I requested this book as the cover looked super cute and the description sounded like something I would love. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me.

I didn't enjoy the writing style from the start and it felt like it should be marketed towards a teen audience instead. The main characters weren't likeable, their thoughts and thinking just didn't match up to the age they were supposed to be.

Ariadne thrives on routine. She literally plans everything and that makes her happy. She’s bound and determined to make partner at her Toronto law firm before too long so she must stay focused. But all her planning and routine is thrown out the window when she comes home one day to a very attractive man in her living room. Turns out her roommates cousin needed a place to stay a while and she forgot to tell Ariadne. Ariadne soon finds herself head over heels for Jihoon but then she discovers he’s not who he claimed to be and everything she thought she knew is in question. Will she fight for her love? Or cut her losses and go back to focusing on her career?

This book was fun because it was an audible original that was later put into print format. I was very lucky to grab an e-arc and primarily read it. I really enjoyed the big reveal with Jihoon – it was fun and not something I’d personally read before. Then the story really picked up for me, but lagged in the middle, then I feel that it wrapped up too quickly. So basically, the pacing was just a little off for me, but not so much that I didn’t enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, @sourcebookscasa, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read the book - the cover, the title really captivated me. I began reading this book and quickly began to to get invested in the story. The further I got in the story I felt as though the plot was not progressing as quickly as I was anticipating. Ari had some character development, however at times I found myself getting frustrated with the decisions that the character was making. Overall, this book was just okay for me.

Absolutely adored this book!
In the beginning of this amazing read I wasn't quite sure what I might be getting myself into as it was about this young, impressionable, and eccentric young lady who had a career on the line as well as a new companion that just so happened to be in close range to her.
Ok, he was on her couch upon entering but still he's a really HUGE, extra BIGGLY, and extremely popular young man in his own right.
Who knew he was also the roommates cousin which adds this extra flavor especially when things get involved and start to become heated.
I thought perhaps this might become mundane and not my arena as I'm not huge on chick lit/romance but I'll tell you this book hit the notes and sung opera to the top.
It's quite a breath of fresh air in the springtime to read something that really showcases self discovery in an era when women are often sadly portrayed as eye candy and unable to have it all.
Why not have the cake and eat it too?
Great, wonderful, exhilirating, and captivating to the core.
Highly recommend and must note a special thank you to Netgalley, Lilly Chu, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC copy!

“The comeback “ is a charming and lighthearted romance novel that combines serious topics with humor to create a delightful read. The budding romance between Ari and Jihoon is a slow burn that may feel a bit drawn out at times, but it is still enjoyable. The strong characterization of the main characters, Ari and Jihoon, is one of the book's strongest points. As the plot progresses, the reader witnesses the personal growth of Ari, who is relatable despite her flaws and she has many of them to be honest.
The pacing of the book may not be to everyone's liking, as the romance takes its time to develop. However, the slow burn adds to the tension and anticipation between the two main characters. The humor in the story balances the serious topics, making it easy to read and highly enjoyable.

Overall,” The comeback " is a heartwarming and engaging read that is perfect for fans of romance novels. Despite some minor flaws, the characters are endearing, the plot is well-crafted, and the balance between humor and serious issues is spot on.

As someone who loves romance novels, I found Lily Chu's The Comeback to be an engaging and enjoyable read. The book follows the story of Ariadne, a focused lawyer working hard to climb the corporate ladder at a prestigious law firm in Toronto. However, her routine is thrown off course when she comes home to find an attractive stranger named Choi Jihoon in her living room.

Jihoon, Ariadne's roommate's cousin, came to Toronto to heal from a broken heart. As they spend more time together, Ari and Jihoon's relationship evolves, forcing Ari to reassess her priorities and grow in ways she never thought possible.

I loved the book's mix of tropey fun and grounded emotions. Lily Chu does an amazing job of creating personal growth arcs within the context of compelling romantic relationships. Ari is a character with a clear goal who makes her whole life about work and climbing the corporate ladder. While she starts off very set in her ways and closed off to new experiences, her eventual growth in emotional intelligence and in balancing her career aspirations and personal life made her even more compelling. However, be prepared to be in it for the long haul, as this growth does not happen overnight.

I particularly enjoyed Jihoon's character, who may be my favourite leading man so far. He is emotionally intelligent, as well as patient and understanding. He is confident enough to admit he enjoys fashion and wearing makeup, while also having doubts and fears that remind you he's also human. He deviates widely from the norm of male love interests, and I love it. His chaotic personality made for some hilarious interactions, as straight-laced Ari tried to adjust to living with someone so unpredictable.

The side characters were great too; however, I would have loved more of them. They fleshed out Ari's world and revealed different sides to her. I would've liked to see more of some characters, such as Ari's mother and Jihoon's friends, as this aspect was underdeveloped.

