Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I just couldn't get into the story and I couldn't connect with the characters

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me and it was a DNF. I try to diversify my reading and support and read Asian authors so I wish I liked this book more. It didn't feel like the title accurately reflected what the story would ultimately be about (the little portion I got through).

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for early access to the novel!

Romancing on Jeju follows three friends, Romi, Hadam, and Chakyung, on their quest for love and adventure on Jeju Island. Their project: Finding the stranger Romi met three years ago and is romantically interested in while shooting Hadam's first documentary. 🐝

While the description of the book hinted at some sort of mystery twist, I didn't expect that twist to be so dark and was pleasantly surprised. It gave the characters more depth in that they weren't just looking for a romantic relationship, but that they had to learn and discover more about who they are individually and collectively.

The only thing that didn't quite do it for me was, ironically, the romance. I went into this book, thinking I'd get a cute story about finding love on Jeju, and in the end I was more interested in finding out how the mystery develops. The pacing in the beginning was a little slower compared to the latter parts of the book, which is why I had trouble following at first (my squirrel brain!), but by the middle I was hooked, though sadly not on the chemistry of the pairings but more so on what was going on around them.

Overall this is a great story to read if you want mystery and friendship with a splash of romance!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Did I read the blurb in diagonal and not realize that this was going to turn into a murder mystery half way through the book? Yes, I did.
I liked it though, because I really didn’t see it coming. I was all ready for friends and romance and vacation, but it turned into a k-drama.

I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed the twist and turns, and I liked Chakyung and Soo-eon’s romance the most, they were just the cutest to me. I got happy anytime it was their parts.

I think my issue with the story is that I was looking for close friends and this trio did not feel like a close knit unit. There was a certain distance between them, and when Hadam goes on a sanctimonious sermon to Chakyung because of her fiance, it ticked me off. The three women felt more like close acquaintances than close friends. And I think I would have loved to see their friendship develop more.

But all in all it was a pleasant read, and I definitely got surprised at many turns!

Unfortunately I did not like this one. I couldn't connect with the characters and found myself skimming waiting for something in the plot to catch my attention. I DNF'd but I also don't want to make it a one star rating. It just wasn't meant for me.

I loved the vives of the book and the friendship between the characters and it was way more deep that what I expected. However I felt like the romance part was a bit lacking for me and I didn't connect that much with it. Still it was a fun read and I really enjoyed it!

Romancing on Jeju was not what I was expecting, but nonetheless the cast of relatable and likeable characters, alongside the delicate examination of love and our expectations of it ultimately drew me in. The book follows three friends, Hadam, Romi, and Chakyung as they each journey from Seoul to the island of Jeju for different reasons—spanning from filming a documentary to work campaigns to ultimately searching for the honeybee farmer that got away.

I thought that the subtle building of mystery and suspense in the book was excellent, and the reveal at the end worked really well to tie everything together (although the pacing in the very beginning of the book was a bit slow, the second half of the book picked it back up). Overall, I loved the different POVs as we got to see each of the three main characters grow and come to understand what it is they have come to Jeju to search for. I thought both the author and translator did a lovely job conveying the various intertwining, and sometimes complicated, relationships between all the character throughout the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It had an element of mystery that kept it interesting and I liked the characters and their interactions with each other. This book was translated from Korean to English and sometimes the phrasing was awkward or unclear, I think it would be better to read in its original language but that is the nature of translated works.

A sweet, cute romance with likeable characters. This story seemed to flow quite well and was written in a way that made me not want to put my kindle down. It was fun!

I love character driven books. I love reading more about their lives, friendships, relationships, and that is exactly what you get here!

I would definitely love to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Romancing on Jeju" follows the romantic lives of three friends journeying from Seoul to Jeju to chase down the one that got away:

Romi, the hopeless romantic who has been longingly dreaming about a handsome stranger she met three years ago.
Hadam, the aspiring filmmaker who has never quite forgotten about her ex-boyfriend.
And Chakyung, the marketing workaholic who begins having doubts about the man she is about to marry.

The three friends team up to track down this mysterious stranger from Romi's past they dub the Honeyman (as the only concrete information they know about him is that he is a bee keeper) and embark on an adventure that will change all three of them in ways they would never expect.

While the English title implies that romance will be the central focus of the novel, and this might be true about the first half of the story, don't be fooled by its cute and cheerful cover (and remember that it's original Korean title is "Searching for Honeyman," a name that doesn't imply romance at all). Hyun-Joo Park plays with typical k-drama-inspired romance tropes and flips them on their head. None of the romances end in the way you would expect them to and that it was I love about this story.

"Not every trip had to end with romance. And not every story had to end with a couple kissing, the camera spinning around them a full 360 degrees. Just because a lot of people made that their ending didn't mean she had to."

This is a story about so much more than romance. It is about friendship. About self-discovery. About life not living up to your expectations and finding a way to move forward anyways. It is about being an adult woman in her 30s trying to live her life while navigating the complexities of love. Life is complicated. Love is complicated. And sometimes life and love both have funny ways of working themselves out in a way that is least expected.

