XOXO (July 13, 2021) by Axie Oh.
<This is the first novel in a duology (originally a standalone).>Her dream is to get into the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) and perform as a professional cellist. Go “Jenny” Jooyoung is so focused on that dream that she’s never bothered with boys or K-pop. Since her dad passed, it’s been Jenny and her mom, whose relationship with her own mom is rocky. Jenny’s skills are spectacular, she wins competitions, but her latest judges’ remarks say that she lacks spark, though her technical skills are perfection. Bold and incensed, she challenges Bae Jaewoo to a karaoke song competition and unexpectedly ends up spending time with him in L.A. before he returns to Korea. Jaewoo is swoony and handsome. Jenny can’t stop thinking of him, but he never responds to her text messages. When her mom decides to go to Seoul to see to her ailing mom, Jenny pushes to go along. She’s accepted into an elite arts academy, where Jaewoo is also a student. Not only that, he’s one-quarter of XOXO, one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world. Jaewoo is their main vocalist and is the most popular member. Rounding out the group are: Oh Sun – leader, rapper; Lee “Nathaniel” Jihyuk – vocalist and main dancer from NY; and Choi Youngmin – rapper and maknae (youngest) of the group. XOXO is managed by Joah Entertainment, and they’re forbidden from having romantic relationships. How much are the two willing to risk for love?
Landing in Korea finds Jenny making her first close friends. There’s Angela Kwang, a trainee at Neptune Entertainment who moved to Seoul three months ago from Taiwan, and Hong Gi Taek, a classmate who aspires to be a Joah trainee. Min Sori is her roommate, and while friendship at first seems impossible, Sori winds up becoming a best friend. Sori is the daughter of Seo Min Hee, CEO of Joah Entertainment, and a Joah trainee. Sori’s family can easily afford for her to have a single room, but it turns out that Sori’s been hoping for a friend.
It appears that I have a penchant for novels with K-pop energy and K-drama vibes, and I make no apology for that! This YA bildungsroman is a contemporary forbidden romance that incorporates duty, reconciliation, humor and drama with Korean honorifics against an authentic Seoul backdrop. Oh’s conversational writing tone will find rank with readers who are fans of K-pop and K-dramas, but it’s also accessible to those who aren’t familiar with the same. The characters are likeable in this clean, breezy romance. The intergenerational dynamic between Jenny and her halmeoni (grandma) adds dimension to this feel-good story.
Landing in Korea finds Jenny making her first close friends. There’s Angela Kwang, a trainee at Neptune Entertainment who moved to Seoul three months ago from Taiwan, and Hong Gi Taek, a classmate who aspires to be a Joah trainee. Min Sori is her roommate, and while friendship at first seems impossible, Sori winds up becoming a best friend. Sori is the daughter of Seo Min Hee, CEO of Joah Entertainment, and a Joah trainee. Sori’s family can easily afford for her to have a single room, but it turns out that Sori’s been hoping for a friend.
It appears that I have a penchant for novels with K-pop energy and K-drama vibes, and I make no apology for that! This YA bildungsroman is a contemporary forbidden romance that incorporates duty, reconciliation, humor and drama with Korean honorifics against an authentic Seoul backdrop. Oh’s conversational writing tone will find rank with readers who are fans of K-pop and K-dramas, but it’s also accessible to those who aren’t familiar with the same. The characters are likeable in this clean, breezy romance. The intergenerational dynamic between Jenny and her halmeoni (grandma) adds dimension to this feel-good story.
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