48 hours to find her passion.
7 days to find his way back on stage.
1 chance to take a risk on love.

What I love about Caroline's books especially is that they're not just your typical ‘boy meets girl’ romances that have been done a million times. She writes such in- depth characters with intricate layers and flaws to create these real, heartwarming stories that tackle big issues such as grief, loss of cultural identity, family dynamics etc.

But with any good book, we all want a bit of escapism, right? So aside from the heavier topics tackled, we have jet setting all over the world, backstage passes at a K-Pop sold out show, gorgeous brooding male leads and there's a solid dose of steaminess 🔥

In a nutshell: Fran is desperate to make it as an actress to prove to herself and to her traditional Italian family that the move to London was worth it. On the flip side, Jae Seung’s story shows that all that glitters isn't gold and there's a darker side to fame and fortune, especially when you're harbouring a dark secret of your own...

I truly can't do justice to Caroline's beautifully written books so I can only urge you to pick one up and give it a try! This would be the PERFECT Summer Read this year for sure 🌞🏝️

Still Unwritten is my favourite of hers to date and I can't wait to see what she gives us next ❤️

This book hooked me in the beginning but unfortunately I didn’t feel connected to the characters. The first time they met it was so awkward, rushed and unrealistic. It just didn’t make sense to me. It was very much a “fast burn romance “ in my opinion. I enjoyed everything but the romance part of this book which ironic since it is a romance book.

This is a story about a K-pop idol and a girl who really wants to be an actress in London. However, life often gets in the way and things don't usually go as planned. That is why Francesca is working 2 jobs in between her auditions to launch her acting carreer. She hires an appartment from this Korean family who happen to have this super sexy cousin. And when that cousin visits, Francesca's best friend will make sure that Francesca gets some alone time with him. Francesca, reluctant in all of this, doesn't want to go on a date and wants to focus on getting her career started. But then it turns out that this guy will be her handyman who's coming to her aid with her broken sink. Between the awkward moments and runaway moments Francesca and Jae-Seung (the Korean guy) find out that they really love to be in each others presence. But as stated before, life gets in the way. Especially when you are a K-pop star. Besides all of that, Jae-Seung has to deal with a lot of personal matters. Not to mention the personal matters of Francesca. She's been busy dealing with her own problems. Will they be able to help each other in this as their matters kind of overlap? And will they find their way back to each other, as more than acquaintances or maybe even friends?

I loved this book a lot. It was so easily written and it read so nicely. I don't really know a lot about K-pop and all, but that didn't bother in this story at all. There were also a lot of Taylor Swift references, which I did get. So that was nice too!

This was an interesting read and goes beyond your standard romance story! Francesca is a struggling actress and meets Jae-Seung, the visiting Korean relative of her landlord. They have an instant connection but only have a few days together. They are drawn back into each other’s lives though, and Fran learns that’s he’s a super famous K-pop star! There is a sweet slow burn between the main characters and it’s heartwarming to see them help each other through some heavy stuff. It’s also a whirlwind of a novel with lots of exotic travel!

What to expect:

- celebrity romance
- slow burn
- forbidden romance
- forced proximity

This was a first time read for me by this author and I had such fun reading it. Jae-seung is a famous singer, but is currently MIA from his tour. Fran is struggling actress and has one more shot at making her dream come true. I enjoyed following their journey as they traveled together, Fran to find her estranged mother, and Jae-seung to continue with his tour rehearsals. These are two lost souls trying to find their way in life and in the process are finding their way into each other's hearts.
It was an enjoyable romance and it definitely had some depth, not as light-hearted as I originally thought. The book definitely left me with a smile on my face and a happy feeling afterwards. The characters were interesting and well-developed with realistic and relatable qualities. I enjoyed seeing the growth of the characters and I would be happy to have the opportunity to read more of this author's work.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

If I could give this book six stars I would the author, Caroline, is amazing and has made the reading of this book even more enjoyable. I enjoyed her reactions to my stories for the Tandem Readalong and appreciate how much effort she put into reaching out to us and engaging.

