I love anything Lily Chu writes and this one was perfection and I don't even listen to K-pop! Just when I thought the plot could not get any juicier, they travel across the globe!? So much more than a typical romcom. Chu builds in important deeper themes along side laugh-out-loud moments!

As a strong lover of K-pop I really enjoyed this story. I have read other K-pop based stories that were not my style but I absolutely loved this one. Both main characters were fun and strong willed and the side characters had great stories and really helped the plot. I hope she will write more in the genre. I will continue to read Lily Chu’s books!

Cute book with a wonderful story. I loved the main character due to how she handles everything in the book. Very well done.

I was such a big fan of first book that I love everything about this one!
Lily Chu' humor is everything I love to read in a book and more.
The romance is also well developed and the writting is addictive. Such a funny read and cute sometimes.

I'm keeping a eye in this author and her future books!
Really reccomend it

I really loved this sweet and heartbreaking love story. These two characters definitely deserved their HEA and the side characters added the perfect compliment to their journey.

Let me start by saying that I am a sucker for K-Dramas and so this book was right up my alley. It is the first book that I have read by Lily Chu and I will be going back and reading her other books!

Ariadne (Ari) is a feisty, routine-oriented Canadian/Korean lawyer who shares an apartment with her best friend, Hana. Ari came home from work to find a strange man on her couch who ends up being Jihoon, Hana's cousin from Korea. He is trying to recover from a broken heart. But he wasn't who he said he was!

I really did enjoy this book but I really found it hard to really like Ari. She was exhausting at times and so set in her ways that she came off as unlikable to me. I will say that I changed how I felt with her towards the end. For as smart as she is, I can't believe that it took her so long to figure out his true identity. Jihoon I loved up until the Korea visit. I thought that that whole situation could have been handled better.

This book starts off strong but I do feel that it did lose some steam towards the ending. I feel that it really is longer than it needed to be. Regardless, I read this book in a day and really loved all of the K-drama aspects. It was nice to get more detailed explanations of being an Idol and all that it entails. Seriously, those obsessed fans were certainly over the top!!!

Ⓦⓗⓐⓣ Ⓘ Ⓛⓞⓥⓔⓓ:
✨️Jihoon was SO swoony
✨️The Self Discovery
✨Their outings/dates around Toronto
✨️The found family of the K-Pop group

Ⓦⓗⓐⓣ Ⓘ Ⓓⓘⓓⓝ’ⓣ
✨️The mansplaining from Ari's boss
✨️Racism & Sexism
✨️Hana's mom's Focus on her diet & weight

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℍ𝕒𝕤:
Lawyer FMC
Forced Proximity
Best Friends Cousin
Celebrity Romance
Opposites Attract
Fake Identity
Slow Burn
Single POV
Family Drama
Mental Health Rep

Thank you to @netgalley, @sourcebookscasa &@lilychuauthor for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This has everything that I should technically love, but something just wasn't connecting with me. I thought the characters were, quite frankly, basic. Nothing really appealed to me about them, so I lost interest.

This is my second Lily Chu read and I cannot wait to read more from this author. Her books are a delight!

I ADORED this book. I loved Chu's first book, The Stand-In, and The Comeback did not disappoint at all. Ari is one of my favourite protagonists, her journey might be tough but I'm glad we got to go with her! (My only slight qualm is that I'm sad as a Kobo user I can't download her Audible-only audiobooks!) A must-read for 2023!

I really liked this book! It’s a fun look inside K-pop culture.
Ariadne is a lawyer who spends almost all her time at work and is a devoted Korean daughter. Her roommate goes away and her handsome cousin Jihoon comes to stay in her room. Jihoon is recovering from a break up, apparently, and the longer he stays the closer he and Ariadne get. They’ve been living in a magical bubble.
Until one day when paparazzi swarm the apartment. Ariadne is shocked to find out that Jihoon is a member of the world’s biggest K-pop band (think BTS). She’s outed as his potential girlfriend and faces the wrath of his bandmates and fans.

Can they find a way to be together that doesn’t compromise their values?

This is a well done romance that I enjoyed, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I liked The Comeback, though a little less than I liked Lily Chu's previous novel, The Stand-In. Just as with the previous book, Chu does a good job of writing believable relationships and friendships, and the initial stages of the romance—between stuck-in-a-rut Toronto lawyer Ariadne and incognito K-pop star Jihoon—were sweet. However, this book also shares the first novel's weakness in that the relationship suffers from Chu's seeming belief that she's got to hit every beat of a particular trope/rigidly stick to the romance novel template of the third-act understanding, etc. It makes parts of The Comeback repetitive, and Ari and Jihoon's relationship something I was less inclined to root for.

