This book was actually really cute. I enjoyed learning more about K-Pop and some Korean culture. Lily Chu’s books are so lovely and I really enjoy the addition of there being a famous person in both of the ones I have read.

The growth that we got to watch Ariadne go through as the story progressed was so real and I appreciated that we got to see the messy side of her life as well as the easy parts. Sometimes I found her a little bit annoying, just as she kept being afraid of the same things over and over, but that is how it is sometimes, so I didn’t mind it too much.

Jihoon is the sweetest, kindest, most gentle man I think I have ever read about. I absolutely loved him and wanted only the best things for him. Watching his and Ariadne’s friendship/relationship grow was so wholesome and I loved it. The plot twist that takes place about who Jihoon really is didn’t surprise me, but I loved the added depth we got to see what his life could have looked like in Seoul.

Overall, I think I will always enjoy Lily Chu’s books because they feel like a great big hug. If you want a sweet, closed door, romance story this could be the book for you!

🤍 Thank you so much to the publisher @sourcebookscasa and @lilychuauthor for this physical advanced reader copy!

⚠️TW: racism, misogyny, body shaming, bullying, emotional abuse

Ariadne Hui strives on routine. She's focused on her future climbing the corporate ladder at the law firm where it has been her dream (and her father's dream) to work. She doesn't have time for surprises or spontaneity. So when she comes home one day to a stranger sleeping on her couch, she is unprepared for the whirlwind he will bring into her life.

Choi Jihoon is Ari's roommate's cousin visiting from Seoul. He's going through a breakup and needed the time away to think - at least that's the story he's running with.

Over the course of a month Ari begins to welcome Jihoon's presence. He brings out the parts of her that she's felt she'd had to keep tampered down in order to come across as someone who is serious about her work. Ari begins to realize that maybe the plan she's set out for herself are not actually her dreams, but what she always thought she should do.

Then, Ari's carefully cultivated world is turned upside-down when a secret the Jihoon was keeping is exposed to the world: he's a very famous K-pop idol.

I wish that the book description didn't give away the "big reveal" about Jihoon. I wish that readers could feel as thrown as Ari did when learning who he really is. By knowing, I felt like there were times where the pacing was a bit slow as we worked our way up to the reveal, and then afterwards, there were places where Ari's ruminations about what it would mean to pursue a relationship with Jihoon seemed to drag on for a bit. I know it's slightly unfair because readers have the chance to acclimate themselves to the situation a bit before the characters do, I'm just typically of the mind that I like the surprises of experiencing things with the characters as the story unfolds.

Regardless, I really enjoyed delving into the world of K-pop. I, like Ari at the start of the book, have never explored K-pop before. I have friends and acquaintances who are fully invested in the various groups and idols, and I've seen their high regard for the music and the artists. So coming into the story with just that perspective, I really think that it opened my eyes to the whole K-pop culture. The hard work that can be for exacting and the fact that these groups are built up and their image is cultivated in such a certain way.

I think that this is one of the best stories that highlights the famous person/non-famous person romance trope. It really gives you the reality of celebrity. While I loved Jihoon and Ari together, I thought the obstacles in front of them were both valid and spoke a lot to real life. I was invested in seeing if/how they could make it work between them and appreciated that Lily Chu didn't make it easy and didn't make either scenario a foregone conclusion. It made me root for Ari and Jihoon together and as individuals.

Overall, a very worthwhile story about how oftentimes we're afraid to actually pursue our dreams, but also about how much happier we end up when we try.

An overachieving perfectionist? An undercover K-pop idol? I knew this book was for me and I wasn’t wrong at all. I really enjoyed this one and I loved how it wasn’t all about a love story. It was about family, following your dreams, shutting down perfectionism, and following your heart. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Comeback, my second book by Lily Chu, was a fun read, with better pacing than the Stand-In. Ariadne and Jihoon have this wonderful connection that was so sweet. The story itself feels equally split between romance and Ari finding herself.

Some things I loved:
- secret celebrity theme, and k-pop no less
- good storyline about finding more about yourself and what you truly want and who you are
- normalizing a lot of the use of make-up and skincare products on men
- very imperfect characters, even Jihoon
- the racism and "old boys" culture is something that's been seen in other books and definitely hit home in terms of the characters' obliviousness ( I nearly died during a scene between 2 white women)
- also the reflection on the concept of "other" as a multiple generation Chinese Canadian, or being "dim sum Chinese"

Other things to note:
- familial tropes are fairly common for stories featuring Asian main characters
-closed door

Steam: 🔥
Heart flutters: ❤️❤️

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @sourcebookscasa for an early copy of The Comeback by Lily Chu. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

The Comeback tells the story of lawyer Ariadne, and her unexpected new roommate Choi Jihoon, freshly arrived from Seoul to mend a broken heart. He just needs a few weeks to rest and heal. Ari (Ariadne) loves routine; she’s also a workaholic, but she finds herself thrust onto the world stage: not as the competent, steely lawyer she's fought so hard to become, but as the mystery woman on the arm of a man the entire world claims to know. Now with her heart, her future, and her sense of self on the line, Ari will have to cut through all the pretty lies to find the truth of her relationship...and discover the Ariadne Hui she's finally ready to be.

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

I basically read this story because of Jihoon, from the onset I had a hunch of what he really is, working in the music industry and all (and I was picturing V from BTS the whole time *swoon*). Jihoon was seemingly sweet and attentive, whereas (here’s the part of this short review where I say I don’t like something) Ari seems to have no personality apart from her work and wanting to please her father. She doesn’t like music, tv shows, etc. She loves creating itineraries but has never traveled herself. Her character just seems so plain.

Rating this ⭐⭐/5.

This is my first Lily Chu but will definitely not be my last! I have been in a bit of a reading slump, but picked this up after work and finished it well past my bedtime. I was hooked! I fell in love with Ari and Jihoon, and rooted for them the entire time. This was an engrossing and engaging contemporary romcom that also touches on finding your own voice and place in life, belonging, and self-advocacy. This book made me laugh, grit my teeth in anger, and ultimately cheer as Ari and Jihoon find their own HEA with each other and in their own lives. Highly recommended!

The Comeback is such a good story of family, estrangement, and love. I loved the way K-pop was woven into this story about a woman discovering who she is, and I loved the hilarious banter between the two best friends, Ariadne and Hana. The book touches on so many important themes including belonging and immigration. A great read.

Read if you like:
🌏 Reading Diversely
❤️ Romances
💪🏻 Personal Growth

I love how this book is a romance, but yet so much more at the same time! This one has such great character development and I love the way we see the growth of characters throughout the book to get towards their HEA!

This one is so fun with regular person meets K-POP star on the run.

The romance and swooning written into this one makes me think that Jihoon is going to be my newest book boyfriend!

Thank you so much sourcebooks Casablanca for my ARC of this one!

I received a E-arc of The Comback and read it within a few days! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher!!

I enjoyed the story about a first generation Asian woman growing up in Toronto. I related to parts Ari's story of trying to fit in, relating to others and family expectations. Unfortunately/fortunately that's where the similarities end... not the parts where an extremely handsome and super famous artist falls madly in love with me 😂

Ari is an extremely hard working lawyer that believes that all the time, effort and energy she puts into work will pay off in the end. Her goal is to become partner at her law firm. At least that's what her dream was until an unexpected roommate shows up and ultimately turns her world upside down.

I love the fact that this story takes place in Toronto, Ontario and how Ari takes Jihoon on a mini tour.
I also learned about K-Pop, the hard work and dedication that it takes and the culture behind the scenes.

This is a wonderful story about finding your passion, standing up for yourself and being true to your heart.

This book is perfect for anyone that loves K-pop or anyone that loves a forced proximity, celebrity/non-celebrity secret romance. I don't know much about K-pop, but neither did Ari, so we learned together.

Ariadne Hui has her life mapped out. She is laser-focused on making partner at Toronto's top law firm and nothing else. But everything changes when she finds her best friend's very hot cousin, Choi Jihoon, from Korea, in her living room. Jihoon is there to mend from his breakup without disturbing Ari. But with looks like his and probably one of the sweetest men she's ever known, it's not hard to fall in love. But can the duo survive her family's expectations and his work obligations?

Ari was very easy to root for. The whole time, I was screaming: "follow your dreams." Even when she was acting maybe a little too stuck in her ways, I was still on her side. Jihnoo is such a sweet and thoughtful love interest. He was cooking dinner, buying her gifts, listening and indulging her dreams.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't put it down until the end.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Lily Chu for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The heroine comes home to find the hero residing inside it. The hero is cousin to the heroine's roommate and needs some time to recuperate from a broken heart. As the heroine and hero interact more with each other, they began to fall in love. Yet a jarring truth halts their relationship as it turns out that the hero is a famous person in South Korea. Will this truth be something that the heroine can overcome or will it be the obstacle that will keep the couple apart?

