ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Susan Lee's Seoulmates was one of my favourite books of 2022 so when I heard of her second novel coming out, I eagerly pressed the request button on NetGalley praying I'd get an approval.

When I started The Name Drop, I was grinning, feeling the happy, feel-good warmth that I felt in Seoulmates. I enjoyed the dual perspectives from Eli and Jessica's POVs and I was curious how the identity swap mishap would occur. The entire concept was so much fun and I was enjoying myself throughly, watching the story unfold.

The issue that I had with this story was the multiple loopholes there were. When I read the blurb I was wondering how a CEO's son would get confused with someone else. Wouldn't the staff have already known and been familiar with the company's heir? Wouldn't staff have known the girl who shares his Korean name is the wrong Lee Youjin?

I thought these questions would've been answered but it felt like all these questions were brushed off for the ease of the story which admittedly did annoy me. I think that if these loopholes were patched up, I would've enjoyed this book a whole lot more. That being said, I still had fun and would be interested in reading this author's future books.

This was so fun and exciting! The concept was so interesting and once I got started I couldnt put it down. It truly did read like a k-drama. I loved seeing these characters work through their mistakes and really enjoyed how the story played out

Susan Lee give mee more such a good book! I love a good k drama and this is essentially the book version and I prefer books to video media cause we don't get awful clothing choices like some of the outfits in boys over flowers for example. Plus a simple mistake ripples out and not only benefits both but they fall in love!!

A delightful romance that pulls you in from the first page! The characters are relatable, and their relationship feels authentic. The story balances humor and emotion beautifully, making you root for them every step of the way. A great pick for anyone who enjoys a heartwarming love story!

I enjoyed this one so much! Definitely k drama vibes which I am loving right now! Fun characters and story!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for early access to this delightful book! I love good hijinks in a story and a name-swap unforeseen situation is exactly what I never knew I needed.

Susan Lee’s "The Name Drop" is an entertaining, fast-paced read that dives into the world of celebrity and social status. The witty dialogue and engaging plot keep the pages turning, though some character development feels rushed. Overall, it’s a fun, lighthearted novel with sharp observations on fame and identity.

I feel like if you like K dramas this will definitely before you. I love me a good rom com, k drama, and more. Was definitely worth the wait to read and definitely commend it

Susan’s done it again. If it weren’t for stupid work(just kidding, ily bookstore) I would have finished this novel in one sitting! Such a cute romance set in NYC that gives a ‘Prince and the Pauper’, or for a more modern reference ‘Princess Switch’, sort of a vibe. But instead of looking alike, our MCs share the same Korean name, and so begins our adventure. I loved every single woman in this story, and I’m so glad that I got to read right at the start of Women’s Month, too! Jessica is such a strong-willed young woman who works and loves hard. Hee-Jin is that badass working bitch you see in K-Dramas that takes no shit, all while running shit despite that creeping misogyny in every corner. Ella is such a fun and quirky best friend that supports and loves unconditionally(unless it’s early A.M, which relatable). Elijah’s mom deserves an honorable mention as well. I could ramble about how great Elijah’s character arc is, or how swoony he is, or HOT he is, but why don’t you just read for yourself.

Elijah and Jessica could have been each very one-dimensional and annoying, but they were not. Even though there was a lot at stake for each of them, they both pushed out of comfort zones and past stereotypes into a sweet summer romance.

"Susan Lee always writes the exact book I want to read!" —Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

New from the author of Seoulmates comes a story of mistaken identities, the summer of a lifetime, and a love to risk everything for.

When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.

When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.

It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the mistake: they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.

