Ariadne Hui is the highest of high achievers - she is a lawyer at a very reputable firm and thrives on routine and the pride of her parents. She doesn't have time for anything unexpected. But naturally, that's exactly what she gets when her roommate's cousin, Jihoon unexpectedly shows up in their apartment from Seoul in order to repair a broken heart. It isn't long before both Jihoon and Ari are falling hard for each other. But Jihoon has a secret that threatens to ruin everything Ari has planned for - he's actually a very famous star of a K-pop group.

What this book has:
- Toronto and Seoul settings
- Cute relationship, closed door
- Complex family relationships
- Celebrity romance
- great side characters

What this book needed:
- to be like...100 pages shorter
- to have one less breakup
- communication
- maybe to be dual POV? I think I would have liked to see Jihoon's experience

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Lily Chu so much, I’m so looking forward to when I can have this book in my hand. Asian stories by Asian authors, hit so good!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an e-ARC of "The Comeback" by Lily Chu in exchange for an honest review. I personally enjoyed Chu's "The Stand In" and was interested in "The Comeback" for something similar. I love the questions that this book prompts. Our main character, Ari, is a corporate lawyer who fights tooth and nail for her success and to make partner at her law firm. As is typical for a character like Ari, her journey throughout "The Comeback" is about reevaluating her priorities and what she wants out of this life. It kind of reminded me of Netflix's "The Partner Track" in that way (even though "The Partner Track" is also a book itself but I have not read that), so if you're looking for something like that but more rom-com like to sink your teeth into, "The Comeback" might just be for you!

Overall, I had a good time reading this book. It was slow and frustrating at times, but I didn't go into this expecting anything life-changing and at least to me, it comes with the genre for the protagonist to be at least a little frustrating, especially in times when they're trying to figure out who to be after being one way for such a long time, which might be why I'm offering Ari some grace for her behavior. I liked it but I can see myself kind of forgetting about it, to be honest.

The Comeback
by Lily Chu
Pub Date: 09 May 2023
SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca
Women's Fiction

Synopsis:
Lawyer Ariadne Hui follows a strict routine. Her career is exhausting, and she must strive for excellence at all times if she wants to become a partner in one of Toronto's leading law firms.

After an exhausting day, Ariadne is shocked to find a strange handsome man asleep on her couch. Her roommate explains that this is Choi Jihoon, her cousin who just flew in from Seoul. After a broken heart, Choi needs a few weeks to rest. Ari won't even notice him during his brief visit, right?

My thoughts:
There's nothing better than reading an adorable romance like The Comeback. The story captivated me so much that I finished it in one night. Choi and Adi are my favorite characters, and the supporting cast stole my heart as well. This is an enjoyable, easy-to-read book with some serious themes. Be sure to read the trigger warnings before proceeding.

Rating: 4.25/5

Thank you NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Casablanca, for sharing this cozy romance with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

The Comeback by Lily Chu was sweet, strong, and an enjoyable read. Both of the characters of Ari and Jihoon are adept in their careers, but share the struggles of facing their interpersonal issues.
Through their blossoming relationship, they learn to grow and find the courage to navigate the issues haunting their lives and affecting their romance.
I thought that the best part of these characters was their abilities to solve their book-long issues separately as well as together. Communication or lack of it was also a strong feature, and it didn’t rely too heavily on the romance as the main focus of the plot.
My personal preference likes more “spice” in a romance novel, as most of this was fade to black, this romance was definitely more sweet.
Overall a great read, and I would recommend it going forward.

The Comeback is a simple and predictable love story that will appeal to those looking for an easy romance. The peek into the world of Korean pop idols was very enjoyable, as was the character Jihoon.

However, Ariadne, the female lead, did not work for me. She was absolutely unconvincing as a successful lawyer, and she was incredibly self absorbed. I wasn’t able to understand how Jihoon, the romantic male lead, found her appealing and desirable.

