What do you think?
Rate this book
Not Meant to Be
You were simply there. My best friend’s brother. A distant friend who lived thousands of miles away. Yet, one day, you come hurtling back into my life and stir up my heart. You are an idol I look up to. The whole world does, but only us few know your name. Your face. Does this make me special? You live in another world. One in which the spotlight follows you everywhere. How can I compete with every woman on Earth? What if we drift apart? What if you fall for a beautiful girl? What if you decide dating another K-pop idol is what you want? What if we were simply not meant to be?
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2019
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Sierra Christenson
24 books32 followersSierra Christenson is also known as Sierra Enriquez.
North Dakota based author Sierra Christenson is constantly writing. Even when she’s at her full-time job! The call to write never leaves though, and it has led her to write and publish novels such as The Omega’s Rebellion and its sequel The Omega’s Destruction, a modern-day romantic fantasy. Another notable work is her book Not Meant To Be which is a contemporary romance lined with many diverse characters. Sierra is currently majoring in Writing For Film and Television at The Los Angeles Film School and hopes to one day see her stories on the big screen. Sierra loves to travel and when she falls into the abyss of writer’s block, she books a trip to inspire herself once more.
North Dakota based author Sierra Christenson is constantly writing. Even when she’s at her full-time job! The call to write never leaves though, and it has led her to write and publish novels such as The Omega’s Rebellion and its sequel The Omega’s Destruction, a modern-day romantic fantasy. Another notable work is her book Not Meant To Be which is a contemporary romance lined with many diverse characters. Sierra is currently majoring in Writing For Film and Television at The Los Angeles Film School and hopes to one day see her stories on the big screen. Sierra loves to travel and when she falls into the abyss of writer’s block, she books a trip to inspire herself once more.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 5, 2022
Ava has had a crush on her best friend Jake's brother Taemin since they were young, and when he reappears in her life, all those feelings come rushing back. But she doesn't know that he is a member of the popular k-pop band BPD, and how he feels about her...
To be honest, the first few chapters didn't do it for me. But after a while, as the story developed, this book had me hooked and I finished it in one day. The secret life of Taemin, his adorable boyband-members (I'm not fluent in k-pop, is that the right term?), and the constant longing between Ava and Taemin are just some factors that made me race through this book, on my way to the happy ending - right?
The multiple POVs add to the story, when you get to see the relationship develop not only from Ava and Tae's eyes, but also best friend/brother Jake. And he also has some stuff to go through, making my heart ache but I have high hopes for him in the next book.
The only downside would be that some twists happen so quickly I had to read some of the pages twice, to make sure that my brain got everything. However, this book is very enjoyable and keeps me waiting for more!
To be honest, the first few chapters didn't do it for me. But after a while, as the story developed, this book had me hooked and I finished it in one day. The secret life of Taemin, his adorable boyband-members (I'm not fluent in k-pop, is that the right term?), and the constant longing between Ava and Taemin are just some factors that made me race through this book, on my way to the happy ending - right?
The multiple POVs add to the story, when you get to see the relationship develop not only from Ava and Tae's eyes, but also best friend/brother Jake. And he also has some stuff to go through, making my heart ache but I have high hopes for him in the next book.
The only downside would be that some twists happen so quickly I had to read some of the pages twice, to make sure that my brain got everything. However, this book is very enjoyable and keeps me waiting for more!
December 6, 2019
Great book
A tale of love, of growing up facing fears and lost chances. Mistakes are made decisions questioned. Kept me enthralled till the end. And left us at a cliff hanger so good I’m off to hunt down book 2. 💜
A tale of love, of growing up facing fears and lost chances. Mistakes are made decisions questioned. Kept me enthralled till the end. And left us at a cliff hanger so good I’m off to hunt down book 2. 💜
November 8, 2022
ARC Review
Each chapter is fairly short and so it makes the chapters themselves seem longer. One thing i liked about the chapters was that if its in Ava's POV it has a banner that says Laon with 2 microphone lookimg things on each side. And in Taemin POV chapter his are Stage lights. And finally Jakes POV chapter is a vanity. So that they each have something significant. I do wonder why in the Banner it say Laon, considering thats the name of one of the band members. The artwork displayed throughout the book is amazing.
In the dedication the author mentions 4 different K-Pop Artists, I'm only vaguely familiar with BTS. Other than that I don't know too much about kg pop Artists.
We have Ava main female protagonist, doesn't to have a very good relationship with her mother or her father. Has a younger sister named Stella.