This is another standalone novel by Lily Chu. I liked the premise of this book, but there were definitely some parts that made the story a bit hard to enjoy reading. I liked how it showed a type of family dynamic that has its ups and downs, but it would have been nice to have a bit more details about it to give a better impression of how the heroine grew up and became the person that she is in this book. There were some facets of the hero that I liked, but the situation that he forced on the heroine was not likable in how he handled it. Again, some more details would have been appreciated in making the story flow smoothly. I did like the book cover, and it's a shame that I didn't enjoy this as much as the author's debut work.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

If you love k-pop and always imagined what a romance with one of the stars would look like, you have to read this book!

Ari is focused on making a career as a successful lawyer but that’s until she meets her roommate’s mysterious cousin. His name is Jihoon and he’s one the sweetest and most intriguing guys she ever met. As both of them explore Toronto together and get to know each other, they can’t help but fall in love. The catch, Jihoon is hiding a huge secret that can change Ari’s life drastically. Can they face the challenges this secret brings and make the relationship work?

I loved the chemistry between Ari and Jihoon. Ari went through great character growth learning to trust her instincts and living her life they way she dreamed and not to please her family. Jihoon May just be one of the sweetest, most caring MMCs I’ve read about. I was never into k-pop but let’s just say I will never look at Jimin in Dior the same again!

Very much enjoyed this book, despite knowing very little about k-pop! The characters were extremely likable, and had great development through the book. My only critique is that it was unrealistic for Ari to not immediately Google the man who was staying in her apartment!

4.25🌟 this romance was so lovely! i loved joining ari on her journey through learning how to connect with and communicate her emotions and finding who she is and what she wants for her life. jihoon was just the sweetest cinnamon roll man and i loved seeing a MMC who was so open with his emotions. it did feel a little long at certain points (i think the physical book is around 400 pages), but i definitely think it is worth a read! especially if you like kpop, celeb/non-celeb romance, and major character growth😌

*thank you sourcebooks casablanca & netgalley for the eARC!

3.5 stars
I wish I’d been able to listen Phillipa Soo narrate this book as I think it would have been an even better experience! I didn’t love the first part of the book where Jinhoon is lying about who he is and how she’s the problem when she doesn’t know how to deal with it all. And then he throws her under the bus again near the end. But I did like how Ari stuck up for herself and didn’t make her life and dreams secondary to Jinhoon’s. I have a soft-spot for rock/pop star romances so I might not have been as forgiving if the characters were in another world/genre.
*Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

There are two comeback stories in THE COMEBACK. One is for Ariadne Hui, a lawyer working around the clock to be a partner at her firm. It's something that her father always wanted. She wanted it too or at least she thought so. But when she finds a stranger in her apartment, her world turns upside down.

The stranger turns out to be Jihoon, Ariadne's roommate's cousin. He's going through a breakup and needed some space. Ariadne thinks Jihoon's getting over a romantic relationship, but as it turns out, he's a famous kpop star who needed a break from his upcoming comeback.

This was an escaping celebrity romance read and it will take you on a fun ride.

Ariadne is a committed, hard-working lawyer who begins to fall for her temporary roommate, before discovering that he has a secret which will disrupt her entire life. Ariadne's development in this book was brilliant, and I really felt that she grew. I wasn't a massive fan of Jihoon, and their romance didn't feel totally natural but it was still worth reading for Ariadne's character arc!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Comeback by Lily Chu is a delightful, engaging and comprehensive read. This is my second Lily Chu book. Her writing style is growing on me, and I especially enjoyed the balance between detail and punch. The cherry on top is the element of reliability. Ari Hui has nearly ticked off everything on her list; a successful lawyer eying the title of partner at her law firm, a dutiful daughter and acing mediocrity. Until a catalyst named Jihoon, a cousin of Hana, Ari's roommate, shows up unannounced, which causes friction to her head and heart. Coupled with this inner torment, her long-lost sister returns to Toronto, bringing up years of resentment and unresolved issues. The author has developed a comprehensive plot that spans choices, family relationships, work dynamics, and romance. I resonated with and resisted the lead characters across different chapters. Ari is special because I connected with all her fears and choices. Although the ending tugged at my heartstrings, it appeared too far-fetched. It felt rushed, in addition to the need to correct all the wrongs and challenges faced. However, the wisdom and character growth made this read enjoyable and comforting.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Netgalley for this e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Simply put the book did not hold my attention. DNF



************************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley*******************************************

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.