The Comeback didn’t wow me with an unexpectedly fresh plot or amazing character development, but it did keep me engaged and entertained on my commute to and from work.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley

Lawyer Ariadne comes home from yet another challenging day at work to find a handsome stranger on her couch. Once she determines that Jihoon is her roommate’s cousin and not a serial killer, she begins a friendship with him that quickly becomes more.

To be fair, I am absolutely the target demographic for a story with a k-pop idol love interest, but I don’t think you need any prior knowledge of the industry or music to enjoy this romance.

However, as a huge k-pop fan, I especially appreciated the conflicts that often surround idols being able to date publicly and the scandals that can result.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Comeback Is the second romance by Toronto-based romance author Lily Chu. While I enjoyed her first book, The Stand-In, I appreciated the complexity Chu brings to this novel.

Ariadne Hui is a Bay Street lawyer who has spent her life being singularly focused on making partner and getting the corner office. I have friends who did stints with big law firms, and a lot of Ariadne’s decisions and values rang true to me. Corporate law is a competitive world that rewards singular focus (a trajectory she’s inherited from her father), and values sameness within the organization.

Like most young professionals, Ariadne lives a roommate, Hannah, to be able to afford a place downtown. She’s also estranged from her older sister, Phoebe, who has not adhered to their parents’ career expectations. Ariadne’s relationships with both women are more robust than Gracie’s relationships in The Stand-In, which added to my reading experience.

Landing like a stealth bomber in the midst of Ariadne’s ambitions is Jihoon, a songwriter from Seoul who is nursing a broken heart. When his cousin Hannah is away on business, he arrives unannounced in the middle of the night to stay in his her room. In the process, he gives Ariadne the fright of a lifetime.

Their slow-burn romance in Toronto occupies the first half of the novel, and was the piece I enjoyed the most. Chu is a master of weaving local landmarks into her stories, and this book is no exception.

The second act concerns the revelations around Jihoon’s identity as a K-Pop idol and the impact of his fame on their relationship. Chu does a good job of foreshadowing the big reveal and also in building Ariadne as a person who is convincingly oblivious to his true identity or the impact of the K-Pop industry on South Korea’s culture economy.

Some of the conflict in the back half of the novel is a touch repetitive, but Chu keeps her focus on the sweetness of the romance between the lovers. Their third-act separation and reunion have believable stakes and a satisfying payoff.

I particularly enjoyed the novel’s secondary plot line, which forces Ariadne to examine her values around work-life balance after meeting Jihoon. We get to see her forge relationships that are better suited to her long-term goals and passions. I like romances where you get a sense of how fully transformational a new partner can be in your life, and this novel checks that box.

I loved Lily Chu’s “The Stand-In”, and I think I enjoyed “The Comeback” just as much. K-Pop is SUPER in right now, and I loved learning more about the culture from this book, as I’m not really a K-Pop fan, so I appreciated the insider’s guide! This was a sweet romance about two people who are workaholics but are not really doing the work THEY wish to be doing. Ari and Jihoon’s lives go through so many ups and downs throughout the course of the book, but they eventually figure out what it is they want out of life, and how they can be together.

I loved Ari and Jihoon, and I think that’s because on paper they don’t look like they should work. He appears to be her exact opposite, but they share dreams and secrets with each other, and the development of this little love story was just the sweetest. While there were A LOT of break ups/makeups/miscommunications on the way to HEA, I’m glad they were able to get there.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca. All opinions are my own.

I came to this book already with high expectations because The Stand-In worked so well for me and I ended loving this one even more.

This a celebrity romance with a Korean pop idol and I need to say it from the start that I know nothing about K-pop other than it being huge in Korea (and all over the world?) but I don't know the groups or anything more about that cultural phenomenon. And it is this lack of knowledge that I went into the story and had so much fun with it.

I loved both MCs. I especially appreciate the way Ari was allowed to be messy, confused, making mistakes and ultimately given time and space throughout the story to find herself and her place in the world. Jihoon was there for her from the start, listening to her, seeing her for who she is and at the same time not pushing her. There attraction was immediate but their love grew slowly over time, together with their growth and change as people. Each of them faces their own challenges and had issues (family, job, idol status) to deal with.

