Bingsu for Two

by Sujin Witherspoon

This outrageously charming and infuriatingly adorable enemies-to-lovers coffee shop romance is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Better Than the Movies.

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Fake Dating, Asian Literature

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2025

About the author

Sujin Witherspoon is a Korean American author, artist, and lover of words she can’t pronounce. She gravitates towards stories that will either plague her nightmares or make her stomach hurt from laughter–no in between. She earned her degree in English from the University of Washington and now spends her time writing, thinking about writing, or exploring Seattle. You can find her online at sujinwitherspoon.com

Reviews

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 4 stars!

sarang cho and river lee have my heart!!

the story begins with river having the worst day of his life—he walks out of his SATs, breaks up with his girlfriend, and quits his job at his family business, cafe gong. luckily, thanks to his best friend, he lands another job. there’s just one problem—his new co-worker, sarang, is the same girl he ran into at the cafe the day he quit. and to top it off, the cafe he'll work on belongs to her family.

౨ৎ sarang. she’s the definition of a softie at heart, but i’ll never understand why she was so rude to river during their first interaction. over time, though, it becomes clear how deeply she cares for those around her and her family’s business. huge respect to her for being willing to sacrifice her own dreams just so her sister could chase hers.

౨ৎ river. it’s genuinely heartbreaking how misunderstood he is. he has no idea what to do with his life, and the pressure from his parents only makes things worse. someone give this guy a break—he’s only 17! he shouldn’t have to have everything figured out yet.

i truly appreciated how the story focused more on river’s journey to finding himself rather than just the romance. so many teenagers—and even adults—can relate to his struggle. living a life trying not to disappoint others is exhausting because it means sacrificing yourself for their validation. what made this book even better was the found family aspect, as well as river and sarang’s relationship.

this book will make you realize that even if you're an adult, it's okay to not have things figured out because everyone is just trying to live their own lives, and they don't know where they are going either most of the time.

overall, this was such a great read—i definitely would’ve finished it much faster if i didn’t have school responsibilities. both main characters were adorable, and i loved them so much, along with all their friends. the found family dynamic made everything feel even more special.

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・

pre-read:

I GOT THE ARC!!!! i’m so excited to read this one sm

[sama ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 ✰

💌”You’re insufferable as ever,” I grind out.
“Pretend all you want. You love me.”
“I do. I love you.” 💌

ahh why are they so cute im actually crying 🥹🥹 river lee & sarang cho — you will always have my heart. also side note but i’ve written this review three times (bc my dumbass kept accidentally deleting it 😃) so I may have forgotten to add some things but im too tired to care 😔 hope you enjoy!

💐 plot 💐

river lee, you poor misunderstood man 🙁 no one believed in him and it actually killed me. he’s always had his life planned out for him by his parents— his career choice, his studies. he is manager at cafe gong, his family’s business. or at least he was. until he quit. walked out of his SATs. dumped his long term gf (she deserved it). and went to work with the enemy— bingsu for two (the cafe across the street that is this close to running out of business).

why? idk. neither does he. and that’s okay, my guy is literally only 17 give him a breakkkk ❤️‍🩹 his parents are not the only reason he quit. when he thought he was having the worst day of his life, it only got worse 😭 a certain green-haired, emo, rude, prettyyyy customer just dumped coffee all over him. and in return, he dumped a bag of coffee beans down her shirt. so it’s safe to say he was gonna get fired regardless.

but when he gets a new job at the rival coffee shop, she is his new coworker!! so that’s nice 🥰

🧸 tropes 🧸

ღ workplace romance
ღ rivals to lovers
ღ third act breakup
ღ only one pov — mmc
ღ slowburn
ღ minimal (but amazing) romance
ღ found family

🫶🏼 my thoughts 🫶🏼

sujin witherspoon, you have earned yourself a fan in me!! I am, without a doubt, obsessed. 🫠 the love stories, the friendships, river finding himself throughout this whole book— it was beautiful. I loved how this gave off sitcom vibes and the story was about the friend group altogether, and their stories as well as the main characters. it was so nice to see, and I found myself getting attached.

the writing style is so addictive and fast paced which is crazy bc the romance was a slowburn? I don’t know how she does it. 🙈🙈not only did I stay up late to binge read, but I literally skipped my lecture and cancelled plans with my friends just bc I wanted to go home and finish it, I am in fact that obsessed. I will be reading her future books and I cannot wait for more!! 💗

river lee was literally a fanboy and his parents favourite disappointment. I ain’t never seen someone that looks so much LIKE ME!?!? 🤭🤭 I related to him a lot and I loved that the book was in his pov!! 🥹🫶🏼

🌻 conclusion 🌻

river and sarang were just the cutest. the way she blushed when they were bickering and he flirted with her whenever he got uncomfortable or flustered— ADORABLE. the way they promised to never lie to each other, even when they’re lying to everyone else.

my only complaint is the third act breakup HURT. she literally said to him “your life has no purpose” OUCH. it’s a good thing it didn’t last very long bc my heart was so broken and could nawt handle more.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

[Alya ( 20 comments restriction ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC!♥️

[ellie જ⁀➴ · Rating 3 out of 5]

➳ 3 ☆! 🍥 spoiler free + mini review
⤷ would def read the real series in the future when i get the copies!

“I’m flattered I take up so much of your thoughts.”

₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ this was so cute!! it was interesting to see this from a boys POV instead of the fmc, but i liked it!! I also thought the premise was super cool and the friendship dynamics were realistic! ofc, i also like how our mcs ACTUALLY had drama w eachother, like they genuinely didn't like being in eo presence, but instead they slowly grew on eachother 😌💗 my only complaint was that it got a bit slow, not that things weren't always happening, but idk i think it was just a me thing! i even considered dnfing at one point, but the end and redemption of the plot was very heart warming and good. so 🥺 for a debut novel, pretty soild! curious to see what this author does next, and lemme tell you im alr wanting to read another ya rom com i just love them 💗💗 also looking back this book had some humor HAHA

--------------

🍥 | ₊‧꒰preview!!꒱ ‧₊
⤷ yayayy finally getting to one of my anticipated romances of the year! i remember seeing some of my besties LOVING this one when they read it and ive been intrigued ever since! i start this a few days ago so im counting it as a September read, but i can't wait to finish 💗

[Mai H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manse March #2

Frankly, I would've loved this in my youth. And before you tell bitter, jaded old me to stop reading YA, every now and again, one surprises me. That's not to say I didn't like this. I liked the idea of it. The title? The art? How Seattle coded it is?

I hate how often enemies-to-lovers is used to sell a book. River and Sarang (kind of a cringe name imo) aren't enemies. They're just kids that semi-dislike each other. River is an annoying little hybrid. Maybe not little. He's actually quite tall. And Sarang is quite small. I love a height difference. And an Asian American goth girl. Speaking as a former one. Sort of. Or was I more of an emo kid?

Anyway. River's parents own a chain of so-so coffee shops. He starts the story off co-managing one with his ex-girlfriend, who he has broken up with offscreen. Not sure why this is offscreen, as so much of the plot revolves around setting the scene, play-style, and AO3-style fanfic. No, really. This is also very fanfic coded.

River and Sarang meet when she and a friend pop into one of River's parents' coffee shops, the one he manages. Shit goes down. It's filmed, because why not? And then blasted all over social media, because Gen Z has no chill. Not that millennials have chill. Actually, no one has chill. Is chill. I can't English.

So people start shipping River/Sarang. Sarang happens to be part of the family that owns Bingsu for Two, a small Korean American coffee shop in slight competition with River's parents'. After the shipping fiasco, and other things, River ends up working there. They fake date for social media, to drive business to this small shop. It works, because the youth are sluts for social media. Actually, I'm not a youth, but I'm also a slut for social media.

Where was I going with this? Ah, yes. So while jaded old me didn't have the best time, she still had a good time. There will definitely be a market for this. Asian American? Gen Z? Been to Seattle? Like coffee? And drama? This may be for you. This probably is for you. Go read it.

Book pairing: FRANKLY IN LOVE

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co.

[🌺 Hannah 🌺 (very busy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars ✨ ☕️🍧💖

Bingsu For Two was such a sweet, emotional, and surprisingly powerful read! I went into it expecting a light, cute YA romcom and while it was, it also had so much emotional depth that caught me off guard (in a good way).

The love between the characters was so genuine and heartwarming. I found myself laughing at their banter one moment and then tearing up in the next chapter. There were even some plot twists that had me gasping out loud and racing through the pages to see how everything would unfold.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the character growth. River’s journey with his parents and their growth alongside him was emotional. It wasn’t easy, and the story didn’t sugarcoat the struggles, but seeing the effort and love that built between them made it all the more powerful. Sarang’s growth was just as amazing. Watching her slowly open up, learning to trust others not just with her heart but with her whole self, was so rewarding and made her character feel incredibly real.

The theme of found family is woven so naturally throughout the story, and it adds a depth that makes this much more than just a romcom. It’s about belonging, healing, and allowing yourself to be loved.

This was such a perfect palate cleanser between heavier fantasy reads, and it left me feeling both uplifted and a little emotional (in the best way). If you’re looking for a YA romcom that’s full of heart, humor, and authentic growth, Bingsu For Two is definitely worth picking up! 💖💖

[Anahita Karthik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my favourite rom-com ever and I promise you I don’t just say it because the author is my writing wife and I’m the godmother of everything she writes. I was the first one to read this book, in its rawest of raw versions, chapter by chapter as Sujin was writing it back in 2021, and it was literally perfect even then so I can’t even begin to imagine how much better it might be now in its ✨PROFESH✨ iteration.

This is one of those books that will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it. It’s got it all—an adorable found family cast of chaotic characters, a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, an aesthetic Korean coffee shop setting, and multimedia format that will have you squealing and kicking your feet at its hilarity and genius. BINGSU is just SO funny like I’m not even kidding when I say it’ll leave you in splits. Sujin added the com to the rom and it’s so worth it.

I haven’t read another book that made me feel the way this one did, and I doubt I ever will. I can’t believe the cover is out (it’s just SO STINKING CUTE) and that I’m going to get to hold this book in my hands like, next year. I can’t believe I’m going to get to read it all over again, savour every word of it as a REAL BOOK. It’s going to have a glossy cover with gold foil, a spine, AND it’s going to be in bookstore.

INSANE.

