This book started off as a real page turner right away-this is always such a positive experience with a book and a good indicator that I love to see. A book that can grab my attention from the get go is hard to find and was a pleasant surprise in this one!

I loved how the author did their own unique spin and twist on the swapping places/ mistaken identities trope here. There were moments where I was shocked and laughed, and worried for the characters all throughout.

The beginning of this book was great, and the ending was wonderful. I’ll admit that parts of the middle were slow for me and hard to motivate myself through. It was sort of the zone where things became a repeated trend, the worries and thoughts of the characters remained the same, and we knew the big drop was coming even if they didn’t. But it was sort of that frustrating misunderstanding part where the characters keep secrets rather than just talking it out. And I personally would've preferred a lot less cursing/ swearing, as I expected it to be more clean going in (only to find that the cursing is pretty prevalent throughout the book).

However, the ending has the spark of cuteness that wraps you in and rooting for the characters again! This is a contemporary romance that is reeeally a slow burn. There may be an insta-attraction, but the burn is slowwww. But not in a bad way!

I loved the way the book ended.

Overall, I rate this one:

🌟🌟🌟.💫/5. (3.5 Stars)

Loved this YA so much! I really enjoyed the characters and seeing them in the switched roles. It was fun and funny, and all around enjoyable. There wasn’t much romance until the end but I loved seeing the friendship develop first between the MCs. This was my first book by this author and won’t be last.

A bit predictable, but a fun read by Susan Lee. I enjoyed her first book and I found this to be a good one, too! Overall a nice YA romance that will be a hit with my kpop fan students. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just thought this was so cute! I think this is the perfect book for people who love rom coms and K dramas. I do think it's a bit cheesy, but if you go into it just expecting a cute rom com type cheesy story, you'll have a good time.

The Name Drop is a good enough teen romance, in which the two lead characters happen to have the same name. In Korean, that is. In English, Elijah and Jessica are quite different: she won a place in a prestigious summer internship with 10 other participants, while he is the son of the sponsor company's son. The two decide to switch places for the summer, with Jessica stepping into the executive training program where everyone believes she's the owner's child, while Elijah joins the freedom of living as an anonymous intern with the others in his group. When the discover that both internship programs are primarily designed for the company's image, Jessica, Elijah, and the other interns are determined to make this year's final project something they can be proud of, even if the company isn't so thrilled.

Ms Lee brings in cultural issues, highlighting the different expectations of American and Korean society, and the ways these expectations play out in Elijah and Jessica's lives. She weaves this facet throughout the story, highlighting the differences in a believable manner.

This was a fun read, despite the somewhat implausible role swap. The romance seemed rushed at the end, while the strangers to friends development, as well as Elijah and Jessica's relationships with the other characters were more robust. I recommend this if you're looking for a fun, easy read with a K-drama/K-pop vibe, or if you're fond of rags to riches arcs.

This was a cute YA romance. Perfect for fans of K-dramas.

During Elijah Ri and Jessica Lee's travel to New York for an internship, they experienced an unfortunate misunderstanding. They both share the same Korean name, and as a result, Jessica unintentionally occupied Elijah's business class seat at the airport and inadvertently took Elijah's ride. Thankfully, Elijah and Jessica figured out the mix-up not soon after. However, they decided to stay switched. How long can they keep up the charade without being discovered?

The story was predictable and a bit cheesy but still quite enjoyable overall. Would recommend it to fans of YA romance and K-dramas.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Someone else had said that this is a perfect book for fans of K-dramas & YA romance and I honestly couldn't agree more. That being said, it's a very cute book and definitely worth the quick read. I, myself, am also a huge fan of K-dramas and the story didn't disappoint! It was enjoyable to watch our main characters handle the mix-up of their similar names. I'm not normally a huge fan of different POVs in books but I found it extremely helpful in this case to be able to connect to both Elijah and Jessica.

I rated the book 3 stars because I definitely liked it but it went pretty quickly for me and I think I would've wanted to see just a little more with the romance. Unfortunately, the ending also felt very rushed. Nonetheless, it is very sweet and I did enjoy it overall. And, I did really like the take on the classic K-drama rich guy, poor girl trope (set in NYC!!).

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard press for a copy of this e-book.

I had so much fun reading this YA book. I found the characters to be very cute and the romance to be very lighthearted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this e-book copy!

I am a bit behind on my reviews, so this one is coming after the publication date. I went into this intrigued by the premise and I wasn't disappointed. This story follows Jessica and Elijah as they encounter mistaken identity due to having the same Korean name. The pair decide to keep the charade going as both would like to experience each other's lives during this internship. I think the hijinks of this book are what kept me going as I wanted to see how things would end but I felt the romance was a bit rushed. Outside of the romance, I think this book is a fun short read. I would recommend checking this out if the premise makes you curious.

This is a perfectly averagely enjoyable YA book about a rich kid and a poor kid. It was a good enough time while I was reading it but I can tell that it won't stick with me.