There is of course the fairytale element of a superstar falling for an ordinary person but it didn't bother me, on the contrary, it felt natural for the MCs and I was convinced their relationship was real and would work out for them in the long term.

I really, really like how clear the distinction was between Jihoon the real person and Min, his stage/public life persona. This was very well developed in the story and the difficulties it posed for the Jihoon and Ari made total sense to me.

I found the story very readable and engaging, the celebrity aspect was done carefully and it did not overshadow Ari's issues.

My minor complaint is that the conflicts towards the end felt repetitive and could have been is a smoother way but that did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the book.

In short, I loved this book and I am already looking forward to what the author will publish next.
A heartfelt thank you to my friends, they know who they are, who put Lily Chu on my radar. Her books have brought me so much joy!

CW: family pressure, aggressive fans, online bullying/stalking, racism (challenged)

We follow Ariadne, a career-driven lawyer, who meets Jihoon when he randomly shows up at her apartment. It turns out, he is her roommate’s cousin and he just wants to crash in Canada for a while, leading to them growing closer. What he doesn’t reveal is that he is part of one of the biggest K-Pop groups, stardom he can’t hide with hair dye and face masks.

I’m not into K-Pop but I liked how the book introduced the differences between dating a western celebrity and a K-Pop Idol, i.e. how the relationships between them and their fans differentiate.

I really liked the build up of their romance and how some of the smaller moments payed of big time by the end of the book. It was a little frustrating, how many people expected Ariadne to just accept some of the situations that arose from his stardom because ‘that is just how things are’ even though she was (rightfully) frustrated as she was neither used to his culture nor the treatment of K-Idols. The willingness of both, Jihoon and Ari, made up for this and I liked the genuine feel of the conflicts.

What I would’ve loved to see would’ve been Ariadne wrapping up her employment with her dumb law firm slightly more actively. After a plot line of her struggling to prove herself to her bosses, office bullying, and insinuations that she was nothing but a diversity hire, having that plot line wrapped up nearly off-page was a slightly disappointing.

Workoholic Canadian-Chinese lawyer meets a handsome but shy Korean boy sleeping on her couch. The story starts off super cute — when Ariadne is forced to host her roommate’s (Anna) cousin who came from Korean amidst a breakup. They tiptoe around each other, learning to navigate each other’s habits and traits, all while texting and not really talking until one day they actually sit down and have a conversation where they instantly click.

Overall, cute but cliche story about a workaholic girl finally figuring out there’s more to life than work and falling for someone she shouldn’t have. Definitely could have been shorter.

Spoiler:
They start to fall for each other until dun dun dun Jihoon is harbouring a big secret about who he really is — only cause Ariadne lives under a rock and only cares about work.

I’ve read a few kpop based stories and I’m glad the characters here are in their late 20s, thus both having experience with dating and their careers already. The book takes a turn where they end up in Korea and Ariadne feels the full force of idol culture and what it really means to be a Korean pop star. I really liked this part because it showed the toxic side of kpop and it’s can quite well. Including the fact that idols have no privacy, are in contracts to do whatever their company tells them too, and the sacrifices they have to make for the group over their individual needs and wants.

I felt that Ariadne was quite selfish and only thinks about herself even though she puts a lot of emphasis on following the footsteps of her father and making her parents proud (because her older sister left). Her only focus in to make partner, and she keeps talking about how it’s her dads dream and she doesn’t want to let him down — typical Asian parents wanting their kids to succeed in a prestigious job BUT she doesn’t dive into the big picture of why her parents want that for her. It seems really surface level with her like oh my dads a lawyer so I have to be a lawyer but WHY? It doesn’t click for her that her parents want her to follow this path because they couldn’t.

There was a massive miscommunication trope at the end where Ariadne just left the country and blocked and deleted Jihoon instead of talking to him or seeing things from his of the story. Which made the book unnecessary long and couldn’t have been shortened by at least 100 pages.