Now onto the book - this was such an easy read and I devoured it in two days! This book gives you family drama, romance, travel and celebrities. The multiple locations you travel to in this book helped me to escape rainy England and I found myself gravitating towards this book whenever I had the time to read - considering how big my TBR is Caroline must have sprinkled magic onto the pages!

Whilst this book is romance it is not a smutty book, and for an author to be as talented as Caroline she managed to make you not crave the physical descriptions some other authors heavily rely on. Through her writing you understand the character emotionally and become attached to their journey, some of it was not even between the two of them but Fran trying to find her long lost mother.

I will now be heading out to the shops to buy the other books published by Caroline and highly recommend everyone else joins in with me.

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley allowing me to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5 stars

I wish I could have liked this book. The premise was so good ... I was so interested at the beginning but lord it dragged on. It looked me WEEKS to get through this, where I went back and forth between enjoying some chapters and then others sending me into such a slump that I debated dnfing ... which now I look back and I should have just accepted my defeat.

The best part of this entire book was the fmc's best friend, Clara. She was fun to read about, and then I'd go back to the insta-love romance and the back and forth between the parents and the cousins and ugh. Just stop .. please write more of Clara and less of how the fmc has issues with both her parents lying to her.

The romance was okay. Kind of mediocre compared to other romances that I've read in the years. I wanted to give it a chance after reading other reviews but it seems they all hit the nail on the head. The chemistry was a little dry, drier than me reading those "spicy" scenes.

Ok, so the premise of this book is cute…you could even say great. Slow pace, but there was a lot to build out and explain especially since essentially the duration of the book goes from 3 days to 10 days and then weeks. (Doesn’t make sense now but if you read it, it will.)
A failing actress, a K-Pop star…a new trope for me. As you read more about Fran and Jae-seung, there’s more complexities about them that honestly create a pretty good story. And the building tension between them, top notch. So much so that it hit 3 peppers right at the tip 😉

Then right around 70-80% I feel like things started to feel a little rushed and cramped and Clara started to absolutely suck and I found her so intolerable. Thank goodness she was a side character or else I would have stopped reading and not finished the book.

Also, this book gives no hint at all at the trigger warnings! Oh my goodness. Please take notice if suicide, suicide attempts, encountering sucide attempts and death/loss of parents and grandparents are difficult and a trigger for you. Those parts within the book were very unexpected and heavy.

The end of the book did have a happy ending (as one would expect) and everything was wrapped up nicely, but it did fall flat for me in that, by the time the end came around, I was just happy to finish the book because it became a lot.

3 stars, 3 peppers.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one had a good premise but fell a bit flat for me. Maybe the pacing was a bit too tight for what actually happened.

{ dnf @ 40%}

Still Unwritten has a very intriguing premise but unfortunately I couldn't like the writing style and some decisions in the story reminded me, in a bad way, of some kpop fanfics that I read when I was a teenager. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I fell in love with Caroline's previous novel, Always You, last year and knew I had to get my hands on this one too.
Following actress Fran who is desperate to get her big break and land a dream role, as well as Jae-seung, all round good guy but also secret K-pop sensation, this book was an emotional roller coaster.
Alongside the romance, both have a lot of family drama to deal with, and I became really invested in Fran's in particular, as well as how everything all came together.
The descriptions of all of the different locations we visit in the book were beautiful, I felt like I was experiencing Seoul myself at one point!
I loved Fran's friendship with Carla, as well as all of the other side characters - I could definitely read more about them.
One thing I will note though, is I did find Fran and Carla's constant use of British sayings a bit cringeworthy. (Sorry!)
Overall a really enjoyable read, and definitely one for the Swifties!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing for the ARC of this book.
All opinions are my own.

This one unfortunately just wasnt for me. I just didn't connect with the main characters. The book was just too cheesy for my taste especially reference to Taylor Swift. I'm not a swiftie to be fair but it felt silly. I think some people may like this one but it wasn't for me. Thanks for the opportunity to review

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: a couple closed-door steamy scenes
TWs: death of a parent, parental abandonment, mentions of suicide, mental health (anxiety, depression), dementia, cheating
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this book was like reading a well-done fanfiction of a KDrama and I loved it! It was very sweet and handled some triggering topics very well. Lots of Taylor Swift references for the Swifties out there and a beautiful, supportive friendship between the FMC and her best friend.

read this book if you love

🏝️ forced proximity
💌 clean romance
🤫 hidden secrets
💓 slowburn
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🎸 musician
💞 friends-to-lovers

In Still Unwritten by Caroline Khoury, a struggling actress, Fran, must discover her passion for a pivotal TV role audition to keep her career alive. She seeks help from Jae-Seung, her landlord’s nephew with whom she shares a fiery attraction—unaware that he is the MIA lead singer of K-pop global sensation JYNKS. Fran and Jae-Seung take an unexpected international journey together from London to Italy, then to the U.S. While Fran hopes to find and confront her estranged mother about her abandonment, hopefully finding the key to unlocking her own too-tightly guarded heart, Jae-Seung, unfortunately, must return to his group for tour rehearsals.

Since they first met, Fran and Jae-Seung have shared a sizzling instant attraction. However, Jae-Seung’s life in Seoul doesn’t allow for relationships because of his strict contracts and the constant scrutiny because of JYNKS. Can Jae-Seung and Fran surrender to their attraction and connection for a fling, releasing her passion without crushing her newly freed and open heart?

My sister is BTS Army and loves J-Hope, and she’s dragged me along with her. So, I was curious to read this novel about an actress who unknowingly gets involved with a K-pop star to discover her passion—of all things. While it has some fun scenes for fans, I was drawn in by Fran and Jae-Seung’s lives and forbidden romance.

Khoury’s vibrant, descriptive, and detailed writing uses all the senses to draw you into her characters’ world. She develops her fascinating, complex, and diverse characters and their relationships through humorous and emotional interactions. Her colorful dialogue fits her characters, settings, and themes. Khoury balances her multilayered story’s shifting tones of humor, melancholy, drama, and angst without affecting the novel’s pacing. Her use of song lyrics to end the novel’s chapters is a great thematic choice.

Khoury develops Fran and Jae-Seung’s relationship through sexy, humorous, steamy, emotional, intimate conversations, interactions, and love scenes. I love how she describes and builds up their attraction and chemistry from the first meeting. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book and one of the best-written scenes describing the first stirrings of attraction of love interests I’ve read. All of Fran and Jae-Seung’s intimate scenes—in and out of bed—are wonderfully written. Jae-Seung and Fran are haunted by childhood events that drive their lives. They offer one other peace, comfort, balance, support, friendship, passion, and love. I love their interactions.

Sicilian with an English mom who abandoned her and her dad when she was a teen, Fran is a trained nurse who moved to England to be near her maternal grandmother, eventually becoming her caregiver. Kind, thoughtful, and driven by the need to fix everyone’s problems, Fran works a lot and suffers from insomnia. She works nights as a club bartender and a waitress in addition to acting. Fran’s agent tells her she lacks passion, making her fear that her acting career is over if she doesn’t perfectly nail a TV role audition. Fran fears her inner seductress doesn’t exist. Clara, her Portuguese BFF, suggests having a fling.

Jae-Seung is visiting his family. Like Fran, he works a lot and doesn’t sleep well or much at all. Haunted by pain or sadness, Jae-Seung is shy, with a photographic memory, a passion for music, and a melancholy temperament. He’s also irresistibly sexy and outrageously hot. Anytime Jae-Seung and Fran get near each other, the electricity between them sizzles, nearly lighting up the air. His acting training—and their chemistry—makes him the perfect person to help Fran prepare for her audition.

