This was an easy read to me which is exactly what I needed at the time. Sadly, I just wish it didn't feel quite so generic. It felt like most young adult romances with all the same tropes. That didn't stop me from enjoying the book though! Just not enough for me to give it a higher score.

Tropey and soapey, with the usual set of miscommunications and misundertandings between Elena Soo and her crush, Robbie. All this is heightened because he's a member of a K-Pop band, who's in Chicago for a performance. Elena and Robbie had been best friends when they were ten years old, before Robbie's family had moved back to Seoul. The two friends had made a promise before the move that they would go to the prom together, and when Robbie shows up to ask Elena, it’s both honest and a publicity stunt. That he keeps trying to get her approval, and they are thrown together repeatedly, including filming part of a video and a the band performing at a pop-up concert to raise funds for the community centre Elena volunteers at, only increases her discomfort with all the attention (she's shy) and burgeoning, returning feelings for him.

This was ok, but didn't make me care about whether or not Elena and Robbie would get together. I liked that Elena became more aware of her flaws over the course of the book, and gained in confidence, too. I didn't much like Robbie, despite being told repeatedly that he was a great guy (when he was ten years old). So, overall, just ok.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Disney Publishing Worldwide for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much @NetGalley and @disneybooks for gifting me a copy of One Upon a K-Prom in exchange for an honest review.

🧑🏼‍🎤 Mini Review 🎤
I love reading books that have anything to do with Korean culture. So when I saw Once Upon a K-Prom I knew I had to read it! I’ve read a few books that was full of the K-Pop culture and I always had so much fun reading them. This one didn’t disappoint. I had so much fun reading it and it had just enough cheese to keep me happy 🥰

Elena and Robbie were best friends until they were 10. At 10 Robbie moved to Korea with his family but promised to keep in touch. They also promised each other that they would go to prom together. 7 year later, Robbie is a huge K-pop star in one of the most successful K-pop groups. Although he didn’t keep his promise to Elena about keeping in touch he is insistent on keeping his prom promise.

Elena isn’t thrilled to see Robbie. She’s still hurt because he didn’t keep in touch with her like he promised, and she doesn’t want to go to prom, so when he asks her she turns him down, in front of everyone, and it’s recorded for all to see. After the shock wears off and she realizes that even though Robbie seems totally different there is still some of the Robbie she used to know in there, she decides to spend time with her old friend before he leaves again. But it is nothing like it was when they were kids. Constantly worrying about someone spotting them, being super self conscious around other idols, and knowing she could never fit into Robbie’s world makes her start to pull away. And the fact that she’s starting to fall for him doesn’t help. 😳

I hope to read @katchowrites other books this year!

If you are a fan of K-pop I totally recommend this book to you. It was such a fun read and I really enjoyed the K-pop aspect of the story. I gave this book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

The HFN YA I needed at this time. Light, funny with a pinch of teenaged angst. The leads are well rounded. I loved all the K-Pop settings. Not complacent and everything is great settings. I liked it a lot. Would love to read more from this author.

Kat Cho knows how to delight readers. This book has everything a K-drama and/or K-pop fan could want. Elena and her childhood friend have been out of touch for quite some time and don’t quite know how to read each other anymore. It’s a pleasure to see their story unfold. Of course there are many glitches as they dance around each other literally and figuratively.

With Robbie stepping back into her life, she is certainly getting attention from many people, but it’s not always the kind of attention Elena wants. Through it all, Elena just wants to be seen for herself. She isn’t entirely sure who she is becoming, but she wants people to see her and not her siblings or see her only in relation to who she knows. Even if readers have no interest in K-pop or K-dramas, that is something most people can relate to on some level.

The romance is a sweet one with childhood memories and getting to know each other again. The storyline has moments of tension as one would expect, but it always feels like a safe romcom. It’s not entirely predictable, but it’s comfortable like a cozy blanket. Elena has just enough to worry about to keep her on her toes, but nothing is incredibly overwhelming. It was a treat to read.

Recommendation: Get it as soon as you can especially if you are yearning for a romance with plenty of laughter and smiles.

Childhood loves are magical but short lived. Usually they dont grow up to be huge K-Pop stars and if they do they would never keep secrets made as a child. Elena Soo is always over looked but when a childhood friend comes back maybe she can shine. Once Upon A K-prom is a K-pop love story that every fan fantasies about. Elena is a grounded and headstrong protagonist who just wants to receive a little shine and recognition for her talents. The glimpses into K-Pop culture will give fans a realistic look at what it is to be a star.

K-pop rom-com. Fun addition to my romance section. Recommend to fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and any k-pop fans. I did not have a working knowledge of the music prior to reading (other than knowing it exists). The book did get me researching.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Once Upon a K-Prom” by Kat Cho. Thoughts and opinions are my own,

This was an incredibly cute story about Elena Soo, a teen trying to raise awareness and funding for her beloved community center by encouraging her fellow students to find ways to spend less on prom to donate and better their community. But things get complicated when her estranged childhood bestie turned K-pop idol ambushes her with a promposal.

I thought the author did a great job of showing how much the community center meant to the people who used it. I was really rooting for Elena to raise the funds to help the people she cared about. I liked how the author explored how Elena felt forgotten among her family and at school but then got more attention than she wanted due to the promposal. I don’t follow K-pop, but I really loved the boys in the group.

I wish there had been more closure with Elena confronting how her family treats her. I wasn’t a fan of how there were so many “K drama” moments which pulled me out of the story. I think this would have been more fun if this ever got adapted for a movie and those moments could be shown visually rather than being told repeatedly that it was a “K drama” moment. Also I’m a millennial so I am well out of high school and not the target audience for this book but while I still enjoyed this book I was surprised at how dated a lot of the references were when it came to movies. Those probably could have been updated to references present day teenagers could better relate to.

All in all a cute book I would recommend. Readers who enjoyed this book should definitely check out ‘XOXO’ by Axie Oh too!

4/5 stars

I finished this awhile ago and thought I’d already reviewed it, but turns out I did not!

This was a fine YA. I think my expectations were too high. My biggest takeaway was that I wanted more overall from this book. More drama, more depth, more time of the MCs actually together. The plot overall got a bit repetitive. While it wasn’t my favorite, I think most 13-17 year olds will enjoy it!

Once Upon a K-Prom tells the story of an ordinary girl who falls in love with an international celebrity. This was a very light and fluffy read! I love the romance between Robbie and Elena! I also love how it talked about Korean popular culture and lightened my eyes on K-pop! I recommend this for fans of The Noh Family, K-pop Revolution, and Shine!

This book book is outstanding! Definitely recommend!

Recently, I've been on a Kpop book binge! There are so many great authors with great stories out there!

And this book is no exception! These main characters are delightful! I l9ved all the ups and downs, and the sweet love story! My students are going to adore this book!

And Kat Cho has done a great job making this story stand out from the crowd. More than just fan fiction, this is a perfect read whether you know Kpop or not. (But you really should. So msny excellent groups out there!)

Thanks NetGalley and Disney Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This caught me by surprise because I thought it was going to be a very light and fluffy book where a famous boy comes back to romance the girl who feels overlooked, but it's so much more.

There's a lot of commentary on idol culture and how in some countries it's so restrictive and not to mention taxing on their emotional and mental health and on the flip side how rabid some fans can be and how it can break down certain human actions like being in love when everything is scrutinized.

I really liked Elena and how her character was flawed in a way that in the beginning of the book we felt like she was just the underdog and all these things happened to her and she was very unlucky, but as the story went on we found out how she had pretty much brought a lot of these things on herself by almost a self fulfilling prophecy and it causes you to really think about how you perceive things vs how others are seeing and reacting to your words and actions.

I also really liked how Robbie had to almost unlearn the things that his idol training had taught him so that he could relate to Elena outside of the idol bubble like a human.

I'm not a fan of k-pop so this isn't really something that I related to but I can see so many similarities from the boy band phases that seem to pop up every 10 years or so. So there's that. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a very meaningful piece of YA fiction that causes you to shift your perspective a little.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a sweet contemporary ya romance. This novel was definitely for the YA audience. I didn't get some of the kpop references. Cute and quick overall.

