This is a fun, teen romance . I will recommend it to my patrons looking for a light read , that are willing to buy into the idea of insta-love. Great setting!

I loved the diversity of the characters and the fact that this takes place in Hong Kong, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I don't think this is by any means a bad book and I wanted to like this so badly. Also, based on my vague memory of the movie, Roman Holiday, this basically follows the same plot. Instead of a princess wanting a "normal" day, we follow a K-POP star.

There are some parts of this that are funny, but it feels very ~insta lovey~. I am one of those people who can get behind a one day romance, Just One Day & The Sun is Also a Star are some of my favorites. But, despite having a few cute moments, I was not shipping the main characters and did not care about their journeys. Honestly, I feel like all they do is eat (which makes me want to go to HK and eat) and talk.

I think this book has a target audience, but sadly that was not me.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo
I love, love, love Maurene Goo! I Believe in a Thing Called Love was one of my first NetGalley selections, and I have been a devoted fan ever since. One of my first Follett orders when I started my new position as librarian in my school included copies of I Believe in a Thing Called Love and The Way You Make Me Feel because we didn’t have them yet, and I have kept them rotating through circulation all school year so far. I CANNOT WAIT to be able to hand them this book, too! (Side note — I hate that it’s coming out in early May because that means only a couple of kids will get to read it before school ends!)
What I liked LOVED:
The characters are just easy to love. Lucky is certainly not a typical girl and readers haven’t been through the grueling background world of K-pop, but her feelings are easy for any reader to identify with. While I want to be really angry at Jack for his motives, I also recognize that he’s a young adult just trying to figure out who he is and manage to pay rent in the meantime — a struggle that will resonate with plenty of readers!
While I’m not opposed to using books to address hot-button issues, I do appreciate a good story that has layers of reality — keeps it to a romcom feel but not so light that it feels pointless or fluffy. The anxiety and self-discovery issues that Goo addresses in this novel are applicable to all groups, and the story never feels like it’s trying to make a political point or anything.
I like the back-and-forth points of view. Sometimes this feels overdone in YA today, but their two voices are distinct enough to make it work. There were a few places where I had to stop and back up and remind myself of which character was speaking, but for the most part, they were easy for me to keep separate.
I don’t want to tell too much, but as an adult looking back on the young adult years, I really appreciate the way Goo timed the resolution.
What I didn’t love:
I wish it didn’t have to end. I’d like it to continue forever.

I think that Maurene Goo just isn't the author for me. I keep trying her books because the descriptions sound interesting and I want to love them but I always end up feeling disappointed and this book was no exception. Following a couple of days with a K-Pop star and a boy working as a tabloid photographer, I was hoping for some cute romance and some K-Pop world fun but instead I just felt sort of uncomfortable while reading the entire book. The romance set up was not romantic to me. I don't like that their first few encounters occur while she is impaired due to sleeping pills and then the entire next day involves lying and manipulation on his part especially although she is keeping her own secrets too. It just isn't a good start to any sort of relationship and I found myself really hating the main male character, she could have done much better than him and did not stay mad enough at him for the terrible things he was doing. I wanted to love it but this author just doesn't work for me and I'm very sad that this book didn't work out the way I had hoped.

Supper cute romance for teens. I enjoyed both characters and I thought the setting really enhanced the story.

Once more, I am enchanted by Maureen Goo's work. Somewhere Only We Know is an adorable, surprisingly and unexpectedly feminist, story of a boy and a girl who fall in love over the course of one day.

Yes, it's tropey, yes, there's insta-love, yes it's a bit cheeseball. But if you read the description for the book and you chose to read the book, then you should be expecting that. This doesn't make the book any less adorable or enjoyable.

Lucky is THE top K-pop artist and is about to make her American debut, but she's starting to realize that she doesn't love her stardom life as much as she once dreamed she would. Jack is interning at a bank to please his parents while moonlighting as a tabloid photographer, because it's the only way to pursue photography, which is his actual passion. One night Lucky wanders out in search of a hamburger and adorableness ensues.

