When Jess Kim is laid off from her investment banking job, she moves home with no idea what to do. Her mom quickly tries to set her up with Daniel Choi. Daniel is a successful lawyer and much less awkward than the boy Jess remembers from high school. He helps her start a new business: a Korean cooking YouTube channel that helps enhances meal prep kits. When her mom walks on the recording and starts arguing about cooking, Jess’s channel goes viral and her company grows faster than Jess could have ever imagined. Meanwhile, she finds she’s falling in love with Daniel.

As you may know, I am obsessed with cooking shows, so this book was right up my alley. The food descriptions in this book get my first shout out because thy were phenomenal and made my so hungry. I may have made my husband take me to Korean Barbecue while reading this book. I also loved Jess’s journey. Yes, getting laid off was terrible, but it didn’t keep her down for long, and watching her find her real passion and building a business was inspiring. And her mom was hilarious. The mother daughter relationship felt so real and added so much to the story. Oh and how could I not mention Daniel. He might be one of my favorite love interest, although the romance felt like more of a subplot.

Overall, I loved this book and look forward to reading more from Suzanne Park!

I alternated between audio and digital with this one. I thought the narrator, Jackie Chung, did a fantastic job with accents, emotions, and personalities, and, if you are an audiobook listener, I would definitely recommend the audio version.

Jessie has spent the last several years on Wall Street in a white male dominated financial company. She has worked hard and is hopeful for a promotion. Instead she gets downsized and ends up returning to her parents' home as she figures out what to do next. Unfortunately her childhood nemesis, Daniel, is also living at home. Unlike her, he's on a 'sabbatical.' Growing up, Jessie remembers competing (and losing) with Daniel all the time. While he's filled out nicely and seems to have done well for himself, she's not interested in any kind of relationship and seems happy to continue their rivalry.


Except they keep getting thrown together. And he has some great ideas for her new endeavor. Jessie revives her cooking channel with a fantastic idea. She also speedily creates some product and gets them stocked in a local chain of Asian grocery stores. Everything seems to be going well until., suddenly, it isn't.

Th only thing that would have made this book better for me would have been being able to eat the food that was so deliciously described! Be prepared to be hungry. I also laughed multiple times. I know the author was a standup comedienne, and I could see if in the writing (this is why audio was great!). Jessie seemed a little immature, and definitely had some growth to do, but that seemed to be part of the storyline. This was a fun read!

4.5 starts rounded up to 5.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of SO WE MEET AGAIN by Suzanne Park from Avon Books as part of a scheduled Let’s Talk Books tour!

SO WE MEET AGAIN follows Jess Kim as she works to recover from the blow of her lay off from an investment banking job that she didn’t necessarily love but most definitely counted on. Now she’s back in her childhood bedroom in Nashville living with her parents while she tries to sort out her life. In helping her mother with some cooking for church, Jess’s path keeps crossing the pastor’s son, her old nemesis Daniel Choi who is also newly back in town.

Jess decides to rekindle her old YouTube channel, trying out some new ideas on her old platform to bring Korean cooking to a growing audience. Between her mother’s antics, her attraction for Daniel, and risking a lot in her growing business, Jess has her hands full.

I had so much fun reading SO WE MEET AGAIN! Books revolving around food are definitely right up my alley and this one does it so well! Do not read this book hungry or you will be placing some big Korean food takeout orders! I would definitely tune in to Jess’ cooking show! I really enjoyed the character of Jess’ mom as well. She is a strong, opinionated mother, but she is a great support to her daughter and a great motivator for Jess as well.

The relationship between Jess and Daniel was fun to watch develop as well and I thought the author did a fantastic job of throwing some good hurdles in their path to add some tension and some fun moments between the two! There were some good twists along the way as well. Jess’ career path had a few less problems than I might have expected, but she had some big trials in her work life to start off the book so she was due a bit of smoother sailing.

This was such a fun read and one I would recommend adding to your TBR! This was my first book by Suzanne Park, but I look forward to picking up more.

Jessie Kim was let go of her job via a virtual meeting, was called non-leader material, and on top of that, she now can't afford to pursue her MBA that she planned to start by Fall semester in NYU; therefore, she was forced to move back home with her parents until she can get her “life back.” While grocery shopping, she ran into her old nemesis Daniel who is now a lawyer and very successful who offers to help her relaunch her old youtube channel where she does easy meal prep for the busy professional videos called HANGUK HACKS. Both will discover things about each other, and Jessie will find out who Daniel is.

What I truly enjoyed about this story is that Jessie, after everything she went through, didn’t lose hope and kept going. She’s funny and motivated. I love her food, enthusiasm, and even her perfectionist way! I love her mom and her comments on Jessie’s cooking; it was funny and relatable. I adore the mother-daughter relationship and felt like I connected more to Jessie because of that. The love story is written beautifully, and it is hot but not explicit still got me so head over heels in love with both characters.

If you want a light, fun, and inspiring read, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much, Avon Books, for my e-arc

So We Meet Again
By Suzanne Park

The story is centered on Jess Kim, who moves back to her hometown in Tennessee after being laid off for being a great Asian worker bee but with no leadership qualities. Channeling that fight in her, she develops a product and re-launches her old Korean Cooking YouTube channel. An unexpected appearance by her mom to critique Jess’ cooking techniques, made the show go viral.

Oh this book is everything I wanted – it packs a punch and covers momentous themes that are relatable, and delivered in the most uplifting and heart warming manner that just made me love this book even more.

I loved this book because at the heart of this wonderful story is the tender and bitter sweet mother-daughter relationship, the importance of following the bourgeoning entrepreneurial spirit by following your dreams, taking chances and risks. And then of course, there is the amazing food, and lest not forget, the swoon-worthy romance. Oh my heart, this was such an exceptional read – the best ever yet.

Totally cute romance -- like a grown up after school special about kid/young adult rivals living their own "will they wont they" story. I have not read many books with characters in financial careers turned culinary entrepreneurship, especially of a woman let alone an Asian woman, so this was great! Many food descriptions left me hungry and I would totally buy the product(s) Jess is selling. I also enjoyed reading about a person (Daniel) who has had success but can still feel parent pressures, and has the ability to stay down to earth despite his fancy car.

This was a fun book! I wanted a little more from the romance, but understand Park wanted to make Jessie's personal journey the heart of the story. I especially loved all the food details, and Jessie's relationship with her mom!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

So We Meet Again is a fun, sweet romance about Jess Kim, recently fired from her job as an investment banker and lost in life. When she is forced to move back in with her parents, she becomes inspired to start a Korean cooking YouTube channel. She reconnects with her friends, family, and her former nemesis, Daniel. When she goes viral, Jess finds an unexpected career and a new romance with Daniel.

I loved Park’s YA romance, Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, earlier this year and this was another hit. Jess and Daniel had great chemistry and I wanted even more of their romance. I especially loved the scenes with Jess and her mother. As with Park’s other books, I laughed out loud many times and finished the book with a smile on my face.

Overall, So We Meet Again is an entertaining romance with lovable characters and hilarious dialogue.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @suzannepark @netgalley @avonbooks @harpervoyagerus for the #gifted ARC of this gem!

If you liked Loathe at First Sight, you will love So We Meet Again by the freakin’ hilarious and relatable Suzanne Park.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
9/10

Warning: don’t read this hungry! 😋

When savvy investment banker Jess Kim gets fired in a virtual meeting (overhearing “she’s already being overpaid anyway for a woman” and “Asians are worker bees, not someone who can drum up new deals”), she moves back home to Tennessee to think of her next move.

Jess gets quickly thrown into the community gossip at church, learning her childhood rival, Daniel Choi, is also back home. Although this is coined a rom com, the rocky, dysfunctional relationship between Jess’s mom (Umma) is the forefront of this story. When Umma gloats that Jess has started her own business, Jess decides to try her hand at Korean food hacks online—inadvertently becoming an overnight viral sensation when Umma makes a surprise appearance in her video and people can’t get enough of the duo.

Jess is a character you will immediately root for because you wish you were as badass as she—smart, creative, confident and knows her own worth, while staying true to her values. The chemistry between her and Daniel is palpable but believable, and it’s wasn’t too uncomfortably steamy.

If you like hardworking heroines, heartwarming stories, enemies to lovers, witty dialogue and happy endings, definitely pre-order this one! Pub date is next week!

Swipe right to see her love for Booksta! 💕

#sowemeetagainbook #sowemeetagain #arcreview #arcreviewer #funnybooks #cutebookcover #pageturner #romcom #romcombooksaremyweakness #romcombooks #meetcute #enemiestolovers #bookstagram #fivestaread #paperback #foodiebook #womensfiction #bookrecommendation #bibliophile #brandnewbook #justfinishedreading #koreanamericanauthor #diversereads #summerreads #julyreads #julyreads2021 #booknerdigan #girlswhoread #tennesseebook

I walked into this book thinking this was more romance than anything, which led me to be disappointed, But that has nothing to do with the story or writing, it has to do with marketing it as such, instead of just women's fiction/fiction.