I had so much fun reading this! I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat -- couldn't do anything but read the book until it finished 😅 So yes, I read this in a day. It was that all consuming feeling that I love.

I related so much to this unromantic, not into emotions or hugs, planning driven INTJ finding her love story. Which is probably why this was the perfect romance story for me.

I felt like this was also so realistic for the whole kpop star romance situation. Not only in the case of what would happen if they got together, but also what might happen if word got out. I've read two books like this one now, and this is the one where I believed in the scenario and consequences the most.

It equally balances a romance, complex sibling relationship, and a friendship. It managed to give them all enough page time and storyline too.

It also talks about finding yourself and your identity within work and family expectations. I really liked that part of things! And how smoothly it slotted into the romance too (for both our leads)

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.

I loved this book so much! Can’t believe I forgot to say that before now! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

The romantic stuff my KPop and KDrama-loving-heart’s fantasies are made of!

The Comeback centers around Ari, a diversity-hire associate lawyer putting hours in a Toronto cutthroat law firm in order to make partner, and Jihoon, her best friend’s cousin and a KPop idol trying to escape from his hectic idol life away from Seoul and find what he truly wants. Their worlds couldn’t have been any more different but when Jihoon spends a few days with a reluctant Ari as a temporary roommate, sparks definitely fly. As they become closer, will they risk their futures and careers for a relationship that’s sure to be long-distance?

I enjoyed every second of this book! I’m a casual fan of some KPop idol groups (Infinite, EXO and Astro) so I can’t help imagining some of my bias (L, D.O. and Eun-woo) as Jihoon, HA! I appreciated the insights on both their careers and the pressures they face especially on Ari’s side as I can relate to some of what she’s been through. I also love the secondary characters especially Hana who sometimes seemingly act as Ari’s therapist. I loved the mental health nods in this book, too.

The romance is topnotch. It may be slow-burn but the progress is well-worth the hours I spent listening while tandem-reading. I just can’t help but root for them. The conflict seems realistic given their situation and that grand gesture in the end was so satisfying, I squealed!

Also, Phillipa Soo’s narration is worth the credit (since this is an Audible exclusive). My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

As someone who isn't super familiar with the k-pop culture, I adored this book. I have a soft spot for celebrity romances where they just want to be normal people. The dynamic between these characters was fun and I really enjoyed the growth.

I love this author! The Comeback was a delightful little treat of a book. It is a celebrity romance with a bit of a twist. If you’re a fan of celebrity rom coms will love this one. It would be a perfect vacation read.

I finally finished this!! I picked it up at the end of summer and got distracted in September by a readathon, so it was nice to finish! First let me say, I love books by Canadian authors, and it makes my heart happier even still when their books take place in Canada!

Some of the plot felt a little unlikely/ unrealistic and parts of the story dragged on for me and took a bit to get through, but overall I had fun with the book!

The Comeback by Lily Chu is an unsuspecting book that packs an emotional punch. Neither science fiction nor fantasy, but a book of afterlife experiences and unfortunate tribulations, it tells the story of Anoush, a college student whose life is abruptly cut short due to a car crash. In the afterlife, Anoush has the opportunity to come back to Earth, but only a select few get to do so.

The book centres around Anoush and her experiences in the afterlife. As the protagonist, Anoush's journey full of self-discovery, she learns how to think and act independently, and ultimately, make a decision on whether she should go back. Throughout the book, Anoush meets many other characters such as the much-loved Apple, a teacher of sorts, and Xar, a kind soul. As the story progresses, Anoush's relationships with every character only grows, deepening readers' connection with the book.

The Comeback is a unique read; it does not follow the typical plot of a linear story, but it takes readers through a seemingly endless cycle of pain. The book is written in a conversational and reflective tone, allowing the reader to engage more deeply into the journey.

The Comeback cleverly flips traditional ideas of what happens after death on its head, as Anoush struggles with the idea of going back to Earth and it forces readers to contemplate whether this afterlife journey is really worth it.

In conclusion, The Comeback is an impactful read; it explores the ripple effects of death, grief, and life; and allows readers to look back on their own lives to reflect and appreciate life in its entirety. In short, this is a book that is both captivating and stunning - a book that will remain with readers for a long time to come.

This charming and engaging celebrity-normal person romance features a strong sense of place, a detailed and well-rendered K-pop backdrop, and a very sweet dynamic between its leads, especially in the first part of the book where they're falling for each other.