The one thing I did not appreciate about this set up is the fact that Lucky takes sleeping pills and then decides to go for a bite to eat. If you are familiar with taking sleeping pills, you know that they quickly make you drowsy and loopy, and someone who has been taking this medication regularly (like Lucky) would not take the pills while thinking she might still go find some food. I understand the author wanted to make it so that Lucky would be slightly "out of it" when she met Jack, but I do feel this could have been done in a different and more appropriate way,

Sleeping pills aside, Jack meets Lucky and attempts to help her because he thinks she's drunk. Jack is genuinely being a nice guy here, since he doesn't immediately recognize her. It's only later that night that he realizes WHO exactly is in his apartment. And suddenly he comes up with a plan to secure his future in the tabloid business.

He plans to show her a wonderful day in Hong Kong when she wakes up the next morning, and to secretly photograph her so that he can then sell the biggest story of the year to the tabloid he works at. Only, throughout the course of the day, his plans begin to change.

Lucky is much more than a ditzy K-pop diva, as Jack initially imagined. She turns out to be fun-loving, quirky, energetic, sweet, talented, and intelligent. And as Lucky begins to open up to Jack, he begins to realize that there might be something more important than a story here...

I don't know too much about K-pop, personally, but I loved learning about it, and I loved Lucky's voice in this book. She is determined and strong minded and she stands up for what she believes in. She was an excellent character, and was very much about female empowerment and independence, which I did not really expect to find in this story. I thought she was a wonderful blend of fierce and gentle, which can sometimes be difficult to achieve when writing strong female characters.

Also... there is SO. MUCH. FOOD. Reading this book made me hungry. The descriptions of food were excellent, and Lucky's appetite (for food AND life) was absolutely adorable!

I also loved the love story. Yes, it's pretty much insta-love, and it occurs over the course of one day. However, I felt the pacing of the novel was just right, and I appreciated that neither character held the other back. Quite the opposite, they helped each other grow. Which is a pretty important aspect about love.

Also, if you're a fan of Goo's previous works, you'll want to be on the look out for a couple Easter eggs hidden in the book!

Somewhere Only We Know is the classic ulterior-motive romance with a K-pop twist! If you love any of the movies pictured below (Roman Holiday, It Happened One Night, 10 Things I Hate About You, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), you'll definitely enjoy this book.

Somewhere Only We Know is a bright gem of a novel, buoyed by Goo's quick bantering narration and quick clip. Unfortunately, the characters didn't quite work for me. I didn't really feel much of anything for Jack until the end--and even then he felt rather like a stock image. Pardon the pun, readers. In addition, I didn't feel the romance. A little too much tell, not enough show. Lucky, however, is a fantastic leading lady; I would read it again for her alone

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was a really sweet and light-hearted romance that is a love affair with Hong Kong as much as it is between the two talented artists it depicts. Despite being completely PG, I was all-in with their romance, and thought it had just enough drama and reality mixed in. I thought it was delightful and recommend it even for younger readers who want to dip into YA- there's some super kissing, but nothing raunchy about this mild but adorable romance.

This is an incredibly sweet story, and makes for a relaxing and engaging read. It absolutely will make you want to wander around Hong Kong. My only real gripe with this book is that the cover is a bit too generic, especially when you look at Maurene Goo's last 2 covers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the advance reader copy of Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo in exchange for an honest review. What a great romance! I fell in love immediately with Korean American character, K-Pop Star, Lucky, and Jack’s story, spanning one day of unrestricted commitments (Lucky decides to take a chance on being freed of her overwhelming K-Pop persona and obligations) with Jack (rescuer and nice guy) providing a whirlwind tour of Hong Kong via sites, music, and food, as they really get to know and like each other. As they roam the city, Jack and Lucky continue their deceptions, even as they parse out each other’s insecurities. I loved Lucky’s pluck, while also being tremendously guarded and conversely she also trusts and feels free as Jack accepts her as just a girl he is showing around the city. Even though Jack’s deceit is worse, I saw him through Lucky’s eyes as kind, caring, and oh so handsome. What I love about Goo’s stories are how her main characters, even though flawed, and drama-filled, they each begin to feel interest, caring, and love spread, and it makes the characters oh so swoon worthy. Teens will enjoy the intense relationship Lucky and Jack generate as their whirlwind tour of Hong Kong becomes a dream come true. Lucky and Jack are vivid, sympathetic characters whose fate matters and will keep teens turning the pages. One of my favorite new romances!

Thank you Netgalley/Macmillian for an eARC of this book!