I’m just saying…y’all are not ready when this takes over the world 🫶🏻✨

[asra⭑.ᐟ (exam ⋆ ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

── 4 ★ !! ˚🗝 ⋆｡
⤿ no spoilers ┆ ⋆˙⟡

this was such a cute read, i think i got diabetes and im not even concerned bcs i loved it sm 😭

im gonna try to keep this review short, instead of writing a long one or putting it off due to that like i usually do ahem 🤭

anyway. so basically this book starts with our mmc, river langston-lee, having a hell of a day. first off, he dumps his longtime girlfriend, then walks out of his SAT's, quits his job at his family cafe, dumps a bag of coffee beans on a objectively pretty customer. i say it was deserved but welp (in his defense, she poured coffee on him first) and finally, goes to work in the cafe which was his parents cafes biggest competitor-bingsu for two, where coffee dump girl is his new coworker.

like i said, hell of a day.

"So," she says cheekily. "You have a crush on me?"
"My tongue was literally just in your mouth," I reply.
"Aw, you're embarrassed."

okay. im going to go ahead and say it. i loved river. a lot.
idgaf if sometimes he was stupid or unsure or immature, but he was real. sujin witherspoon really showed what it feels like to be a teenager. to be someone who is just seventeen but is expected to be so much bigger. i loved the raw honestly in his POV, his relationship with his parents, the whole drama with his ex girlfriend (she got what she deserved), him being so unsure about what to do in life, all this REALLY spoke to me on a spiritual level.
also let's be honest, this guy wears glasses, is a not so secret fanboy, thinks like me, is his parents biggest disappointment, and is absolutely whipped with his girl. what's not to love? 😔✊🏼

"God, she's attractive. I hate her. I can do both. I'm a very multifaceted individual."

also, special mention for the fact that the whole book was in his pov. you guys get how rare it is to read a romance book from the GUYS pov like i was lit laughing so hard at his internal monologues, he's lit so me. 😭

next, is our fmc, sarang cho.
wow okay so I did NOT like her.
sarang, unlike her name suggests, she was not loveable. in fact, the only thing 'loving' about her was her name, imo. firstly she was such a brat who was so mean to river for the majority of the book for absolutely no reason at all even when he was trying to help her/be nice to her. i get enemies to lovers, i do, but i do not get rude bitches to lovers. sorry not sorry. 🤷🏻‍♀️
i will admit that she did some redeemable things in the end of the book, like i appreciated her willingness to sacrifice her dreams for her sister to go to her college of choice and do what she loves so i guess it improved her image in my mind a bit but i did not love her.

"even when I despised her guts, I couldn't get her out of my mind. I've always tiled towards her instead of the sun."

now, i cannot end this review without talking about the side characters bcs this book focused more on finding yourself and friendship than romance. let me start by saying-
OMGHSODJDJMRND I LOVED THEIR DYNAMIC SO MUCH + THE HUMOR WAS TOP NOTCH I WAS LIT LAUGHING OUT LOUD AT SO MANY OF THEIR SCENES AHHH I LOVE BOOKS LIKE THIS WHERE THE HUMOR AND FRIENDSHIPS ARE SO NATURAL LIKE ME??? WHEN?? 🤭💗

ahem. moving on.

“You’re looking a little red, River, something getting you worked up?”
“Something’s getting worked up, yeah,” I shoot back without thinking. Both Dario and Kai freeze in the middle of what they were doing and whip around with identical expressions of disgust.
“It’s eleven in the morning,” Dario says.
“Dick jokes are only funny past three,” Kai agrees. “Have some self respect.”
“I didn’t mean it!”

also, kai my baby deserves to be specially mentioned, he was such a sweetheart and omg i NEED a dario and kai book like YESTERDAY. vanna was fine, she didn't piss me off much, i understood where she came from so it was pretty easy to forgive her for wtv she did, isabette was lowk forgettable asw but they were cute together, so there's that. 💌

Kai hums. “This is a hell of a conversation to be having while sober.”
“You don’t drink,” Dario says.
“Maybe I do now. You don’t know me.”
“I could never forget you.”

and finally, the writing.
i lovedlovedloved how fast paced this was, like guys, i finished this in ONE SITTING. i skipped my history assignments just to read this book. that's how much i liked it.
another thing i should mention was the completely normal usage of genz slang + language and different fonts the author used in this-the twitter and ao3 pages looked so real-which is not like most books.
AND THE CHAPTER NAMES OMG THEY WERE SO FLIPPING FUNNY AND RELATABLE LIKE OMG THEY HAD ME DYING MULTIPLE TIMES BCS OF THE CONTEXT 😭😭
just look at this:
exhibit 1.You’re Telling Me My Actions Have (Checks Writing on Hand) Consequences?
exhibit 2. I’m Like King Midas. Except Everything I Touch Turns to Shit Instead of Gold

"Suck it up, pretty boy."
"You think I'm pretty?"

i was literally not expecting to love this as much as i did and i was so shocked when i found out this is ms. witherspoon's debut novel, bcs she's definitely earned a fan who would undoubtedly read more of her works. if you're contemplating whether to pick this up or not, do it rn bcs this is the perfect palette cleanser/ have fun book. 💌


────୨ৎ────


── .✦pre read ★

i randomly picked this up bcs i was bored of my crs + the fact that it's fully from the mmc's pov had me intrigued since that's pretty rare, but i hope i love it !! 🤭💌

[Mariana ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book!

SUCH A FUN BOOK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!



