Susan Lee writing such fun romances that heal my inner child! I loved this! This had the perfect about of drama and love with a great plot! This book was great!

I liked this. I thought it was a cute rom-com, and I enjoyed the main characters a good amount. I thought that the mistaken-identity-switching-roles aspect of the plot was really fun, but toward the middle I started to feel a bit....lost? Like, obviously this plan can't...work, right? I thought we were all on the same page about that, hah. Jessica definitely should have understood that. Overall, the characters were fun, and the story was pretty fast-paced. The romance was cute, but I wish we got more of the supporting characters, too.

Content Warning: strict father

I love the cover of this book and that’s what attracted me to request it. I also thought the synopsis would make for a fun romance.

I thought the story started off so well. The mistaken identity trope and switching roles was a really fun aspect of the story. The romance was also a very sweet slow burn, actually, I don’t even know if I can say it burns. It’s very tame but still a relationship that grows into something slowly and I thought it was cute.

The middle of the story started to lose me a bit. I know a lot was riding on Jessica’s success in the internship program but even she should have known the plan was going to have a messy downfall. I found Jessica naive at times but I did like how she was trying to make something of her internship. Elijah was just okay as a character. I mean of course he is gorgeous and rich, but personality wise, there wasn’t anything about his personality that stood out. He’s a nice guy and she’s a nice girl and they fall for each other, but things don’t work out easily when the truth comes out.

I did like the different relationships we saw with Jessica and her dad and Elijah and his father. One is trying to provide for the family and his bond with his daughter is strong. Whereas Elijah’s father is strict and has high demands and puts lots of pressure on Elijah.

I’d like to say the secondary characters are interesting, but I didn’t feel like we get to know them.

Tropes: switching places, mistaken identity, forced proximity

Why you should read it:
*a light-hearted, easy, sweet romance
*some fun tropes like mistaken identity and forced proximity

Why you might not want to read it:
*for me it was just okay, nothing wowed me about the story

My Thoughts:

If you like k-dramas with that sweet romance between the two leads, you will enjoy this book. For me, it was just an okay read but I thought it had a lot of potential.

From the moment Jessica arrived at the airport, for her internship in New York, she'd been pampered with an upgrade to first class and a cushy ride to her summer accommodations.

It wasn't until she'd arrived at the brownstone that she realized something was wrong. What are the odds of her having the same name as the CEO's son?

Though the plot is a bit Freaky Friday, I really loved the story, and I can't wait to read more by Susan Lee!

While a cute rom-com that will likely appeal to teens, this novel didn’t live up to Lee’s previous work (Seoulmates). Overall the plot felt thin and disjointed, with strange gaps in time and important scenes happening off screen. The premise was engaging and the characters had the makings of something strong, but overall this felt like a second draft not a sophomore novel.

An absolutely amazing rom-com. A lot of heart and humor went into this lovely story. I enjoyed reading this title. Would recommend for my library.

The Name Drop was a cute easy read. Premise of accidentally swapping places because of sharing the same name was clever and interesting. Though other parts of the story weren’t very believable.

I loved Jessica and her over sharing problem when she was nervous. Elijah didn’t do anything for me. Honestly, he fell really flat. I believe this is because there was a lot of telling in the boom vs showing. I was told he was hard worker, that he was dedicated. He told us ALOT about how cute Jessica was or how much he wanted to be with her. There was a lot of the book like this.

And the ending kinda of just wrapped up without a climax. But in a cute, easy read, maybe that’s the point.

2.5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I really loved the concept and the character work in this book, but the writing just never really hooked me on anything. I felt like there was a lot of telling rather than showing. I thought this was a cute read, but I don’t think I would purchase it for my personally collection.

This book felt very clumsy to me. The writing was a little awkward and the characters felt very flat. Very disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Yet another success by Susan Lee!! This book is AMAZING, it feels like you’ve been transported into the lives of Elijah and Jessica from page one. The writing style is similar to “Tokyo Ever After” by Emiko Jean and “I Guess I Live Here Now” by Claire Ahn, but in a story that is completely its own. It is fast-paced and yet a slow, sweet romance that I just couldn’t put down.

Definitely a book you’ll want to read again and again!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

I personally have been smitten with Susan Lee since her debut novel, Seoulmates. As a kpop stan and someone who tends to enjoy a well written K Drama every now and then, I gobbled this up. I would also like to say, I am also not someone who enjoys let alone loves YA. Nothing against it, I just prefer higher stakes in my reads.

But

I LOVED JESSICA AND ELIJAH! I felt like they were perfectly developed and thats something that isnt always a thing in books. Im happy to say this delivered in both plot and character. Easy 5 stars

This was so cute! I would readily read a sequel. I did not think we needed the POV switching though. That became annoying very quickly. I hope we get a Netflix show.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Susan Lee is my new instant buy YA romance author! I've been in such a K-drama mood recently so this hit all the right spots. I always love seeing Asian leads in books because I relate to them. I love the inclusion of family in Lee's books because parents are so often written away in YA. This was a great easy quick read. I loved reading about Jessica and Elijah and their little mix up. Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Name Drop was such a fun read! I enjoyed Jessica as a character so much, she was determined and dedicated and overall very easy to relate to. Elijah was just great too! I loved that he wanted to spend a summer living a different life when the one he’s always had made life so easy. It made him feel interesting and down to earth in a way. The whole premise of the book is so entertaining and I loved watching the characters slowly fall for each other!

I loved this book for so many reasons. Besides being a huge fan of author Susan Lee, I fell in love with the characters. Fish out of water and forced proximity are favorite tropes of mine, and Lee wove in such important and relatable topics for YA readers.

Jessica and Elijah found themselves in a situation where they could break out of the molds their parents and lives had put them in, at least for a summer. Both have the opportunity to really explore what it is they want to do with their lives without any expectations forced upon them, while catching feelings for each other at the same time.

I cannot wait to recommend this to my students, especially the ones starting to realize that college is on the horizon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the digital arc.

I was hesitant going into this one, although I enjoyed Lee's first book I felt like there was something slightly lacking. Not so with The Name Drop!! I absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved the dynamic between our two leads, I loved all of the supporting characters and I absolutely lived for the drama and the romance. This was such a fun read for me, perfect for back to school, it was so fun and just so so good.

Name Drop reads like a K-drama romance comedy where the two main characters have the same name, agree to take on each other's roles in the company as well as home, and hope no one finds out. This is exactly what happens to both Jessica and Elijah. All of this starts when their shared name lands both of them on different parts of the plane - Elijah is in the economy and Jessica is in first class. Things continue on this path upon their arrival. Jessica finds herself admiring the brownstone home she arrives at and Elijah is crammed into an apartment with other interns. When Jessica finds that it is Elijah who should be in her shoes, she meets up with him. The two decide that since they have a shared name why not continue the charade? It is not like anyone will figure it out, right?

This novel really reads as if it came out of a K-Drama but with young adult themes. The characters of Elijah and Jessica are fun characters filled with trying to make it on their own even if their own parents are breathing down their necks - Elijah's father wants him to take this summer executive job so that he will be able to take over the company when his father decides to retire. Jessica, on the other - her father doesn't like the idea of her joining a company he doesn't want her to be part of it. He hates his job and he would have rather she not take it.

I like K-Dramas. They have fun characters. A rather near-soap-opera-level drama that takes forever to be concluded. This one really stays focused on its storyline and purpose rather than stray off and branch off into other little fillers before finally concluding the entire story. The characters never sway from their path and each one grows differently over the course of the novel.

I also enjoyed the dual perspectives from both Jessica and Elijah. It allowed us to see what each felt, thought, and was doing. The only grip I have against this novel was the chapters felt short. There were moments when I thought there were areas that could have been expanded just a bit, but I also can see that the author was trying not to draw the storyline out more than needed.

If you like K-Dramas, then this author is definitely up your alley. The characters are fun, the romance is sweet, and the storyline is pretty much straightforward.

This swapped identity plot was so fun and interesting to read. I really liked both Jessica and Elijah as characters and seeing them each step into worlds unfamiliar to them was done really well and well done.
This was my first time reading Susan Lee. I really like her style, and you can see how Korean culture and writing Korean American characters is important to her. I Googled some words throughout to learn how to say them and it was such a good look at another culture. I'm definitely not an expert now, but I think I might want to start watching some K-dramas.
The premise of The Name Drop was fun and interesting, but there were some parts that didn't make a ton of sense to me. I think that can mostly be contributed to me being American without immigrant parents and of a different culture, but overall the story was well done and it was paced so well to keep me interested and not have the summer internship drag on longer than necessary.
My only complaint is the entire conflict of the book which comes to a head at the last few chapters is totally undone by the last chapter and the epilogue and so it felt like we missed some of the most interesting parts.

I read the author’s debut novel and really enjoyed it so when the publisher invited me to read this book on Netgalley, I had to accept! It did not disappoint. It was a really cute story and I really enjoyed it. I love how the author made points about the 1% and how women are treated in the workplace. I highly recommend this one! Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

let me start by saying that I am not much of a romance reader but this—this might have just changed my mind.

This story was all sort of warm and fluff. I saw instant connection between Elijah and Jessica and that’s not easy to pull off with who have just met.

Their instant chemistry, cute banter. the work dynamic that family dynamics (which I understand on a very personal level) really are heartwarming and wrenching all at once.

The side friendships and characters are also very likeable and not at all flat, which is a common running problem in books.

What stood out most to me was they fact that although what happened to Jessica and her dad towards the end was not fair, it was what was needed for them to pursue what truly made them happy. That little push from the universe to start new. We spend so much time being afraid of change and when we have no other choice, guess what happen? we make those changes and adjust to them just fine.

I love the story over all, an easy read with liable characters and interesting plot and lessons to drive home. I do however wished I got to see Elijah tell his prick of a father off. But in the grand scheme of things, I can let that slide.

There were however many problematic themes in the book: as someone who is also from the region of Asia, I do feel that some of the depiction of sexism and over all environment at the company in the states was a little unsettling and perhaps not entirely believable. I am no tech expert but I do imagine there are laws against certain treatment at the workplace, and though I know often it is not practice. It is not realistic to only highlight the bad aspects of it. perhaps I’ll leave this topic for the experts, because over all I did enjoy the book.


side little note: the author saying that the craft doesn’t come easy to her and she has to keep working on her craft to improve and that’s she’s stubborn enough to not quit made me feel so seen I could cry. Thank you, thank you for validating that for some many of us.