This is a cute and fun YA romance, as well as a bit of "finding out who I am" story with lots of K-Pop references. I didn't know much about K-Pop but learned a ton about the terminology and journey to become a K-Pop star through the story of this book. I was still able to enjoy it, even without that background knowledge. The insta-love was a bit strong in the beginning, even for someone who usually loves that trope. I just felt like I wanted more rapport or evidence as to WHY, rather than being told there's a magical connection. However, the process of watching Jenny make friends, connect with her grandmother, and develop her relationship with Jaewoo over the story made up for the beginning. In fact, Jenny's new friendships to me are even better than the romance!

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars!

This is probably closer to a solid 4 star for me, but because I think this book crushed it out of the park for the intended YA audience, I’m rounding this up to a 5-star read! You guys…this was adorable! I picked up this book for many reasons. One was the cover is cute and the blurb sounded like something I would enjoy. I also was hoping to find a book that I *wanted* to read that started with the letter X for a reading challenge, and this sounded like it would be a good time, but I was incredibly surprised by how much I loved this book. XOXO is the book you should read if you are looking for something to make you happy. I read this through Netgalley and have already preordered a copy for myself!

This book follows a Korean American girl named Jenny Go. She is wanting to become a famous cellist, but after performing at a music competition, the judges say she needs more “spark” when she’s performing. That very same day, she meets a boy named Jaewoo at her uncle’s karaoke bar and they spend the entire evening singing, dancing, eating, and visiting a Korean Festival together. But suddenly, Jaewoo is taken away in a van by some friends and she doesn’t hear from him again. That is until she runs into him at a school in Korea a few months later. Jenny and her mom decided to move back to Korea for a while to help with her grandma, and while attending school, Jenny finds out that Jaewoo is a famous K-pop member. She wants nothing more than to start up a relationship with him, but his group can’t handle a relationship scandal.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with Jenny. Maybe it’s because I was a music major myself, but I loved that she had such a passion for performing, and I especially loved that her friends and Jaewoo were supportive of her dreams and if anything helped her find the “spark” she was missing at her first audition. The side characters in this book were so well done! At first when I was introduced to Soni’s character, I thought, ‘oh no…another girl hating on girls trope.” But I was so wrong! This friendship became so sweet and by the end, I was cheering for Jenny and Soni just as much as I was for Jenny and Jaewoo. I loved the friendships in this book! To be honest, I hope there is a sequel or spin off book that follows Soni and Nathanial. I would immediately pre-order that and drop everything to read it if something like that ever came out!

It was refreshing reading a book that follows a female character that wanted to see her dreams through all the way to the end. I think a lot of 17-18 year old girls will be able to relate to Jenny. She was trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, and still try to find time for friends, a boyfriend, school, and her dreams. Jenny was trying to make decisions on her own but was also struggling to find her voice when mom had different plans and ideas for Jenny’s future.

*Possible Spoiler Ahead*-

I don’t want to give anything away or spoil anything, but I personally thought the ending was as perfect to a happy ending you could get and still allow both characters to follow their dreams, and still be together. Neither of them had to give up on something important to them, and both of them were supportive of each other.

I did feel like the ending was a little rushed, and because this book was so close to perfect, the rushed ending seemed more out of place with pacing compared to the rest of the book. It was still very good, but I wish there a little bit more…possibly an epilogue that showed Jaewoo helping Jenny move into her dorm or visiting Jenny in NYC during break or attending one of her concerts; just something (really anything) that showed the reader that he went out of the way to make her feel important in his life instead of just one line about her visiting Korea over the summer. I would have especially loved if the epilogue was simply a newspaper article with the headline “Famous K-Pop Star smitten with talented cellist” and have the article describing the couple having a wonderful time out on the town and being spotted with a group of friends at a karaoke bar LA. The rushed ending was just a tiny part of the book, so overall, I still very much loved it!

I would recommend this to every single one of my high school readers who enjoys light, sweet romances and contemporary books! I’m so far beyond the target range; plus, I don’t know anything about K-pop or K-dramas, and I still LOVED this book! If an old mom can love this book, I 100% know that the intended audience of 15-18 year old’s will DEVOUR this book!

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This cover is beautiful and I am obsessed with it. I would honestly pick up this book solely on the cover. If you love K-Pop this is the book for you. There is romance. There is drama. There is K-Pop.