“Bingsu for Two” follows River, whose life, at the start of the book, is in shambles. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, he walked out of an exam (meaning he will not be able to get into university), and he has an altercation with a rude customer at the café he works at (which belongs to his parents, btw), and he ends up quitting his job. So when he gets home he’s like………. 🧍🏻🧍🏻🧍🏻 “Ah shit…. I kinda just ruined my life, didn’t i?” 😬 So he desperately tries to find a new job just so he can at least pretend he still has his life together, ya know?

He ends up getting a job at another café called Bingsu for Two (they said the title of the book omg!), where, guess what? That rude customer from before also works at 🤪. Her name is Sarang, and she’s mean and bossy for no fucking reason. River, however, is set on making this work, so he just puts up her bullshit. Homeboy then accidentally posts a chaotic video of his day working at Bingsu for Two. The video goes viral and gets the café a bunch of attention, so River ends up becoming a barista + social media manager.

I reeeeally enjoyed this part of the book! Seeing River and all of his coworkers filming videos and creating events for Bingsu for Two was soooo much fun! Definitely my favourite part of the book! I was lowkey sad at the end when they decided to stop their social media presence, although I completely understand that decision, of course.

I also really liked to see River bonding with all of his coworkers during this time. The SCs were SO GOOD! The author managed to make every SC compelling and three-dimensional, and I could always understand their choices and actions, even if I didn’t agree with them. Kai was definitely my favourite, but I honestly have a soft spot for them all! I also looooved the side romances! I wanted to see more of those couples (and of the SCs overall lol. Where are their books? I’d read them)! 🥹

Now regarding the MCs. First of all, River. For starters, I reeeeally appreciate that this is a m/f romance from the perspective of the guy. I feel like we don’t see that often, so this book definitely stands out in that regard. And I have to say: River is SUCH a fun POV character! He is messy. He is a dumbass. He is a pathetic loser. He is a bad idea machine. You can tell from a mile away everything that is going to go wrong because he keeps making bad decisions. But I love him dearly. 😭 LISTENNNNN! River is a mess, but 1) it makes sense for his character, and 2) it makes for very funny moments, so I loved it! I also really enjoyed his arc throughout the story. His struggles with his ex-gf Cecelia, him feeling like a disappointment to his family, him being lost in life and not knowing what he wants or who he is… It was all so well explored and portrayed! And I liked how it was all wrapped up at the end.

Now for the LI, Sarang. As I mentioned, she and River have a rocky start to their relationship. Honestly, I never fully understood why she came into that coffeeshop mad at the world and decided to be rude to a customer service worker. After that altercation, River and Sarang can’t stand each other. It was a little hard for me to fully understand this rivalry, unfortunately, because I honestly thought Sarang was unnecessarily rude to River during their first encounters. But I digress. As they start working together, we see their friendship grow and slowly develop into a romance, which I liked. I especially appreciate that this is a SLOW BURN ROMANCE!!! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! As it should!!! FINALLY a book that isn’t insta-love! LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!!!!! (sorry I’ve just been reading a lot of insta-lovey books so this one was a TREAT!)

Another aspect I loved about this book was the humour. As I already mentioned, River is a chaotic character, which makes the book really fun. But the way it was written also enhanced that experience! The multi-medium format was super engaging (the scripts, the tweets, that one screenshot from AO3?????? 😭🤣); the chapter titles were HILARIOUS (another one of my favourite things about this book!); and the overall self-awareness of the book was just on point!

All in all, “Bingsu for Two” was a delight, and I’m so happy I got to read it early (though that’s also kinda bad bc now I’ll have to wait EXTRA LONG for Sujin’s next book 😞). Anywayssss. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy YA rom-coms! 🥹💖 (Also I know this book isn’t even out yet but can somebody please turn it into a movie??? I need itttttt!!!!!!!!!!! 😩😩😩)



(review written on 20/05/2024)

---------

"a coffee-shop rom-com about 2 teens who begrudgingly fake a relationship online to save their failing korean café" — OOOOH this sounds so cute already!!! + look at the art???!?!?



(15/08/2023)

[enola]

this sounds so damn cute

[ingrid｡⋆𐙚˚ (not active rn) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2⭐️

okayyy, it was really good in the beginning but then it disappointed me a little? still a really good book though!!

[Birdie Schae · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun fact: sujin witherspoon invented humor

[akacya ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 reads: 4/300

2025 tbr: 3/111

i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.

after dumping his girlfriend, walking out of his SAT, and making a scene at—then quitting—his job at his parents’ café, river is a bit…lost. in need of a job, he applies at the café his best friend works at, a failing korean café called bingsu for two. when he realizes his new coworker is sarang, the girl who embarrassed him at his parents’ café, he’s unsure if he’ll be able to continue working there without losing his mind. when river accidentally uploads a video of his coworkers that becomes viral overnight, business at bingsu for two skyrockets. river makes it his mission to continue makign videos to promote bingsu for two. the problem? everyone seems to think he and sarang are dating.

i saw this on instagram a LOT, so i finally requested it from netgalley, and luckily got an advanced copy! i was expecting to like it, but i honestly didn’t expect to LOVE it as much as i did! this book had just about everything, from dislike to lovers, to fake dating, to found family, to heavier topics, and so on. i frequently found myself laughing at the humor in this book, and this is rare for me, as not many authors share my sense of humor. however, there were also more serious moments, such as a side character having to provide for herself and her younger sister, sarang and her older sister coping with the loss of their mother and their father’s sickness, etc. all of these aspects were well-handled and balanced.

overall, this was a wonderful YA rom-com. i can’t wait to read whatever’s next from sujin witherspoon!