Although I found the plot to be somewhat improbable and occasionally frustrating and repetitive, it was still enjoyable to read. I did find it maddening that Ari did not realize Jihoon's secret until it was thrust upon her. It didn't fit with the intelligent Ariadne I had come to know. However, the chemistry between the two characters was undeniable, and I appreciated Chu's nuanced approach to their characterization. Chu masterfully placed Ari and Jihoon in situations that occurred naturally and led to them sharing a lot with each other, creating a believable bond between them.

Overall, I would highly recommend The Comeback to anyone looking for a fun and engaging romance novel with well-written characters and a compelling story.

Thank you to Lily Chu, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, and NetGalley for the ARC.

K-Pop fanfic at its finest. Totally predictable romcom and it was a fun and light listen.
Ariadne Hui is set on making her parents proud. That is her mission in life. Her sister, Phoebe, is a free spirit, and Ari is jealous that the same pressures haven’t been applied to her as to Ari. Ari’s life is her career as a lawyer and working to make parter, and there’s nothing outside of it.
Her roommate/best friend has to go out of town for work so she invites her cousin, Jihoon, who’s coming off a bad breakup, to come from Korea to stay with Ariadne so he can work through some personal issues and clear his head. Little does Ari know, Jihoon is actually part of a world famous K-Pop group and he is worn out and wanting to quit so he’s hiding out while he figures out what to do.
While they spend time together and get to know each other, they develop genuine feelings for each other but once Ari finds out the truth. She’s upset that he lied about who he really is. Can she get past this and experience life outside of the office?
As a side note, I liked seeing them experience Toronto because that’s my hometown :)
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This was an okay read that's different from what I normally read. The fmc is a hardworking lawyer who is unsatisfied with her job, while mc is a K-pop star navigating taking a break from his career and bandmates. I wasn't expecting a book with K-pop themes, but I liked it.

The main characters were sometimes frustrating, especially when it came to communication and their relationship. But I did like the diversity and that the main characters were figuring out themselves, their careers, and family expectations. The romance was just there. They had cute moments though I wasn't as invested in them. My biggest issue was probably the length, but overall it was an okay read.

Thank you, Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this arc

3 Stars The Comeback by Lily Chu was a sweet rom com with some lovely main characters. Ariadne "Ari" Hui is a workaholic trying to climb the corporate latter by making partner at her law firm, which was her father's dream for her. She comes home late one night to find a strange man sleeping on her couch and she (reasonably) pulls a knife on him in an effort to protect herself. Luckily, there's a simple explanation. He is Jihoon, her roommate's cousin, and he's staying with them for a bit to hide from a "bad breakup." What Ari doesn't realize is that he's a huge Kpop star and he's hiding out from his band. Jihoon and Ari become friends then lovers, until she's shaken by her face being plastered on magazines as the "mystery woman" on Jihoon's arm.

I think my favorite thing about this book was how the main characters were emotionally intelligent. Such a great thing to read! They were very in touch with their feelings and not afraid to dig deep with others to understand them better. The typical obstacle in this trope is the "can we make this relationship work as a famous person and normal person," was a bit tiring since, as usual, they went back and forth on if they could do it. This is just annoying and feels like it's the only type of conflict this trope can elicit, but really it just draws the book out longer.

I enjoyed The Stand-In, but I enjoyed this one even more. I especially LOVED the first half, before Ari figures out who Jihoon really is, because it was so SOFT, and I loved them together. It did feel a little like reading two different books, because quite a bit of angst gets introduced when Ari does figure out Jihoon is a K-pop idol. While I did really enjoy this book as a whole, I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, so this wasn't quite 5 stars for me, but I did really like both characters.

Das Cover gefällt mir wirklich gut, aber leider ist die Story wohl doch etwas eher an jüngere Leser gerichtet, was mich deshalb nicht so angesprochen hat. Die Protagonistin war wirklich anstrengend. Trotzdem war es kein schlechtes Buch. Es hat mir nur persönlich einfach nicht so zugesagt.

This is an enjoyable, easy-to-read book with some serious themes. Be sure to read the trigger warnings before proceeding. This was a first time read for me by Lily Chu and I was so thankful I was able to read this. I have The Stand In on my audible to listen to next. I would definitely recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

This was soooo good!! I both listened to it and read the ebook. I'd actually recommend the Audible version. The narrator is fantastic. I did not want to stop listening. The main characters and storyline were wonderful. The romance was adorable. It definitely makes me want to travel to Seoul! I'd recommend this one.