Funny, sweet, emotional, sexy, romantic, angsty, and steamy, Still Unwritten is a fast-paced international travel romance. It explores themes of self-discovery, family, parental abandonment, following your dreams, taking risks, finding your passion, emotional trauma, PTSD, healing and recovery, family secrets, and doing what you love for yourself.

Canelo Romance provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

Content Warnings: parental abandonment, parental death, discussion of parental suicide attempts, emotional trauma, PTSD

Fran is a wannabe-actress hanging on by a thread in London. Her responsibilities are overwhelming and really sucking the passion out of her life. Jae-Seung just wants to get back to feeling in control of his life. After a tenative romance and some hard-core, life-quaking family struggles, can they be healed enough to be together?

For starters, this book was cute and enjoyable. There were some very lovable characters and they work well together. However, I went into this book thinking it was a romance but it was an emotional mine field at every turn. Abandonment, suicide, dementia, anxiety, surprise pregnancy, family secrets, this rascal had it all. I will say that the amount of "stuff" happening in this book was overwhelming. I know that the family drama is what drives Fran and Jae-Seung together and keeps them in proximity, but damn. A simpler story would have been so much better.

This book is a very enjoyable read for me! If you love a fun romance book, I think you’d like this. The characters are really good. It felt like they are actual human beings with deep emotions and feelings. Also the struggles of being a kpop idol was touched on this book as well. I feel like it reflects that very well in how the toxic environment can affect the person’s inner self. I also feel like I resonate with Francesca in a way that she is still finding herself and what she wants to do in her life, doubting whether the choice that she had made is the right one. Also, I love love love the friendship between Fran and Clara. I love how they’re always there for each other. Other than that, the setting of the book! Ooh it felt so new to me to read a book where they literally traveled to different countries in quite a short time. Overall, this booj was so enjoyable, I would recommend if you’re interested in kpop idol romance or just want a good romance book as a palette cleanser!

In the enchanting world crafted by this author, I found myself immersed in a profound odyssey across the globe, exploring the depths of love and connection. What resonated with me the most were the intricate details—the longing, the small gestures—that beautifully portrayed the essence of deep friendships.

As I eagerly followed the characters, their journey became intertwined with a compelling family drama in the background. This connection added a layer of complexity that resonated with my own experiences, making the narrative feel remarkably relatable and authentic.

One of the aspects that solidified this author as my "autobuy" is the unwavering devotion portrayed by the main characters. The way they showed commitment and genuine care for each other struck a chord with me, and I found myself emotionally invested in their story.

In summary, this literary gem became a cherished part of my reading collection. The author's ability to capture the beauty of human connections, coupled with the relatable family dynamics, created an experience that I won't soon forget. I eagerly anticipate more from this author, knowing that each creation is a personal journey into the intricacies of love and devotion.

I wanted to like this book however it just felt like badly written fanfiction. Just was no that good.

NetGalley Arc:
The summary of the book caught my attention. It was a cute idea but a lot of things stopped me from truly enjoying the book. There was a lot of telling not showing in regards to the plot and writing. A lot of things were packed into the book that didn’t feel super necessary to the overall plot or could have been done differently to minimize how many plot points there were.

Struggling actress and a famous K -Pop singer collide in Still Unwritten. Fran is a struggling actress working two night jobs with a whole mess of family drama. Jae-sueng is a K-Pop singer in a different country.

This is a big hit for any Swiftie fans.
Forbidden romance
Coffee shop meet cute
Famous/non famous
Forced proximity

There are a lot of triggers so if you have a trigger I would definitely look it up.

I kept going back and forth on if I wanted to give 3 or 4 stars, so saying 3.5. There just seemed to be so much going on, that it was so hard to keep up. Every time you turned a page it was another devastating blow to one of the main characters. I think my favorite part was the friendship between Fran and Clara.

I would like to thank NetGalley for a chance to read an advance copy for an honest review.