A review by oceanwriter
XOXO by Axie Oh

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Jenny is on her way to a stellar future as a cellist. She’s spent her life practicing and seldom, if ever, choosing fun and friendship over study and rehearsal. But in her most recent review, she’s told that she lacks ‘spark’ in an otherwise flawless performance. After a pep talk from her uncle, she takes a chance and battles the boy lurking in the karaoke bar to a sing-off. 
 
Later, she meets the boy, Jaewoo, on the bus and the two of them end up at a festival together. She befriends him and laments that he is going home to Korea. She fears their brief texts back and forth are the end of their friendship, but upon hearing of her grandmother’s failing health, Jenny has an opportunity to transfer to a music school in Seoul. There, she runs into Jaewoo again and learns that he is a member of the K-pop group XOXO. 
 
I know nothing about the world of K-pop so I was a bit lost, but I had fun for what it was. I feel like more could have been done with Jenny, her mother, and her grandmother given this was the driving force that moved Jenny to Korea. The focus is almost solely on Jenny and Jaewoo’s relationship (which is fine, I just wish the familial issues would have been explored a bit more). YA is sometimes hit or miss with me and I felt old reading this one. 
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