I enjoyed it, and I think I would have liked it more if I weren't expecting it to be something different.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

So We Meet Again is a better book overall than Suzanne Park’s adult debut. While still more in the realm of women’s fiction than romance, in spite of branding, focusing just as much on other aspects of Jess’s life with equal prominence, the story is much more openly comedic, while still hitting on similar serious themes, albeit with a much lighter touch this time around.

I enjoyed Jess as a protagonist, leaving behind a career in banking that has screwed her over in epic fashion. And I also liked that she had a passion, that of running a YouTube cooking vlog, and I admired her for working at it.

And it’s her relationships with others that I felt made this book the stronger of the two overall. She and her mother have a bit of an adversarial relationship, but it is more lighthearted, and I ended up loving how a candid moment of them during a live recording impacted things. The mom’s reaction to Internet fame added a lot of, ahem, spice to their dynamic.

While the romance didn’t exactly blow me away, it was cute. It’s kind of a childhood frenemies-to-lovers dynamic. Daniel is perfect: incredibly successful and a generally good guy, and I loved reading about how Jess’s perspective about him changed since they were young.

This is incredibly enjoyable, and an improvement on her first adult title, with comparisons more towards her YA work thematically (not to mention, she also recently did another take on vlogging in her Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, which also centers on the fallout from a viral vlog moment). If you were disappointed or hurt by her previous book, I can assure you this one is much better and worth giving Suzanne Park another chance for. And if you’re looking for a fun contemporary with cultural nuances and light social commentary, you’ll enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Jess and her family so much. Her parents seemed so kind and supportive, and being “Umma approved” was so heartwarming and sweet. I wish there had been more to the romance, because I was really enjoying it.

Read this if you ⬇️
*Have ever wanted to say "eff you" towards coworkers/upper management
*Have ever second guessed what you're doing with your life
*Love food
*Have a nemesis who used to have a bowl haircut in middle school

This was my second book by this author and I am a huge fan. Everything was insanely relatable, from working in a corporate culture where it's the old boys club, to sexism in the work place, to second guessing your direction in life, and to know who to put trust in. Additionally, the family dynamic was comedic, adorable and heartwarming! I read this in one day!

Thank you Let's Talk Books Promo and Avon for this gifted copy. Pub Date: August 3

Jess Kim is a Wall Street investment banker who finds herself inexplicably laid off. Her next step? Move back in with her parents in Nashville and start a YouTube cooking channel with her overbearing Korean mom. While this is the last thing Jess expected to be doing, she learns to embrace chaos and open her mind to change, all while begrudgingly accepting help from her high-school nemesis Daniel Choi. Jess’s story is one of ingenuity, resilience, and determination that is both enjoyable and motivational. and has all the girl boss vibes you could want.

Uma approved! Park is also the author of Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, so if you enjoyed Sunny Song you will inevitably love Jess Kim, too. While Sunny Song was a YA book, So We Meet Again is not. However, Park has an amazing ability to write in a way that’s enjoyable, easy to read, funny (all the things I loved about Sunny Song) while also including harsher realities that make it less YA-fiction (i.e., the pressures of a high-stress job, job loss, etc.).

The two things that really stand out are the characters—especially Jess and her mother (“Uma”). Park portrays her characters in such a relatable, realistic way that you’ll feel like you’ve known them forever. From the first chapter, I was entirely on Jess’s side and fell in love with her adorable Uma.

Park also treats the reader to exposure to Korean culture through the food discussed and Uma. It’s through Uma that Park shows the culture & values that were instilled in Jess as she grew up. But Uma isn’t depicted as inflexible & rigid in her values—Park allows Uma to evolve too, as Uma embraces being part of the YouTube channel and Jess’s overall brand.

Overall, So We Meet Again is an enjoyable, quick read that will have you smiling, laughing, and feeling for Jess as she and her Uma take YouTube cooking by storm.

This a cute rom-com with an enemies to lovers theme. When the story opens Jessie Kim is laid off from her high pressure job at an investment firm for not having leadership potential. She leaves New York to move back home with her parents in Nashville as she figures out what she wants to do with her life. Daniel is a corporate lawyer who has taken a sabbatical from his current position and moves back to Nashville, where his father has accepted a position to return to the church he used to minister at.