Ava Career path is in writing but works in a restaurant. Both her parent disapproves of her choice in career. Then there's Jake, Ava's gay best friend. We also have Taemin who is Jakes older brother whose been living in Korea for several years. And is in L.A. for A few weeks on vacation from work, but still has to work. Taemin wants to be able to see his brother more since he hasn't been able to.
Its been about 10years since Ava and Taemin have seen each other officially. And now seeing her again Taemin wasn't prepared. He noticed how she matured over the years. Thinking about running his fingers through her long, silky hair.
We find out from his perspective that the reason Ava was never allowed over to see Jake during the time Taemin was home from Korea, was bc his mother was trying to keep his secret of him in training to become an idol. Even though he new Ava would never have said anything.
When Taemin and his group debuted for the first time 3 years prior, he had decided to keep his identity a secret bc the fact that his family is wealthy and well-known, if word had gotten out it would be hard for him to take over the company. Taemins stage name is Sasin and they're group name is BPD.
Taemin is practicing for his final concert before he enlist for 2 years.
BPD stands for Broken Paradise and Their fan base is called Defenders.
The members are:
Seongmin whose the leader and is the "father" of the group
Loan who's like the "mother" of the group
Gunho is considered the rowdy/loud one but is also the sunshine of the group
Sejin is considered the worst dancer in the group and is also one of the wrappers in the group
Sasin (a.k.a. Taemin) wears a mask to hide identity, one of the best singers in the group.
Woo who also hides his identity wears a mask, works with Sasin to compose songs, and is the main rapper in the group
Minjun is the youngest in the group, is rebellious, carries around a teddy bear
As a birthday present to Ava, Jake gets tickets for BPD concert and get a meet and greet with The band. Ava is ecstatic for the opportunity. Sasin starts getting nervous when he sees Ava hoping she won't recognize him. I found it to be kind of sad that both Jake and Taemin agreed on not telling Ava that he's Sasin, because they both feel she won't be able to handle it and it may put a target on her back. On top of it may cause even more issues with Ava's mother.
For Avas birthday, Taemin text Ava saying he wont be able to make it to her party due to work. But shows up as Sasin with his band as a surprise. Now what really irritated me was Mathew whos is Jakes not official boyfriend, shows up at Ava's birthday party which was being held at Jakes place and had the audacity to flirt with the guys right in front of Jake. When trying to get his attention Mathew responds with "why won't you leave me alone?" Like this guy shows up at someone's place, says stuff like That in front of Jake guest, that's seriously disrespectful. I would have kicked him out immediately. Mathew also confesses that he and Jake are not together, that it was only for fun. After this altercation Mathew has now been demanded to leave by Woo. I love how Woo tried to comfort Jake. I really hope these to get together. I did feel a little bad for Woo when Jake stepped away from him, after the incident.
While on the balcony chatting, Ava discovers that Sasin is actually Taemin, when she pulls his mask off and he doesn't stop her from doing it. I got so excited I started crying. I really hope these to get together.
Jake decided to come out to his mother for being gay and unfortunately it didn't go the way he hoped. With her slapping him and she telling he disgusts her. Broke my heart. His parents now ignore him. So for Christmas Ava cooks and spends time with him while video chatting with Taemin and the guys.
For Taemins birthday the guys get 2 round tickets for Jake and Ava to come to Korea. Taemin wants to tell Ava how he feels. But when he makes he makes his move asking Ava to stay with him, to keep him company for this one night. Ava misinterprets his intentions. Thinking he's only looking for a one night stand. She runs out the room looking for Jake, sobbing. Meanwhile Jake and Woo are also having a moment together in his room. It gets so intense between the two that Woo was about to let Jake remove his mask, until Ava barges in (kind of ruined the moment IMO) crying.
After the incident, Ava and Taemin haven't spoken in a week. After getting home from a long shift at work Ava is met with a barrel of a gun at her head. Maria the crazy fan that dislikes Sasin so much she attacks Ava thinking if she killed Ava, then Sasin will definitely leave the group. We find out that Maria had been been walking Ava and Sasin finding out his true identity and was threatening to expose his identity to the world. Jake calls Taemin telling him what happened with Ava. Taemin makes a decision to go back to the states and Woo tags along. After 2 days Taemin makes the hardest decision of telling Ava he only sees her a s friend, like a little sister instead of telling her how he truly feels. Taemin thinks by doing this he's protecting Ava, after saying what he said he walks away. This broke my heart for these two characters.
Obviously the story leaves off on a semi cliffhanger. My heart just about broke again towards the end for Ava & Taemin, and Jake & Woo. It seem that between these 4 characters there's never happiness in the cards for them. I wish very much for these characters to find happiness in one another.
