I really enjoyed the first part of this book, but this was even better!

The story picks up right from where it left off in the previous book. The reason why this is much better than the first part is because this time the characters were developed much better. And also there was more depth in the plot rather than just being an ordinary romance novel, it focused on family, love and importance of forgiveness.

I loved how the family relationships got developed in this plot. Soohyuk struggle to come to terms with finding his birth family was understandable but I think having Yuna by his side made it a lot more easier.

I wish there would have been another book, but, I can't really complain much, as the ending was like a typical K-Drama.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank You NetGalley and POPPYPUB for this ARC!

After reading book one, I can say that book is definitely an improvement on the first one in terms of the translation (and therefore readability).
I loved the fact that the story wasn't drawn out into a convoluted multi-part series and I think the duology worked really well to service the different parts of the story.

In terms of the plot, it was really fun to see the behavioural changes in Soohyuk as he overcomes the trauma of his childhood and comes to terms with the truth about his adoption. I am really a sucker for the I have everyone but my lover trope in main leads but I feel authors often take it too fat to the point that the character is almost unlikeable. However, here the author balances it very well with Soohyuk and I really enjoyed that particularly.

Despite enjoying the book I did have some things that I didn't quite vibe with. I feel the way in which he rediscovers his birth family makes very little sense. I think it would probably work better (as in being more acceptable to someone consuming the media had it been in television show format however in a book it felt rather clunky and confusing. This book however does read like a typical Korean melodrama in the form of a novel so it was something I pretty much accepted quite quickly.

Another thing about the book was the sex scenes, they were rather uncomfortable and almost clinical. I wasn't sure if this was simply down to the translation, but some of the phrases felt unnaturally poetic for the type of scene that they were depicting. This might also be my own personal tastes clashing with the authors writing style for those scenes (I don't want to simply automatically blame the translator...)

Aside from those two points of contention, I did find the book enjoyable and I did in fact read it in one sitting ( I stayed up late despite knowing I had to get up early the next day... that how you know I was truly sucked into the story). I really enjoyed this duology and I would LOVE to read more of Ryu Hyang's work although they aren't literary masterpieces they are fun and enjoyable and et you so involved in the going on. So yes check this out, especially if you enjoy any sort of soap opera tv show, this will probably be right up your alley.

I preferred this so much more than the first book in the series. I think the translation was a lot better, although it still wasn’t the best.

The plot played out almost exactly the way I imagined so there were no surprises but it was comforting because you knew the characters from the first book.

There was more character development and it was nice to see the story play out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt much better than the first one especially in terms of the translation. It didn't feel as awkward and clunky as before. I appreciated that slow reveals were given their due justice to gracefully unfold and resolve themselves instead of the run of the mill rushed ending that happens in most romances. Seeing characters develop (especially Soohyuk ) was really great and all the better for how well they were executed. Overall, a decent read.

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5

Just The Two Of Us deffffffinitely got so much better here in the second book. I’m still a little annoyed with how the first book ended and I think if the two books were combined into one book, I would’ve rated them 4 out of 5!! I really liked book 2. The writing/translation got so much better or maybe I just got used to it? Anyways, book 2 is much easier to understand even if there were still some confusing parts. Loved how everything played out!! I am so glad I decided to pick this one up after reading book 1.

The family aspect and dealing with one’s personal issues are two of my favorite things in this book. The drama didn’t feel forced and rushed and I really really liked that. Also, wow the 180 degrees turn!! The book went from being cute and fluffy almost all throughout the first book to the drama and hotness that is the book 2.

Thank you to Netgalley and POPPYPUB for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is the second delivery in the "Just the Two of Us" duology, where we can see how Soonhyuk and Yuna's story, how Yuna's nephew's illness evolves, and more about Soonhyuk's biological family.

I love the relationship between Yuna and Soonhyuk, how they got each other's back and know how each one of them and that their relationship went faster from the beginning from this book than how it was in the first one was something I did appreciate.