I will begin this review by saying that I am biased toward this type of story. I'm too soft on a really cute high school romance. It's my weakness. I say this because this story, on paper, should be an average 3-star story. It's doing nothing new, in fact, it revels in doing all the tropes of high school romance. The mean girl is here, and the miscommunication, the unfounded jealousy and the "You Lied to Me" moment as well as some extremely cheesy dialogue. All here. All played exactly as you would expect. Somehow, I just found comfort in the expected. I enjoyed this for what it was. Was it super flawed? Yes. Did I enjoy my time? Also, Yes. I do wish there had been more time and care/attention given to the twin brother subplot as I thought that could have been a real emotional core to the story but alas, it is a teenage romance and it didn't really want to be too serious emotional about anything that wasn't the protagonist angst. It was a compulsive read for me though. I read it in one sitting. Overall, would recommend it, but only if you know what you are signing for.

A fun and dreamy read, Kat Cho nails so many things in Once Upon a K-Prom. Existential dread, fear of the future, insecurity, the way it feels when everything changes, the safety a blast from the past can give you–especially if said blast from the past is your childhood bestie who is now a k-pop idol. The characters and the story itself are sweet and full of heart. And such a gorgeous cover!

Kat Cho's junior novel is so cute! I loved the unique concept and the contemporary combination of K-Pop and first love. Such a great book!

This was an absolutely delightful read! Kat Cho does an amazing job of bringing the characters alive while staying true to the KPOP culture. 5 Stars.

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Elena has felt invisible her whole life. Everyone only knows her as the twin of her very popular brother, but she ends up in the spotlight when famous k-pop idol Robbie asks her to prom. Robbie was Elena's childhood friend, and they made a promise long ago to go to prom together. Elena has no desire to go to prom and would rather spend time working at the local community center. Plus, the Robbie that asked her is not the same Robbie she knew. As the paparazzi and crazy fans begin to interfere with Elena and Robbie's relationship, Elena realizes just how different her world is from his.

This was such a cute book! As a huge fan of kpop, I really wanted to read this. It didn't disappoint! It reminded me of Axie Oh's XOXO.

I love a good childhood friends to lovers romance! The whole idea of them keeping their promise of going to prom together was adorable! Their relationship was sweet, and I loved watching it grow throughout the book.

One of my favorite things about the book was the relationship between the boys in the kpop band! Their banter was so funny and wholesome! Their interactions always made my smile.

I also thought it was cool the author made kpop profiles for the boys. They were so similar to ones I read for actual bands!

There was one thing at the end that I thought was a little weird, but I can't talk about it because of spoilers. The ending overall was good so I just kinda ignored that part.

This book is a sweet YA romance that would especially appeal to kpop fans! I would definitely suggest it to them, as well as fans of YA romances in general! If you liked XOXO by Axie Oh, you'd probably enjoy this too!

Content: some swearing

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
Once Upon a K-Prom is such a fun book. While I’m more of a fringe fan of K-Pop, I’ve been loving all these books showing the genre love lately, and this one is no different. There’s a cute romance, but it also looks at the complexities of the industry from a neutral perspective, due to a girl seeing how it has impacted her friend, with occasional insights into his head.
It’s also interesting to read this in light of news of BTS’ hiatus, given WDB is meant to be a stand-in for them, with many of the other acts mentioned being real to capture the atmosphere. But it’s a fascinating critique of the pressures these entertainment companies put their artists under, from the rigorous training to the scheduling to dating. The rule about when they’re allowed to date is also brought up as a minor subplot, illustrating how these companies commodify them.
I really liked Elena as a lead. She has a complex life independent of her friendship/possible romance with Robbie. She’s dealing with a lack of sense of who she is and always being compared to her more successful siblings, especially her twin brother, Ethan. I love her journey of coming to realize she is valued and having more confidence in herself.
This parallels really well with Robbie, as he worries about his ideas being rejected by the company. It’s through him we get more insight into his relationships both with the company and his bandmates, and I love how there’s a juxtaposition of the support (tinged with playfulness) among the boys to counteract the corporate toxicity.
I really liked how they rediscovered their bond along the way, with Elena getting over her hurt at the way she felt about him leaving and seemingly changing, and reckoning with what it would mean to be together now.
This is a cute book, and the comparisons to Axie Oh, whose XOXO I also really enjoyed, are completely justified. If you enjoyed that book of any of the other recent crop of similar K-Pop inspired titles, or enjoy K-Pop music, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Once Upon a K-Prom was cute and light, definitely a romcom for upper middle and high school readers. Beyond first kiss and then the long awaited second kiss, it wasn't taken further than that, so this could be read by a wide range of readers (I hate the term clean reads). This was light and fun, if somewhat predictable, sometimes a reader wants predictability. Fun!