Two Women Living Together

by Kim Hana, Hwang Sunwoo, Gene Png (Translator)

The big-hearted, bestselling South Korean memoir co-written by two best friends flouting gender norms and societal expectations with their decision to grow old together under one roof.

When most of their peers were moving in with romantic partners and having children, Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo chose independence—savoring solitude, quiet mornings, and the unmitigated freedom of living alone. But in their forties, something shifted, and they were met with a new, unexpected loneliness. Refusing to settle for the outdated choice between marriage or isolation, Hana and Sunwoo made a radical decision: to buy a home and live together—not as lovers, not as roommates, but as chosen family.

Now a bustling household of two women and four cats, Hana and Sunwoo still value solitude, but can do so while sharing a life and its meaning with someone else. Together they navigate the challenges and comforts of cohabiting in midlife, the growing pains of interdependence and the unexpected rewards of compromise when you’ve grown set in your ways. From sick days to career wins to aging parents and beach-side retirement plans, they are redefining domestic bliss on their own terms, where love, partnership, and home are defined not by tradition, but by choice.

With warmth, wit, and sharp social insight, Hana and Sunwoo share their blueprint for building a life outside the scripts of marriage and society’s expectations for women. Two Women Living Together is a quiet revolution—a celebration of female friendship, community, and the many forms that love and family can take.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Feminism, Contemporary, Friendship, Audiobook, Cats

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 22, 2019

Reviews

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

the ideal situation

(thanks to the publisher for the alc)
(review to come)

[enzoreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

hyper beau mémoire sur l’amitié, les attentes de la société et la colocation

[Lavelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

a realistic and inspiring look at what life/companionship/etc can look like outside of typical marriage/romantic conventions. I want to be these women and I absolutely loved this book

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo are two South Korean female friends who, in their early 40s, chose for financial and companionship reasons to consolidate their households and begin cohabitating long-term in a large apartment they bought together, with the intent of this arrangement lasting indefinitely. I listened to the audiobook narration of the 2026 English translation of their co-written book Two Women Living Together, first published in South Korea in 2019.

The book consists of a series of essays written separately that discuss why they chose and designed this living arrangement, how they've navigated conflicts and challenging situations, and their future plans. The essays vary from humorous to poignant to mundane, similar to how other cohabitants would probably describe the experience of moving in together and attempting to merge lives.

I did find this concept and situation quite interesting, being mindful that there are sociocultural issues at play that I don't fully understand as an American. For instance, Kim and Hwang talk about the lack of legal recognition of their 'chosen family'-type arrangement in South Korea, where in many social scenarios they have supported each other in a similar fashion as one might support an immediate family member or significant other. Though Kim and Hwang don't identify as gay and don't characterize their relationship as anything other than platonic friendship in the book, from a practical and pragmatic standpoint a lot of those legal protections could be conferred via a civil union, except that as of 2026 same-sex civil unions are still not recognized in South Korea.

Further reading:
Bad Friend: How Women Revolutionized Modern Friendship by Tiffany Watt Smith - if I recall correctly, Hwang and Kim may have been discussed here as well
Single at Heart: The Power, Freedom, and Heart-Filling Joy of Single Life by Bella DiPaolo

My statistics:
Book 27 for 2026
Book 2333 cumulatively

[Madhukari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that inspire, entertain, and help us envision new ways of perceiving the world and living in it.

[Allana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded firmly up

"A person shouldn't pride themselves on the number of square feet in their house or the brand of car they drive, but on their friends. Not on how accomplished or how powerful their friends are. But how well they can cook, how well they can eat, how soundly they sleep, how well they sing, how honest they can be, how many drinks you've had together, and how many silly memories - those are the things you can truly be proud of."

Not quite the Korean Golden Girls I was looking for, but pretty close.
I loved reading about this friendship.

[Kamila Kunda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I badly needed to read, without even realising it. “Two Women Living Together” by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo is the memoir about the beauty, joys, struggles, dreams and pain of two female friends in their late 40s, who over eight years ago decided to get a mortgage (which they paid off in two years) and buy an apartment together in Seoul, and who became W2C4: two women and four cats.

“Sunwoo’s boss said this about married life: living together with someone is communal living. The best partner isn’t someone whose lifestyle matches yours, but someone who is willing to put in the effort to create a lifestyle with you. With the latter, any conflict can be resolved.”

Hana and Sunwoo, in alternating chapters, talk about the life they built, even though it hasn’t been easy. Both women have different personalities, different habits, some different hobbies, fears and reactions to events. And yet, with a lot of effort and enormous respect they created a home of which they write: “What a warm and friendly place we live in.” And this extends to the apartment building, in which some of their friends also live, and the neighbourhood. There are neighbours and friends with whom they play table tennis, celebrate successes in neighbourhood cosy cafés, who they can rely on when it comes to looking after their cats when they travel.

I was moved to tears many times reading about these amazing and strong women overcoming big and small challenges and dealing with negative emotions, learning new things, discovering new activities and new qualities of their cohabitant. There is so much passion and joy of living a simple life on the pages of this book that I thought my heart would burst. I don’t think I had ever read about a friendship between women more beautiful than this one and a book that would be more life-affirming than “Two Women Living Together”.

“A happy life isn’t achieved by preparing for and avoiding pain, loss an agony. Without those, perhaps life wouldn’t be life at all”.

This is such a wise book that reached me to support me in the time of my life when I need it most. Thank you @kimtolkong and @bestrongnow for giving me inspiration and strength 🙏🏻

[jenny✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

there's something so special about a book that makes you feel seen and affirmed ("we have been in your shoes and we understand") while also showing new ways to be ("here is one path forward; we lived it, and you can too"). this is a book that did both for me, and i see my future in it <3

[Jody Masch · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I understood the premise & I was intrigued. A middle-aged woman wants to own property, but she’s single, & feels she can’t afford to own the kind of apartment she’d like by herself. So she befriends someone, convinces her that they should purchase an apartment together, & then they do. The remainder of the book is mostly about how they choose to decorate & divvy up responsibilities in the apartment, as well as little hurdles they go through along the way. How they mesh with each others’ families, though they’re only cohabitants, not romantic partners.

Somewhere along the way, this book loses its magic. There’s nothing really novel about the cohabitation. Maybe in the joint property ownership, but having roommates is nothing new in today’s world. The end seemed to get lost in highlighting their many side gigs in podcasting & writing other nonfiction. It seems that these 2 women really did strike it rich talking about their joint property ownership in South Korea. They’re also interested in changing legislation so that they can legally support one another though they are not married.

It got a bit dull, This book is quite short, yet about halfway through I was dying to just make it to the end already. I do wonder if this book might have gotten lost in translation.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, unique memoir by two South Korean women about their choice to platonically cohabitate More practical (and cat focused!) than philosophical, but still a good time.

[Tala&#x1f988; (mrs.skywalker.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love you

[ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In a world where nothing is absolutely good or bad, we want to focus our finite energy on talking about, remembering, and documenting the good things that deserve more attention.”

[Sam Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps more accurately, “Two Women Take Out a Mortgage to Buy Their House.” Hana and Sunwoo first connect online, and becoming close friends, they decide to purchase a house in Seoul together, bringing their similarities, differences, and two cats per human (Haku, Tigger, Goro, and Youngbae). In their shared memoir, the two women take turns covering topics such as their jobs, cooking preferences, nuclear family, cleaning habits, work out rhythms, and views on marriage and familial duty. Told without linear progression, their essays on cohabitation provide anecdotes and outline tips for happier living arrangements, push against traditional configurations on one’s home, and point out their experiences on how the world treats unmarried women. Their cheerful tone exemplifies a way for single income households to diversify family structures, showcasing the benefits (and work) of cohabitation. I hoped the book would address my questions about dividing the property should Hana and Sunwoo decide to do so in the future.

Two Women Living Together immediately reminded me of the common practice, at least in my experience, of creating a home with your homies, viably extending the uni-is-one-big-sleepover phase into adulthood proper. The difference would be co-owning a house with a bestie in one’s 40s as opposed to sharing a lease (and not in one’s 40s). It stressed me out that the two women live differently—experience has led me to cohabitate with people I enjoy who live similarly. Hana and Sunwoo’s growth in their friendship made the read more intriguing.

I rate Two Women Living Together 3.5 stars.

My thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
If I had my life to do over and I wasn't happily married, I'd consider the lifestyle of these two women. They're breaking the mold on cultural and societal norms and it's refreshing to read.
I can't imagine the courage it takes to go into a situation like these two have but I'm so happy it's working out for them. Their alternating stories are funny.

[Jozi Dever · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute but slightly different than I expected. It dove a little more into their personal life stories and I thought it would mostly discuss the perspectives and emotions regarding their unique living dynamic. However, they did reflect on it some and it was nice to hear some perspectives that align with thoughts I’ve had as someone who lives alone in my mid-twenties. I liked how real they were about challenges yet are such positive and optimistic people. I feel like it allowed me to reflect on myself, my habits, and partnership overall. 3.5⭐️

[marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful essay collection written by two women living together as roommates. I went in with no expectations and was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo dive into how their nontraditional family came to be, as well as the joys and pains of living together when you both like doing things very differently. They're adamant that it's not always sunshine and rainbows, that it takes a lot of compromises, yet it's well worth the trouble as this current arrangement is far more fulfilling than living on their own. I'm a big fan of reading about women going against the grain and pursuing what's right for them instead and this is no exception. Each essay is short and takes no time to read at all. While I was reading this collection, I was looking forward to picking it up every night. One of my favorite books read this year.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon]

Audiobook DNFed @ 7%. After a few chapters, I could discern no difference between the narrative voices of the two women.

[Cheer is Currently Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

TWO WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER
RATING: 4.5
GENRE: Memoir, Nonfiction

This short, but poignant memoir redefines what family is. Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo, as two single 40-something women, choose to live together after many years of living ‘alone’. As they combine their households in order to have companionship, they struggle with the changes of now having a cohabitant sharing the same space.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as someone who lives alone and understands the idea that companionship does not necessarily have to equate to a romantic relationship. It is who we choose as our family and who we want to spend time with. While Hana and Sunwoo were friends before they decided on their current living arrangements, once the change occurs, they find out more about each other now that they live together. There’s many challenges as one is an organized and clean person, while the other is a ‘hoarder’. Yet, despite everything, they are there for each other in ways similar to a spouse, but without all the familial expectations.

This was such a sweet story of how these two women strive to break societal norms.I highly encourage everyone to read this memoir as both Hana and Sunwoo alternate and share their own experiences of cohabitation with a friend and what community and family is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for a chance to read this book and check it on pub date 1/20/26! I can’t wait to pick up my own physical copy.

[新新 Xin-Xin · Rating 5 out of 5]

真的好好看喔～覺得有獨居過的人會很有感＋三十幾歲以上女子更能體會。

[Danis Miller-Bucholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting memoir cowritten by two South Korean women who decided to buy a home together as friends or "found family." In their early 40s, Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo were close friends but realized that, as single individuals, they could not afford a larger home each on their own. As professional, independent women with a great network of friends, they realized they didn't have to be married or feel isolated or lonely as they grew older. Even though they are opposites in many ways, they chose to purchase a home together and now, approximately 8 years later, they have redefined what it means to share a life with someone in an unconventional way. I love that the chapters in the book alternate from each of their perspectives. I also like that they talk about how they are so different but yet show up for each other in a way that sometimes family or spouses do not. They are so honest and funny; they tell lots of stories about what works and what doesn't work for them in terms of sharing a home and, ultimately, sharing their lives with each other. I've been hearing more about two (or more) friends who live in expensive cities all over the world choosing to buy a home together and cohabitate, and I think it's great. We live in a time when, despite the fact that we have technology to keep us connected, many people frequently feel disconnected with others and somewhat lonely. These women illustrate what it means to create a rich, interesting, fulfilled life, and they write about this with such candor and joy that this book is a pleasure to read.

[Bigabeille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une lecture très chouette et rafraîchissante sur 2 femmes qui décident d’acheter un appartement ensemble car elles ne souhaitent pas se marier ou vivre seule. C’est vraiment beau et drôle, évidemment tout n’est pas rose et ça montre que mes quand on se correspond bien, vivre avec un.e autre est toujours une question d’adaptation mais c’est chouette

[Jada Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredibly heartwarming. I very much enjoyed hearing the big things as well as the day to day details of becoming found family. Having perspectives from both Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo was one of my favourite aspects. Two Women Living Together was such a warm and lovely read.

I was given an arc from Ecco Books.

[Kate Belt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two friends decide to buy a house together. Unlike in the U.S., this is unusual in Korea. Some stories about how they negotiated sharing a home were interesting, but I did not find the women relatable. They’re in a different place in life and have a much different and more expensive lifestyle with careers in media. I first heard of the book on the Book Riot podcast.

[Janina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this! Easy to read, two women in their forties as platonic life companions and their cats.

[kclreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not usually one to go for non-fiction but this new way of living intrigued me and I enjoyed the book a lot. Love the comparison it drew between married couple responsibilities and friendships - the pressure of being someone’s daughter-in-law. Really hoping this modern kind of living will be more recognisable in society. Rooting for the Life Partnership Act 🤞🏼

[Marci Peace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the early part of this book and the model of cohabitation that will increase as the younger generations face increased housing costs and fewer prospects from the pool of younger bro-verse men. The second half of the book was a slog of mundane household activities. This could have easily been a long form article.

[Marj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing revolutionary here, and the writing is fairly ordinary. But I’ll always root for women who refuse to live up to expectations and still live their best lives—with their cats.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book to hear about a different living dynamic that more and more women are likely to encounter as more women choose to stay single.

It started ok-ish. But it never became what I was wanting. Each chapter just felt like a separate blog post or podcast that didn’t really link to the next chapter. It was like individual scattered thoughts or observations. It became uninteresting and difficult to finish unfortunately.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay. it felt like a friend telling everything from the start but make it lowkey flat and boring bc you know those already. so many good lines tho

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable true life story about two women who choose to live and make their lives together, unromantically.

I live this life. I've lived with my best friend and our cats for the last 19 years. I wouldn't change a single thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.