Still Unwritten is indeed a fast-paced romance that follows Fran and Jae-seung's journey of finding each other, opening up themselves to the possibilities in front of them and just accepting love.

I loved how the story flowed with soft promises of healing and happiness. The author explores the other side of the music industry in South Korea, bringing out the discipline and routine maintained to achieve the perfection that is seen outside. This was quite interesting and at times difficult to read about as we discover Jae-seung's insecurities, vulnerabilities and what is most beautiful is how he learns to grow from it. In this respect, his connection with Fran and their journey together to find her mother helps him to heal in some ways.

I also enjoyed reading about Fran's journey and though her story was a sad one, her eventual acceptance of it and healing is wonderful. The author does not gloss over the emotions of the characters. She takes time to explore them and bring them to the forefront, helping the characters to express themselves. Through their journey, she gives insight that might help readers who identify with those emotions.

The story is set across different cities in the world and the reader will feel as if they are in each place with the characters as they explore both the places and their thoughts. This is also a story of healing, finding oneself, as well as what starts out as a forbidden romance and turns into something else entirely. In the end, this is a love story that deserves mention and to be told.

Forty-eight hours to find her passion. Seven days to find his way back on stage. One chance to take a risk on love. If Fran doesn’t nail this audition for a major TV role, she’s officially done as an actress. She just needs to tap into her inner seductress… who doesn’t seem to exist.

Enter stage Jae-seung.

To Fran, he’s just her landlord’s ridiculously hot nephew, helping her rehearse. To the rest of the world, Jae-seung is lead singer of global sensation, JYNKS – and he’s missing in action.

Together, they embark on an international journey of Fran, to track down her estranged mother and unlock her tightly guarded heart; Jae-seung, to continue (reluctantly) with his tour rehearsals. The chemistry between them is off the charts. But Jae-seung’s life is in South Korea, under strict contracts and constant scrutiny. Would a fling unleash Fran’s passion, or break the heart she’s learning to open?

Fran is a very difficult character to relate to. The choices she makes are so confusing and at times feel flakey and immature. I didn't find the chemistry between these characters believable and I also think this may skew to a younger audience as the "K-pop" theme is even younger than what my kids listen to. Over all, just not a perfect fit for me.

More young adult than adult fiction. I initially liked the story before it became a little juvenile and far fetched. Perhaps I was the wrong audience.

Struggling actress + K- pop Singer + Taking a chance on love = This book!

She needs to find her passion, quick! And he's willing to help her.

This book opened my eyes and taught me so many things about the Korean Culture and K - pop.
The bulb & cover may bring this book across as a light hearted comedy ready which in some parts it is, but it also has some hard hitting topics. It includes & mentions anxiety, dementia, suicide, parental abandonment and lying. This might be noting before reading as it may become a trigger for some.

I enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked throughout the read. Wanting to see how they progressed as a couple, how she struggled through her life and finding her answers.
I was left with a few questions with how some of the scenarios became realistic, how did she afford everything ( some expenses were covered by him) and how they both delt with the jet lag.

I will be giving this book 3.5 stars.

I was kindly gifted an ARC copy of this book in return of a honest review.

A romance involving a k-pop idol?!? I’m in! The premise of this — a failing Italian actress meets a Korean idol while living in England — was so promising to me, but ultimately it just wasn’t really for me.

I loved the diversity here, with representation from all over the globe, especially bilingual characters — I feel like I haven’t read many romances with that. But at the same time, it almost read like the author had never been to any of the places the characters were from/visited. Some copy editing or fact-checking would have helped some of this, like the fact that hurricanes don’t move south on the east coast or cover the whole thing all at once, or that there two US states in which you are not allowed to pump your own gas and Virginia is not one of them. It also rubbed me the wrong way that almost immediately the stereotype of Koreans being “the most polite culture in the world” is mentioned multiple times, but Italians, Brazilians, Americans, and Brits — of whom there are many — are not commented on as a cultural monolith, even off the cuff or inconsequentially.