I enjoyed reading "Seoulmates" by Susan Lee last year, so I was super excited to be approved for her new novel, "The Name Drop"! This book was so cute and fun— it had me smiling to myself SO MUCH from all the K-drama vibes it was emulating. Yes, some suspension of disbelief must be had in regard to the actual plot, but it didn't bother me. I would say that the romance isn't necessarily always at the forefront of the novel either, but I honestly kind of liked that and think it worked in its favor. I think it's a testament to Lee's writing that she's able to create and write characters/young adults that all feel so authentic, nuanced and relatable in their motivations and struggles; even as someone who is leaving her ~20s soon as I turn 30, I was still able to connect with Jessica and Eliljah as they embarked on their individual journeys and discovering who they are/want to be (all while also falling in love!)~ I would definitely recommend this out to others who enjoy K-dramas (or really, any kind of Asian-helmed/led soap operas) and are looking for a quick read with great characters you can truly root for!

Switched identity, ala The Prince and The Pauper, is explored in The Name Drop. Jessica Lee is a top southern California high school student who earns a summer internship in New York with her father's employer, the Korean tech company Haneul Corporation. Elijah Ri is the son of Haneul's Seoul-based CEO and will reluctantly be spending the summer as an executive trainee there. Because their Korean names Yoo-Jin Lee are the same, the airlines confuses them and puts Jessica in first class and Elijah in coach. When they arrive, Jessica is whisked off to a townhouse and Elijah ends up in a cramped apartment with the interns. By the time the two figure out what happened, Elijah, who has been yearning to live a less sheltered life, proposes they continue with the switch, and Jessica, who turns out to be an excellent leader, agrees. The two bond while working together on a company event, but differing perspectives on life threaten their budding romance. Told in Jess and Eli's alternating perspectives, peppered with classic K-drama tropes (demanding parents, an elite male attracted to a low status female, a Cinderella makeover) this humorous and romantic tale is filled with rapid-fire banter and a relatable emotional connection where the lovers give each other the strength to follow their hearts.

I've always been in love with NYC and have visited many times. There's something about it and something that Elijah and Jessica definitely would agree with me about. I could not help but love their chemistry but also how they're both trying to figure out who they are in relation to their parental expectations and future.

We have this pressure to have our future figured out before we graduate and it can be crushing and unrealistic. I loved how for both of these characters, they have to figure out and question this image people have of them and their future. It's swoony but also emotionally impactful about forging another option.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

This was a very lighthearted romance between two teens that occurs in the summer. I loved the two main characters because it reminded me of chaebol kdramas. This book is about two people from separate worlds finding their place. What starts as a case of mistaken identity forms into a beautiful love story. 
If you're a fan of YA romance novels and Kdramas I highly recommend this for you. I'm very excited for the author's next novel. 
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

This was a fun read that you knew from the very beginning this may not end well. The author did a great job at giving a good ending though. I was here for it because teens will do the craziest things and especially when forced to live a life they are not sure they want to live. A summer of freedom from those restraints seems very enticing. That is why this is a great read for young people to see how it might feel in the moment but also the very real consequences that might play out.

I really enjoyed this YA summer romance between two Korean and Korean American teens with the same name who find themselves in a mistaken identity situation and agree to swap places for a summer-long internship position in NYC.

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jennifer Yen, this was a delightful opposites attract romance full of heart. Great on audio too! I can't wait to read more from this best-selling author! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This was an adorable book and made me feel like I was watching a K-drama which is always a good thing. I enjoyed the characters and seeing their struggles and accomplishments throughout the book. It was all very believable and fun to read.

This sophomore novel from Lee is a fun, fresh and fast-paced YA RomCom based on mistaken identity and lightly touches on familial expectations, and the differences in class rank and social standing!

The whole time I was reading this book it reminded me of a POC M/F version 90s Mary-Kate and Ashley film or The Parent Trap (à la Lindsay Lohan). It was fun getting to see through the characters eyes how their lives could/would be different if certain aspects of their lives were changed!

All and all, it was a really cute YA book that had depth and larger messages under the surface! Also it was very informational for me, someone who has not explored a lot of Korean literature or tv show or movie content!!!

4.00⭐️

Special thanks to @netgalley and @inkyardpress for the opportunity to read and review this book for its publication day!

Susan’s latest book is all about finding your way in the world (with some great friends supporting you along the way). I loved seeing Jessica and Elijah’s relationship develop and how they slowly came to trust and rely on each other — even when their whole “same name, mistaken identity, let’s switch roles” summer adventure could blow up in their faces at any moment.

The story definitely tightened up in the second half, and I felt more invested in the characters'/their romance. The beginning started off a little shaky, possibly because I had a hard time suspending belief that the airport staff wouldn't notice the major differences between the main characters, despite them having the same Korean name.

However, I had a lot of fun reading THE NAME DROP and can’t wait to see Susan’s next stories!