Jihoon was a great character!! I wished there was a book from his perspective tbh!

This one’s a solid 5⭐️ read for me! After thoroughly enjoying The Stand-in and absolutely loving The Comeback, it’s safe to say that I’m a Lily fan! Ari and Jihoon were absolutely adorable and I loved their journey through he book. It’s funny, romantic, sweet and enduring. The slow-burn was not too angsty and the opposites attract trope was very well done. I loved how the author very seamlessly added a sly mention of the characters from her previous book and I can’t wait for Lily’s next release

Could it have had a better ending? Yes, probably. But did I still love the book? Absolutely!
I most definitely would recommend it to everyone 💕

This book was a lot longer than I expected! There were a couple of times when I thought the story was coming to an end, but then something else big would happen, and the story would continue.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book (and I loved the subtle nod to The Stand-in!). The reason I dropped my rating to 4 was that Ari sometimes seemed a little one dimensional. I understand that she was dedicated to her father's dream of her being a lawyer, but there was just nothing else to her until much, much later in the book. Also, I felt that the relationship between her and Jihoon was a little forced at some points.

Despite this, it was still a really interesting read. Ari really grew as a character, especially near the end of the book. Jihoon, while flawed (who isn't), was a great male lead!

I need a spin-off about Alex. He was a great character!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I havent read anything from this author before, so I went into this book blind to the authors style of writing and everything. All of this to say I enjoyed almost every moment of this book. It was cute and new! something I haven't read before and I loved it for that! I loved how unique it is with its characters and the plot too!

The book definitely focuses on the characters flaws and I loved it for that reason!! I just wish we got more cute moments with the characters.

This book is about discovering yourself and realizing you can't live up to others' expectations... not family, not work, not the media....coming back to you. I enjoyed the unfolding love story, the emotional conflict, and the glimpse into the megastar lifestyle. Lily Chu, you did that!

The Comeback by Lily Chu is such a quick-witted, immediately intriguing book. I was instantly gripped by the dynamic between the two main characters, and I only loved them more as I read on. I was a little scared the quick advance of their relationship would impact on their chemistry, but I was reassured when their attitudes towards each other turned out to be written so seamlessly. Ari is an incredibly relatable character, I felt every emotion with her; I felt the same rage, the same love and the same sadness whenever she did. Overall, this was a really fun read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!

I was excited to receive a copy of The Comeback by Lily Chu after reading the author’s prior book (The Stand-In) and really enjoying it. I saved it for when I was in the mood for an easy, clean, rom-com knowing that’s what her last book felt like. It hit the spot and was a fun and playful read that wove cultural identity in with the romantic plotline, much like her prior book. I need a little character depth with my romance, and this got just below the surface without going too deep that it gets heavy.

I had a few frustrations with the miscommunication and lack of empathy for others that Ariadne displayed, but overall this was an enjoyable read. It’s great for anyone who enjoys a slightly improbable romantic comedy plotline that they can lose themselves in, with squeaky clean scenes that stay in the PG zone.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book to read and review, I appreciate you!

Content warnings: Racial Discrimination, Microaggressions

Yet another great read by Lily Chu. Like the others, this will be an easy title to sell to customers. As good, if not better than her others.

• Music Celeb Romance
• K-Pop Romance
• Forced Proximity
• Temporary Roommate

This was my second Lily Chu read and once again I found her books to have a great balance of charm, romance, and some important heavier topics woven in to fit within a romcom-esque read. I really like the characters Chu writes (I don’t always agree with them and their choices, but this is true in books and in life), but I still can understand where they are coming from and why they say / act / do certain things and I am rooting for them. I love that her characters feel authentic and multi-faceted, I also enjoy that her mains in this book were just themselves unapologetically. I also loved the bits of Korean woven into the story – visiting Seoul, the food descriptions, some Korean words and phrases and more about the K-Pop world as well. Overall, a fun, enjoyable and fairly light read with a couple I was rooting for.