it's delved into in the next book.

You can expect lots of being mean to everyone but her, miscommunication in language and a lot of laughter.

I gave this one a go until part way through chapter 2. I cannot get past the stunted dialogue and the characters are flat. Also the point of view changes so frequently I can’t keep up with the narrative.

The premise of an adopted Korean doctor returning to Korea on a pseudo quest to find himself and maybe his parents and fall in love was the draw for me. I enjoy own voices stories, but this one needed much more thoughtful translation into English.

Kudos to those who can work their way through it.

Thank you netgally and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy!!!

I loved reading this books. I was hooked from the first sentence and I read it all in one setting. If you love romance or Korean dramas then you’ll probably love this books. It was so interesting reading about these characters and how they deal with their past differently. I’m personally excited for the next book in the series.

4.75/5 stars!

When the hero returns to his native Korea to find information about his birth parents, he encounters the heroine when he was in dire need of food. Though an advocate for his pediatric patients, his cold demeanor takes some getting used to from the pediatric emergency room department in the Korean hospital. There are subsequent focus on the heroine's family as well as the dysfunctional family of the hospital director. As the story progresses, the hero and the heroine fall for each other while trying to overcome some personal issues of their own.

For those not familiar with Korean novels and drama, the format and focus differs from how an American novel is usually written. And translation from the original language to English may have instances where the nuance is familiar to the original audience but not to ones who read the translation. Therefore, bear that in mind when reading this book.

As for my personal thoughts, I adore this book. I read the story like it was a K-drama but in book format. It definitely has some K-drama elements and the format is not what I'm used to but I had encountered glimpses of Asian novels to recognize that it's normal for the original audience. That said, I enjoyed reading about the couple together and individually as well as the secondary characters in the book. I felt that some situations were going to need some closure, so I look forward to reading more of the series. I feel invested in the relationship of the main couple and want them to be truly happy. I definitely feel that this is a great step in bringing the Korean novels into the wider world and recommend it for readers who enjoy K-drama plus wanting to enjoy original Korean novels but in translation.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.**

This book was one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. And I say that even though this was only part one of the story. Usually I would steer away from something that ends without a final resolution, but this book was that good.

The characters were multidimensional and the plot touched me so deeply. Plus, I enjoyed reading about a different culture and setting - Seoul, South Korea. The main male protagonist, Soohyuk Cha, seems to be somewhere on the spectrum. He’s a ferociously dedicated doctor in the pediatric emergency room in a hospital in Seoul. But he has a sad and troubling backstory that explains some of his quirks. He is attracted to Yuna, a young woman with her own very sad backstory who had risen above her fears to launch a successful business providing her subscribers with box lunches. (Though I did wonder how she delivers dozens of box lunches given that she doesn’t want to ride in cars, but that was just a small plot element.) Soohyuk is first attracted to the smells from her business and her delicious foods, but soon finds himself falling for this woman with her mix of courage, kindliness, and fears. And he soon finds ways to help Yuna’s beloved family. And we are soon learning about the backstories of some other characters in the book,

I picked this up to read last night and suddenly I looked up and found that hours had passed. I couldn’t put it down. And the characters and their story have stayed with me since then. I eagerly anticipate finding out what happens as the the author resolves some of the questions remaining.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars.. This book was pretty much just ok but i recommend if you're looking for something to kill time and liked the premise..

This was a surprisingly cute grumpy and sunshine romance that has it's serious moments. It's about a doctor on a pediatric emergency room, who has moved from America to Korea to work at a hospital in the country where he was born. Soohyuk is unintentionally blunt and mean to others, particularly his colleagues, but he's really passionate about saving the kids that come to the emergency room.

Yuna makes boxed lunches to order. By chance, she meets Soohyuk, and given he doesn't have much time to look after himself, he asks that she make him meals. Yuna is full of care, supporting her family before anything else. She looks after her nephew quite a lot.

I really liked this book. Grumpy and sunshine is one of my favourite romance tropes. Sometimes the writing is a bit clumsy, and I wasn't a fan of the cliffhanger at the end (urgh, waiting for book two), but overall it was a great story.

I enjoyed this book but I'm surprised how many people liked it.

Soohyuk is a cold man but a great pediatric doctor. When he was a child in South Korea, he was adopted by an American couple. He decides to go back to South Korea to work there and find why his family abandoned him. Yuna loves to cook and has started a business making boxed lunches for people. Once he tries it, Soohjuk finds that her food is the only food in Korea that he can eat without getting sick.

The romance could be endearing even though Soohyuk had a tendecy to say things that are groan worthy. He does grow on you because he's a very interesting character. It helps to see how much he cares about his patients. Yuna is also an interesting character with the love of her family and overcoming her obstacles (yes, I'm being vague).

Here's why I'm surprised at the rave reviews: Soohyuk doesn't find his family. Even though there are heavy hints that he's working with them at the hospital, there is no revelation. The book literally ends with the words 'To Be Continued'. I didn't mind this once I let go of that expectation.

Interested in the next one.

This is based on an advanced copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

A great read - I can't wait for the next book.

Soohyuk and Yuma meet when he moves to Korea to work in the hospital for a couple of years. Both are interesting characters and have issues in their past they are trying to address.

A quirky and different read.