I do not want to add any spoilers!

*Read in April 2021*

This is a cute teen romance set in Seoul within the world of K-pop. Jenny is a talented cellist poised to be accepted to a prestigious college of music. Before she can finish her final year of classes and lessons at her private high school of the arts in LA, she and her mother need to go to Seoul to assist her grandmother who is having health issues. Suddenly, Jenny finds herself in one of the most distinguished art schools in Korea that is known for developing musicians and dancers to be K-pop idols. Many of her classmates are either K-Pop stars or idol trainees and Jenny feels out of her league. Will she ever be able to fit in to this new culture, make friends, and keep up with her auditions?

I think the popularity of K-pop and the music scene in general will appeal to tween readers. I will recommend this title for school and classroom libraries.

Where to even begin?! This book took me on a journey that I didn't even know I needed. During this pandemic I found a few more obsessions to add to my life, which included KPop and KDramas. If you're also a fan - You need to read this book ASAP.

XOXO takes you into the beautiful city of Seoul where a cellist falls in love with a KPop member. This story will give you a serotonin boost everyone needs. Jenny meets Jaewoo unexpectedly in LA at a karaoke bar owned by Jenny's Uncle. With any night at a karaoke bar, the two enjoyed a night of singing, dancing, and new friendships. But wait - That's just the beginning. Jaewoo has to suddenly leave and Jenny is left wondering "what if".

Three months later, Jenny and her mother move to South Korea to take care of her grandmother, and which the change in their new life, she enrolls in Seoul's art academy where she continues to live her future dream of becoming a cellist.

When she arrives at school the last person she expects to see is Jaewoo. He turns out to be in a popular Korean boy band and the most popular idol. This story will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.

I like to categorize it as a mix between True Beauty (Webtoon Comic turned Kdrama) and the Dream High KDrama. It's a wonderful story of working hard to achieve dreams but to also remember you're never alone in the journey.

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This book was adorable and I absolutely loved it! I devoured this one in a day, as I couldn’t put it down. It was exactly what I was hoping for in Axie’s first contemporary. I hope she writes more in this genre, I need more!

Jenny is a cello prodigy, and her main goal in life is to get into a prestigious music conservatory. One night while working at her Uncle Jay’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, she meets a very cute and mysterious boy, Jaewoo. She feels he’s the kind of boy that could change her life forever. For one night, she steps out of her comfort zone and has an amazing adventure with Jaewoo, who winds up completely disappearing.

A few months later, Jenny finds herself in South Korea with her mother to take care of her sick grandmother. She is shocked to find out that Jaewoo attends the same elite arts academy that she’s enrolled in for the semester. She also finds out that he’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world, and he’s forbidden from dating.

Jenny goes on an unforgettable adventure. When a relationship means throwing off all her carefully laid out plans, she must decide how far she’ll go for love.

XOXO is a really fun read, and it has a sweet romance, some amazing friendships, and some wonderful family moments between Jenny and her mom and grandmother. If you want something that gives you all the warm fuzzies and happy tears, this one is for you!

Thank you, HarperTeen and NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

XOXO is the first book about k-drama I ever read, and to tell you the truth, it was very enjoyable.

First off, the cover is impressive, and it was the main reason I asked for the book. I read it in one day; the plot was exciting, and the story was fun and easy to read. I could relate emotionally to the characters. They were complex and seemed very real to me that I laughed and cried with them. Jenny, of course, was my favorite.

It was exciting to me to read about Korean culture, food, and music. The author did a great job here, and this book opened my eyes to read more about this beautiful culture that I knew nothing about before reading this book.

Overall, I recommend XOXO to everyone who likes contemporary YA romance and k-pop fans. This book is clean (no swearing, drugs, or alcohol).

For a book that mentioned the dramatics and convolutions of K-dramas, this story was a watered-down version of one itself, and I highly enjoyed that. It had its dramatic moments, but not to the point where I felt it was too cringy or had to set the book down and walk away out of second-hand embarrassment (an inevitable when watching K-dramas).
Both Jenny and Jaewoo were great as the MC and LI. I did not want to put this book down and read nearly the first half of it in one sitting I was having so much fun. There wasn't a character I didn't like; all of them were enjoyable to get to know. For the most part, each of the side characters, with perhaps the exception being Sori, were there as support for Jenny and Jaewoo since none of them stood out as having involved subplots, but it didn't feel like they existed only as props for the main characters. I would have liked some kind of resolution or further explanation concerning Sori and Nathaniel, but there was just enough detachment from that drama that I didn't feel I needed it. It was also the sort of detachment that gave me the impression their story could be told as a follow-up or sequel. If possible, that is a book that I would be interested in.
This book is Jenny's story, which includes her relationship with Jaewoo, an idol, so the group XOXO is not the primary focus, and I liked it that way. There were brief mentions of the idol industry, but it did not go too deep into exploring it's negativities or positives; it was more of a neutral commentary. The boys were students who were also idols. In some books, the student has family drama. These students have work drama. Their work just happens to be very public. I would have liked to see a pinch more of Sun, though it is understandable due to his age why there wasn't more of him, but what we did get was executed well and he was a likable character.
I really appreciated that this book portrayed a healthy relationship between two teens . It made it explicitly clear that they are both their own person and do not need a significant other to be happy or successful, but they want to be with each other. That maturity was refreshing, and it was able to be shown because these two are so mature in their own lives, professionally and otherwise. That is a really important message for young adults.
For about the middle 70% of this book, the pacing was great. The first ten percent, the meet cute, I would have loved maybe an extra chapter in there, just to solidify that the moment was truly world-altering for the both of them. And then if I could have gotten another thirty-forty pages to this book near the end to really emphasize that three months had passed and to show how that time effected Jenny and her relationships (with her mom, grandma, and Jaewoo), it would have really strengthened the ending. I don't think any events or plot points were unnecessary or should have changed, I just wanted more: more descriptions of events and emotions associated with each scene.
I will be recommending this book and am likely to pick up a copy for myself.

Oh this was everything I needed! This was a book that had me falling in love with these two from their first interaction in a karaoke bar and it did not waver until the last page!

This book was what I needed after reading some pretty hard hitting books I needed this light and heartwarming contemporary about a cello prodigy and a Major K Pop Artist! And let me tell you I was in love love love!
This Book I know is going to go down a treat!

Everyone in this book I loved a whole lot, main and side characters galore it was such a joy to read and for so much of this book I was just smiling!!
I could go on and on but I’m going to stop it here!

You won’t want to miss this one!! And if your in a reading slump or need of a pick me up/happy book this is your best bet!!

Overall this book was very enjoyable. My main issue with it was the fact that the writing didn’t feel as though it flowed well in some parts and in others the dialogue was awkward. I don’t think I would reread this however it was a good refresher between fantasy books. I loved the characters and relationships and would definitely recommend it if you like young adult contemporaries and like kpop.

Jenny has her life all mapped out. Practice the cello...get into the Manhattan School of Music. Everything is going according to plan until one night when she meets Jaewoo at her uncle's karaoke bar and throws caution to the wind. After an memorable night together Jaewoo disappears as quickly as he appeared in her life.

When Jenny's grandmother becomes ill she and her mother move to South Korea for six months to take care of her. Jenny enrolls in a arts academy and is surprised to find out Jaewoo is a student there...and also a K-Pop idol.

K-Pop idols' lives are not their own and Jaewoo is not allowed to publicly date, but the two dive in anyway and begin a beautiful romance. Unfortunately Jenny's time in South Korea has an expiration date...but does her relationship need to end as well?

I was very excited to receive this ARC. I am a K-Pop fan and it was fun to fall into the world of Jenny's adventures with XOXO. Jenny is a character who is very easy to root for...you want her to achieve her dreams of playing cello professionally and you want her to make things work with Jaewoo. The book is very sweet and also shows the struggles of dating someone who is in the public eye. There is a b plot with Jenny's mother and grandmother that I enjoyed, but I felt like the author could have dug deeper with that part of the book. I would have liked to read more about Jenny's family dynamic. Overall I really liked this story.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/Harper Teen for this ARC.

What a fun and thrilling adventure, traveling all the way to Seoul with Jenny and interacting with a famous K-pop group! Thanks again to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for feedback.

This story centers around cellist Jenny, who meets a boy (Jaewoo) around her age in L.A. in a karaoke bar, and ends up having a fun and exciting night with him. However, he has to leave unexpectedly and Jenny thinks she’ll never see him again. With a family matter that takes her and her mother to Korea, Jenny attends an art academy, where she ends up running into Jaewoo - and he’s a member of a popular K-pop group (XOXO). I throughly enjoyed reading about K-pop groups, the ins and outs of music/dancing (and the heart gesture ❤️), and seeing how Jenny and Jaewoo balanced their time together with everything going on around them. I got major BTS vibes from reading this and happily enjoyed listening to their music/watching music videos along the way while reading this book. The ending did seem a little rushed, but besides that, I was really happy to have had a chance to read this book (and yes, I plan on ordering this book to add to my forever collection ❤️🎶📚)!

XOXO is a K-drama in literary form: it has music competitions, controlling parents, mean girls, karaoke bars, a romance to root for, almost everything you could want in a show except the kimchi slap. While cheesy at times, the story was a fun and easy read once you get into the meat of it. The characters are lovable and serve up their fair share of drama without being over the top. I normally don’t gravitate towards contemporary books, but this story was enjoyable nonetheless.

This book is very plot driven. We first meet Jenny after winning first place in a music competition. Rather than celebrating her win, she is dejected from the feedback that she feels will hinder her chances of getting into a top music school. Despite this, we don’t see many character flaws from her. While we get to see her loneliness due to her mother being a busy single parent, her only insecurity is that her talent lacks passion. Along the same veins, her love interest, K-pop idol Jaewoo, also reads as a little too perfect. However, keeping in mind that the target audience is young adults and teenagers interested in K-pop, this was not much of a hinderance to the story. After all, XOXO is meant to reflect a K-drama.

What I’m sure most people will be reading this for is the K-pop stuff, and boy does the author deliver. Author Axie Oh is Korean American, so she brings in both sides of her culture into this book and interweaves it well into the story. Those who are well acquainted with Korean cultures, words, food, and the like will feel right at home, but XOXO is also great for those who are interested but have been too intimidated to start. As I work for a K-pop tv station, I am recommending this book to our audience as I feel it is quite perfect for our target demographic.

XOXO is one of my favorite books this year. My expectations for this book was met and went beyond. I could not put this book down. I really enjoy watching Korean Drama & this book should be made into one. The love story was the cutest thing ever. The main characters were adorable & wholesome. Who doesn't like the concept of falling in love with an celebrity, let alone a K-pop star. I would definitely recommend.

The story of Jenny & Jaewoo was cute, wholesome, and had just enough k-pop to strike my interest. Family, friends, school, romantic interests, this story had it all (with no drugs, alcohol, or swearing).
I would recommend this book to parents who still censor what their high schoolers are reading.

If you like contemporary YA romances and you're a Kpop fan - this is the book for you. It's not the most artfully written book ever, but it's cute and fun and breezy to get through. As a westerner, I appreciated the little glimpse into the world of Kpop trainees and idols, how seriously they take their careers from an early age, and how seriously they take their relationships with their fanbase. Really enjoyable.

Clever, fun, romantic.

This book is all the things you love about Kdrama and Kpop wrapped in a hug. Come prepared to be hungry, and learn the fan chant!

3/5 stars

Thanks for providing this precious arc in regards to the publisher and author!

This was a fine romance that i had more expectations about. It has potential. Though probably could be enhanced with more experience with craft.

Five stars. This book gave me all the feels. I am addicted to kdramas and this was a kdrama on paper — it was PERFECTION. I will absolutely read anything Axie Oh writes in the future — she is an auto buy for me from now on!

XOXO has just a beautiful cover and it might be one of my favorite books I've read this year.

It's perfect for fans of K-pop (I listened to it the whole time I read this book) and K-dramas (who doesn't love them).

XOXO follows Jenny, a cellist living in LA, who meets a Korean boy, Jaewoo, in her uncle's karaoke bar. After a brief night of fun wandering around a festival, Jaewoo heads home. Not too much longer, Jenny finds herself traveling to Korea with her mother to care for her grandmother for a few months. There, she attends a performing arts school where she find out that Jaewoo is attending, and not only that, but he's a K-pop idol.

As a K-pop idol, Jaewoo has to be careful with his reputation, even if that means he has to be secret friends with Jenny. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress as they navigated the expectations the world would have of Jaewoo as an idol.

I loved how Axie Oh filled this book with Korean culture. I appreciate that Axie Oh had Jenny navigate what it was like to be thrown into a new environment. I loved this book.

This was a cute story about love and culture. If you love K-pop and K-drama's you're sure to love this one!