I will post about the name drop after Ramadan. The Name Drop is adorable and Susan Lee is a phenomenal writer. This was a lot of fun to read!!

Thank you netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book! I fell in love with Susan Lee's writting when I read Souelmates. That book stole my heart and this one did too! the cover of this book is super cute too. I loved to be able to see what the main characters looked like from her point of view instead of creating their image on my own.

When I first read the blurb for this novel my immediate reaction was "this is like a K-Drama in book form." As a self proclaimed K-Drama enthusiast, I knew I had to give this novel a chance. From the jump, it had some troupes I generally like. There's a rich boy; he's spoiled and feels self important. There's a girl from a middle class family. She's a hard worker and wants good connections. This is a great landscape for shenanigans, sneaking around, and romance. When I found out that both characters' Korean names were the same and that they were playing the ole' switcheroo, I was hooked. This book did not disappoint. It really was like a romantic comedy K-Drama where all the characters are in some sort of debacle. I really liked the character development from the male protagonist, Elijah. I think he made some great growth, though it did seem to happen quite rapidly. I think the main female protagonist was relatable and sweet. The antagonist was mostly a big cooperation, something I can get behind. My critique is this: the novel was too short. There were parts that felt like they needed more time to be fleshed out, more thought from the main characters. A lot of the really interesting company drama was happening just out of earshot of the reader; we were not included. I think this novel has the potential to be fresh, if it just had some of that information in it. I really did appreciate how easy this was to read. It got me away from my life for a little while, and I read it in a day, nearly in one sitting. I am curious as to where Ms. Susan Lee goes from here, and I look forward to reading any new novels that she puts out.

Susan Lee has a way of writing that sucks you in. I enjoyed her debut, and this sophomore book did not disappoint. Her characters are relatable, and the story was good. Very solid romcom.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this book. Opinions are my own.

Received this ARC via NetGalley…

This book is too cute! I’m a sucker for young love, teen angst and summer romance. Jessica and Elijah are so cute together.

Being a 2nd gen Asian immigrant, a lot of these themes were very relatable - parental pressure to obey/fall in line, follow the path to “success”, maintain perfect image for society, and of course, gender roles.

That age between high school and college has immense pressure when it doesn’t have to. Adults are still trying to figure themselves out and I really appreciated how the narrative and characters were honest about not knowing what they wanted to do yet.

After reading Seoulmates, i never thought another book would compare… i was so wrong lol. I loved the entire premise of this book from the very beginning! i absolutely loved the slight grumpy sunshine vibe of our main characters. the fast-paced NYC setting could not have been more perfect for these two main characters too! Elijah was the epitome of don’t judge a book by its cover, how many rich boys would be willing to swap their fancy lifestyle for a normal average persons life?? not me lol.
and jessica was such an amazing, inspiring female lead character, i absolutely love her and strive to be like her! little side note, i loved every single character and side plot of this story! the 10 people sharing the apartment with Elijah, especially jason were are amazing! Sunny Cho.. a sweetheart, Mrs. Choi.. loved her to death.. Elijah’s mom and sister… literally the sweetest souls! Also i could read a whole novella just on Jason and Ella!

Synopsis:

Upon arriving in New York City for an internship at his father’s tech company, Haneul Corporation, Elijah Ri expects special treatment as the future CEO, even though he doesn’t want it. Instead, he’s grouped with overworked, unpaid interns and crammed into a small apartment for the summer.

Jessica Lee is thrilled to begin her internship at Haneul Corporation, even though she’s at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy. She’s surprised when she’s introduced as the new executive-in-training intern and given a beautiful brownstone to live in.

Elijah and Jessica quickly realize the mix-up: they have the same Korean name. However, they decide to switch roles so that Elijah can escape his controlling father and Jessica can make the connections she needs for college recommendations.

As they work together to maintain the charade, Elijah and Jessica begin to develop feelings for each other. Will they be able to keep their secret and avoid disaster, or will their emotions and future plans be compromised?

Thoughts:

As an ardent fan of k-dramas I was extremely excited when I was offered an advanced reader copy of The Name Drop by Susan Lee. Going in to the book, I already knew this was supposed to be feel good, fluff, contemporary teen romance that gives out K-drama vibes. However I am really sorry to say I was utterly disappointed with the book.

I am a woman of color (I mention this because it is one of the main themes addressed in the book) who is the Asian Regional Director in a multinational gaming company with a branch in Seoul itself. Perhaps this is why I found The Name Drop to be problematic.

However, I hope this might not be a huge issue for an average reader who doesn’t understand the inner workings of a gaming company or the components that goes into organizing a hackathon, which is the central theme of the narrative. While I could provide a detailed breakdown of each instance where the author erred in their portrayal, I will refrain from doing so to prevent any potential spoilers. In my opinion, the inadequate amount of research invested in crafting the plotline was absolutely shocking to me.

Another aspect that the author overlooked was that, despite the gaming company being of Korean origin with branches in the United States, these branches are still governed by US labor laws. Furthermore, no international branch, even if it were composed entirely of Asian Americans, would have a homogeneous workforce. As a result, I found it challenging to accept the level of misogyny depicted in the company’s culture. While I do not deny that there are still individuals who hold misogynistic beliefs in our society, as women working in the corporate world, we are daily made aware of the laws in place to protect us and these international branches in question are located in LA and NY, two of the most progressive states in the country. I may have been more forgiving of this oversight if the female characters in the story had taken any steps to address and resolve the issue. However, to my disappointment, no such remedies were done.