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had very high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it ended up not really working for me. At the start of the book, we're being thrown into the story - River has already broken up with his girlfriend, he's walking out of the SATs, and he's quitting his manager job at his parents' coffeeshop franchise. I felt like I was missing a lot of context as to why River is blowing up his life like that, and I was waiting for his motivations to become clear, but by the end, I can't say I'm exactly sure. This left me kind of lost in the book and I didn't feel super connected to the story, because I didn't understand why River was doing the things he was doing. I also had a little bit of a hard time suspending my disbelief as to why both Café Gong and Bingsu For Two would put high schoolers in charge. I did think the friendships and romance in the book were sweet and often funny, but this book didn't work as well for me as I was hoping it would.

[lily ⊹ ₊ ⁺ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.75/5] ✦
thank you to netgalley for the e-arc!

"even when i despised her guts, i couldn't get her out of my mind. i've always tiled towards her instead of the sun."

this book surprised me (in the best way ofc)!! the main thing that initially drew me to it was the fact that it's written from the boy's perspective, rather than the girl's, something you don't often find in romance / contemporary novels. having the inner monologue of the guy was very refreshing!

"god, she's attractive. i hate her. i can do both. i'm a very multifaceted individual."

ms sujin witherspoon has also achieved the impossible: mentioning pop culture, gen z slang, and social media without it feeling cringe or out of place. i feel like she's probably the first person to achieve this hehe. i also loved the twt / ao3 pages and how realistic they looked - it was like looking at the actual social media page without it being a poorly copied version, in the wrong font might i add, that you usually find in these types of books.

i also don't usually enjoy contemporary / rom-com novels as the stakes aren't very high so they tend to bore me, but this one certainly didn't! i went into it with few expectations but ended up finishing most of it in one day. the story was very gripping but enjoyable, and very immersive. i could really feel river's stress throughout the entire book, especially near the end.

i'm not usually a fan of the grumpy / sunshine dynamic because sometimes, the "grumpy" one comes off as more of a bully than a potential partner that's just a little annoyed at everything. this novel, however, did this trope very well! sarang is "grumpy" but in the funny, sarcastic way and not the "i'm a complete bitch" way! she's charismatic and her and river's character types and personalities bounce off of each other very well.

"'so,' she says cheekily. 'you have a crush on me?'
'my tongue was literally just in your mouth,' i reply.
'aw, you're embarrassed.'"

lastly, the side characters!! i was so surprised to see that this is ms witherspoon's debut novel because everything so far has been near perfect, especially the side characters. they usually get left to the wayside or forgotten about completely once the main character (and possibly love interest) doesn't need them anymore, almost like accessories to the mcs that are easily discarded from the narrative once the author gets bored of them. luckily though, this didn't happen here!! all the side characters are very fleshed out, have their own struggles and, like sarang and river, have their own problems. none of the characters are 100% perfect yet still get good development, like the main characters. i especially loved dario/kai's relationship development and vanna's character.

through river and the other characters, the author is able to deliver a very good critique of society and those who fall through the cracks of it.

lastly, river!! again, with the male mc of a rom-com, something i'd love to see more of! it was still very fun to have a main character who's a fandom-loving otaku. i feel like, especially in contemporary fiction, there isn't a lot of mention of people like river, so it's so fun to have a main character like him + it likely made the social media references so much easier to not cringe at.

"suck it up, pretty boy."
"you think i'm pretty?"

overall, a very interesting and funny novel. it doesn't drag at all, and it's a very enjoyable read! <3

"what? no short joke?"
"nah, it'd be low-hanging fruit. maybe you'd be able to reach it then, though."

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

♥︎ pre-read review
i got the arc!! so excited for this one, i adore rivals-to-lovers and revenge (which i think this has) so i bet i'll love it!

[carthi ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

incoherent review: THIS WAS SOO SWEET AND ADORABLE AND ABSOLUTELY WHIPPED I AM GONE. i read this in like 5 hours?!? ms sujin you have now acquired a forever loyal follower 🫡 i love you!!!! also someone point me to the nearest bingsu, i need to eat my body weight in sugar to make up for all this sweetness full rtc :)

reread: 12/01/25-13/01/25
read: 20/07/24-21/07/24

[Amanda at Bookish Brews]

I've been following Sujin writing this book for what feels like years! I can't tell you how excited I am to see this go up on Goodreads. I'm SO excited for a cute cafe romcom with mixed!! rep!! thank you Sujin for writing, I'm so so proud of you and I can not wait to read!!!

[jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
i loved the first half of the book so so much, it was genuinely so fun seeing them work to save the shop together!! the interactions between all the characters were so funny, and I loved that the author added in those little scripts of their YouTube videos and their interviews 😛 I did start losing a bit of interest in the second half, when things started falling apart and I didn't really feel connected to the romance 😔

[Lance]

I've been following this author for a while on TikTok and to see this book finally with a cover is so surreal! So excited for this!

[skye (cardan’s ver.) ꩜ .ᐟ [hiatus]]

the way EVERY review for this is 5 stars?? AND my insta moots love it? 2025 needs to come sooner fr <3

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars!