Jessie and Daniel were always competitive in High School and at first it feels like nothing has changed. However, when Jessie comes up with a plan to launch an internet cooking show on how to hack mail meal kits and easily upgrade them to Korean masterpieces, Daniel swoops in and helps her upgrade her business to become very profitable.

Through this new venture, Jessie and Daniel become closer with many near moments of kissing and “other” things. Parents keep interrupting, but the biggest threat to the budding relationship is Daniel’s new job, which put Jessie in an almost impossible situation.

This book had a lot of typical elements of a rom-com, but it was just so enjoyable and satisfying. Park brings her unique perspective with our two Korean-American protagonists. Jessie’s parents are absolutely brilliant additions to this book and make it that much better. If you are looking for something light and fun to read do not pass this one up.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest, I was here for the food mostly, but stayed for the amazing story. Jessie Kim worked on Wall Street until her company restructured and they didn't think she had what it took to be a leader. So she was restructured out of a job and is back in Nashville with her parents trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.
While she is at the grocery store, she runs into her childhood nemesis, Daniel Choi. He was the kid that always was one upping her, and by the looks of things, he is still doing it. He is the pastor's son and moved back to Nashville when his dad took over the congregation there. He is a high powered attorney that worked in Silicon Valley and it shows. With his flashy car and flashy degrees, Jessie is back to feeling like she's beneath him.
What I loved about these two is that you could feel the chemistry and tension shooting off the pages. There isn't much steam, but you can feel the spark with every touch. Told from Jessie's POV, you can still get the sense that Daniel is completely smitten over her, even if she is blind to it.
When Jessie and her mom start a cooking show about easy hacks for dinner boxes, it takes off and the world is in love with the Seoul Sisters. Daniel is quick to help Jessie with her venture, but after a blow to her business, she is wondering if it was all an act and he's just trying to one up her again.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved the side characters, especially her mother. This was such a fun read with just the right amount of romance.
Thank you to Avon, Netgalley and Suzanne Park for an early copy.

This book was inspiring and adorable. This book really put a spotlight on just how unfair women are treated in the corporate world and I’m so happy that I got to read along Jessie’s journey to empowerment and confidence in herself.

I absolutely adored seeing Jessie’s relationship with her family and how that dynamic works. I really also enjoyed the relationship between friends and the close knit, supportive community that she had in Tennessee.

It was very refreshing to see people come together to help each other succeed in the community. I also really loved the different foods mentioned. I’m definitely going to have to try a few myself!

I really do wish there was more about Jessie and Daniel because they were absolutely adorable.

Special thank you to Netgalley for sending me an ARC for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I Couldn't put it down. Note: I did not read the first book and totally understood the whole book. This could be read as a stand alone just fine!

After being pushed around at work and suddenly laid off from her high power banking job, Jess moves home to Nashville to live with her parents and decide her next move. There she is reunited with her old competition and preacher's kid Daniel, but to her surprise he grew up quite nicely! Their old rivalry flares, but they find themselves in similar situations of leaving accomplished careers and moving home. After seeing each other at a Korean business group, Daniel decides to help Jess recognize her dream of becoming the next big Korean chef sensation and when her mother crashes one of her live streams they become a big hit. But when Daniel doesn't clue her into a decision that affects her business she cuts him, and her feelings for him, off for good. But this isn't the end of seeing Daniel. When he shows up on the opposite side of the deal with her old company she finds herself conflicted on wether to trust him again.

I loved everything bout this book! I recently finished a stint at home similar to Jess and felt her pain of the overbearing mom. I loved that her ideas were super original and that this was a perfect AAPI Romance read. Daniel was the perfect swoon worthy male lead and Jess was so funny and I loved how she stuck it to her old company at the end of the book. You need to read this book!

I really enjoyed this one! Jess and Daniel were so much fun. This was my first book by this author and it will not be the last.

Jess Kim might be one of my favorite leading ladies of 2021! At 29, after busting her butt at a Wall Street investment firm, she is laid off and heads home to reevaluate her next steps (yes, I speak corporate too). Coming home, she runs into her childhood competitor Daniel Choi, now a hot-shot Silicon Valley lawyer.

This book is a romance but is really focused on Jess's journey more--and I loved that about it! I was rooting for her business and absolutely loved her mom, some of my favorite scenes are when they're cooking together. Reader beware: this will make you crave Korean food, author Suzanne Park brings the smells and tastes to life with her drool-worthy descriptions.

Jackie Chung narrates the audiobook, which comes in at 8 hours, 31 minutes. She really brought the characters to life--especially her delivery with Mrs. Kim's zingers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio and Avon for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.