And dear mother of god! to call the interns who were studying in such prestigious colleges as UCLA, Stanford and Harvard pathetic who would go back to their pathetic lives once the internship was over? What were you thinking? Those are some of our greatest minds who would go out to change the world. Not all of those who are at those colleges are billionaires’ kids. Most of them are from middle class families, especially from families of color. Knowing that even children from South Korea would be honored to be accepted into these colleges, this comment from one of the Asian American female character was so uncalled for. Also what was that about middle class people needing recommendations from people and have connections to get into a good college? We are given plenty of opportunities during school time to build our resumes. True they don’t just hand them out. It takes determination and hard work. It’s about you carving your own path without waiting for opportunities to land on your lap. This was like an unnecessary slap on our education system.

Furthermore, let me address the other feeble explanation as to why Jessica couldn’t apply for a good college despite her lack of “connections” and “recommendations”. It was because her father couldn’t afford it. Yes, there are a millions of parents who cannot afford to send their children to college but Jessica wasn’t one of them. According to the author her father formerly worked at Microsoft as a Finance Director before joining the current company at which Jessica interns at. Do you even know how much a Finance Director at Microsoft earns and what kind of a remuneration package the current company had to offer in order for him to jump ship? Also, Jessica is an only child and there is no mention about any debts that her parents have that would prevent them from enrolling her in college.

None of the supporting characters had any depth to them and even the female friendships were lackluster. There was absolutely no character growth in Jessica and I found Elijah to be too American. I understand he was used to a luxury lifestyle which allowed him to travel as he wished however coming from a family of color, I do know, no matter how many times you travel back and forth, you don’t get that American. I didn’t find the plot credible at all.

The Name Drop had so much potential and could have turned out to be a great book, if the author put in more time to research the themes of the narrative properly. I mean some K-dramas at times, lack a touch of reality but not this much though. Disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This author is new to me but I’m always excited to read book by Asian American authors.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters came alive. All up until the big confrontation with Elijah’s father which felt rushed and then the rushed ending which didn’t explore the aftermath of his decision to not follow the path of his father’s choosing. Most of the book before this felt like Jessica’s story, then when we got to that big confrontation, then it felt like it shift to Elijah’s and there was not a lot to this event that was worked up to the whole book.

3.4
Cute enough, but never really gets over the YA hurdle of parental ineptitude. So much about their plan doesn't quite make enough sense to ground this in any kind of plausibility.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This was such a cute debut! I really felt the chemistry between the two love interests and the story was interesting. Definitely going to keep this author on my radar!

Cute and easy to read!

Thank you NetGalley, publisher Inkyard Press, and author Susan Lee for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.25 ⭐️

Plot:

The plot revolves around the two main characters Elijah and Jessica. Elijah coming from a posh family and Jessica coming from a middle class family. Elijah’s dad ships him off to New York to begin grooming to take over the company. Jessica is in need of connections for college. She applies for a summer internship at Haneul Corporation.

Elijah and Jessica are on the same flight from LA to New York. That is when the first mishap occurred. Jessica flying first class and Elijah flying coach. Why this occurred in the first place? They have the same Korean name. Once they realize that both have something the other wants they come up with Operation Name Drop.

A great Y.A. Romance Book with lessons to be learned. It’s a cute plot. Not extremely deep but entertaining to read.

Writing:

The writing is good but it took me a while to connect emotional to the main characters. I love that the author wrote about how misogynistic work places can be.

Chapter 17,

“Or holding male-run companies accountable for misogyny in the workplace could also help.”

There was one aspect that rubbed me the wrong way and I’m sure it was not intentional. In chapter 13 Location 1697 and 1709 Chanel was mentioned. I really wish the author would have picked any other designer but Chanel. Coco Chanel was a terrible person who sided with the Nazi regime. Coco Chanel did a wonderful PR job after the war, to where no one knew she was involved with the Nazis. It wasn’t until documents were declassified that the truth came out. Coco Chanel was also homophobic. If the book hasn’t already begun to be printed please make a change. Don’t alienate the young readers in such a careless manner, do your due diligence.

Characters:

The author did a fantastic job with this group of characters. Not only are Elijah and Jessica round characters but so is Jessica’s dad, Elijah’s mom and sister. I can’t choose who is the most valuable character Jason or Hee-Jin. Love them both!

Favorite lines:
1. “I’m Lee Hee-Jin, Chief Operating Officer at Haneul Corporation. And I’m also this turkey’s noona.”

2. “Jesus Christ. I am a privileged asshole.”

3. “I’ll tell him what I’ve learned from my Zillow search later.”

Would I recommend? Yes.

Elijah is mistaken as just another unpaid and over-worked intern at his father's company. Jessica is the one who is mistaken for Elijah due to their same Korean name. They decided to stay switched to enjoy a different life. The spark develops between them...

Love Jessica and Elijah. I love how they complement each other. They are both great characters... with their own issues to work out and not take it out on the world. A fun book to read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I really enjoyed this one! I'd enjoyed Lee's debut, Seoulmates, so I was excited to read this one as soon as my Netgalley request got approved. And it was every bit as good as I'd expected! It was adorable, and every character was done so well. At the beginning, I wasn't sure if I could ever come to like Elijah, but I ended up loving him and his arc. His friendship with Jason was so adorable!!! I also really liked Jessica and her determination, she was an inspiring character. I stayed up wayyyy too late reading this one, so I'll leave the review at that, but I really loved reading this!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow. Where do I start?

The Name Drop is Susan Lee’s sophomore book and when I say that it was enjoyable from start to finish, I mean it.
This is it takes Two or The Parent Trap, but throw in romance between the two MCs obvi.
You will want nothing but the best for both characters. Truly. This book was fantastic.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, and there certainly were parts that I liked. But some major points of the plot just felt very pulled, taking up too much time. I loved that this book focused on a summer internship program at a prestigious corporation, but I didn’t feel like I got attached to any of the characters. Just seemed like the writing style wasn’t agreeable for me, so others may really enjoy this book!