druzyquartz's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
delandjessica's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don’t usually read non genre books, let alone romance stories, but I read other books by this author and was curious about the title, so I decided to give it a go.
“Another Cinderella Story” meets “Wish Dragon,” this book is basically a Korean Hallmark romance story, only instead of a prince, the male lead is in an imaginary, super famous K-pop band suspiciously similar to BTS. So if you don’t like corny Hallmark movies, then this book definitely isn’t for you. But other than me hating that the male lead Robbie is weirdly given the occasional chapter in third person perspective (most of the book is in first person through Elena’s POV) that completely ruins the biggest reveal in the book since the reader already knows the whole thing pretty early on, I quite enjoyed this book. It hits all the plot points and beats you’d expect from a light romance, and everything turns out right in the end even though I don’t personally agree that the characters would be so forgiving of certain events.
Where this book lost points with me is in Elena’s character. She’s super whiny and pessimistic all the time and causes most of her own problems by being just the worst at reading/interacting with other human beings, including her own family members. A bunch of characters do ultimately call her out on this at the end, which I appreciated, but it doesn’t make her any less annoying or pathetic throughout. I also thought it was silly that the major relationship misunderstanding that has to happen in these kinds of stories 1. the reader already knows about from the weird aforementioned Robbie chapters, and 2. would have easily been avoided if either Robbie or Elena had any people skills and thought to trust each other enough to talk about their problems/situations candidly. They do discuss why they’re like this at one point, but the explanations felt unrealistic to me, though I understand that these kinds of misunderstandings caused by lack of communication/trust are the bread and butter trope of these kinds of stories. So it’s not unexpected.
Anyway, I did enjoy reading this book, though I found it fairly predictable given its strict adherence to the standard playbook of a Hallmark-style romance story. I also enjoyed the lack of serious language and a clean romance that was based on real connections and an understanding of who the other person is rather than pure physical attraction. This author has a way of keeping you reading despite the less desirable elements in this book, and I look forward to seeing what else they have to offer in the future.
“Another Cinderella Story” meets “Wish Dragon,” this book is basically a Korean Hallmark romance story, only instead of a prince, the male lead is in an imaginary, super famous K-pop band suspiciously similar to BTS. So if you don’t like corny Hallmark movies, then this book definitely isn’t for you. But other than me hating that the male lead Robbie is weirdly given the occasional chapter in third person perspective (most of the book is in first person through Elena’s POV) that completely ruins the biggest reveal in the book since the reader already knows the whole thing pretty early on, I quite enjoyed this book. It hits all the plot points and beats you’d expect from a light romance, and everything turns out right in the end even though I don’t personally agree that the characters would be so forgiving of certain events.
Where this book lost points with me is in Elena’s character. She’s super whiny and pessimistic all the time and causes most of her own problems by being just the worst at reading/interacting with other human beings, including her own family members. A bunch of characters do ultimately call her out on this at the end, which I appreciated, but it doesn’t make her any less annoying or pathetic throughout. I also thought it was silly that the major relationship misunderstanding that has to happen in these kinds of stories 1. the reader already knows about from the weird aforementioned Robbie chapters, and 2. would have easily been avoided if either Robbie or Elena had any people skills and thought to trust each other enough to talk about their problems/situations candidly. They do discuss why they’re like this at one point, but the explanations felt unrealistic to me, though I understand that these kinds of misunderstandings caused by lack of communication/trust are the bread and butter trope of these kinds of stories. So it’s not unexpected.
Anyway, I did enjoy reading this book, though I found it fairly predictable given its strict adherence to the standard playbook of a Hallmark-style romance story. I also enjoyed the lack of serious language and a clean romance that was based on real connections and an understanding of who the other person is rather than pure physical attraction. This author has a way of keeping you reading despite the less desirable elements in this book, and I look forward to seeing what else they have to offer in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, and Death of parent
wackly93's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Bullying
emaretea's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Medical content
madamenovelist's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Bullying
theespressoedition's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This felt like such a letdown to me after reading Axie Oh's XOXO. I previously really enjoyed Kat Cho's Gumiho duology, so I had high hopes for this cute, kdrama-esque YA romance. However, rather than feeling all warm and bubbly inside, I just felt irritated with the characters 85% of the time. Oof.
It starts out with such promise: a bestie from the past who became a major idol coming back to his small town to fulfill his childhood promise of asking his friend to prom. However, that's where the cuteness ended. There is such a lack of communication that I can't even say it was miscommunication. It just literally wasn't any communication at all. If there had been just a few times that both characters opened up to each other from the get-go, every single frustrating moment from there on out could’ve been avoided.
The mom made me angry. The brother made me angry. The ex-best friend made me angry. Robbie and Elena both made me angry. Even his k-pop friends made me angry. No one was willing to just have a meaningful conversation to clear up confusion. It was a lot of frustration, honestly. And so much pining. Like too much pining. I love pining but this was too much pining even for me. Ick.
Not my cup of tea, sadly.
It starts out with such promise: a bestie from the past who became a major idol coming back to his small town to fulfill his childhood promise of asking his friend to prom. However, that's where the cuteness ended. There is such a lack of communication that I can't even say it was miscommunication. It just literally wasn't any communication at all. If there had been just a few times that both characters opened up to each other from the get-go, every single frustrating moment from there on out could’ve been avoided.
The mom made me angry. The brother made me angry. The ex-best friend made me angry. Robbie and Elena both made me angry. Even his k-pop friends made me angry. No one was willing to just have a meaningful conversation to clear up confusion. It was a lot of frustration, honestly. And so much pining. Like too much pining. I love pining but this was too much pining even for me. Ick.
Not my cup of tea, sadly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
samone2's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Mental illness, Blood, and Violence
briely's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Bullying
jadatrack's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Bullying
Minor: Eating disorder
booksbyantheia's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.75
That sweet, trashy, cliché and awesome kdrama moment.
(Reseña en construcción)
(Reseña en construcción)
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Eating disorder, Car accident, Death of parent, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Descriptions of food, low self-esteem, family issues.