*ARC Review: XOXO by Axie Oh

Synopsis:
Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

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My thoughts:

Oh my goodness, what an adorable book!

First off, I’m not a Kpop fan, so I’m not super aware of the fandom and artists etc. However, I don’t think you have to be a Kpop fan to really enjoy this – I loved it!
If you are a Kpop fan then you will enjoy it even more probably.

It’s obviously a YA Romance – so if that’s not your thing then definitely skip this one.
The romance is forbidden lovers/secret romance – Love that trope personally. It’s also a little slow burn, which I also enjoyed. The whole celebrity/famous person with a normal person trope is such an entertaining trope. I will never tire of it. I really thought Jenny and Jaewoo were SO adorable. Although, I couldn’t relate to Jenny on a personal level, her character was so well written I was still completely invested in her story.

Additionally, the side characters were all amazing and well developed. The friendships in this book were equally as lovely as the romance. I loved seeing the friendships blossom. I loved all the side characters, but hello do we need a sequel about Sori and Nathaniel please!!

I learnt so much from reading this book. Romance and plot aside, I really enjoyed learning about kpop and South Korea, the culture, the people. Also, the music aspect. I was pretty clueless about that too. I enjoyed learning all about being a musician and the boarding school in SK was a great setting.

Even though I couldn’t relate to a hell of a lot of it, I still enjoyed all of it. The writing was really fantastic and I was invested and immersed in the culture, customs, etc of South Korea. It was all explained really well and in such a way that I am now in love with SK. It was all fascinating, I knew so little going in, now I want to just fly to South Korea.

Overall, a light-hearted, fun romance novel that is perfect for summer reading!
It’ll make you smile, laugh and feel all warm inside (that’s coming from someone with a heart of ice). Couldn’t recommend it more!

Rating: 4 Stars

XOXO is available on Kindle now, the Hardback is out August 5th.

*Book was gifted. All views are my own.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the Advance Reader’s Copy