I like how the author included those topics in the book because it’s important to highlight them.

I’m not a big K-pop fan, but I know how ugly the South Korean Entertainment Industry can also get, especially for idols who started their training at an early age. xOXO by Axie oh Shining a light to the K-Pop Industry People who live for tomorrow should fear the people who live for today. I’m marked safe from second lead syndromes! The last thing about the romance that I love was that there’s no love triangle!!!!!! K-drama love triangles tire me so much 🤣. Angela and Gi Taek reminded me of a lot of K-drama second couples! The same goes for Nathaniel and Sori! I wish there’s a sequel or companion book that focuses on their relationship! I love Sori and how she softens up and becomes a friend to Jenny. I also love the side characters! Nathaniel and Youngmin were both charming in their own ways. I’ve watched a lot of K-dramas that feature a relationship where one is a popular figure and it gets ugly a lot, especially in a sageuk (historical drama)! But I think XOXO handled it pretty well.

I was excited but a little wary of how the relationship between Jenny and Jaewoo would play out since Jaewoo is an idol.

They were super cute and I love that they’re open to each other as well. But it’s the innocent (and secret) romance between Jenny and Jaewoo that made my heart sing. Reading XOXO felt like I was watching a K-drama, and it helps that it ticks a lot of boxes in a K-drama trope list. I don’t usually watch K-dramas in a high school setting nowadays but this book made me reminisce the ones I enjoyed since I was a teenager. XOXO also took me down a nostalgic road of watching K-dramas I loved. This book was an absolute delight! I’m so in love with the cover, I mean look at the colors and the illustrations! They’re so pleasing to the eyes! 😍 I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the Publisher. This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission through qualifying purchases. 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. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world-and he’s strictly forbidden from dating. 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. 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. 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. Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory.

Synopsis of xoxo axie oh