I do not typically find myself drawn to romance books, but I had fun reading this. It was well written, the language was beautiful, and it is very nostalgic for any reader who has spent time either living in or visiting Korea. It is cute, with believable characters, and a story that is much bigger than the romance it originally presents itself as.

A cute romance with believable characters. I will admit the middle of this book kind of lagged for me but the ending wrapped things up nicely. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

I expected this book to be a very atmospheric, light rom-com set on Jeju island based on the title and cover. While it was indeed a more atmospheric read, it ended up being an entirely different book than I expected it to be. There were some surprisingly dark plot twists that were unexpected. I say twists, more because they felt random and not because they were a thrilling surprise. These themes were heavier and honestly still captivating, but because it was so different from the initial premise it felt a bit clunky.

The dialogue was choppy to read, and initially I thought it might be because of the translation, but ultimately I don't think that was the reason. I had to continuously go back and re-read key details because the author seemed to jump through them so quickly. And while they did come into play later and some things clarified, it made it hard to follow the sequence of events within the timeline. At times I wondered if the conflict and animosity I was sensing between characters was intentional, or a mistake.

While I would have loved to read about a woman searching for a long lost love interest amongst beekeepers on Jeju island, this story was entirely different and wouldn't be one I'd read again. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trendy and contemporary references, a gorgeous island setting, and lots of information on bees. This translated novel (Korean to English) included a large cast that I found difficult to keep straight. The dark mystery (a dangerous stalker and profitable theft) overshadowed the romance. This is not a breezy, escapist rom-com, but I liked the friendship love and the wonderful metaphors.

Romi, Hadam, and Chakyung take off on an adventure to find love, friendship, and themselves on the stunning Jeju Island. The best part of the story? Watching them grow and change as they face all kinds of challenges together. From overcoming fears to chasing dreams, their bond only gets stronger with each twist and turn.

But here's the deal: while I was totally into the whole friendship vibe, the romance part didn't quite hit the mark for me. The romantic plotlines felt somewhat overshadowed by the darker themes that emerged unexpectedly. I wasn't prepared for it, but I kinda dug the darker twist in the plot, even though it was pretty minimal.

"Romancing on Jeju" is a filled with friendship, self-discovery, and unexpected surprises. If you're up for an adventure that's about way more than just romance, this book is definitely worth diving into!

Romancing on Jeju by Hyun-Joo Park, translated by Paige Aniyah Morris
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This book releases August 20, 2024!
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I went into this book thinking it would be a fun, not-too-serious romance book from the cover. The description didn't fully set up the expectation of some of the more serious aspects in the book. But honestly that did not detract from anything. Even though the story turned out different than my initial impression, I really enjoyed this book.
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This book follows three women as they search for one woman's "honeyman", a past romantic interest, which one of the women lost contact with three years prior on Jeju Island.
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Like a lot of translated Korean fiction, the writing tended toward atmospheric and reflective. The way the relationships were handled between all parties was more mature than most novels involving romance. There was an underlying theme of the global shared lived-experiences of women and what we have to deal with and be aware of at all times.
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I would definitely recommend this book. It was a nice experience while reading.

This is definitely the type of book for someone who enjoys books more focused on character development. I did enjoy the different dynamics between the friends and the relationships did feel very realistic.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a fun read! This was very character driven and you find yourself learning about them, their friendship, and relationships. It was a nice change of pace for me so this is a great read for when you're wanting something fun.

Generally speaking, I liked this novel. It is definitely different from what I usually read, but the change was a little refreshing. I loved travelling to Jeju and wandering on the island with the characters. It was definitely more a character-driven novel and it focused on the three characters and their relationship(s). However, I did not connect with the characters and the romantic developments did not interest me that much. The plot, though minimal, was rather dark and that was unexpected but I did enjoy that.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

"Once you knew a person's situation, you could no longer claim to be an irrelevant character in their story."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book was way darker than I expected! From the title, I expected that this would be a lighthearted romance but damn. It was way more sinister than implied. Even the summary made this seem a lot superficial than it really was.

Regardless of my expectations, I really enjoyed this ARC. It was really great and more realistic than I thought it would be. I loved the mature depiction about life, romance, and adulthood. It was really sweet and relatable. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for Korean translated works because of the way they

The three female leads were all great. I think their characters could have been fleshed out more, but it didn't ruin the story for me. Just sometimes I'd get confused who was speaking. Otherwise, the women were great and very fun to read about.

Oooo wow! This was exactly the book I was after. Something fun, light-hearted but warm and touching. It had me smiling 90% of the time and the other 10% scratching my head trying to figure out who the bad guy was!!

A story about 3 friends travelling to Jeju for to help one of them find their “honey man”, all the while they were each going their own troubles and journey.

It was such at atmospheric read with the beaches and local landscapes of jeju island. As well, as the incorporation of the bee industry and how essential they are to human life.

I loved all the characters that were introduced, even tho there were a lot and it got a bit confusing at times. It made for such a slice of read except for the sinister tone of someone lurking and watching the girls in background.

Hoping to see more contemporary reads like this being translated into English!