Soonhyuk was the main focus in this book, in comparison to the first one where both Yuna and Soonhyuk shared the role of the protagonist. The main point was how Soonhyuk life was affected by the fact of being separated by his parents, what kind of insecurities and behavior issues he has and also why did it happen. We are also able to see how Soonhyuk biological family suffered from it too.

A bad part of the story though was that everything went so fast, there were no other conflicts than the ones in the first book that were closed to an end already, so I felt like everything went too smooth, easy, and quick.

My favorite part of the book was without a doubt the food, I have just eaten Korean twice in my life but every time a different dish appears in the book I could feel my mouth watering.

To sum up, I liked the book, but it felt more like a conclusion of the first book than a book on its own, also I got the feeling the writer wanted to do a happily ever after ending and I didn't quite like it because my favorite thing about this story is how real it was, the way not everything was perfect and how life can be hard sometimes, and the ending is a completely different story and I felt like it was kind of forced.

I loved book one of this series and having been left on a cliffhanger, I couldn't wait to read book two.

We meet our two main characters again - Soohyuk, the pediatric doctor searching for his birth parents and Yuna, who struggles to trust men after an incident that happened to her when she was younger. At the end of book one, the two had decided to try to give each other a chance. This book shows their relationship blossoming. Soohyuk also finds his family and Yuna's nephew's condition brings their family closer together.

Such a joyful read, I loved how the author wound the story up. The couple's happy ever after was cute and left a huge smile on my face. I enjoyed the Korean setting highlighting the importance of family relationships and the book's translation was also fantastic.

I received this novel as a free ARC from NetGalley. To be fair and honest I did not receive or read the first book in this series. Had I read that I may have been more invested in these characters. Soohyuk and Yuna have chemistry and seem happy together as they navigate family drama.

It was so nice to see how the story wraps up in the second book without being rushed or, the secrets kept by the characters are slowly revealed in the most natural way rather than a soap opera style moment of revelation.
Soohyuk and Yuna continue to battle their traumas, sometimes even hurting each other in the process, but this is not glorified and is described matter of factly.
Soohyuk's growth from a highly competent and conscientious doctor, to a socially adept one, is not complete within the times of this book, but you see the promise there. The scenes where he speaks about his childhood traumas in Korea as well as abuse in the USA are heart-wrenching and can be triggering for some. Yuna learns to trust Soohyuk with herself, even more,
and the most wonderful part of it is the role explicit consent plays in their relationship. It is good to see that Yuna doesn't have her identity eclipsed by her role as a romantic heroine, her passions, her family, her traumas all exist in the story, because she is a complete person, and not just to highlight her romantic feelings. Her nephew comes out as the most shining character in the book, the complexities of a vulnerable child's mind are described so well by the author, the fear of an illness, the love for his family. the scene between him and Soohyuk is so tender, it might just make you cry.
I was happy to see how redemption and a chance to be happy was provided to everyone in the story, even Dr. Cho's belligerent mother. It is also nice to see how the author treats mental health, describing how it affects the family of the person without demonising the one who is unwell. She has also sensitively dealt with the topic of children adopted out of their birth cultures and how they attempt to reconnect with it while feeling that they belong nowhere.
The relationship of the characters with food is one of the best parts of the story and the author has wonderfully showcased her culture in the book through food. The icing on the cake for me was the explanation of the significance of the Title of the book, I won't spoil it for everyone though. Read this duology to enjoy a story that puts at the forefront, human relationships, whether romantic, platonic or familial.

Book 2 picks off exactly where book 1 left off. Truly, they could have been combined into one book. This book was better than the first and gave me some Grey’s Anatomy vibes, but it’s still not my favorite. It is steamier but the steamy scenes are awkward (possibly because of the translation). It was pretty slow for the first half, but then picked up in the 2nd half. While the love story fell flat at times, the family story line was so heartwarming. The ending especially hit hard and I was crying happy tears by the end.