Bingsu for Two was so, so cute and funny! I had a great time reading it and was basically like 🤭 for most of the story, except when characters like Cece (River's manipulative ex) were around. And, oh, River. River, River, River. I just wanted to hug him!! His humour was just the type I like, so much so that I didn't particularly mind we didn't get Sarang's POV in this story (I normally like both POVs in a romance). Sarang though, ahhh. I loved her so much too 🥹 And all the side characters, of course – talk about FOUND FAMILY 🥰

I also enjoyed reading the little bits of Korean dotted throughout (mostly in River's umma's dialogue); there was only one longish sentence where I didn't quite get the grammar, but everything else was short and familiar to me! Although the font for the Hangul was unfortunately quite thick and not that pleasant to read. I haven't been feeling like studying recently, but I guess reading this book counted a little. Sort of. 😆

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5/5 stars rounded up**

300 pages of yearning, flirting instead of fighting, and plot for days... what more could you ask for? Highly recommend this one if you're looking for a quick, cute, fun read!

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'We have a problem.'
'I think we have more than one, Sarang,' I say.
'I have several, and you account for half of them.'
'I'm flattered I take up so much of your thoughts.'

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN AND HILARIOUS EEEE. I'm gonna list all the reasons I loved it because that's like my default at this point:
- River is the funniest, most chaotic, GLASSES WEARING, list maker of a protagonist ever and I love him for it
- Honestly, River's self-deprecating humor is so my shit because he's truly chaotic, party of one in his head and that makes him so much more funny re: 'Could I smooth-talk her into giving me the job? God no, I have the charm of an empty clamshell. Just my luck.' 😭😂
- The way he just keeps digging a hole for himself on various occasions, I was so thoroughly entertained LOL. He really is the Kate Daniels of Bingsu for Two when it comes to asking themselves 'why me' ajdkfjs
- 'I can't feel like shit if my one brain cell is focused on something else.' Why is this such a relatable line 😭
- I can't believe how fun it was reading about a legit fanboy?!
- River is chronically online and a bookish nerd so his mind works pretty much like 'The height difference makes me feel flustered for a second, but I push that away.' that I was howling
- HIS LISTS! He's truly the embodiment of when in panic, make (mostly useless) lists
- At one point, he does an AO3 style fan fiction intro thingy that had me absolutely dying
- Also: 'Except this isn’t really an 80K slow burn enemies-to-lovers fic. It's just me—a douchebag—and her—also a douchebag—and our stupid skit that ends after tonight.' LISTENNNN
- He's also very insecure, indecisive and self-doubting and grows through quite a bit of a character development, though that I couldn't help but root for him 🥹
- There's a very serious exploration of a toxic relationship that River has gotten out of just as the book begins but wow, I gotta give it to Cece for being such a smooth manipulator that I could pinpoint exactly why River was having such a hard time shaking her off
- Oh and while I'm here, FUCK CECE
- My chubby neon highlighter hair bi queen, Sarang 😮‍💨
- River was so into her *and* her wardrobe that like, I soo get it re: 'God, she’s unfortunately attractive. I hate her. I can do both; I'm a very multifaceted individual.'
- No, but bro was downbad from the moment he saw her and then they started bickering like it was nobody's business aljfld
- The way he describes Sarang truly had me screaming from 'baby-faced goth girl' to 'angry emo marshmallow,' like let me breathe
- Sarang is such an amazing character even if she is a control freak, support women's wrong and all that TBH
- Her dynamic with Haneul, her sister, is actually the best, I teared up 🥹
- Also shoutout to Jace for doing THE MOST (IYKYK) and for being the best younger brother to River eeee
- CAN I SAY FOUND FUCKING FAMILY?! River really finds a family in Sarang, Kai, Dario, Vanna, Betty and Haneul that ugh, my heart
- All their scenes together are actually so well done, no wonder they went viral
- The queer rep here with Kai/Dario and Vanna/Betty, oh yes, we won
- I loved that the parental dynamics explored here of River's vs Sarang's both are so Asian coded yet quite different from each other
- The amount of K-pop references in this, I was kinda living heh
- Also, do I finally gotta watch Boys Over Flowers now 👀
- Anyway, highly recommend this enemies-to-lovers bickering couple in a coffeeshop of found family

Favorite quotes:
'Why? Why hadn't I allowed myself to teeter in the uncharted territory between yes and no? Black and white? What was so scary about gray?'

'How can such a short person contain so much evil inside them? Maybe it's more concentrated that way.'

'This way, she feels like something out of a dream. I wonder when I started comparing her to dreams instead of nightmares.'

[Aisvarya (Semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5✨

I'm a sucker for the found family trope and this has one of the best ones I've read in a YA romance🥹🫶🏻

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Artist-baker-med student-goth girl, and bane of my existence

We follow River Langston-Lee, who turned his life upside down within the past 24 hours. He broke up with his girlfriend of 4 years, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents' cafe when he encountered a rude customer. He manages to get a job at the Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two where his best friend's also working but little did he know that it's run by the family of the very rude customer (Sarang) he had in his parents' cafe!!

This is more than a rom-com cuz it primarily focuses on the self-discovery of River, and his journey of trying to break the walls that he's built around him for years. River has always tried to live by his parents' wishes and that meant dating the girl who's approved by his family and keeping the facade on even though he doesn't feel the same about her anymore; to studying hard to get into the college that his dad went to, and so on. And when everything comes down within the past few hours, he doesn't know who he is anymore or what he wants to do with his life. And everything changes when he meets Sarang who somehow brings out his true self and who also happens to be the only person who riles him up!! It was a heartwarming journey to have witnessed River's growth from not being able to articulate his real feelings to his parents to standing up for what he really wants, and that really made me feel so proud of him.

