Seventeen years on from the murder of her sister, Do-on looks into the cold case herself, frustrated that no one has ever been brought to justice.

Told at different points in time from the perspectives of Da-on and two of Hae-on's classmates, Lemon loosely follows the structure of a detective novel. But finding the perpetrator is not the main objective here. Instead, the work explores grief and trauma, raising important questions about guilt, retribution, and the meaning of death and life.

Lemon is a standalone psychological thriller by Kwon Yeo-sun, a Korean author following the lives of four characters who are haunted by the disappearance of a young girl named Lemon.

Exploring themes of guilt, memory, trauma, and identity in a suspenseful and engaging way, this book has been praised for its intricate plot, vivid characters, and atmospheric writing style.

This is a short novella. The chapters are also very short. However, this book did not appeal to me. It was difficult to know who was speaking. A poor book

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
A beautiful, haunting portrayal of those left behind after a tragedy. I was expecting more mystery and pace but the character development and multiple points of view makes for an engaging read.

An interesting book with multiple POVs. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I was expecting more of a crime/mystery tone from this book but instead it was more of a character study and what a big sudden traumatic change can bring into the lives of people -those personally affected by what happened and those that are impacted by it in mich smaller ways.

it’s an interesting story that is well told, especially with the page amount and the way it is written from those different points of views.

to me as a non Korean and not a large amount of knowledge of the day-to-day life in that country it was interesting to read about.

if found this a well done, nicely translated, and overall good read and would recommend !

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I thought this was going to be a thriller,but I was wrong, although I'm not mad about it?
I love that we follow different POVs throughout the years, which shows the ripple of effects from the central murder.
I thought it was a bit confusing at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery vibe of the novel, and I guess it kind of added to it.
Am really interested in seeing more from this author!

I would rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars,

Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me. The way the novel was structured didn't allow for any depth of character at all.

I’m a big fan of translated fiction but why are they always so short !? Some have called this a murder mystery but it’s more about the long term effects on the people left behind , an exploration of grief, class, gender and privilege in modern day Korea .
It’s told through different perspectives which at times is confusing as you wonder who is narrating , there wasn’t any clear structure which sort of added to the whole reading experience but also could make it feel very choppy . I did enjoy the characters voices however I would have liked more depth, there was so much potential to make this longer and I finished feeling like I wanted more !

A good read! It was one I struggled to get into at the beginning but it definitely grew on me. A murder mystery, with some witnesses and a few changing stories. Who did it and why?

Lemon is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. The characters are incredibly well-written. The plot is fast-paced and captivating. If you're looking for your next favorite thriller, this is the one for you. Be sure to check out Lemon today. Highly recommended!

South Korea in the summer of 2002. Nineteen year old Kim Hae-on is brutally murdered. There are two prime suspects but nothing can be proved. As the years pass the murder continues to haunt Hae-on’s sister who sets out on a quest to discover what actually happened. So the book is a murder mystery, a whodunit, but that’s not really the point as it’s really about the long-term repercussions and after–effects for the people left behind. As such it’s a chilling and sometimes moving tale of grief and loss. I say sometimes moving as although I found it an intriguing read I never became invested in the characters. We see events from various perspectives, but it’s not always clear whose voice we are hearing. There’s nothing wrong with a book being challenging and complex or in making the reader work hard, but ultimately I found the narrative was just too obscure and I remained puzzled right to the end. Even now I’m not completely sure who actually did it, and it possibly needs a second reading in case I missed some clues. So an interesting and original read but one I found less than satisfactory.

This isn't quite my usual cup of tea, but Kwon Yeo-sun had me hooked from page one, and I was unable to look away. Unputdownable

I've seen some reviews of this book talking about how it's less of a thriller/murder mystery and more of a exploration of the aftermath of the crime and the people affected, and I agree with this.
Yet, while it seems to be a negative for some people, this unexpected narrative exploring grief, trauma and various other emotional areas, is what I loved about this book.
It's short and fast paced. Moving around between different perspectives and timelines, which kept me hooked to the end.
I loved this book.

This was a really interesting novel told from three different perspectives about the murder of a school girl, but ultimately, I was left wanting a bit more. I thought that the mystery element of the novel was a bit lackluster, but the character study element was very well done. I liked the structure of the narrative and particularly enjoyed the one-sided conversations with the doctor. Overall, for such a short book, this does achieve a lot in terms of gender exploration, the pressure of beauty standards in Korea and the nature of class distinctions. I just wish that the crime element was more of a focus of the plot as opposed to a jumping off point.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5/5

Okay so the blurb sold this to me as a thriller n it is definitely not that, but it does have mysterious elements and has a crime-novel vibe and bits to keep you guessing. Ultimately though its so much more - we follow multiple POVs in the decades following a girl's murder, most notably her sister's, and the answer is unraveled for us while we meander alongside the ripple effects of such a murder, a loss, and feel the effects that grief can have on those left behind.

Enjoyed this very much, although found myself a lil confused in places and sometimes struggled with the pacing. Definitely do not go into this expecting a fast-paced mystery/thriller though.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and the author for the e-ARC. Available to purchase now!

This read like a Netflix limited series, I loved following the multiple POVs as they navigated the aftermath of the murder of Kim Hae-on. I loved the atmosphere of this story and I'd love to see an adaptation of this on the screen. I was hoping for something a little more hard-hitting, but this was entertaining nonetheless.

Absolutely loved this, I adored the writing style and the way Kwon Yeo-sun described the character's mindset was really well done. I instantly ordered a final copy because this is a book I need to have on my shelf!

I didnt find this book to have any oomph for me which left me feeling a bit disappointed. The writing was a bit far fetched. It is told by multiple characters and I liked it but I didnt love it.