I also had a hard time believing the two main characters’ connection. Their stilted, unrealistic dialogue didn’t really help, but maybe the instant love trope just isn’t for me. The fact that they both had an incredible amount of trauma to work through grew really frustrating as well because the themes felt very YA, which isn’t what I signed up for.

Part of why I struggled to connect with both the characters and dialogue might be due to the fact that there’s a lot of telling instead of showing, and unfortunately that made the writing feel less strong to me than it could have been.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is not a light romance but is a light read. This story goes deep into the two main characters and their struggles. This book does require you suspend disbelief but if you can do that it is in excellent read. I was very invested in the female lead and her growth throughout the book. Once I started reading I could not put it down.

Initially, I thought this book started out really well; a wannabe actress practising for a starring role, enter a mysterious guy who she is charmed by. The chemistry between them is well depicted throughout, it made me feel excited that this mysterious K Pop sensation would fall for an aspiring actress. But during the middle and the end of the novel, it felt a bit rushed as there we're secrets being spilled by Jae Seung and then Fran and I felt it could have been distributed more evenly throughout the novel.The way this novel is written is more YA as opposed to general fiction - with the song lyrics/poetry at the end of each chapter, it is something out of a YA novel. It didn't stop me from enjoying it though. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed Caroline Khoury's third book, which whisks the reader around the world from bustling Seoul. idyllic Sicilian beaches, hectic New York and the more familiar South London setting of New Malden.

'Still Unwritten' is a delicious romantic tale with two people who don't want to fall in love. Francesca, an aspiring actress who can't quite catch a break, and Jae-Seung, who appears in Fran's life as a barista but is so much more. In fact, he's the front man of one of Korea's hottest pop bands, JYNKS.

Sparks fly as soon as the two see each other, but Jae-Seung is only in town for 48 hours and Fran's not a one-night stand kind of girl so what can they do? Fran's best friend is the exhuberant Clara, a Brazilian woman who encourages Francesca to follow her dreams whatever they may be, and to live a little in love.

The romance between Francesca and Jae-Seung is beautifully written, they are both quite sheltered people who can't quite believe they feel like this about someone else. Their friends and family provide extra storylines that added a lot to both of their backstories, and I appreciated the sensitivity in how the dementia journey was portrayed.

All in all, another wonderful international romance from this lovely author.

I really liked this one! It was a pretty quick read for me, which is always a plus! I had never read anything from this author before, but I will def be reading more! Thank you, Netgalley!

I received this ARC in return for an honest review
I feel like some of it was far fetched. It was an easy read but I guess not what I was expecting. Seemed more juvenile than adult reading. Overall I think it was an okay book, just not for me,

Let me get this straight: You have two extremely part time jobs, occasionally get walk on roles in forgettable endeavors, and can still manage to not only fly around the world with almost no advance notice, but live without roommates in one of the most expensive cities in the world? I never got to the suspension of disbelief with this one, is my point.

I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more but it didn't expire me as much as I thought it would unfortunately.

I have heard how rigorous the training and touring schedules are for K Pop bands and the infatuation that the fans have for the members. It is not coincidence that Jae-sung felt the need to take a step back and surround himself with family and a simpler way of life. I enjoyed the first encounter that Francesca had with him and the magic that surrounded it. Francesca was admirable in the fact that she left everything behind in Sicily to pursue her dream of becoming an actress even though she had a career as a nurse and the purported love of her life. It was sad at first her driving factor to be an actress due to her mother's abandonment; however, she pushed on. Her caring spirit was evident in her taking care of her grandma and how she looked after Clara. I was glad she follows her heart both professionally and personally and as a result, found great success in both. She believed in herself. Her and Jae were certainly better together than apart.

This book was a lot more than the cover and blurb promised - instead of a light-hearted romcom it was a story of two lost souls trying to find their place in life; a lot of trauma and anxiety, complex familial relationships and explorations of stardom and the entertainment industry. I really liked the back stories of both mcs and was invested in their developments. I also loved the diversity of the characters and the inclusion of bilingualism.