On the other hand, we have Sarang Cho who runs the quaint coffee shop called Bingsu for Two along with her elder sister. Even though she comes across as cold and harsh, she's completely the opposite once you get to know her. The way she cares about everyone working in their cafe, and the things she's ready to do for them made me admire her so much. As much as she hates River at the start and doesn't want him to work there, she cares for him too and looks out for him whenever he faces a crisis. And their relationship development was my favorite aspect of the book cuz it was the slowest of the slowburn and I'm always here for it!! They were so adorable together, and their banter hit hard every single time🤭

If I make Bingsu for Two feel like home to her, Sarang makes it a home worth coming back to everyday.

I loved the other characters a lot too - Kai, Dario, Vanna, Betty, Hanuel, they were all amazing! We also got the sweetest queer relationships here, and I was swooning and cheering for them from the start till the end. Also I don't think I've hated a character as much as I did Cece, gosh she's awful and manipulative, and so cheap!!

Also the entire book felt like watching a kdrama from the 2010s and it just felt so good!! So if you're someone like me who loves kdrama and kpop, I highly recommend that you check this one out!!

[crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a cute ya romance!! the coffee shop vibes, the found family, the coming of age story and finding who you are and what you want was everything and more!! enjoyed this one so much!

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh goodness, this was incredibly funny, swoony, and realistic; It was exactly what I was looking for going into this book!

What I liked about the book:
1. I love a great ragtag group of friends/enemies/acquaintances fighting for the same cause, and this book definitely had that. The group of co-workers could not be more different: an indecisive “average” leader, a goth-chick who isn’t easily impressed, a designer and skater, a jock trying to suppress feelings, and an overworked kid just trying to keep her sister out of foster care.

Not only was this group united in trying to save the shop and help the owner who helped all of them at one point or another, but there are so many relationships and representations in this little group that was impossible not to love.

2. I’m a romance reader, of course I love enemies-to-lovers 😉 All of their sarcastic jabs and flirting back and forth made me giggle and feel young again.

3. I loved the different formats that ran throughout this story. From River making decisions in SAT style (completed with the different options, A, B, C, etc), but there were also all the filmed bits that were set up script style with directions and everything. I love when we get different formats in books to break up the typical paragraph style writing!

4. I loved the overall message of not doing things because you think someone else wants you to, or rather, making sure you are doing things for the right reason. This was a key message for River throughout the story who completely lost his cool after years of doing what he thought others wanted him to do but then realizing he wasn’t happy. Through working with the group of misfits at Bingsu For Two, he learned to make decisions for himself and how to get back to happy.

5. Finally, I loved River’s brother Jace. We didn’t see a ton of him, but when he was on page he was often the comedic relief and he really did have River’s back so many times. Such a great brother and I would love to know where he ends up in life later.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss, Union Square & Co., and Sujin Witherspoon for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

[Sue Oshin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bingsu For Two was released today‼️

5/⭐️ read. Very enjoyable 😍🙌🏻

🍧Trope: coffee shops & cafe, youtuber, fake/pretend relationship, enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, slow burn, family bussiness, friendship.

🍧”It was difficult to watch the place I grew up in turn into something that wasn’t my house anymore”- River.

🍧”why not go with what you want? You’re the one who has to live with your choice, after all”-Sarang

River and Cecelia (her ex-gf) were offered the position of co-managers at the cafe owned by his family, Cafe Gong. But, River's heart is not there because his cafe should be used a lot like cafe Bingsu for Two; small and comfortable, and felt personal. But when Cafe Gong started growing until it stopped being successful for his family and became successful for a company, he felt more like an employee than a son. That's why River finds his true self at the Bingsu for Two. He knows his decision is like betraying his parents' efforts by helping their competitors.

Cecelia uses various tricks to get River back, including deliberately breaking up the friendship and family they built together at Bingsu for Two. The conflict begins when River doesn't have the strength to tell his parents that he's been working with their competitors, not going to tuition all this time.

Sarang is the owner of the Bingsu for Two cafe who has been giving River a lot of encouragement until the two of them, who pretend to be a fake couple, finally fall in love.

The ending of this story is very satisfying. Their friendship and family bond is very strong. This is one of my comfort genre about family-friendship. If you want to know what the end of these two competing cafes will be, you must read this book. If you want to know if River dares to be honest with his parents, read this book. My reading journey of Bingsu for Two very enjoyable and Im highly recommend this book to read.

[hannah! (lowkey gone) · Rating 2 out of 5]

UGH EVERYONE WAS SO ANNOYINGGGGGGG

[nihaarika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you need a book that will make you laugh and squeal and kick your pillow in excitement and Bingsu for Two does exactly that. So full of charm and joy, it is truly a delightful read. The book will make you feel a range of emotions - you will laugh out loud, you will get a little teary-eyed and oh you will so want to wrap every single character in a warm hug. Having followed this book from the moment it was announced, I knew it would just climb its way into my heart.

I was obsessed with the writing style and how comforting it felt; this book felt like my warm hug. I also loved how we got glimpses of the actual videos that were being filmed and how they were written in a script format. I absolutely love it when books do that. Also, special shoutout to that one page that was just like an AO3 description of a fic (and the tags?? a-maze-ing!!). Seriously, I adore the writing of this book soooo much *insert a million heart emojis here*

I really enjoyed River's POV, it felt super relatable and lowkey his fandom account was reminding me of my own lowkey fandom account (that is now deleted, thank god). I loved how River thought in fandom terms because, as someone who is in way too deep in too many fandoms, that stuff does bleed through to your real life. I also loved the sense of humor he has - it felt very identical to mine. I honestly would love to be friends with him and bond with him over our love of fandom related stuff. Also his dynamic with Sarang? Just amazing. Give me just another book of them bickering and flirting all the time. In fandom terms, I ship them so hard, right from the beginning. But also I felt how special their dynamic was - how slowly over the course of the story, they opened up to each other and became friends while fake-dating, while their feelings grew.

The dynamic between River and Sarang, and the rest of the characters was wonderful and I enjoyed seeing their shenanigans at the cafe. In my head, the youtube channel is something that I know I would be subscribed to and have the notifications on.

Bingsu for Two was such a fun, delightful and charming read. Can't wait to reread it soon!

Thank you TBR & Beyond Tours for my e-ARC!

[lina ! · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

“Well, if you’re going to be letting people down anyway, why not go with what you want? You’re the one who has to live with your choice, after all.”

One of my anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint! I’m so happy to have gotten the chance to read it early; it’s definitely one of my favourites now!

I’ve never laughed so much while reading a book. I love the hilarious chapter titles! You don’t see chapter titles in a lot of newer books now a days, and the ones in this never fails to make me laugh.

River is such a relatable character— he also reads fanfiction (my guilty pleasure).

Me every morning when I have to wake up for school but all I want to do is read (or like River, go on AO3 depending on what mood I’m in):

“Bingsu For Two is closed today, but I still have to drag my feet out of bed at ten in the morning and head over instead of reading through my saved fics on Archive of Our Own like I want.”

The multiple AO3 references makes me so happy. At one point, River makes a remark saying how he and Sarang’s fake relationship “reads like a bad fanfic on Archive of Our Own” and the multi media piece that followed showing what the fanfic would look like if it was on AO3 made my day. The iconic AO3 tags but tailored to Bingsu For Two were everything: Sarang Cho is Bad at Feelings, River Langston-Lee Deserves a Break, no beta we die like men

“Remember that fan fiction I was telling you about? The one that hasn’t updated in five years because the author’s beta reader went to jail? Well, they’re out, and she posted a note saying the next chapter is coming soon.”

The fanfiction authors’ notes making an appearance near the beginning caught me off guard, I started laughing. I think we all just collectively agree that fanfiction authors have the craziest author notes ever.

And when River utilizes his knowledge of fanfiction for real life situations:

“In fanfiction, when a couple is fake-dating, it’s a common trope for them to practice kissing so that their chemistry is more believable.”

River and Sarang meeting for the first time was the most chaotic first meeting I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Imagine seeing who you think is the most prettiest girl you’ve ever seen, only to get coffee dumped on your head by the very person. I know that must’ve been an unpleasant experience for River but I straight up laughed (Sorry not sorry, River 😭). Their slowburn relationship was so cute!

I love the fact that River resorts to flirting with Sarang and trying to change the subject through that when put into uncomfortable situations by her.

This was such an emotional roller coster. I came here expecting a silly little rom com and I actually teared up when stuff happens.

River’s character development was immaculate; the author really did an amazing job of portraying River’s flawed character.

I love the found family, and how the important side characters weren’t completely flat or ignored, they have their own storyline going on as well. Even if they weren’t explicitly mentioned, it was still there; We got a glimpse of the ongoing conflict between Kai and Dario, Vanna’s backstory mention in passing, Haneul and Sarang trying to make an important decision about the store, and the crumbs of Vanna and Isabette’s blooming romance.

While I did enjoy this book (and it’s now one of my favourites), there are a few I don’t want to say negative because my upcoming points aren’t really negative by my standards points I want to make:

For a MFC, I expected Sarang’s character to be more in depth and have her backstory explained in more explicit details. She actually reads more like a side character in my opinion, which is understandable because this book isn’t in duel POV; it’s all told in River’s POV, so we never got a chance to be in Sarang’s head.

River’s younger brother, Jace, really stood out to me, and I wished he was more present. I love the relationship the two brothers have; the typical ‘I will bribe you and you help me do this’ sibling dynamic was gold, you can really see how much Jace genuinely cares about River by how much he helps him even when he wasn’t being bribed.

[So there was this scene, and stuff happens where, according to River, it was important that his parents don’t watch the news that morning, and I died when Jace threw the remote at the TV in panic.]

Other than those two minor things, I thought everything wrapped up pretty nicely.

Overall, Sujin Witherspoon served with her debut! My favourite part was definitely the comedic aspect, it was done so well (reads like a crack fic on AO3 🤭). I can’t wait to read more of her future works!

--
5 STARS 😭💗 This was such an emotional roller coaster — I laughed and I cried (the former more than the latter), and I loved every second of it! River was such a relatable character; The found family in this was 🥺❤️

A full review to come on release day!

🍧 Thank you to Sujin Witherspoon for letting me be apart of your street time and for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!