Lily Chu has done it again. The Comeback is a wonderful story of love, family, and prioritizing the most important things in one's life. I adored The Stand-In when I read it a year ago, and so many scenes in the book that highlighted its themes--especially about being an Asian woman in your 20's juggling work and family and your mental health--stuck with me throughout this past year. There are similar themes in The Comeback, which only tells me that I will hyper-fixate on this book as well until Lily Chu's next novel. While this book is more romance focused, I still loved following Ariadne as a character (if you loved Arden Cho in Partner Track on Netflix, you will love her too!). Her determination to make partner at her law firm as the only Asian woman among her colleagues while also navigating her relationship with her estranged sister and her father, who was strict expectations of what Ariadne's future should look like, was really interesting arc. As an Asian woman also navigating the corporate world while dealing with only the things that come from having Asian parents, Ariadne's journey felt deeply relatable. Additionally, both The Stand-In and The Comeback have had a heavy emphasis on sisterhood, and I really love the beautiful and realistic sister relationship Lily Chu included with Phoebe and Ari's relationship in this novel.

As for the romance, while I'm usually wary of regular person x celebrity love interest books, I went into this book knowing that Lily writes very grounded relationships with this dynamic, as The Stand-In features a similar version of this trope. Jihoon was a very sweet and endearing love interest, even as a sensational K-pop star, and my heart melted so many times at how blatantly obsessed he was with Ari. Their relationship is drawn out for all of the ups and downs in the entire novel (the book is on the longer side ~400 pages), so I really felt like they were well developed as a pair. I also really loved Ari and Hana's relationship as well, and how Hana stuck with Ari no matter what she was going through with Jihoon.

Speaking of Hana, I really hope we get to see her story told next 👀. There was so much backstory happening on her end throughout the novel, and it seems like there's a lot of great material for a book following her. Regardless, I can't wait to read Lily Chu's next novel! Definitely pick The Comeback up if you're a K-pop fan or if you loved The Stand-In. I'd rate this 4.5 stars rounded up!

I loved The Stand-In so immediately put The Comeback on my tbr. I loved the premise of Ari falling for the Jihoon; the man she thought was just her roommate Hana's cousin, but also secretly is part of Korea's biggest K-Pop band ever. What took away from it overall for me was the length — it just felt too long! I enjoy Lily Chu's characters and overall writing style and stories, so I will still be adding her next book to my list.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for letting me read this in exchange for review.

I’m beginning to think that this author just isn’t for me, after reading her first book and it was semi okay. I wanted to give the comeback a chance. However the writing style borders on YA and frankly I didn’t care for the characters. which is sad because the cover is so stunning.

Ari has a singular focus. She is on the Partner Track at her law firm, and nothing will get in her way. When her roommate's cousin, Jihoon, visits to get over a breakup, Ari starts to wonder if there is more to life than constantly working, especially when it becomes clear that her firm doesn't value her as they should. It is clear that she is unappreciated at the firm. Ari plans her friends' vacations but works too much to take one of her own. She is suffering from burnout but won't admit it.

I initially picked this up because Ari, the main female character, works in law. I work in the legal field, so this always draws me in. However, I felt like that was the weakest part of the book. I always wanted to put the book down when her work was the focus, despite it being 100% relatable to almost all readers.

I didn't like Ari as a main character unless she was with Jihoon. She comes off as very immature and bratty throughout most of the book. However, I loved Jihoon, and I liked them as a couple, and it kept me reading. Overall, they had great conversations, and I smiled at their banter. Then came the 3rd act.

There are two breakups, and while they both fit the plot and the character arcs, I wish there had only been one. Without getting into spoilers, portions of this book are far-fetched, and you will have to suspend some disbelief.

If you are here for the spice, please note this is fade-to-black.

Overall this was cute, and I will read Lily Chu's other works because I enjoyed the writing style.

Two hearts find their place in the world while figuring out what they mean to each other.

Closed door, single perspective with minimal spice.

I absolutely loved the stand in but this one left me feeling disappointed. It took me so long to get into it and I never really felt connected to the characters. The plot was more on the slow and boring side as well. I think a lot of people will love this but I had it too hyped up after her debut

I thought I would try this book after reading another from this author. There were some good moments between the characters. Ariadne and Jihoon form a bond over being being short-term roommates. They slowly become friends and move from there to more. I thought it was a nicely done slow-burn, but all of the obstacles felt like too much.

A lot of the obstacles don’t come into play until the last half, or even the last 50 pages or so of the book. I understand that a lot of it has to do with Jihoon’s line of work, but it was just too much for my taste. I also think that Ariadne let’s everyone’s ideas of who she is portray her life way more than need be, and I do get that this was what she was working on. Jihoon gave her a lot of great advice. The problem is that she lets the one good thing about her life get pushed away without even giving it a go and then gets mad when the same is done to her without Jihoon even really knowing what is going on. She always jumps to a conclusion. She also doesn’t learn to let go of expectations until the very end. It’s the same for the relationship as well.

Overall, this was okay. The book could have been a bit shorter and had more time to wrap-up along with other things. The book just wasn’t for me and that is okay! On with the next one.