As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the


OMG LOVED THIS BOOK

Overall, I liked the concept of this story a lot. It felt a little too rushed in the end for me, so I was hoping for more. I can tell that this book was very much character-driven instead of story-driven. That means any of the interactions with those in the work setting are just sort of tertiary to the main relationship. I thought the book was fine, I was just hoping for better. I still enjoyed it, on the surface! Thank you!

susan lee is amazing storyteller and this was not the exception because this book was amazing and I just love it so much these charters where amazing and so cute god I need to hug them

I loved every second of this book with the New York vibes and the way you feel I really love the characters and the way they connected with each other even though they were definitely different from each other five out of five recommend

Thank you to #NetGalley the ability to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This novel was a bit slow moving as you are following Jessica and Elijah through their last summer before college. Two unlikely allies from very different backgrounds of the same Korean culture while in America. Jessica, a hard working young scholar with a frugal upbringing and a passion for more spark and success in her life than she sees her family being limited by gets the chance of a lifetime to "play" as someone else. While Elijah gets a chance out of the spotlight as the son of the CEO and from being chaebol. The shrug or responsibility only makes Elijah more responsible and he learns more about himself, his family, and the world around him than he otherwise ever would have. While Jessica gets a taste of success and how the other side lives. An amazing storyline that sometimes seemed a bit cliché and slow moving. Ultimately a great read for the right reader.

I really enjoyed the authors debut book, and I was really excited for this one. It sounded so good, and exactly like something I would like. Unfortunately it didnt live up to my expectations. I never really connected to the characters and found everything to be pretty surface - lacking depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review (with apologies for reviewing significantly after publication).

I have been reading many books with Asian main characters lately, so I was delighted to find this one in my rather large to-read pile.

Jessica and Elijah come from very different places and circumstances, but they are scheduled to intern at the same company over the summer. Their differences mean that their internships are also supposed to be different, but there's a small glitch that changes their paths from day one--their Korean names are the same. And thus, the girl hoping to earn references for a scholarship winds up on the executive track, while the son of the CEO, who hopes to spend the summer finding himself, winds up crammed into a tiny apartment with the rest of the regular interns.

There are plenty of near misses, both expected and unexpected, as the two realize what has happened and decide to let it play out. A story of learning how the other half lives and self-discovery, with a bit of romance thrown in, as well as family expectations. I loved the main characters, so I loved their story, despite some mixed feelings about how everything turns out.

I had the pleasure of receiving and being accepted for an eARC of this book through NetGalley and Inkyard Press. The reason for my request was the modern retelling of The Prince and the Pauper story, coupled with the author's prior work, which I was already familiar with, having read Seoulmates.

Jessica is a top student who will be attending junior college to save money, and heads to New York for a summer intern position with a Korean tech company called Haneul Corporation. Elijah is the privileged son of Haneul’s Seoul-based CEO and will spend his summer at the same company as an executive trainee. But because Jessica and Elijah share the same Korean name (Yoo-Jin Lee), they are accidentally assigned each other’s seats on the Los Angeles to New York City flight. When they land, the confusion continues as they’re brought to the other one’s work and housing accommodations. They decide to keep their confusion a secret and try to avoid falling in love with each other.

What made this retelling unique was that the main characters were of different genders, a departure from most adaptations of The Prince and the Pauper. This kept me engaged and interested in the story. I also appreciated the well-rounded supporting characters, such as Elijah's sister and the other interns he shared his housing with.

I cannot think of any shortcomings in this book. However, I do believe that the story would not have been as impactful if Jessica had been the CEO's daughter instead of Elijah.

If you are a fan of The Prince and the Pauper, enjoy reading contemporary romance stories, or have an interest in New York City or the author's prior work in Seoulmates, then this book is worth checking out!

This wasn't a bad read by any means but I got bored easily after a few chapters. The premise was actually intriguing and very k-drama-ish. The characters were well developed and interesting too, but the romance wasn't convincing enough and I didn't get what they saw in each other. I loved how the book explored the themes of misogyny in the corporate world and many other aspects. But what irritated me the most was the drama and third act breakup at the end. It was unnecessary and could have been avoided completely. The ending also felt rushed and unsatisfactory.

the plot of this is so so good and a unique idea! i just didn't feel that connected to the main characters or think that they had much chemistry together so I found it hard to root for them.