THE NAME DROP has a fun, switched identities premise and a sweet romance. I loved how Elijah and Jessica made the most of their experiences after switching places in their internship and spent their time exploring NYC together. This is an entertaining read that is sure to please any k-drama fan!

Sophomore slump? Pfffft. Susan Lee doesn't know what a sophomore slump is. She's gone straight to fourth book status and you know what that means? Her next book will be even better (is that possible?) I didn't think she could top Seoulmates, but here we are!

I would love for this to become a tv show because that was exactly how it was pictured in my head. After realizing a massive mixup at their summer internship, Elijah and Jessica decide to stay the course. Him in his apartment, bunking with several others and she in a gorgeous brownstone getting waited on and pampered. They've both traded their old lives for something exciting, including falling for each other.

This is a fast-paced book set in NYC. Both characters jumped off the page. I loved how even the B characters were great people just living life and going with the flow. I think Elijah's sister was definitely my favorite.

Susan Lee has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. If you're looking for a sweet romance, this is the one for you.

Also, can we get an Ella and Jason novel? Pleeeeease.

Thank you, Netgalley for the arc!

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I tried a few different times but this just didn’t manage to grab me or hold my attention and I had to DNF after my fifth attempt with some breaks in between. I was interested in the premise but the execution and writing style just couldn’t hook or hold my interest.

I read this one so quickly! There's something about Susan Lee's stories that hook me in. The premise of both the main characters having the same name and then swapping "lives"/identities was a fun one.

I'm sad that it wasn't longer. I think I may have said this about Seoulmates, too. This is a good summer read!

THE NAME DROP by Susan Lee is a fun YA Rom-Com featuring a case of mistaken identity for two teens during a summer internship. I found Jessica and Elijah so endearing. Jessica is so relatable, and I found a lot of her money and parent-approval concerns similar to mine growing up. Elijah and his father have a caustic relationship that made me feel such sympathy for the teen. The dynamic between Jessica and Elijah is so well-written and hooks you into both POVs within sentences. (Also, I laughed embarrassingly loudly in Target as I began reading these - the set-up for the switch is hilarious.) If you loved SEOULMATES (Lee’s debut last year), you will love this.

Also, Netflix: make this a movie.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC. This was a quick and fun read! I was charmed by the characters and wished we got to spend even more time with them. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed my time with this book.

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i was intrigued by the premise of this book, but unfortunately it fell short for me.

on the positive side: it was a quick, easy read, and the rom-com aspect was well done.

on the negative side: felt all the characters weren’t developed enough (it’s a short book), and the character development that did happen with the main characters seemed to be very sudden. the ending itself was very rushed.

however, i’d definitely read another book by this author in the future.

Actual Rating: 3.5

the vibes were fun! A lot of stuff didn’t make sense but I had a good time. I do really wish the characters and their relationship was fleshed out more, it does tend to feel insta lovey, which isn't my thing. And I just wanted more from the plot. But if you're just there for the vibes, it's a good time!

Good novel for high school libraries. These events could never happen, but it didn't stop me from believing that they could while I read. I enjoyed Elijah's growth in particular over the course of the story.

The Name Drop was such a fun YA RomCom. The main two characters switch places at an internship, except one is the CEO's son and the other is just a lowly intern. I ripped through this trying to find out what happened.

I absolutely love reading books by Susan Lee.

This story pulled me in from the beginning. Promising a cliché story that is delivered in an entirely new way.

I was excited for the swap that started to occur but even more so when Elijah accepts the swap and encouraged Jessica to continue living in the lavish brownstone. Both Characters grow so much throughout the story and while I never imagined the ending I was very happy with it.

This story encourages pursuing and persevering to achieve your dreams as well as reinventing yourself. As a "middle aged" women I am in the process of questioning my life and this was a very nice confirmation to my decisions to start over. I can see how this may help young adults as well to really be okey with now knowing what they want yet.

Within the story I saw in stark detail the inequality presented by following old values. The values of following in your families legacy, in respecting your elders to a fault and even how women have been looked down on. I am glad that these issues are discussed and worked through in some of the characters.

