Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - XOXO

"Because the people who live for tomorrow don't take risks. They're afraid of the consequences. while the people who live for today have nothing to lose, so they fight tooth and nail. "

I confess that the main reason I bumped this title towards the top of my TBR was that I needed a title starting with X for the Popsugar challenge. I've been meaning to try Axie Oh's writing for a while though, so it was by no means a struggle to do so... I'm so glad I did now, because I ended up having a fantastic time reading XOXO. I think this book came at exactly the right time for me, because I was craving a cute and mostly uplifting romance and this is exactly what this story turned out to be. I loved the whole music element and while I'm not exactly a K-pop fan nor did I know just how big of a thing it was, it was still easy to follow XOXO. The main characters were easy to warm up to, and I loved spending time with Jenny and the rest. The romance was cute in general, but also had a dose of forbidden romance and drama along the way... I could have done without the love triangle vibe, but as a whole I wasn't too bothered by that. I especially loved the descriptions of the South Korean setting and the food, which definitely made me crave Asian food. I ended up having so much fun reading this story, and I already can't wait to read the sequel with Sori in the spotlight. This was my first time reading Axie Oh, and I already know she will appear on my list of favorite new author discoveries of 2024!

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cait's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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novella42's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I think this is the most enjoyment I've had with a romance novel this year. It's nothing earth-shattering but it was fun. I admire the author's skill with pacing. I picked it out as a comfort read between heavier nonfiction topics and it was a balm to my heart. Cute and sweet.

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minyoonhwi's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

This was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed how the author gave such a detailed look into Korean culture and society. My one complaint is that Jaewoo didn’t feel that developed as a character compared to others. I felt the main character had more chemistry with Sori, honestly.

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readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

After reading and loving Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea in January 2022, I decided to jump straight into more of her work and read her YA contemporary, XOXO. I'm a big fan of K-pop music so I enjoy books that focus on K-pop and this was no different.

Jenny and Jaewoo's burgeoning romance was really sweet and I liked seeing how kind and gentle they were with each other. But the relationship that stole the novel for me was between Jenny and Sori. Their friendship was incredibly heart-warming. When they first meet, they hit things off poorly and Sori doesn't like Jenny (to be fair, she did accidentally look through her things). But as the story progresses, we see Sori begin to begrudgingly accept Jenny (she stands up for her/helps her on several occasions) and then they become friends, and it's such a lovely friendship.

You can tell Axie Oh loves music from the amount heart she puts into her descriptions of XOXO's concerts and Jenny's cello recitals. Her writing draws you into her worlds and is thoroughly enchanting.

Content warnings for bullying, injury, death of a parent (previous), family member with an illness.

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I wanted to like this book more than I ultimately did.

Though the premise was really interesting and the book was generally cute, I found the characters to be flat and only have a few traits that were overly focused on.

Some parts of the plot also read more like a "self-insert" fanfic by the author instead of a fully developed story. With that in mind, Jenny and her romantic dynamic with Jaewoo particularly lacked depth and interest for me.

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