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Unexpectedly Yours
Unexpectedly Yours
By JP Brome
Publishing Sharks Book Publishers
One text. One lie. One boy she never meant to fall for.
When Riley Carter arrives at Wharton, all she wants is to keep her head down and build a future on her own terms. But a single favor turns into a tangled deception when she starts texting a boy—under someone else’s name.
What begins as curiosity becomes connection.
What starts as fiction sparks something real.
And when the boy on the other end of the line—Yu Joon, heir to one of South Korea’s most powerful families—shows up in Philadelphia, everything explodes.
Caught between the lie she told and the truth she’s dying to share, Riley is thrust into a storm of secrets, betrayal, and a love that never should have happened. As family pressure, public scandal, and a fake engagement threaten to destroy everything, Riley must decide what she's willing to fight for—her future, her identity, or the boy who never knew her name.
Set between the elite halls of Wharton and the high-stakes world of Korean legacy, Unexpectedly Yours is a firefly-bright, slow-burn romance about found family, fierce love, and choosing who you want to be—even when the world says otherwise.
By JP Brome
Publishing Sharks Book Publishers
One text. One lie. One boy she never meant to fall for.
When Riley Carter arrives at Wharton, all she wants is to keep her head down and build a future on her own terms. But a single favor turns into a tangled deception when she starts texting a boy—under someone else’s name.
What begins as curiosity becomes connection.
What starts as fiction sparks something real.
And when the boy on the other end of the line—Yu Joon, heir to one of South Korea’s most powerful families—shows up in Philadelphia, everything explodes.
Caught between the lie she told and the truth she’s dying to share, Riley is thrust into a storm of secrets, betrayal, and a love that never should have happened. As family pressure, public scandal, and a fake engagement threaten to destroy everything, Riley must decide what she's willing to fight for—her future, her identity, or the boy who never knew her name.
Set between the elite halls of Wharton and the high-stakes world of Korean legacy, Unexpectedly Yours is a firefly-bright, slow-burn romance about found family, fierce love, and choosing who you want to be—even when the world says otherwise.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2025
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 3, 2026
Tropes: Coming of age, Campus Life, Secret/Mistaken Identity, Multicultural, Subterfuge, Clean
Unexpectedly Yours by JP Brome is a lovely and beautifully written book that tackles issues of identity, young love, false friends and navigating the complexities of life while striving to excel. When Riley Carter arrives at the campus of Wharton, she has a plan to succeed and stay focused. However, she was not anticipating that helping her new roommate by texting the roommate’s boyfriend would highjack her life. Riley is an interesting and endearing character while Yu Joon is authentically nice while facing the lofty expectations of his wealthy family. Will Yu recognize that the tenor and tone of his recent messages do not match his prior conversations with his girlfriend? What will happen if/when he does?
Conclusion:
This book appears to be Author JP Brome’s first contemporary romance story, and it is told with verve and emotional richness. When Riley agreed to text Yu as a favor to her roommate, she did it as a courtesy and as an act of kindness. Unfortunately, we know that you just can’t be NICE to some people. I loved how Yu’s heart was able to recognize the different nuances of the messages he received. As the story unfolds our characters have several seemingly insurmountable challenges to overcome both culturally, based on the devious plots of others as well the distance between them. Final words, I enjoyed the hidden identity aspect of this story and the tension as we waited for the reveal was overwhelming. Yu and Riley faced daunting obstacles in their romance that perhaps a lesser couple would have allowed them to derail their relationship. The story had multiple narrators, and I loved the multiple epilogs that gave us insight into the endgames of all players, the good, the bad and the ugly 😊.
Favorite Lines:
The Carters weren’t huggers. They weren’t criers. They were achievers.
They left with quick hugs and curt nods— the Carter version of a tearful goodbye.
“To Yu Joon. Arranged, technically. Families are intense.”
She was that freshman. The one who always had her hand up with a question the TAs hadn’t thought of yet.
Riley exhaled. “Do you think it’s possible to lose yourself in something that isn’t even real?”
Because with Yu, she didn’t have to be perfect. She just had to be present.
A chaebol. A dynasty with hands in real estate, finance, tech, entertainment.
The kind of vulnerable, steady presence he could never reconcile with the cold, curated girl he remembered from their childhood.