I really enjoyed the parts that got my heart pumping and wish there had been more. Would hoping for a update of their futures be too much??

Thank you to Inkyard Press for the arc of Name Drop in exchange for a review.


So Seoulmates was one of my favorite books last year and so naturally I went into this with really high expectations and I was let down. First and foremost I hated Elijah, I skimmed through his chapters. He was just super arrogant and rude and I don’t like people like that. Jessica the other mc was okay but she almost seemed like she had no backbone and these characters were such a let down for me after Seoulmates

The Heirs is one of my ALL TIME favorite dramas and this book is basically the YA version of that drama. I LOVEEED ELIJAH. This boy. I wanted to kill him and kiss him. I flew through these pages and swooned the entire time. It’s fun and pacey but I also loved what it said about classism and and misogyny.

Because that’s the core of a Susan Lee novel. It’s sweet and funny and fast paced but there are so many deeper themes and heart woven against every page.

I’m a fan forever.

As one of the early readers for Susan Lee’s debut novel, SEOULMATES, I was so excited to be able to receive an ARC of her sophomore book, THE NAME DROP. I had very high expectations since I loved SEOULMATES…but unfortunately, this book was not it.

I’ll start off with what I liked. I will say that this book was a very easy read. It was quick and straight to the point and enjoyable. It wasn’t difficult for me to get through and although there were a number of things I wish was done differently, it didn’t drag at all. Hence, why I managed to read this so quickly.

I also really liked the side characters as I think they were so adorable and loveable and ultimately were my favourite parts of the book. They added a lot of humour and I loved the friendship dynamics between them and the main characters, which I think really brought this rating up.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few things I didn’t like. The number one criticism I have for this book is the love interest, who really annoyed me a number of times in the book. Elijah, to say the very least, is a privileged rich boy who basically does nothing. He’s extremely rude and arrogant but not in a good way and he infuriated me in so many ways. As for the main character—I have a love hate relationship with her. Jessica was adorable, don’t get me wrong, and I’m all here for her getting what she wants in terms of going to new york and pretending to be the executive in training for college applications and connections. But there were also times where I want to take her by the shoulders and SHAKE HER because sometimes she REALLY needs to get it together. Not to mention for someone so hardworking she was also very gullible and stupid.

Another thing—the humour. It felt so off…and it made me cringe a lot. I won’t reveal or spoil anything since we are still pretty far from release but at many times it felt very forced. There were a lot of instances where the humour just seemed to come out of nowhere and it really wasn’t funny—it was just embarrassing.

I have mixed feelings about the romance. I’m all here for the rich posh boy falling for the smart ambitious girl but honestly…I don’t know about this one. I think it’s especially because I hate the love interest as I felt many times he was very rude to her and low key mistreated her. And there were also many times where it was really cringy and weird. I feel that most of their chemistry however just comes from touch—and while it is cute, it also doesn’t build much of a foundation for the romance.

Thank you to Inkyard Press for the eARC! I’m very disappointed with this book, BUT I am willing to read whatever Susan Lee puts out next! 3/5 stars.

As one of the early readers for Susan Lee’s debut novel, SEOULMATES, I was so excited to be able to receive an ARC of her sophomore book, THE NAME DROP. I had very high expectations since I loved SEOULMATES…but unfortunately, this book was not it.

I’ll start off with what I liked. I will say that this book was a very easy read. It was quick and straight to the point and enjoyable. It wasn’t difficult for me to get through and although there were a number of things I wish was done differently, it didn’t drag at all. Hence, why I managed to read this so quickly.

I also really liked the side characters as I think they were so adorable and loveable and ultimately were my favourite parts of the book. They added a lot of humour and I loved the friendship dynamics between them and the main characters, which I think really brought this rating up.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few things I didn’t like. The number one criticism I have for this book is the love interest, who really annoyed me a number of times in the book. Elijah, to say the very least, is a privileged rich boy who basically does nothing. He’s extremely rude and arrogant but not in a good way and he infuriated me in so many ways. As for the main character—I have a love hate relationship with her. Jessica was adorable, don’t get me wrong, and I’m all here for her getting what she wants in terms of going to new york and pretending to be the executive in training for college applications and connections. But there were also times where I want to take her by the shoulders and SHAKE HER because sometimes she REALLY needs to get it together. Not to mention for someone so hardworking she was also very gullible and stupid.