Each chapter is fairly short and so it makes the chapters themselves seem longer. One thing i liked about the chapters was that if its in Ava's POV it has a banner that says Laon with 2 microphone lookimg things on each side. And in Taemin POV chapter his are Stage lights. And finally Jakes POV chapter is a vanity. So that they each have something significant. I do wonder why in the Banner it say Laon, considering thats the name of one of the band members. The artwork displayed throughout the book is amazing.
In the dedication the author mentions 4 different K-Pop Artists, I'm only vaguely familiar with BTS. Other than that I don't know too much about kg pop Artists.
We have Ava main female protagonist, doesn't to have a very good relationship with her mother or her father. Has a younger sister named Stella.
Ava Career path is in writing but works in a restaurant. Both her parent disapproves of her choice in career. Then there's Jake, Ava's gay best friend. We also have Taemin who is Jakes older brother whose been living in Korea for several years. And is in L.A. for A few weeks on vacation from work, but still has to work. Taemin wants to be able to see his brother more since he hasn't been able to.
Its been about 10years since Ava and Taemin have seen each other officially. And now seeing her again Taemin wasn't prepared. He noticed how she matured over the years. Thinking about running his fingers through her long, silky hair.
We find out from his perspective that the reason Ava was never allowed over to see Jake during the time Taemin was home from Korea, was bc his mother was trying to keep his secret of him in training to become an idol. Even though he new Ava would never have said anything.
When Taemin and his group debuted for the first time 3 years prior, he had decided to keep his identity a secret bc the fact that his family is wealthy and well-known, if word had gotten out it would be hard for him to take over the company. Taemins stage name is Sasin and they're group name is BPD.
Taemin is practicing for his final concert before he enlist for 2 years.
BPD stands for Broken Paradise and Their fan base is called Defenders.
The members are:
Seongmin whose the leader and is the "father" of the group
Loan who's like the "mother" of the group
Gunho is considered the rowdy/loud one but is also the sunshine of the group
Sejin is considered the worst dancer in the group and is also one of the wrappers in the group
Sasin (a.k.a. Taemin) wears a mask to hide identity, one of the best singers in the group.
Woo who also hides his identity wears a mask, works with Sasin to compose songs, and is the main rapper in the group
Minjun is the youngest in the group, is rebellious, carries around a teddy bear
As a birthday present to Ava, Jake gets tickets for BPD concert and get a meet and greet with The band. Ava is ecstatic for the opportunity. Sasin starts getting nervous when he sees Ava hoping she won't recognize him. I found it to be kind of sad that both Jake and Taemin agreed on not telling Ava that he's Sasin, because they both feel she won't be able to handle it and it may put a target on her back. On top of it may cause even more issues with Ava's mother.
For Avas birthday, Taemin text Ava saying he wont be able to make it to her party due to work. But shows up as Sasin with his band as a surprise. Now what really irritated me was Mathew whos is Jakes not official boyfriend, shows up at Ava's birthday party which was being held at Jakes place and had the audacity to flirt with the guys right in front of Jake. When trying to get his attention Mathew responds with "why won't you leave me alone?" Like this guy shows up at someone's place, says stuff like That in front of Jake guest, that's seriously disrespectful. I would have kicked him out immediately. Mathew also confesses that he and Jake are not together, that it was only for fun. After this altercation Mathew has now been demanded to leave by Woo. I love how Woo tried to comfort Jake. I really hope these to get together. I did feel a little bad for Woo when Jake stepped away from him, after the incident.
While on the balcony chatting, Ava discovers that Sasin is actually Taemin, when she pulls his mask off and he doesn't stop her from doing it. I got so excited I started crying. I really hope these to get together.
Jake decided to come out to his mother for being gay and unfortunately it didn't go the way he hoped. With her slapping him and she telling he disgusts her. Broke my heart. His parents now ignore him. So for Christmas Ava cooks and spends time with him while video chatting with Taemin and the guys.
For Taemins birthday the guys get 2 round tickets for Jake and Ava to come to Korea. Taemin wants to tell Ava how he feels. But when he makes he makes his move asking Ava to stay with him, to keep him company for this one night. Ava misinterprets his intentions. Thinking he's only looking for a one night stand. She runs out the room looking for Jake, sobbing. Meanwhile Jake and Woo are also having a moment together in his room. It gets so intense between the two that Woo was about to let Jake remove his mask, until Ava barges in (kind of ruined the moment IMO) crying.