Because she had trusted Duri once. And look where that had gotten them.
And somehow, that silence hurt more than the headlines. More than the rumors.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to be everything. And I became nothing.”
“You look at him like he hung the stars,” Marcus said. “You never noticed how I tried to catch you when you started falling.”
“I didn’t want better,” she whispered. “I wanted you.”
She wasn’t just surviving. She was making herself undeniable.
https://theretiredreader.com/f/unexpe...
Unexpectedly Yours by JP Brome is a lovely and beautifully written book that tackles issues of identity, young love, false friends and navigating the complexities of life while striving to excel. When Riley Carter arrives at the campus of Wharton, she has a plan to succeed and stay focused. However, she was not anticipating that helping her new roommate by texting the roommate’s boyfriend would highjack her life. Riley is an interesting and endearing character while Yu Joon is authentically nice while facing the lofty expectations of his wealthy family. Will Yu recognize that the tenor and tone of his recent messages do not match his prior conversations with his girlfriend? What will happen if/when he does?
Conclusion:
This book appears to be Author JP Brome’s first contemporary romance story, and it is told with verve and emotional richness. When Riley agreed to text Yu as a favor to her roommate, she did it as a courtesy and as an act of kindness. Unfortunately, we know that you just can’t be NICE to some people. I loved how Yu’s heart was able to recognize the different nuances of the messages he received. As the story unfolds our characters have several seemingly insurmountable challenges to overcome both culturally, based on the devious plots of others as well the distance between them. Final words, I enjoyed the hidden identity aspect of this story and the tension as we waited for the reveal was overwhelming. Yu and Riley faced daunting obstacles in their romance that perhaps a lesser couple would have allowed them to derail their relationship. The story had multiple narrators, and I loved the multiple epilogs that gave us insight into the endgames of all players, the good, the bad and the ugly 😊.
Favorite Lines:
The Carters weren’t huggers. They weren’t criers. They were achievers.
They left with quick hugs and curt nods— the Carter version of a tearful goodbye.
“To Yu Joon. Arranged, technically. Families are intense.”
She was that freshman. The one who always had her hand up with a question the TAs hadn’t thought of yet.
Riley exhaled. “Do you think it’s possible to lose yourself in something that isn’t even real?”
Because with Yu, she didn’t have to be perfect. She just had to be present.
A chaebol. A dynasty with hands in real estate, finance, tech, entertainment.
The kind of vulnerable, steady presence he could never reconcile with the cold, curated girl he remembered from their childhood.
Because she had trusted Duri once. And look where that had gotten them.
And somehow, that silence hurt more than the headlines. More than the rumors.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to be everything. And I became nothing.”
“You look at him like he hung the stars,” Marcus said. “You never noticed how I tried to catch you when you started falling.”
“I didn’t want better,” she whispered. “I wanted you.”
She wasn’t just surviving. She was making herself undeniable.
https://theretiredreader.com/f/unexpe...
February 7, 2026
This modern version of Cyrano de Bergerac has two cultural levels—ethnic and social.
Two powerful Korean families try to form an alliance through the marriage of their offspring - but their son has found love. His way of fighting for this love is strange, silent but strangely effective.
Two powerful Korean families try to form an alliance through the marriage of their offspring - but their son has found love. His way of fighting for this love is strange, silent but strangely effective.
January 25, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookbuzz.net and JP Brome for sharing this ARC with me, in exchange for my honest review.
Unexpectedly Yours is eloquently written. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The character development and world building is phenomenal. JP Brome made everything so relatable and realistic. This book is for old and young alike. I can't wait to read more from JP Brome.
I wholeheartedly recommend that y'all get y'alls hands on this book. Y'all can trust me on this one.
Unexpectedly Yours is eloquently written. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The character development and world building is phenomenal. JP Brome made everything so relatable and realistic. This book is for old and young alike. I can't wait to read more from JP Brome.
I wholeheartedly recommend that y'all get y'alls hands on this book. Y'all can trust me on this one.
January 26, 2026
First, thank you so much to NetGalley and JP Brome for the eARC! I really loved the concept behind Unexpectedly Yours. When I first saw the cover, my immediate reaction was “POCs—we love to see it,” and the description sounded genuinely promising.
Here’s where it gets tough: I just didn’t believe the FMC, Riley. She didn’t feel realistic to me. Dressing business casual for class as a first-year student? Already (in my best Lizzo voice) “100% that b—” just eight weeks into college? It pulled me out of the story.
That said, the exchanges between Riley and Yu were genuinely cute, and I enjoyed their dynamic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully get on board with the FMC, and that made it hard for me to connect with the story as a whole.
Here’s where it gets tough: I just didn’t believe the FMC, Riley. She didn’t feel realistic to me. Dressing business casual for class as a first-year student? Already (in my best Lizzo voice) “100% that b—” just eight weeks into college? It pulled me out of the story.
That said, the exchanges between Riley and Yu were genuinely cute, and I enjoyed their dynamic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully get on board with the FMC, and that made it hard for me to connect with the story as a whole.
June 14, 2025
Unexpectedly Amazing
I’m completely wowed by this story. It is beautifully written. I’m amazed that this story is both young and mature, modern and classic. It was a joy to read and I loved every minute of it. I’m looking forward to reading many more books by this author.
I’m completely wowed by this story. It is beautifully written. I’m amazed that this story is both young and mature, modern and classic. It was a joy to read and I loved every minute of it. I’m looking forward to reading many more books by this author.
March 22, 2026
I was expecting a cute 'Korean Chaebol x Ambitious Black Tech Student' college romance. Instead I got a fast-paced novella full of plot, poetic prose, and a lot of emotional depth.
I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this (yet forgot to transfer it to my Kindle before it expired 😭).
At first I was thinking it would turn out to be too fast paced, but I was very wrong. I still felt myself emotionally invested in the romance, and the plot pace sucked me in. Reading this 100% felt like watching a fast paced Kdrama. It had to be fast paced, since so much happened in a small amount of pages!
I had to pause reading a few times because I was getting worked up emotionally, but thankfully with the speed of the plot I didn't have to be worked up for long before seeing the resolution 😂
There was actually a lot of emotional depth and meaning to this story, from all the characters. Kind of like in Japanese/Korean Healing Fiction, where each character/scene has its own lessons and meanings. There were many lines I wanted to highlight, and would have if I had transferred it to my Kindle 🤦♀️
My only regret is not transferring this to my kindle before it expired
(Also liked the natural and realistic demonstration of harmful uses of AI that was featured in the story)
If you're looking for something:
Fast paced
Poetic
Deep
Reads like a Kdrama
Then you'll likely enjoy this.
I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this (yet forgot to transfer it to my Kindle before it expired 😭).
At first I was thinking it would turn out to be too fast paced, but I was very wrong. I still felt myself emotionally invested in the romance, and the plot pace sucked me in. Reading this 100% felt like watching a fast paced Kdrama. It had to be fast paced, since so much happened in a small amount of pages!
I had to pause reading a few times because I was getting worked up emotionally, but thankfully with the speed of the plot I didn't have to be worked up for long before seeing the resolution 😂
There was actually a lot of emotional depth and meaning to this story, from all the characters. Kind of like in Japanese/Korean Healing Fiction, where each character/scene has its own lessons and meanings. There were many lines I wanted to highlight, and would have if I had transferred it to my Kindle 🤦♀️
My only regret is not transferring this to my kindle before it expired
(Also liked the natural and realistic demonstration of harmful uses of AI that was featured in the story)
If you're looking for something:
Fast paced
Poetic
Deep
Reads like a Kdrama
Then you'll likely enjoy this.
Read
March 13, 2026After reading Katherine Webb's "Park Brothers" series, which is a series of interconnected standalones about five Korean brothers and their curvy love interests, I immediately needed more and the premise of this book and the cover immediately drew me in.
However, the writing was too poetic for my tastes, with the characters saying things like, "You sound like fire waiting to be found.". uhhhhh...huh? I also really wanted to like the budding romance between Riley and Yu, but they would conversate about things like if cereal was considered soup or not. I wasn't convinced of this deep connection between them. I think the premise could also use some tightening up as far as details. Yu believes he is texting Duri, who he's known his entire life. However, Duri asks Riley to text Yu and pretend to be her to appease her parents, who are ready for her and Yu to get married. How did Yu not know it wasn't Duri texting him if he's known her his entire life? Wouldn't he have noticed the tone change? Additionally, he and Riley only communicate via text. Did he never consider calling Duri? Or Face Timing her since they were doing long distance? That part of the plot I found hard to believe. Lastly, Riley is in college and yet the time she spends there flies by with very little detail other than the mention of random finance terms like "capital redistribution". I'd have liked to see her interacting with people more so I could see who she was.
Aside from the plot, the way this book was formatted on my kindle gave me a bit of a headache. The text of the book is light grey, and it is shadowed by a darker gray background. I tried to change it, but it was there to stay. Didn't affect the story, but it was just mildly annoying, as was the giant bee every other page. There were also a couple of parts that repeated themselves, and a part where Riley's teacher seemingly refers to her by the wrong name, but I assume since this is an ARC that those issues were corrected pre publication (I hope).
All of these things ultimately led to me DNFing this book, but I think if you're a fan of a more poetic prose, you'd enjoy this. There is also the element of interracial dating as Yu is Korean, and Riley is black. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
However, the writing was too poetic for my tastes, with the characters saying things like, "You sound like fire waiting to be found.". uhhhhh...huh? I also really wanted to like the budding romance between Riley and Yu, but they would conversate about things like if cereal was considered soup or not. I wasn't convinced of this deep connection between them. I think the premise could also use some tightening up as far as details. Yu believes he is texting Duri, who he's known his entire life. However, Duri asks Riley to text Yu and pretend to be her to appease her parents, who are ready for her and Yu to get married. How did Yu not know it wasn't Duri texting him if he's known her his entire life? Wouldn't he have noticed the tone change? Additionally, he and Riley only communicate via text. Did he never consider calling Duri? Or Face Timing her since they were doing long distance? That part of the plot I found hard to believe. Lastly, Riley is in college and yet the time she spends there flies by with very little detail other than the mention of random finance terms like "capital redistribution". I'd have liked to see her interacting with people more so I could see who she was.
Aside from the plot, the way this book was formatted on my kindle gave me a bit of a headache. The text of the book is light grey, and it is shadowed by a darker gray background. I tried to change it, but it was there to stay. Didn't affect the story, but it was just mildly annoying, as was the giant bee every other page. There were also a couple of parts that repeated themselves, and a part where Riley's teacher seemingly refers to her by the wrong name, but I assume since this is an ARC that those issues were corrected pre publication (I hope).
All of these things ultimately led to me DNFing this book, but I think if you're a fan of a more poetic prose, you'd enjoy this. There is also the element of interracial dating as Yu is Korean, and Riley is black. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
January 28, 2026
I started this thinking cute college romance and ended up emotionally wrecked in the best way.
I devoured this book. The secret identity texting drama had me stressed, smiling, and yelling at Riley all at the same time. The chemistry built through messages was intense, and I could feel every bit of her panic and heart pull as things got deeper. This is the kind of story where one text can change everything, and I was glued to every moment wondering when the truth would explode. If you love emotional tension, secret feelings, and that slow burn connection that sneaks up on you, read this immediately. 💔📱✨
I devoured this book. The secret identity texting drama had me stressed, smiling, and yelling at Riley all at the same time. The chemistry built through messages was intense, and I could feel every bit of her panic and heart pull as things got deeper. This is the kind of story where one text can change everything, and I was glued to every moment wondering when the truth would explode. If you love emotional tension, secret feelings, and that slow burn connection that sneaks up on you, read this immediately. 💔📱✨
January 29, 2026
Unexpectedly Yours completely pulled me in. Riley is such a relatable character, trying to succeed in college while secretly carrying a lie that slowly turns into a real emotional connection she never planned for. The texting relationship felt so natural and intimate, and I loved how the story showed the tension between who we pretend to be and who we really are. I honestly enjoyed reading every conversation because it felt raw and real, and the emotional buildup kept me hooked the whole time.
January 30, 2026
College hearts are never simple.
Unexpectedly Yours is a swoony, messy, emotional college romance where one small lie spirals into a connection so real it hurts.
Unexpectedly Yours is a swoony, messy, emotional college romance where one small lie spirals into a connection so real it hurts.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews