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Teddy Bears Never Die
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26The horrormance genre mash-up you've been waiting for - from the award-winning Korean author Cho Yeeun comes a new novel where a young girl and a teddy bear team up to enact revenge!
Yamu, pop. 200,000 - A coastal town that has seen better days. A massive redevelopment plan is in place, including that for a luxury apartment complex dubbed Sea View Park. One day, a delivery of rice cakes is made to the building supposedly from one of the new neighbours. The rice cakes are laced with cyanide, however, resulting in a lethal mass poisoning.
Hwa-young's mother, who works as a live-in housekeeper at Sea View Park, is one of the victims. Hwa-young, turned out on the streets, lives in a flophouse for runaways at the mercy of landlord Young-jin, who regularly extorts money from her. Hwa-young refuses to believe that her mother, who never touched rice cakes in her life, died from eating them, and suspects foul play. Swearing to find the true culprit and avenge her mother's death, Hwa-young is determined to save 20 million won in order to place a hit on the suspect, and does whatever work she can find.
One day, Hwa-young is bullied into playing bait for one of Young-jin's scams. Left in a motel room alone with the mark, she is alarmed when he begins to unpack one lethal weapon after another. She signals Young-jin for help, but when no one comes she realizes that she has been tricked, and that Young-jin has sold her to the would-be murderer. Just when the man is about to attack Hwa-young, he collapses in pain, bleeding. Hwa-young is about to escape when a teddy bear speaks to her. It's a grubby Happy Smile Bear doll.
And thus begins the extraordinary journey as a Happy Smile Bear, possessed by the spirits of a murdered young boy, and Hwa-yeong, an orphaned young girl, join forces enact vengeance and bring the true culprit to justice.
Yamu, pop. 200,000 - A coastal town that has seen better days. A massive redevelopment plan is in place, including that for a luxury apartment complex dubbed Sea View Park. One day, a delivery of rice cakes is made to the building supposedly from one of the new neighbours. The rice cakes are laced with cyanide, however, resulting in a lethal mass poisoning.
Hwa-young's mother, who works as a live-in housekeeper at Sea View Park, is one of the victims. Hwa-young, turned out on the streets, lives in a flophouse for runaways at the mercy of landlord Young-jin, who regularly extorts money from her. Hwa-young refuses to believe that her mother, who never touched rice cakes in her life, died from eating them, and suspects foul play. Swearing to find the true culprit and avenge her mother's death, Hwa-young is determined to save 20 million won in order to place a hit on the suspect, and does whatever work she can find.
One day, Hwa-young is bullied into playing bait for one of Young-jin's scams. Left in a motel room alone with the mark, she is alarmed when he begins to unpack one lethal weapon after another. She signals Young-jin for help, but when no one comes she realizes that she has been tricked, and that Young-jin has sold her to the would-be murderer. Just when the man is about to attack Hwa-young, he collapses in pain, bleeding. Hwa-young is about to escape when a teddy bear speaks to her. It's a grubby Happy Smile Bear doll.
And thus begins the extraordinary journey as a Happy Smile Bear, possessed by the spirits of a murdered young boy, and Hwa-yeong, an orphaned young girl, join forces enact vengeance and bring the true culprit to justice.
280 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 21, 2026
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577 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Trigger warnings: human trafficking, child abuse, death, blood, gore, body horror
This book was absolutely wild. Ive been interested in reading it ever since I first heard about it, i mean a book where someone wakes up as a teddy bear? Who doesn't want to read that book but it was so much better than even i thought it was going to be.
This book is genuinely terrifying in some parts. In the horror and gore sure but also in how awful some of the humans in this book are. This book really dives into the horrors of the world whilst also having some fun moments and that undertone of wow the teddy bear is alive.
I really did enjoy this book however it was definitely confusing at times and there was a few times I had go reread certain parts to make sure I was understanding what Doha was doing and going through. But overall, I really really enjoyed this book.
My favourite character was Hwayoung her story did break my heart quite a few times and i did feel for her, her story was heartbreaking however, I love how strong and badass she was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one as much as you can enjoy a book like this.
This book was absolutely wild. Ive been interested in reading it ever since I first heard about it, i mean a book where someone wakes up as a teddy bear? Who doesn't want to read that book but it was so much better than even i thought it was going to be.
This book is genuinely terrifying in some parts. In the horror and gore sure but also in how awful some of the humans in this book are. This book really dives into the horrors of the world whilst also having some fun moments and that undertone of wow the teddy bear is alive.
I really did enjoy this book however it was definitely confusing at times and there was a few times I had go reread certain parts to make sure I was understanding what Doha was doing and going through. But overall, I really really enjoyed this book.
My favourite character was Hwayoung her story did break my heart quite a few times and i did feel for her, her story was heartbreaking however, I love how strong and badass she was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one as much as you can enjoy a book like this.
January 29, 2026
A grieving girl and a boy trapped inside a teddy bear team up after a mass poisoning devastates their city.
In spite of the wonderfully colourful book cover, this is quite a sad book. A study in grief and the lows of humanity, which was quite gory at times.
I’m not sure if something was lost through the translation, but the flow felt a bit jarring. It seemed like a lot of time was spent recounting and overloading information about previous events. While I could sympathise with the two main characters, I never really connected with them.
I would still recommend this book, as it’s a unique and interesting concept that I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
In spite of the wonderfully colourful book cover, this is quite a sad book. A study in grief and the lows of humanity, which was quite gory at times.
I’m not sure if something was lost through the translation, but the flow felt a bit jarring. It seemed like a lot of time was spent recounting and overloading information about previous events. While I could sympathise with the two main characters, I never really connected with them.
I would still recommend this book, as it’s a unique and interesting concept that I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die is a Masterclass in Action-Gore-Horror
I feel weightless right now writing this review. Because Teddy Bears Never Die is among one of my favorite books of all time. The craftsmanship that the Author demonstrated is sadly a dying breed among a sea of books. And that is one of the many reasons why this book has me soaring right now. I want to just cut to the chase and say "it's so good, go preorder it right now!", but that doesn't even begin to submerge you in all that I really want to say...however, I truly do not think I have the capacity to reduce my review to within the parameters given and still find it satisfactory. So, I'll do my best to keep the fangirling to a minimum and not write the pages upon pages that I really want to write explaining just how important this book is and how it belongs on every Readers Shelves who enjoy the strange, fun, creative, gorey, action packed, mysteries of books.
This book was a work of art. The finesse in stacking all of the metaphorical bricks of this tale in the way that the Author did...blew my mind. The level of control and absolute certainty that the author displayed was easy to pick up with how smooth this story flowed throughout.
This book doesn't roll out in a "Once upon a time" linear way....it's broken up and tossed around. Frightening things that go bump in the night, occasionally pop up to make the hairs on your arms stand the f up. There are bangs, there is blood, there is running, there are tears, there is revenge, and there is salvation.
To put it plainly, this story revolves around two teenagers, both served unfair fates and doing their best to make each day count in their separate lives...until, fate in fact does have a wicked sense of humor and these two are thrust together on one hell of a journey of ugly truths, horrors, most definitely some traumatizing events, and together they reforge their future.
I really loved what was written in the Authors Note at the end of the book, I think it really sums up how incredibly awesome this story is. I think after completing this book, it was the perfect "goodbye hug" to these characters.
The entire time I was reading I saw many visuals flowing through my mind and I ended up making a Spotify Playlist to put on when I wasn't able to read, so that I could still be back in Yamu, with Hwayoung and Doha🎒🧸. If you want to take a listen, you can do so here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74p...
Thank you endlessly to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Cho yeeun for the ARC! This was such a wild time and I will be non-stop talking about this book! I need any and everything from this incredibly talented Author and hope that more of her books will be translated to English.
I feel weightless right now writing this review. Because Teddy Bears Never Die is among one of my favorite books of all time. The craftsmanship that the Author demonstrated is sadly a dying breed among a sea of books. And that is one of the many reasons why this book has me soaring right now. I want to just cut to the chase and say "it's so good, go preorder it right now!", but that doesn't even begin to submerge you in all that I really want to say...however, I truly do not think I have the capacity to reduce my review to within the parameters given and still find it satisfactory. So, I'll do my best to keep the fangirling to a minimum and not write the pages upon pages that I really want to write explaining just how important this book is and how it belongs on every Readers Shelves who enjoy the strange, fun, creative, gorey, action packed, mysteries of books.
This book was a work of art. The finesse in stacking all of the metaphorical bricks of this tale in the way that the Author did...blew my mind. The level of control and absolute certainty that the author displayed was easy to pick up with how smooth this story flowed throughout.
This book doesn't roll out in a "Once upon a time" linear way....it's broken up and tossed around. Frightening things that go bump in the night, occasionally pop up to make the hairs on your arms stand the f up. There are bangs, there is blood, there is running, there are tears, there is revenge, and there is salvation.
To put it plainly, this story revolves around two teenagers, both served unfair fates and doing their best to make each day count in their separate lives...until, fate in fact does have a wicked sense of humor and these two are thrust together on one hell of a journey of ugly truths, horrors, most definitely some traumatizing events, and together they reforge their future.
I really loved what was written in the Authors Note at the end of the book, I think it really sums up how incredibly awesome this story is. I think after completing this book, it was the perfect "goodbye hug" to these characters.
The entire time I was reading I saw many visuals flowing through my mind and I ended up making a Spotify Playlist to put on when I wasn't able to read, so that I could still be back in Yamu, with Hwayoung and Doha🎒🧸. If you want to take a listen, you can do so here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74p...
Thank you endlessly to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Cho yeeun for the ARC! This was such a wild time and I will be non-stop talking about this book! I need any and everything from this incredibly talented Author and hope that more of her books will be translated to English.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars! Teddy Bears Never Die makes me want to return to more Korean horror novels! This was my first, but I am incredibly intrigued to read more after this. I have never seen anything like this book; completely original in every aspect.
At first, I was absolutely hooked. I needed to know where this story was going. The way the plot was going had me reading this incredibly fast. It started to fall off shortly afterwards. I think that this was due to the translation. Sometimes, I felt that I loved the writing style. Other times, I did not like it that much. It's unfortunate that this had such a hold on the ultimate rating.
Hwayoung was such a moving character to read. We learn a lot about this character, even in such a short time. You begin to feel sad for her, but she was my favorite character because of the emotions she evoked out of me.
Thank you Orbit Books & Cho yeeun for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Teddy Bears Never Die is released on May 21, 2026!
At first, I was absolutely hooked. I needed to know where this story was going. The way the plot was going had me reading this incredibly fast. It started to fall off shortly afterwards. I think that this was due to the translation. Sometimes, I felt that I loved the writing style. Other times, I did not like it that much. It's unfortunate that this had such a hold on the ultimate rating.
Hwayoung was such a moving character to read. We learn a lot about this character, even in such a short time. You begin to feel sad for her, but she was my favorite character because of the emotions she evoked out of me.
Thank you Orbit Books & Cho yeeun for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Teddy Bears Never Die is released on May 21, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Teddy Bears Never Die" by Cho Yeeun is a wildly inventive horror romance mashup that hooks you right away with its absurd premise: teddy bears as supernatural revenge agents in a glittering but rotten Korean city. I loved the story's blend of grotesque whimsy and heartfelt revenge. Hwayoung and Doha team up against the corrupt elite who destroyed their lives, and the supernatural teddy bears are honestly a stroke of genius. It was creepy, chaotic, and oddly endearing as they tear through the shiny façade with bloody vengeance. It's the perfect mix of bloody wackiness and genuine friendship that keeps you turning pages. That said, the translation feels a bit clunky in spots, which pulled me out of the momentum during some tense scenes. Some plot threads also wrap up a little too neatly for such a bonkers setup. Still, this one's a standout for fans of weird horror with heart. It's unique, gory, and surprisingly emotional.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die
By Cho Yeeun
Pub Date; May 26 2026
This is one of the most chaotic horror books I've ever read. It's fun but I wish it would slow down at times. I didn't really get a chance to connect with any of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.
By Cho Yeeun
Pub Date; May 26 2026
This is one of the most chaotic horror books I've ever read. It's fun but I wish it would slow down at times. I didn't really get a chance to connect with any of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.
September 10, 2024
생각 없이 후루룩 읽을 수 있었지만 취향에 맞진 않았다. 주인공들이 너무 어려서 그런지 비행 청소년들과 공감할 수 없어서 그런지 막 끌리진 않았지만 화영과 도하를 응원하는 마음에 계속 읽다 보니 끝난 기분. 화영의 복수 꼭 성공했으면 좋겠었는데 그 부분 잘 끝났고 화영은 벌도 받고 도하도 깨어나서 나름 깔끔한 마무리였다. 초반에 조금 지루해서 다들 왜 재밌어하지 했는데 사람들이 어떻게 엮여있는지 사건이 어떻게 발생한 건지 조금씩 풀리면서 몰아쳐서 후반은 재밌었다.
June 15, 2025
읽다가 중도하차함
조예은 작가님 특유의 술술 읽히는 문장들 때문에 초반에는 엄청 몰입해서 읽다가 내용이 너무 취향이 아니라 하ㅋ차ㅋ
SF도 어느정도 세계관이 탄탄해야 재밌는데 너무 뜬금없는 전개라서 다 읽고 싶은 맘이 아예 사라짐ㅋ
조예은 작가님 특유의 술술 읽히는 문장들 때문에 초반에는 엄청 몰입해서 읽다가 내용이 너무 취향이 아니라 하ㅋ차ㅋ
SF도 어느정도 세계관이 탄탄해야 재밌는데 너무 뜬금없는 전개라서 다 읽고 싶은 맘이 아예 사라짐ㅋ
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews