Sophie Reads YA: Inkyard Press

2023 Beat the Backlist challenge

ARC Review: Seoulmates by Susan Lee

10:00

Seoulmates
Series: None
Author: Susan Lee
Published September 20th 2022 by Inkyard Press

Goodreads Synopsis
Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out—the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends.

But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah’s life seems to do—he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that’s exactly what now has her on the outs.

But someone who does know K-dramas—so well that he’s actually starring in one—is Jacob Kim, Hannah’s former best friend, whom she hasn’t seen in years. He’s desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he needs… that is, if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them.

Her ex-boyfriend wants her back. Her former best friend is in town. When did Hannah’s life become a K-drama?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

When her best friend's family left to move to Seoul, Hannah Cho was angry and upset. She's never liked her Korean heritage, and avoids anything related to it. When her boyfriend Nate decides they need to take a break, because they're too different, and she doesn't support his new found love for K-pop and K-dramas, Hannah vows to win him back. But then Jacob Kim, the former best friend, now turned K-drama star, is back, and staying in her guest room for the summer. The way they parted has left a wall between them, and the newfound feelings brewing between them aren't helping either.

This book was just what I needed. Hannah and Jacob were the best protagonists for the story, and their chapters were so fun to read. I didn't immediately warm to Hannah, I think partly because she was all about trying to change herself for her ex, but she was snarky and fun, and I eventually started to love her. I felt really sorry for Jacob. He'd been somewhat dragged into the K-drama life, and it was such a rigorous and tiring regime to follow. He had to give his all to his role, in the show and in reality, and when it got too much, he needed to escape. Returning to Sand Diego, though injured, was a reprieve, and he got to be a normal teenager - in a sense - for some time. I hated his co-star and his manager, and wish Jacob had had a little bit more of a backbone to stand up to them. Even saying that, the ending was perfect for the pair, and I was so happy with it. A great contemporary read, and I'm looking forward to Susan's next book!

Dates Read:
January 26-28, 2023

Rating
4 Stars

2021 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor

10:00

The Code for Love and Heartbreak
Series: None
Author: Jillian Cantor
Published October 6th 2020 by Inkyard Press

Goodreads Synopsis
From bestselling author Jillian Cantor comes a smart, edgy update of Jane Austen's beloved classic Emma.

Emma Woodhouse is a genius at math, but clueless about people. After all, people are unreliable. They let you down—just like Emma's sister, Izzy, did this year, when she moved to California for college. But numbers...those you can count on. (No pun intended.)

Emma's senior year is going to be all about numbers, and seeing how far they can take her. When she and George, her Coding Club co-president, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born—a matchmaking app that goes far beyond swiping, using algorithms to calculate compatibility. George disapproves of Emma's idea, accusing her of meddling in people's lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.

Emma's code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other and her own feelings defy any algorithm? Emma thought math could solve everything. But there's nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love.
Goodreads

Review
In this modern retelling of Emma, Emma Woodhouse finds juggling senior year, and being co-president of the Coding Club, as well as creating a new dating app, just may be too much for her. Alone at home, with sister Izzy over 2,800 miles away in California, all she can focus on is winning the coding competition, and getting into college herself. When they need to pick a project for the competition, she uses an idea that Izzy floated, of creating a dating app to match students at school, with friend, and co-president, George isn't completely on board with. However, for Emma, numbers make sense, and she thinks if she can find an algorithm that makes people happy, like it has her teachers Miss Taylor and Mr Weston, that she will manage the rest of the school year. Once The Code for Love goes live, it's clear that people are loving the matches being made, but not all is perfect in Highbury, and soon it's made clear to Emma that while maths is amazing, it doesn't solve all problems, especially not love.

Now, I adore Emma. It's my second favourite Austen (after Pride & Prejudice) and I'm always on the look out for new adaptations or retellings. As soon as I heard about this one, which seemed to me like an even more up to date retelling, a la Clueless, I knew I needed to preorder a copy and blitzed through it as soon as it arrived. If you know the source material, you'll be happy to see all your favourite, and perhaps not so well liked, characters in this one. I loved Emma, and the way she was like her muse, but also how she had changed. She still wanted to match people, and cared about her dad being well, but she wasn't as flighty or meddling as she could seem in Emma. Her and George's relationship as friends, who could play off each other, and work so well as co-presidents, was perfect, though I do well like it was a little more played down than I would've expected. Yes, in the original, their relationship is more slow, and dragged out, but that's partially because of the time in which it's set, whereas here, it could've been explored more. I also liked how Jane's character had changed - there's still a bit of jealousy, etc., that Emma feels, but they become proper friends who were there for each other. Frank/Sam was still smarmy, but nowhere near as much as he had been, nor was George as clearly jealous. Harriet was nice, but I didn't really warm to her, because of the age difference between her and Emma, and the way their dynamic changed with the addition of Jane, and the side arc of Harriet/George.

The feels and chemistry between George and Emma was undeniable, and it was hard at times to see how their individual story lines diverged, so some people may have felt like their romance was rushed at the end. It was very much as I expected from the source material, but I think I would've liked a bit more - I don't know what, exactly, but something was missing for me. I still ship Emma/George, and always will, but I think I expected a more obvious romance than we see here. The side characters and their individual love stories were really good, especially with how diverse the relationship were - a definite modernisation of it all. All in all, I really enjoyed the book, and any fans of Emma will love it!

Dates Read:
January 23-24, 2021

Rating
4 Stars