This book was such a delight. Goo is one of my favorite YA authors, and this one certainly did not disappoint. Of course it has a sweet romance and lots and lots of food! The only thing that I felt was missing was the strong father/daughter relationship that made her last two books stand out, but because of this particular narrative, I don't think that it needed it.

I thought that both Lucky and Jack had strong motivations, which really made the book work. I feel like usually, "aimless" characters like Jack don't always work, but juxtaposed against a character like Lucky, who feels really conflicted about her success, made for a really nice dynamic. Sometimes I felt Jack had the upper-hand on Lucky, and she had less agency than I would have liked, but she had a few cards to play here and there.

I've seen some reviews say the end wrapped up too neatly, but I actually thought it was quite bittersweet. The last paragraph gave me a lil ache in my chest, and made me realize how much I cared about these characters.

I think if the "one, sweeping, romantic day" trope isn't your cup of tea, you might skip this one, but if you like it all, you must pick this one up. So much of the book, I felt like I was just spending time with Jack and Lucky, and getting to experience the day alongside them.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2738712295?book_show_action=false

There was nothing wrong with this book. It is a perfectly adequate YA romance, That being said, I actually didn't finish it - I read the first third and then the ending, because I could tell it wasn't going to surprise me. I've read so many books in this genre that I just recognize all the tropes and this didn't do anything special with them. The characters were fine and the plot was fine if rote but I was left feeling meh.

3.5 stars

I guess I should stop rolling my eyes at these one-day romances. I now have liked both The Sun Is Also a Star and Somewhere Only We Know. Both times I had started the books with skepticism and then slowly surrendered to the almost-insta-love. Not sure if what happens in these romances is love, but the attraction can happen in one day, and I am clearly capable of falling for this scenario.

It took me awhile to get into this story. Lucky, a K-pop star, is getting ready for bed and takes some sleeping and anti-anxiety meds and suddenly decides to sneak out for a few minutes to get herself a burger. (A salad provided and approved by her handlers just isn't enough.) On the way, she gets lost and stumbles into Jack, a Korean American aspiring paparazzo. At first, Jack doesn't recognize Lucky and genuinely tries to help her, because she seems to be under the influence of something. But soon, he realizes who exactly she is and thinks that spending some time with this star and photographing her in the process could be his professional golden ticket.

Like I said, I wasn't immediately into this setup. The whole sleeping meds thing just rubbed me the wrong way. Mercifully, that evening didn't last long, and the next day of frolicking around Hong Kong, eating delicious foods and seeing the sites was what turned things around for me. This is when the story becomes cute, and occasionally deep. This is when you get exactly what the synopsis promised you.

Maureen Goo has used her love for Korean pop culture before in I Believe in a Thing Called Love (K-drama primer, basically), and in Somewhere Only We Know she puts the realities of K-pop stardom to a good use too. Lucky's personal story is great stuff.

When I read The Sun Is Also a Star, I gave it 3.5 stars, but rounded it up to 4. This time, I am compelled to round it down, because Goo is not as strong a writer as Yoon is. For one, Lucky and Jack's voices are indistinguishable. Secondly, Goo, I feel, could have leaned into her Korean background much more. What made Yoon's novel memorable (and won her a Printz honor) was not the teen insta-romance, but the little details surrounding it.

What Goo delivers on, though, is a cute romance, Roman Holiday in Hong Kong. This will be a not exactly original, but fun beach read.

Definitely not my favorite Goo, but I enjoyed it for the fun that it provided. It'll be a solid title to have on the shelf in the Library for those kids who want something lighter and just lots of fun. Also, I adore the all-Asian casts that populate Goo's protagonista (my word for the leads)...it's just so cool and I learn so much. This one also gave me solid images of places with which I was previously completely unfamiliar, so I liked that.

Just like when I started reading I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, I found myself obsessed with researching K-Dramas so I knew what they were talking about, I now found myself obsessed with K-Pop in Somewhere Only We Know. I absolutely adored this book from beginning to end. I loved being immersed in the culture and learning more about the city (and foods!) of Hong Kong, as well as Korean traditions. This city is definitely on my bucket list now. Jack was stuck between chasing his dream and standing still while Lucky was too focused on her dream to see she didn't love it anymore. The two of them finding one another was serendipitous and I adored the ending. The focus on mental health was important for the young adults that read this book. To know that people live with anxiety everyday and there is a way to manage it and get help. Goo always knocks it out of the park for me. I wait for her books and devour quickly every time! Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. #weneeddiversebooks

Another great contemporary from Maureen Goo! I loved the dual POV, the situations the characters were put in, and most of all the growth of the characters. I love light contemporary romances, but there was a lot of insight and realness in this book that ended up surprising me. I think a lot of people, not just young adults, will find the characters' feeling relatable and will enjoy the book all the more because of it.

Thank you, Macmillan, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

YOU’RE NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO ASSUME THAT K-POP ARTISTS DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MUSIC. WE DON’T GO THROUGH THAT TRAINING BECAUSE WE LIKE THE FASHION. —LUCKY

I’m pretty torn about Maurene Goo’s third novel. As a fan of K-pop (I have around 15 favorite artists), I expected that I would have a nearly perfect reading experience. Sadly, it seems that my love for the genre isn’t strong enough to negate my dislike for unrealistic romance. Although instalove is practically a given in YA contemporary, I can’t lower my standards and just highlight the book’s strong points.

Somewhere Only We Know follows Lucky, the best K-pop artist in the world. (Indeed, she even trumped BTS! LOL) After performing for the ecstatic Hong Kong audience, she realizes that her passion (turned job) no longer makes her happy. Starving because of her low-calorie diet, Lucky escapes the confines of her hotel and goes on a food trip with Jack, a fellow Korean-American who secretly works as a tabloid photographer. Unbeknownst to Lucky, Jack is actually using her to advance his career. However, as the day progresses, he falls in love with her, and his resolve begins to falter. Awesome, right? Hahaha. I don’t have to tell you how their story ends.

I loved how Maureen Goo explored certain issues surrounding the K-pop industry, like plastic surgery, racial discrimination, contractual celibacy, and personal alienation. The latter was emphasized through Lucky’s character arc, and I somehow sympathized with her dilemma. She barely spent time with her family because of her hectic schedule, so she was always homesick. Plus, she couldn’t go wherever she wanted nor eat her favorite unhealthy dishes. Lucky’s management label obliged her to be a perfect “girl next door” who inspired everyone, making it hard for her to stay true to herself. In real life, many K-pop artists probably feel the same way. However, Lucky had it worse because she was a solo artist; girl and boy groups definitely feel less lonely since they live in the same apartment or dormitory and do lots of things together. With all that said, this book can be very enlightening to readers who are new to K-pop.

As for Jack, he was hecka annoying. He lied to his parents about the nature of his internship, and he basically planned to ruin Lucky’s musical career. If the public discovered that she was traversing Hong Kong with a boy, her innocent reputation could be tarnished permanently. I also didn’t understand why Jack saw college as a waste of time. Indeed, you can get a job without a degree, but the knowledge that you gain during those four+ years is invaluable. Fortunately, things became better for Jack in the end. He saw the error of his ways and did his best to reconcile with his loved ones. Although the author made Jack’s personality unlikable for the sake of character development, I couldn’t muster any fondness for him. He was just a contributor to the novel’s cultural diversity.

I haven’t read The Sun Is Also a Star, but it’s probably similar to this book. After all, both of them feature colored protagonists who fall in love in a single day. Is that phenomenon really possible? That we-just met-but-I-feel-like-I’ve-known-you-forever cliche? Ugh. It’s ironic how contemporary fiction can seem so fantastical. Hmm…the romance might have been less stressful if it hadn’t resulted in cringy dialogue. Hopefully, the final manuscript will be less corny.

In the end, Somewhere Only We Know has an excellent depiction of K-pop. I’m glad that Maurene did lots of research to ensure the accuracy and relevance of her work. However, if you’re also not a fan of unrealistic relationships, I wish you all the best. xD

This was a fun story, if a bit unbelieveable. NO teen goes anywhere without her phone ;) The balance was perfect for a rom-com. The K Pop side gave it a little bit of a different twist which I liked. The stress both Jack and this reader felt over what he was going to do with his pictures felt very true.

Light and sweet and lovely and perfect! Maurene Goo is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA authors. This is perfect for fans of TATBILB. As an aside, I would love to see this as a Netflix original movie. A must-read for romance fans and KPop stans!