Thank you to POPPYPUB and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Just the Two of Us Book 2 will be available starting March 9th.

Part 2 carried on from where Part 1 left off, which is exactly what I was hoping for. In my opinion this one made a bit more sense when translated. More family drama and how it affects everyone. If you are looking for steam, there is a little. I look forward to reading more books by Ryu in the future.

This is the second part of Soohyuk and Hyuna's story, in this book we can see them function as a couple and untangle their feelings and ideas with love and empathy, both characters find someone to lean on and together they face each other's family situations and traumas traumas that keep them from moving forward with their lives.
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As a fan of Doramas I can say that this book made me vibrate through its pages, it has all the elements of a good story of love and union.Each emotion unravels and each character finds his own way, I love that everything has to lead a reason and aloud to the reader to understand and apreciate the simple things. I enjoyed every page and for some pages I was hating not being able to read it so fast. I'll be looking forward to read more works from Ryu Hyang, this are the kind of story that stay with you months after being read.
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Thank to #NetGalley and #Poppypub for let me read this great book #Justthetwoofus before being release on 09 Mar 2021
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A complicated book that takes concentration to keep you on track. I needed to read it after reading the first book but im not sure I quite enjoyed it

I really enjoyed following the story of the characters in this book. I found them more developed and the plot more forceful

Thanks to NetGalley and Poppy Publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. The story of a skilled but neuro-atypical physician that relocated to his home country after experiencing romantic loss at home. Along the way he finds a relationship developing with “the woman who feeds him.” There is something really fun about Ryu Hyang’s use of this matter-of-factness from Soonhyuk when he doesn’t realiE all the ways in which Yuna really does “feed him”, physically and emotionally.

It’s a fun plot that reads like a tv show at times. And knowing that I have Book 2 coming up I can already sense the directions this series is taking. It will be interesting to see how the plot develops!

The translation is shaky. It doesn’t always flow very well and disrupts the story. Perhaps the Korean writing is as disjointed (like some popular American fiction), but it just really stops from fully enjoying the story.

Also, I think people miss the point that Soonhyuk either has Aspergers or some other neuro-atypical disorder. The reviews saying they think it may be cultural I think lose the fact that Soonhyuk says things without filter, and can sound very cruel or unsympathetic. I did though get confused regarding Yuna’s feelings that Soonhyuk watched filth. Maybe this was a translation issue but his collection was mentioned a couple times. Is it a porn collection? Or like Martin Scorcese films? I really couldn’t tell you.

I already have Book 2 downloaded and look forward to the read.

The second book in this series - will Soohyuk find his family and will he end up getting together with Yuna? A great read, but I think you need to read book 1 first. Loved the characters and hope Soohyuk's brother gets his own book.

I did not finish the first book in this series. The formatting was off and the writing style was not engaging. I did not request the second book. It just showed up on my shelf. I've seen many positive reviews, apparently this is just not my style.

Overall, this was a much better read than the first part - translation wise and story wise. There was lots of character development and also an in-depth insight into relationships for all the characters.
Part 2 carried on from where Part 1 left off. We see Soohyuk and Yuna as a couple; Yuna's family handling her nephew's devastating diagnosis and the Cho/Seo family slowly piecing together that Soohyuk is their long lost son.
Soohyuk is finally able to shed his harsh (and often immature) personality traits and we see him warming not only to his biological family, but also to everyone else around him. We also see Professor Cho finally taking a stand for himself against his domineering mother.
As compared to the first part, Part 2 packed more of an emotional punch by showing just how powerful love and forgiveness are.

Book Review for Just the Two of Us, Book 2 by Ryu Hyang
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

It felt better translated than the first book in my opinion and I do think that if you enjoyed the first book, I really think you should continue with this one. I felt like I did get what I wanted from the story in this book, and I did shade a couple of tears at the end.