Another thing—the humour. It felt so off…and it made me cringe a lot. I won’t reveal or spoil anything since we are still pretty far from release but at many times it felt very forced. There were a lot of instances where the humour just seemed to come out of nowhere and it really wasn’t funny—it was just embarrassing.

I have mixed feelings about the romance. I’m all here for the rich posh boy falling for the smart ambitious girl but honestly…I don’t know about this one. I think it’s especially because I hate the love interest as I felt many times he was very rude to her and low key mistreated her. And there were also many times where it was really cringy and weird. I feel that most of their chemistry however just comes from touch—and while it is cute, it also doesn’t build much of a foundation for the romance.

Thank you to Inkyard Press for the eARC! I’m very disappointed with this book, BUT I am willing to read whatever Susan Lee puts out next! 3/5 stars.

ANOTHER perfect romcom from Susan Lee. There is SO MUCH right in this book. First off, the premise? Unbeatable. The characters? Perfection. THE SOCIAL COMMENTARY ON THE 1% AND THE MISOGYNY INHERENT IN A CAPITALIST SOCIETY? The Devil Wears Prada wishes. Truly, this book does better for its characters than that other one ever could. With The Name Drop and How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra it's clear one of my favorite niche genres is teens taking advantage of a Corporate clerical mixup to get what they deserve. More this please!

I want a movie version of this ASAP. So in the immortal words of Ella: "This entire thing is gold. Get that Netflix money, girl."

The Name Drop is a Prince and and Pauper but make it ROMANTIC KDRAMA and he falls first. I will not lie when I say I was so hyped for this, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It was so sweet and had me squealing.

Things I loved:
💛 Dual POV
💛 he falls first
💛 from different worlds
💛 YA themes of finding yourself
💛 all of the things that make kdramas great
💛 girls being strong and amazing
💛no spice
I can’t wait until this is in the world! 🥰

Swoon! Susan Lee has done it again. If you're like me and are exclusively watching Korean shows on Netflix, The Name Drop is for you! We meet Jessica and Elijah at a big turning point in any teenagers life, the summer before freshman year of college. Jessica and Elijah can't be any more different. Jessica comes from a very middle class Korean family living in Southern California; a girl trying to balance her parent's expectations, what she wants out of life and trying not to go broke doing it. Elijah comes from one of the wealthiest families in Korea and is feeling the weight of the family expectations on his shoulders (even though it's his sister who wants to take the reign).
We meet Jessica and Elijah at LAX both on their way to New York City for the summer to intern at Haneul Corporation. They have no idea how intertwined their lives will be shortly become, but it all starts with their names.

I literally could not put this down. While I have read books with a switching lives plot, this one takes the cake. It is heartwarming, funny, and just the most adorable and charming meet cute. Susan Lee's writing of each characters' struggles in finding their identity with so many outside pressures is so relatable. I loved how both Jessica and Elijah supported each other whether it was Elijah giving Jessica every resource available to see her dreams and hard work come to fruition, or Jessica, noticing Elijah just needed a push to recognize what he was good at and grow from there. Plus, this book has all the fashion! You can't have a Korean love story without an impeccable (designer) wardrobe!

Who doesn't love a good old case of mistaken identity turned rom-com? This was such a fun read! I'm such a sucker for this trope and this book was such an enjoyable example of it! If you're looking for a sweet, quick romance, this is the book for you!

3.5 Stars

There was a lot I liked about this and a lot I wish there was more about. Jessica and Elijah were a great couple and really complimented each other. I just wish there was a lot more detail about the consequences that Jessica would face over Elijah if they got caught switching places. For my personal taste that would have bumped this up to a solid 4. Once again though another good book by Lee. This one made me want to rewatch The Start-Up.