That being said, the writing was a little bit cheesy at times and some inclusions of Italian words and phrases were downright jarring to read. As a person that grew up in Italy and now lives in an English speaking country I could both relate to Francesca and also frequently rolled my eyes at her. Ma dai indeed.

I also wasn't fully convinced by the romance. It was cute and I didn't mind it, but it definitely wasn't the focal point of the book for me. Overall this was a solid 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC!

The characters were adult age but this felt very much like they were teenagers? I had a fanfiction vibe that isn’t something I want in an adult romance novel. It just wasn’t for me, I think.

This book reads more juvenile than what I expected, more like a teenager love story that also reads like unrealistic fanfiction. I wish I could have enjoyed this one more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had such high hopes for this one—the cute cover, the intriguing blurb, plus the comp titles/authors were ones I've loved in the past! While the execution wasn't quite for me, I'm sure this book will find its audience.

The good: I really love the diversity in this—right off the bat, the MC, love interest, and best friend are all established as bilingual, and this is kept consistent throughout. Especially in the wake of the current controversy re: the whiteness of the Goodreads Choice Awards romance picks, it was really nice to read a romance with this sort of diversity. The premise is super cute, and there are some swoonworthy moments.

What didn't work for me: the writing in this overall just felt a bit too juvenile for my tastes. Two main culprits: 1) lots of "telling not showing"/glossing over important moments, and 2) unnatural dialogue (that often veered a bit too cheesy for my tastes). Additionally, the blurb feels misleading, in that the main conflicts of the book aren't quite what was described in the blurb.

That said, those thing that didn't work for me are just that: things that didn't work for me! I think there are lots of people who will be charmed by the dialogue, enjoy the quick pace of the writing, and overall really like this book.

2.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

Looking for a love story featuring a hot k-pop idol and a down-on-her luck Italian-English aspiring actress? Still Unwritten is the book for you, and it's a lot deeper than the initial premise sounds. Whilst the blurb makes this book sound quite light hearted (and it is, to a degree), it covers some really heavy topics emotionally including anxiety, stress, parental abandonment, dementia, panic attacks, and much more.

Both our main characters have a lot of issues that they work through, and they're not all 100% resolved by the end of the book. Francesca is living in London, and trying to become an actress. Her mum left her and her dad in Italy when she was 12, and she's never quite got over that. She's got 48 hours to nail an audition for a Netflix show which will launch her to stardom.

Jae-seung is the lead singer of the k-pop band JYNKS - a certified heart throb who can sing and dance. Yet he's randomly in New Malden, working in his uncles cafe instead of doing idol things in Seoul. So what's going on?

The blurb of this book only covers like...a third of the story. There's a LOT more that goes on after that section is done. As in, our main girl travels to 4 different countries in the span of like...a month or so. How she's not wrecked in terms of jet lag is a mystery. It certainly keeps the pace of the story going, and the plot is never left to stew for too long in any one place.

Jae-seung was an interesting character with a tragic back story. It only tentatively touches upon some of the trials and tribulations of the k-pop industry, and if anything he seemed to get off quite lightly. There was a severe lack of sasaengs (extreme stalker fans in the k-pop world) for someone who's recognisable to the general Korean tourist, but it would've got in the way of the plot so I'll forgive it. Also, forgive me for being petty but the idea of JYNKS being a support act for BTS was bizarre for me, as k-pop doesn't do support acts for their shows (I've never heard of one with a support act). Not important, but that still made me raise my eyebrow.

Francesca, bizarrely, was pretty poor as a main character. Not because she was badly written, but because everything else in her life was more interesting than she was. Her relationships, her past, her friends and family were all more vivid and realistic than her. She just felt like a vessel to move the story, and I didn't feel hugely connected to her.

My main criticism of this is that it didn't fit any genre in terms of age range. The writing felt solidly YA most of the time, veering into NA, yet the characters were all solidly adults. Jae-seung was 26, Francesca was 28 and so forth, yet the vibe of the whole story felt very young. They never felt like their age, and if you'd told me that they were 19 and 21 then I'd have believed you.

Still, it was an easy read and enjoyable!