Seoulmates

Title:

Seoulmates

Author:

Summary:

Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out--the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends. But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah's life seems to do--he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that's exactly what now has her on the outs. But someone who does know K-dramas--so well that he's actually starring in one--is Jacob Kim, Hannah's former best friend, whom she hasn't seen in years. He's desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he need that is, if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them. -- Publisher's description.

Audience:

Grades 7-9 ; ages 13-17 years.

Physical Description:

309 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Romance fiction.

Bildungsromans.

Subject Term:

Korean American teenagers -- Fiction.

Actors -- Fiction.

Actresses -- Fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Fiction.

K-pop (Subculture) -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

San Diego (Calif.) -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Inkyard Press,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781335915788

Publication Information:

Toronto, Ontario : Inkyard Press, [2022]

Call Number:

YA LEE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003655571	New Young Adult	LEE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"The perfect childhood friends-to-lovers story--full stop." --Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners and The Soulmate Equation

Her ex-boyfriend wants her back. Her former best friend is in town. When did Hannah's life become a K-drama?

Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out--the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends.

But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah's life seems to do--he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that's exactly what now has her on the outs.

But someone who does know K-dramas--so well that he's actually starring in one--is Jacob Kim, Hannah's former best friend, whom she hasn't seen in years. He's desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he needs...that is, if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them.

"A deliciously swoony romance." --Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Heart Principle

"A smart, funny book not to be missed!" --Emiko Jean, New York Times bestselling author of Tokyo Ever After

"Pitch-perfect." --Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--Two former best friends reunite in this enemies-to-lovers story of identity, Korean culture, and K-drama fandom. Hannah Cho was recently dumped by her boyfriend, which is honestly bad timing as their summer before senior year is about to start, and she had it all planned out. Jacob Kim is a late-bloomer-turned-hottie who has hit it big acting in a K-drama. The two former childhood best friends haven't spoken in years, but when Jacob returns to his native San Diego from Seoul, the two must confront the hurt that has kept them apart. Although Hannah has struggled her whole life with her Korean identity, she's not ready to face the fact that Jacob is a much sought-out star that her own friends recognize. Can she win Nate, her former boyfriend who is white but loves all things K, back? Can Jacob enjoy California even though he's under strict contractual obligations? And can the two teens possibly be feeling something other than friendship? This story is told in alternating voices, and it has two very relatable main characters. The "will they or won't they?" trope is fairly predictable, but an inside view of the world of the machines that are K-pop and K-dramas will attract a wide range of readers. Most teens will see some of their own realities depicted in the main character's story and that's the best part of the book. VERDICT A great purchase for all high school collections.--Carol Youssif

Publisher's Weekly Review

Told in alternating perspectives, Lee's stirring debut follows two estranged Korean American childhood best friends' rekindling as they navigate identity and blossoming first love. After her boyfriend Nate, who is white, dumps her, stating they have nothing in common ("You just don't know anything about K-pop or Korean dramas," he says), 17-year-old Hannah Cho's dreams of their carefree summer together are ruined. To win Nate back, she endeavors to learn more about Korean pop culture, but the arrival of her former best friend Jacob Kim, 18 and now a K-drama star, throws a wrench into her plans. Unaddressed feelings of hurt and abandonment resurface, stemming from Jacob's move from San Diego to South Korea three years prior, as the duo help each other through individual internal conflicts, including Hannah's fears of being left behind by the people she loves and Jacob's feelings of isolation and anxiety caused by his career. Recalling the effusive expression, fast pace, and dramatic moments of a K-drama, Lee celebrates Korean culture, and examines its objectification within the U.S., via a good- humored and tenderly written second chance at love. Ages 13--up. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Sept.)