Kidnapped Idol: A Kpop Romance Book

Kpop Romance

by Jennie Bennett

Everything was going according to plan. Jenica had not only made it into her college of choice, but she also landed the one year study abroad trip to China. When she wasn't working to be the best in her class, she would find time to check off the five items on her list. Or at least the top four since she had no control over number five--fall in love.What Jenica didn't foresee was Woon. Maybe he was good-looking and sweet, but from the moment they met it was obvious he was in trouble. Jenica didn't do trouble. If only his face wasn't plastered all over billboards, magazines, and every television in the whole of China, she might be able to forget him.When she meets him again running from thugs she has to decide if it's more important to stay in her perfect bubble or take a risk and go after the one thing she's never had, true love.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary

206 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2017

About the author

Jennie Bennett came into the world imprinted with a love of stories. She never imagined she would turn that love into books, but she's happy her dreams came true. As a hobby photographer, travel enthusiast, and foodie, Jennie has filled her life with joy. Her greatest joy, however, comes from her family. She currently resides in Houston, Texas, with her husband and four kids.
Twitter: @jabennettwrites Facebook: Jennie Bennett Instagram: @Jenniefire TT: @jenniebennettwrites

Reviews

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.com/2017/06/...

4 stars -- OK, this book was just fun. I went into it fully understanding that this was kind of a k-drama fan fiction type shorter novel, and while I don't watch k-dramas or listen to k-pop, I feel like I had the right expectations. It's kind of like a less salacious soap opera. And this book delivered for me. Was it over the top in places? Oh heck yes! Did I care? Nope! Not one bit.

The other thing I kept in mind while reading this was that it was a shorter novel, so I was more tolerant of the quick move from crush to love. If you can't check your realism at the door, this might not be the book for you. It kind of reminded me of my days of reading Harlequins...without any of the sexy times (seriously, this is a VERY CLEAN read). But it satisfied my need for a sweet romance you can root for, you know?

And I LOVE me a celebrity romance!! Especially when they meet up with a regular girl and feel that connection! I might have wanted a bit more connection at times, but there was enough to keep me happy. The other thing I kind wanted a bit more of was from Jenica -- why was she so insecure and down on herself? I needed a bit more background on her I think.

Honestly though, it was just kind of fun to be in a world where stars are kidnapped by evil corporate big wigs, and there is chases, and hostages, and possible corruption. And cute pop stars who just want to be loved for who they are.

AND it totally fulfilled my diversity requirement! I felt like I got to see a bit of what life was like for both Jenica and Woon, and it was fun to have it set in Beijing.

So yeah. I totally enjoyed myself. It was like a fun sugar-filled candy. Sometimes you just need a treat of uncomplicated fun.

[The Talented Miss Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just been made a fan!

I thought this was a cute story. I connected with the characters and honestly until this book I never knew what K-Pop was. I'm a fan! This had so much action and the perfect amount of romance that each page had me wanting more. Storyline for a short book was on point. It had me wanting to have a sequel for this book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out strong, as a fun young adult love story. It had fun quirky characters and writing. It really pulled me in and made me smile a lot. The story starts out as believable then becomes contrived. A bunch of nerdy teens kicking body guards buts is a bit ridiculous. This would appeal to teens. No sex, a little violence.

[Janeen Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is amazing, because it's extremely plausible-- I could totally see a how an average girl could meet a k-pop idol-- and it's got action, adventure, and love! This is now the third book in a series of K-Pop Fanfiction books I've read and it's my favorite one!

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is such a fun and quick read. After other disappointing k-pop/k-drama centered books that shall remain nameless, this was a surprising treat. At less than 200 pages, this little book runs quick and it kept me entertained the entire time. Of course, with such a short book certain things such as romantic development are kind of thrown to the side which would normally really annoy me. However, I knew going in that this book was short and was kind of expecting it. Despite this, I really enjoyed the story! Yes, it's cliche and ridiculous but it's also very close to what I wanted and lots of fun! I can't wait to check out her other books! I also really liked how relatable the fangirl comments were. Seriously, if you're into k-pop, this book has you pinned. We've all researched our groups and members to a bit of a level which none of us want to admit. If you say you don't know their real names, heights, or ages, you're a liar.

I do want to point out one part, or rather, one character: G.O. or Hyungsoo. Oh yes, I see my ultimate bias as a character here. This character caught me so off guard that I actually laughed out loud when he was introduced. I quote: "He's got huge doe-like eyes and thick black hair. But...he's only as tall as her shoulder".

This fine piece of idol is Do Kyungsoo, a.k.a D.O., from the group EXO. He is known for his giant eyes, being on the shorter side, and his smooth, chocolatey voice, among other things. I legit thought I was just stretching with the name similarities, but come on, it's him. I know it. You know it. Jennie Bennet knows it.

[Jennie Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello readers! I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to check out Kidnapped Idol. This one is my personal favorite of the Kpop Romance series because I love the action in it, and of course Jenica and Woon are so adorable. I hope this book will give you all the swoons!

[Hayley Bahnemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried when I first purchased this book, because it was a fan fiction turned novel. I am not a huge fan of those because there are not that many that I find particularly well written. This one was very gripping and I really believed everything that happened.

I love that it started at the Great Wall of China, and that I hadn't read it before my own trip to China or I would have had delusions that weren't really there (more than I already had). I did appreciate that she wasn't a kpop fan before she met Woon, but I think it would be cool to see a main character who is a fan but still respects him as a person from the get go.

I also appreciate the moments of awkwardness, as I would do the exact same thing. And that neither of them were perfect at the beginning, in their relationship.
I don't really believe that every where she went she kept running into Woon and CSTAR, since the country of China is so big it would be a very large coincidence that both times she ventured out of her dorm room, he was trying to run away, but it added to the story and so I can't really be mad.

I think if someone were going to write a story with me in it, I would really hope it was Jennie, because the way it is written, I felt like I was immersed in the story and, having been to China myself, I felt a small sense of connected-ness.

[Sarah ~Goddessofthestory~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quick read that was fun. I went into this book not expecting an epic read. But i was disappointed that it could have been so much better. The potential was there, just waiting to be released.

[Tinkerbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fluffy and fun but wildly unbelievable on almost every level. It was a fast read, and the characters were fun, but I don't do well with "almost-insta-eternal-love" so this was a hard one for me because four (FOUR!) characters experienced a deep and abiding love within less than three days of meeting each other. But if you like k-pop fan fiction, you would probably like this story. It's got lots of action and some hot Korean singers falling almost instantly in love with American (main girl is Chinese American) girls.

[Karie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the books with two filters in place--I ignored the insta-love and the lack of depth--because these are novellas and there just isn't room to develop more here. With those in place, I thoroughly enjoyed them all! They are fun, fluffy beach reads, with a good plot hook to keep me drawn in and characters that felt realistic. Good way to pass the time and indulge in a little kpop wish fulfillment.

Gentle Reader Alert: I found nothing of concern.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read, even though the plot was kind of unrealistic. I was torn between giving it an extra star and staying at 3 stars, but finally decided the unrealisticness of the book didn't warrant any more stars. Still, I really loved the couple that was focused on in this book - and there was a great amount of steaminess between them to keep me hooked and reading.

I'd read it again just for those scenes. :)

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny well written Kpop story that was full of action and crazy scenes. A simple story of a regular girl who ends up running into a kidnapped Kpop star in China and the entertaining story gets wild from there. Made me laugh a lot. If is not meant to be a heavy meaningful story with its over the top crazy villain. I flat out loved it as it used a lot of stereotypes to make it even funnier in my opinion.

[Claudia Foglein-Goins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short tale . A little cheesy but thats ok for a story of this type. Its a tale that brings out the young girl in you , the one that had the crushes on various stars and made up stuff about them in their head to smile too. Not bad for what it is .

[Frieda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I have to say, at the beginning, I found Jenica annoying and only carried on as I needed a story about KPop (which I know absolutely nothing about except that it's hugely popular). The story ended up being good fun.

[Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kpop adventure and fun!

This was such a great book! I loved the adventure and the touch of suspense. Even though I'm not a kpop fan (yet!) I still really enjoyed it!

[Suey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading about a kpop romance! More please! :)

[C.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, but cheesy, and with little substance.

[Memrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Vero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supee cheesy, super fun, don't regret a second :D

[Mandy Saial · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm not going to lie . I liked this storyline , there was action , romance and the author gave much more emotion and depth to the characters .

[Raka Majumdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fun, relatable - a fun YA even if you are not a KPop fan

[Edy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was a fun read.
Very far fetched and not at all plausible but fun nonetheless

[Heather Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Kidnapped Idol. 100% recommend it.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting fast paced adventure with just the right splash of romance.

[Max C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I surprisingly liked this one more than the first two I read.

Fangirl Problems was too cringey a read, like a younger teen romcom maybe. Celebrity Superhero was just bad because the MC thought she lived in a fantasy and her crush was actually Superman. Spoiler, he wasn't.

The plot for this isn't any more realistic, but the MC was level headed for the most part. I'm sure skipping a lot helped with my assessment too. But I did manage to read it.

I am beginning to understand this series is based on the kpop group EXO. In Fangirl there was member Chansol (Chanyeol) from X-O (EXO). In Celeb Superhero, the kpop group had a concept of superpowers, just like EXO. And in this, we have Hyungsoo (Kyungsoo, EXO) who goes by the stage name G.O. (D.O., as in, Do Kyungsoo of EXO.)

I got into this group more recently so their fanfics are fairly recent in my mind. I wouldn't be surprised if Woon was another EXO member. At this point I don't want to pay to read their fanfiction when I'm not even that big a fan of the writing. Fanfics are easy to drop because you lose nothing. At least they're free.

[Precy Larkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and fun story set in modern-day China, with a Korean pop idol as one of the main characters. Fans of KDrama (Korean drama) and KPop (Koean Pop Music) will love to be Jenica Lee, a bookworm studying in China, who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...or is it the right place and the right time? Because she gets to go on a thrilling adventure with pop idol Woon, caught up in intrigue and street chases and in a romance that will set any fan's heart to swoon mode.