After the incident, Ava and Taemin haven't spoken in a week. After getting home from a long shift at work Ava is met with a barrel of a gun at her head. Maria the crazy fan that dislikes Sasin so much she attacks Ava thinking if she killed Ava, then Sasin will definitely leave the group. We find out that Maria had been been walking Ava and Sasin finding out his true identity and was threatening to expose his identity to the world. Jake calls Taemin telling him what happened with Ava. Taemin makes a decision to go back to the states and Woo tags along. After 2 days Taemin makes the hardest decision of telling Ava he only sees her a s friend, like a little sister instead of telling her how he truly feels. Taemin thinks by doing this he's protecting Ava, after saying what he said he walks away. This broke my heart for these two characters.
Obviously the story leaves off on a semi cliffhanger. My heart just about broke again towards the end for Ava & Taemin, and Jake & Woo. It seem that between these 4 characters there's never happiness in the cards for them. I wish very much for these characters to find happiness in one another.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2022
First things first, that cliffhanger was rough.
Secondly I love the characters. Their individual development and growth all the differences in their personalities and how they each bring something different to the situation. All of it together makes for a great book that was so hard to put down I read it in one sitting.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, K-pop isn't necessarily my something I have a great interest in but I definitely was all in with this book. Every single one of the members of the band brings something different to their relationships with Ava the main female character. Am I genuinely upset about Taemin and his reactions to things. 100% but sometimes the brain does dumb things against the advice of the heart.
Overall it's a great leadup to friends becoming more and I can not wait for the second book. Honestly pick it up even if it doesn't sound like something up your alley because you will not be disappointed in the least bit.
I was given an ARC by the author and am writing this review voluntarily.
Secondly I love the characters. Their individual development and growth all the differences in their personalities and how they each bring something different to the situation. All of it together makes for a great book that was so hard to put down I read it in one sitting.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, K-pop isn't necessarily my something I have a great interest in but I definitely was all in with this book. Every single one of the members of the band brings something different to their relationships with Ava the main female character. Am I genuinely upset about Taemin and his reactions to things. 100% but sometimes the brain does dumb things against the advice of the heart.
Overall it's a great leadup to friends becoming more and I can not wait for the second book. Honestly pick it up even if it doesn't sound like something up your alley because you will not be disappointed in the least bit.
I was given an ARC by the author and am writing this review voluntarily.
August 11, 2022
Before I go on with my review I want to disclose I was given a copy in advance to read and review as an ARC reader, but I always give my honest opinion and try not to spoil anything for anyone.
I love this so much! I enjoy kpop but I wouldn't say I'm a super fan, so I really enjoyed reading about it from the perspectives of a fan, an idol and an idols family member. I have however read a manhwa about idol/talent management and I really enjoy how different the two experiences are.
The story progression and relationship development was perfect. I love that the other band members were introduced little by little.
The writing style is unique and also lends to the change between language and culture.
I love the unaware mutual pining and angst. I was so happy reading it and watching all of the various relationship dynamics unfold and enjoying the angst that I lost track of how far into the book I was until it was too late and the ending which really shouldn't have been a surprise, came as a surprise.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!
I love this so much! I enjoy kpop but I wouldn't say I'm a super fan, so I really enjoyed reading about it from the perspectives of a fan, an idol and an idols family member. I have however read a manhwa about idol/talent management and I really enjoy how different the two experiences are.
The story progression and relationship development was perfect. I love that the other band members were introduced little by little.
The writing style is unique and also lends to the change between language and culture.
I love the unaware mutual pining and angst. I was so happy reading it and watching all of the various relationship dynamics unfold and enjoying the angst that I lost track of how far into the book I was until it was too late and the ending which really shouldn't have been a surprise, came as a surprise.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2022
Okayy I have read the arc, and so far the book is
Simply amazing for the fact I love k-pop and it brings out my fangirling. I read a lot fanfictions but this takes to the next level. becuz, a kpop group that has two members hiding their identity which makes the whole story (for me) more interesting and thrilling (u rlly feel the main character feels so special) And also, this book 1 has many events meaning many more plot-twisting events may occured again in her BPD Series (I'm already looking forward to). And honestly the ending is 👁️👄👁️
Simply amazing for the fact I love k-pop and it brings out my fangirling. I read a lot fanfictions but this takes to the next level. becuz, a kpop group that has two members hiding their identity which makes the whole story (for me) more interesting and thrilling (u rlly feel the main character feels so special) And also, this book 1 has many events meaning many more plot-twisting events may occured again in her BPD Series (I'm already looking forward to). And honestly the ending is 👁️👄👁️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2022
So excited to jump back into Sierra's books, and I was not disappointed with it! It was such a beautiful and sad story. I literally could not put it down. Definitely different from other books I typically read, but I was surprised to how much I liked it!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews