Once Upon a K-Prom

by Kat Cho

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing - she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that's always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants - even if she can't stop thinking about Robbie's smile...right?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Asian Literature, Young Adult Contemporary

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2022

About the author

Kat Cho (she/her) used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She loves to incorporate her Korean heritage in her writing, especially if it involves describing food. She likes anything that encourages nerding out, including reading, K-dramas, K-pop and anime. She currently spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt. Kat is the New York Times and international bestselling author of the YA contemporary fantasy duology Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits (Putnam/Penguin). As well as the K-Pop webcomic, Free Hexel, and the YA romcom, Once Upon a K-Prom (Disney).

Find her online at: KatChoWrites.com

To stay up-to-date on my books and author life you can sign up for my newsletter, READICULOUS MUSINGS

***I'm not on Goodreads that much, but if you have any questions you can always reach out to me through my website***

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is so stinkin’ cute! i am so weak for stories about childhood sweethearts. so a boy coming back to town to take his childhood crush to prom because of a promise they made seven years ago? instant swooning for me!

i also loved how much this reminded me of axie ohs ‘xoxo.’ it honestly felt like a spin-off novel and i was just reading about a different member of the k-pop group. i had to keep reminding myself that its a completely different band and a different story/world altogether! lol.

i loved the banter between the boys, the sweetness between elana and robbie, the cute plot of going to prom, and the importance of growing up and discovering whats important in life. this hits all the bases and is definitely a book you will want to pick up!

a massive thanks to disney/hyperion for the ARC!!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Kat Cho]

UPDATE: 9/24/2021
Cover is up! Love this beautifully illustrated cover and all the small details it incorporates from the book! Cover Art: Xiao Tong Kong. Cover Design: Marci Senders. Hand lettering: Liz Casal Goodhue.

*********************
UPDATE: 9/2021
CW: discussions of parent death

For more info on the book & some fun extras (incl spotify playlist): http://katchowrites.com/books/once-up...

*********************
So excited for everyone to read K-Prom! It’s no secret how much I love k-pop & I love the friends-to-lovers trope, but more specifically I love “childhood friends who separated & meet again years later" trope. It's a book about first love, friendship, finding what you're passionate about and being true to yourself! And, of course, K-pop!

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectations were too high for this book!! I’m upset. This book was mostly enjoyable, but it wasn’t this amazing book that I thought it would be. The description and the cover made it seem like pure wholesome perfection, but the execution fell flat.

This book read like a typical Disney Channel movie. It was cheesy and light with some good messages but it has a high importance placed on school dances by ALL the characters except the main character and the bullies are all childish. I guess you could say it’s like a K-Drama in some sense, too, but I feel like it’s closer to what a Disney Channel movie is like. It’s definitely a type of story that a lot of people would like, but it wasn’t what I was hoping that I would get from this story. I also kept getting annoyed that the main character kept comparing her romance to a K-Drama. Like we get it, you want this book to be like a K-Drama; stop making comparisons to K-Dramas nonstop and just let the vibes take over instead.

The characters were a mixed bag for me. Minseok was my absolute favorite and he would definitely be my bias if WDB was a real group, but the rest of the characters all got on my nerves. Robbie’s character was odd? I don’t really know the right way to word it. He just didn’t always feel like Robbie. It was like his personality was somewhat inconsistent. Ethan’s personality seemed inconsistent at times, too. Jackson felt too much like a stereotype of what a fictional kid is supposed to act like. Sooyeon grew on me throughout the course of the book, but it felt like she was just thrown in there to cause unnecessary jealousy at first. Felicity and Caroline were unbearable and their personalities were shallow. It also seemed like every character was unreasonably blaming Elena for every issue that went on in their life and Elena didn’t even stand up for herself when she should’ve. I definitely empathized with Elena, but I didn’t find myself rooting for her or anything like that. It just felt like there was something missing from almost all of the characters.

The book and specifically the romance started to improve around the 60% mark of the book. The romance started to get good around that mark and the K-Pop world was dived into more at the point in the book. The issue with this whole book though was that it lacked depth. I’m not even going to include trigger warnings for this review because any “triggering” topic was just briefly touched on then ignored for the rest of the book. The story was nice escapism, but I expected more from this author since everyone talks about how they love her other books.

Since the story was so light and fluffy, it’s definitely something that you can read quickly between more intense books, but it’s not a book that I’d necessarily recommend to everyone. I wish this book would’ve been longer so that more depth could’ve been added to the story. This really had so much potential, but it turned out to be just an okay read.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, out of all the books I’ve read that definitely was one.

[steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I blame myself for having exceedingly high expectations, still, this read like fan fiction and felt clunky in many places. Not to mention the main character and her 'Woe is me/I'm not like other girls' mentality that seemed to be her defining personality trait, which annoyed me to no end. All in all, this could've been so much better. Sigh.

[Dawn Solaris]

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ⋆˚⋆｡˚☽˚｡✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

⭑𓂃꒰ ᎮᏒᏋ-ᏒᏋᏗᎴ ꒱

❥ K-Pop Reads, I AM BAAAA-CK 𐔌՞. .՞𐦯

Funny, cause my bias is making me wanna commit arson these days - (TRANSLATION: he’s being unfairly attractive, more and more so, every day)

So, what better way to feed into my delusion than reading about romancing a K-pop heartthrob?

Amiright? (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞

This one’s for you, Taehyung! ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ⋆˚⋆｡˚☽˚｡✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =)

"Was that what seven years did to someone? Did it take all their sweetest features and sharpen them just enough to make them dangerous? Because that dimple was a serious weapon."

I already know I’ll have a difficult time putting my feelings for this book into words, because on the one hand it was a really cute love story about an idol and the girl-next-door falling in love, but on the other hand it tackled a lot of serious topics that weren’t addressed all that much?! I initially thought this would be a fluffy rom-com story but there was a lot more going on in “Once Upon a K-Prom” and I still don’t know how I feel about that. Hence my rating of 3,5 stars. I guess I’ll just have to start somewhere and then take it from there.

”But Robbie was my best friend and he wasn't moving twenty miles away. He was moving to the other side of the world. We'd clutched each other, tears streaming down our faces."

I really liked the close friendship between Robbie and Elena, well, the one they used to have before Robbie was forced to move back to Korea and Elena was left behind. They were adorable and apparently already in love because you don’t wait 7 years to ask out your former bestie to prom without serious feelings being involved. XD So one day, all of a sudden Robbie ends up standing on Elena’s doorstep and asks her to go to prom with him. Of course Elena isn’t amused, because 1.) there is a camera pointed at them that records everything 2.) She’s a shy girl that avoids the spotlight like the plague and 3.) She didn’t hear from Robbie for YEARS and now he’s standing in front of her expecting her to say “yes.” Haha! I could understand why Elena wasn’t all too happy about this! XD

”Is it because you’re nervous going with someone like me?”
Wow, he seriously thought I was starstruck by him.
“To be honest, I don’t really follow your music,” I said, pursing my lips the way I used to see Allie do when someone annoyed her. “But I hear you’re doing well, so congratulations, I guess.”
“What?” Robbie scowled and finally forgot to be handsome while doing it.

Those two definitely started the rekindling of their friendship on the wrong foot, which was extremely amusing to read about. I kinda loved how Elena was totally not impressed by his status as an idol and only saw Robbie, the person, when he spoke with her. I’m sure not a lot of people treated him like that so spending time with Elena must have been a nice change to his normal life. And yes, sometimes we got a little glimpse of Robbie’s POV and this helped a lot to understand where he was coming from.

”Elena had looked so happy when she’d first opened the door, and then she’d looked horrified, like he’d been holding a knife instead of a rose. He’d fully expected her to give him the biggest hug as soon as she recognized him. The hard-squeeze hug that stole his breath that only Elena had ever given him. But instead, she looked like she’d rather die than touch him.
Maybe that’s why he’d thrown up the idol shield. Because suddenly his nerves had taken over.”

Elena tried really hard not to be charmed by him and truth be told the first 30% of the book were hard to read because everything was so damn awkward between them and Robbie as well as Elena put their foot in it …. every single time. All their interactions were extremely cringeworthy and for me this made it very hard to get into the book. I know the author did this on purpose, but this level of cringe just didn’t work out for me. So the first third of the book was hard for me to get through, but thankfully it got better after that.

”You don't deserve Robbie-oppa!" she said.
"I don't want him," I finally said.
"Why?" the girl's friend asked, stepping forward. "You think you're too good for him?" This was ridiculous.

The fandom and how it reacted to Elena spending time with their idol was very realistic and I wasn’t surprised that she got a lot of hate at the beginning. There are many fans that think their idol isn’t supposed to be in love with someone and that if anything, they would be the right person for them. I know this is a thing in fandoms but I honestly don’t get how people can even think they might have a chance to have a relationship with their idol. Statistically speaking this is a chance of one in a million. Or considering how many fans k-pop idols have probably even 1 in ten millions. I personally like to admire my idols from afar and know that it’s very likely I won’t even see them at one of their concerts. The chance of a k-pop group coming to Austria is almost non-existent. *lol* There I said it. I know the odds and I’m fine with them and will still cheer for my idols. I wish them nothing but happiness and that they’ll find someone who will love them as much as they love them. Unfortunately, not everyone is like that and despite being an Idol Robbie had a lot on his plate.

”You don’t understand what it’s like to be told who you’re supposed to be. To not be allowed to breathe wrong for fear it will be in an article for everyone to read and judge. I’m told how to act, how to speak, how to think by a company. And I have to toe the line or else I’ll lose everything.”

That were very clear words and even though no idol would ever dare to utter them in public, I’m pretty sure that it’s the truth they have to live with every day. So the idol representation and what it entails was done very realistically and I appreciated this. And speaking of things that were done well: I absolutely loved all the other band members and how they were a part of the story. Of course they didn’t get all too much room because Elena’s and Robbie’s love story was the focus of the book, but the little we got was fun to read and I liked their dynamic as a band. Also the fact that there was a profile of every band member in between some of the chapters added a nice touch to the story and made it more tangible. Jongdae (JD) who was Robbie’s cousin was a little too serious for me but I loved Moon and he definitely would have been my bias if the band had been real. *lol* We had a lot of things in common and I liked that he was always so cheeky and direct. Bias material right there. XD

”I don’t think this is what Hanbin-hyeong meant by ‘fall in line,” Robbie breathed out beside my ear. I groaned and pushed at him. “This isn’t the time for your awful puns.”
Robbie chuckled and pushed himself onto his elbows, relieving some of the pressure on my chest. “You okay?” he asked. His arms were like a shelter around me, blocking out the rest of the room. I couldn’t see anything but his face as it hovered over mine.

Of course I liked Robbie too, but I honestly wish we would have gotten more cute k-drama moments like the one above! As much as I appreciated the realistic approach, I still wish their love-story wouldn’t have been THAT realistic. I mean, come on, the girl-next-door ending up with the famous and swoon worthy idol is already unrealistic enough so why couldn’t we have more cute moments like this? It’s one of the things that never seems to work out for me when I read an idol romance. I want to be swept away by the romance, as a reader I want to live out my unrealistic fantasies by reading books like that, so why does every author who writes k-pop romances have to make it so damn realistic? *lol* I already said that to my bestie and I’ll say it again: If I read a k-pop romance I don’t want realistic because I know it would never happen in real life! So why not cater to those needs and go all the way?! Yes, you can make it realistic when it comes to the fandom and the pressure idols have to live with but please not with the romance! I wonder if I’ll ever find a k-pop romance that will actually satisfy me in that regard.

”But Robbie had made me spill juice on my pristine outfit and I had to wear one of his old sweatshirts instead. It was too big on me, and I’d been pissed. It was reflected in my strained smile. Why Mom chose to display that photo of all my class pictures was beyond me. But it seemed weirdly fitting. Why put any effort into displaying your add-on kid?”

Well, this out of the way I can focus on some of the things that really didn’t work for me and I’m pretty sure no one might have addressed this when they wrote a review about this book. Which is okay, because primarily this book is supposed to be a light rom-com and of course the romance is what you’ll write about. BUT and here comes my criticism that you can take with a pinch of salt, if an author goes for serious topics like bullying and points out the difficult relationships between the FMC and her family I really want those issues to be addressed and somewhat resolved by the end of the book. In here those topics were broached but never truly processed.

We have Elena who is bullied by her class mates and apparently always shakes it off and then she’s bullied by an entire fandom until Robbie steps in and things turn out in a way where she’s suddenly the cool kid. So all her former bullies stop bullying her because she’s the It-Girl now. I don’t think I have to tell anyone why this is not a good way to handle things, because obviously not everyone who is bullied will become the love interest of a famous idol. I know some people will say I’m bean counting now and fair enough. Maybe I am. But considering the big influence the bullying had on Elena as a MC I really would have liked this to be realistic for once. Another thing that was part of the book was Elena always feeling inferior because her twin brother was everybody’s darling and she was just the other twin. At the end of the book Ethan and her have a heart-to-heart and things between them get better but for me personally it felt like it was too little too late.

And last but not least, I have to address Elena’s problematic relationship with her mom which wasn’t resolved at all. Ethan always got everything he wanted and her mom was proud of him, yet she obviously didn’t really care about her daughter. Some might say it was just Elena’s perception and that she felt inferior even though she wasn’t but considering Elena’s mom actually acted like she didn’t care about her daughter and only seemed to show some interest once she was in the headlines for spending time with Robbie, I beg to differ. We never got a talk between those two, we never found out why Elena’s mom acted the way she did, we never got a glimpse at her thoughts. So this was very unsatisfying for me.

Conclusion:

This was a cute k-pop romance to read in between and once I got over the awkwardness that were the first third of the book I really started to enjoy the story. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, though and there were some serious topics I didn’t think would be a part of this book. They were though and I wish the author would have taken a little more time to address them. Then again there’s only so much you can put in a book so I guess I’m just a bean counter. XD Either way I had a good time with “Once Upon a K-Prom” and will watch out for other books from Kat Cho.

_________________________________

Okay, this was extremely cute and I really liked the k-pop aspect.
Elena is the girl-next-door and Robbie is the idol that’s adored by the masses. This was an interesting dynamic. The beginning was very awkward, but I think that made it more realistic?
I really loved all the other band members too. They were great but I think my faves were Moon and Jae. *lol*

This was a sweet read for in between! Full RTC soon. ;-)
__________________________________

When one of my favourite BookTubers said that she’d do a Ktropeathon and that this book would be the book the community chose to read together I had absolutely no other choice than to join! *lol*
I mean “Once Upon a K-Prom” has been on my TBR ever since it was published and it has so many things I love in my books. And if you think I’ll go for one of my famous check-lists now, well you’re right! ;-)

- K-Pop Romance
- Former besties to lovers
- Prom, and not just any prom, a K-Prom!!!
- Famous Idol & unknown girl (aka Cinderella-ish plot)
- Fandoms

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready! =)

Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram

[elle⋆ᯓෆ]

🌷 pre-read… i wanna read something cute and lighthearted rn and i hope this will be!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may not be a K-pop fangirl, but I am a huge fan of this book! Two childhood friends are reunited for a prom date. Sounds simple, but there is much more to this one. Elena is a high school senior in an Chicago-area high school. Robbie is a K-pop star. Cue the netizens and Constellations. Kat Cho gives a story with depth that explores the price of fame and also the opportunities it brings. I loved Elena's volunteer time at the local community center and her ideas for spending less on prom so there is money for donating to a good cause. This clean, teen romance put a smile on my face. Looking forward to checking out more of Kat Cho's books.

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 4 out of 5]

~👑Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!👑~

I should've accepted that marriage proposal.

Rating: ✨✨✨✨3.6

See, when one gets a 'Say Yes To The Ring' moment when one is in kindergarten, that immature, tiny, miniscule brain thinks 'oh, that's weird, let's run away'. While years later, that same immature, slightly larger, miniscule brain thinks, "I could've been a married lady by now, with a slightly-disturbed-because-the-kid-chased-me-all-around-the-fountain-while-viciously-holding-on-to-said-flower-ring to lovers trope, and sweat stains from running away as my reminder of it."

Frankly, I'm still wiping tears.

With a big chunk of ice to make myself suffer because why can't I have THIS-
I missed the opportunity, and it hunts me.
It doesn't, but I'll say it does for effect.
I may be emotionally spent and money less, but let's make it ~dramatic~

Being superficial for a second, that cover owns me.
It owns my mortgage, my life, my own Barbie collection- and while reading some corny/ slightly cheesy scenes that fit perfectly with the vibes of the book, I thought about being critical and judging everything...

But then I thought, let's be real, I'm never going to have this ish (unless the kid that chased me back then, still holds a burning candle for my arrival, which I doubt-) in real life, so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Speaking of which, that brings me to the first topic of this ess- review (barely two days back in Hell, and I've already been hijacked), the fact that books like this give me hope for my celebrity meet-cute. AKA, the plot and storyline.
The book's pace itself was on steroids, most likely some hallucinogenic drug too- wait, maybe that was me, never mind. By page 20, the characters were already in each other's lives, by page 40, feelings were already present. By page 100 they probably swore never to be apart again- you know what I mean. Those kinds of steroids, and honestly? This mass of bad decisions was alllll here for it. I've been dying to read a celebrity/commoner book that's appropriate to mark as 'read' (cough) when people that share my own blood follow me- and this one was the perfect one!

Quick, light and basically a batch of whipped cream dumped on waffles.
Dang, now I'm hungry.
Which is also what this book made me feel.

For food, not uh... I'll shut up now.
Holy fire is needed in aisle 5

The storyline follows best friends that were separated when they were kids--one taken to stardom in the K-Pop industry, whilst the other strived to save a community center from closing down-- then suddenly Spy Boy comes back into the picture, and guess what? He rocks the MCs world.
...
......
I need a mental ice bath.
The puns are too frigid-
(I need help)

I liked that plot so much (not the ice bath one). Not too much to absolutely adore it, but I flew through it like a single-minded chipmunk.

Then, of course, we have the daydreaming portion where I envisioned V as the love interest for the whole book-
And I blushed.
Flushed (not the toilet)
And combusted.

But revived myself to finish this.

The characters themselves weren't that big of a deal. Superficial, sweet, if they died maybe I wouldn't have cried- BUT THAT'S OKAY. NOT EVERY BOOK HAS TO BREAK YOU, BOOKSY. HUSH YOURSELF

I really wanted to care more about them, you know? I wanted to see how they were beneath their masks and dance breaks.
They were more... fillers, I think.
We got the mean girls.
Sassy bff.
Annoying yet super hot brother.
More mean people.
The one friend that's not mean but not nice.
You know the gist-

The MC needs a thousand hugs, possibly a bottle of tequila, possibly a pillow fort and the words 'you're worth staying for' tattooed on her forehead. You have no idea how much I related to how she felt and the things she did when times seemed a little too difficult. Trust me, I gave up on the violin a loooong time ago because I didn't have a passion for it, and maybe I didn't. But perhaps I didn't want it because it got hard to do. And the fact that she went from journaling to music to art and didn't find the one that called to her made me feel not alone. We're teens, we don't have anything planned out, most of us don't know what the heck to do with life itself. And even if you're not a teen! Perhaps you're 88 (which is epic) and don't know what the complete purpose of your existence is. I've learned that just enjoying hobbies or studying the things you want to study is what makes living, better than existing for a single goal. And her character ARC was fabulous.
Mainly because the rest of the characters made her see what was going wrong, and I love THE COMMUNICATION-

Then we have the love interest-he- UGH, okay? (look at me using my words) That's really all. I wanted to squeeze the cuteness out of his bootiful self, bottle it up and spritz it every time I walked into a room. Disturbing visual? Yes.
We need to bury this man under 56789 pounds of cotton to preserve his precious innocence. Time and time again, his adorable self was too much to resist. If I were to rate him from 'Ew, what's that', to 'MARRY ME, LET'S HAVE OFFSPRING-', I would give him a solid 'you brighten up my day, you' next to 'I'll steal you away and place you in a lovable dungeon'

More on the like than in the love-basically this whole book.

The main event of this book, though, was (McDonald's outro) the romance! It was easy, sometimes not very easy because COMMUNICATION was not present (I have an innate dislike for that trope), but ultimately fun, loveable, perhaps shoveable too, sweet and quick. The atmosphere it created was not one of sizzling feasts, more like desserts served cold on a summer day. I had the issue of finding it was too fast for me to completely adore it, but I see why. Or at least what was the purpose of it. Childhood sweethearts meet again, disastrous Promposal, the holy duo of Rom- Coms everywhere.

It helps that I was eating Ice Cream while reading, not going to lie- *wink WINK*

The thing I least enjoyed, overall, was probably how easy every problem was fixed at the end. Because sometimes it takes time to recuperate a bond, to forgive years of fights or hatred. The fact that it was made so easy within the last 25 pages was a tad frustrating. I want to see the struggle, or even better, leave it open-ended! Life is not perfect, so why should familial or even romantic relationships strive to be so?

On a closing note, this is a book you can most likely read in under four hours. It's funny, fluffy, uncomplicated, painless (ahem, as every book you read should be, Booksy-) and above all, so flipping wholesome.

I'm still waiting for my ring, V.
You may be a little (COUGH) older than me, BUT I'LL SOON BE LEGAL-
JUST HOLD UP THE DANG AGING-
EVEN THOUGH YOU LOOK SO FINE STANDING THERE-

(P.S: To the boy who chased me with a flower ring, I want to tell you that even though I screamed bloody murder, you made me feel loved, and I hope someone makes you feel that way now.
Or, you know, give me a call-)

I wish you the sweetest bookish day!

.....................

If To All The Boy's I've Loved Before had an affair with a cupcake behind Shine's (by Jessica Jung) back and somehow involved a hint of unrequited love from K-pop Confidential, the baby from that complicated triad would be this book.

.....................

SIGN ME UP, LOCK ME UP AND THROW AWAY THE DARN KEY.

I'M HOOKED.

[Gili · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing this book has got going for it is the beautiful cover.
Lying for a bad reason, excusing the lying with saying the guy is emotionally immature (and that being a good thing?), plot that could be saved by people actually talking to each other and getting their consent, underdeveloped family dynamics and a personal pet peeve- constantly telling a woman she need to loosen up when she really isn’t that uptight.
It also managed to be boring on top of everything.
I’m starting to think maybe books about k pop are not for me.

[Fakiha · Rating 4 out of 5]

““You’re right. It is a good view,” Robbie whispered, but his eyes were still on me.”

I picked this one up just by the cover, hoping to get all the kpop vibes…and this book delivered!

It was refreshing to read about a character like Elena. She had something she truly loved and was passionate about (her local community center) and the way she did things she wasn’t completely comfortable with in order to support the place she loved with all her heart was amazing to read about. I also really liked her character because we were kinda similar with both of us hating attention and prefer to avoid our problems 😂. The only problem I had with her was that I didn’t feel completely connected to her character multiple times throughout the story.

Robbie turned out to be such a caring and soft guy but his first impression was not the best 😅. He seemed quite stuck up and unsure of how to act not like an idol when he first talked with Elena after returning to her. His character also seemed to change back and forth between two different personas throughout the story, which came across as a bit weird to me.

Elena and Robbie made the cutest friends when they were younger! The flashbacks to when they were so childish and goofy were so wholesome 💖. Once they had bridged the gap between them from the time apart, Elena had slowly let him back in and Robby had realized not that much has changed from when they were kids.
Side note: Robbie continued to play the song he and Elena created as kids and transformed it into a love song, like c'mon that is so adorable!! 💗😭

I know this whole story is unrealistic, but the ending was just a bit too unrealistic or unsettling for me because Robbie is a world-wide idol, he’s got crazy fans who love him to death. Elena will not survive as his public girlfriend for long. (no offense to Elena, no one would idol fans can be extreme sometimes)

I also was looking forward to the author talking about the less glamorous and more bitter side of kpop–all the things that the public doesn’t see–which she did talk about! I’m glad this was addressed because it gave more insight about the less talked about side of industry.

The plot was well paced with lots of cute and fun events allowing the plot to move forward along with little plot twists and surprises I didn’t see coming!

I also want to give some love to the rest of the members of Robbie’s boy group, WDB, because they all were unique and charismatic in their own ways (some definitely more than others). They could 100% pass as an actual world famous boy band lol 😂. Also, I loved Sooyeon. She was the sweetest thing to ever exist and her and Elena’s relationship was amazing, just like Elena’s and Josie’s (her best friend). Josie definitely balanced Elena out just like how Elena would balance Sooyeon out. The friendships in these contemporary romances are always the best ✨

*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:* fav quotes *:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:*

“And I know that this place means everything to you, so I wanted to apologize to you here. In a place you love. Because I love you.”

““I’ve never stopped caring about you,” he said, and I felt my cheeks
burn. ”

““I missed you too, Robbie,” I let myself say. And I knew I’d done the thing I promised I wouldn’t. I’d completely fallen for Robbie Choi.””

[michelle (magical reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

read on my blog

rep: Korean-American protagonist, Korean love interest and side characters, Mexican-American side character; (Korean-American author)
cw: mentions of death of a parent (father) from a car accident

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew it was one that I had to read. The idea of your old best friend becoming a K-pop idol and then returning to fulfill a childhood promise to take you to prom? Such a wild ride, and I definitely had so much fun while reading this book. In Once Upon a K-Prom, a girl’s childhood best friend—and now a world-famous K-pop idol—comes back into her life, and she must decide if his spotlight is worth getting to know him again while also discovering her own passions.

Elena Soo is used to people leaving her: her sisters, her friends, her first crush. When her childhood best friend Robbie comes back into her life to fulfill their pact to go to prom together, she has a hard time connecting him as a member of the most famous K-pop group in the world and the boy she once knew. He really does want to reconnect with her, though, and she begrudgingly gets pulled into his world of cameras and fans. She can’t help but fall for him again, and vice versa, and their friendship eventually (and finally) turns into feelings neither of them can ignore anymore.

This book was so much fun! I read it all in one day because I couldn’t put it down. The premise sounds so wild, but the circumstances of the book felt very natural. It was also interesting how detailed the boy group Robbie is a part of, WDB, was, with profiles of each member throughout the novel as well as hints toward their backstory. While aspects of the K-pop industry are prevalent throughout the book, they’re explained well enough for people who might not know but not too detailed to be longwinded for people who do know, so I think this story will be enjoyable to K-pop fans and non-fans alike.

I was confused by the BTS erasure at first, but I soon realized that WDB basically takes over their existence for the purposes of the story. It doesn’t detract from your experience if you just don’t overthink it, which I probably was. I will say that I thought the book portrayed idol life as only stifling and rigid—and it obviously can be, don’t get me wrong—but I felt like parts of it leaned into “the dark side of K-pop” rhetoric where some people act like idols are machines and not allowed to do anything their company doesn’t want. Maybe I’m just overthinking it again because there wouldn’t be much of a story without this conflict, I guess.

Anyways, I really liked the characters! We get both Elena’s and Robbie’s point-of-view although I would say Elena is more of the main character. Robbie’s chapters provided some more insight on what was happening on his side and fleshed out his character, but most of the story is Elena’s. Elena has gone through life not able to pinpoint an interest or a hobby, and she’s used to being overlooked. Her older sisters never come home anymore, and her mom focuses more on her twin brother Ethan than her. I liked seeing her begin to realize that people do, in fact, care about her and see her, even if that’s not what it seems like at first. Meanwhile, Robbie wants to produce and write his own music but is scared of his ideas getting rejected by the company.

I really liked how, while this is a diasporic story, Elena doesn’t struggle with her Korean-American identity. Obviously these feelings and stories are valid, but I did relate more to how being Korean American is not a source of conflict for her. Her Korean culture is just a part of her and not one that she feels out-of-place for, a bit of a privileged position as she acknowledges.

The side characters were also great. Ethan obviously feels pushed away by Elena, not that she’ll hear it, and they do have a nice talk toward the end of the book. Elena’s best friend Josie tries to get her out of her comfort zone but also supports her when she’s down. Elena also volunteers at a community center where she’s very close to the people who regularly visit there. They’re the reason why she works so hard to campaign for funding to keep the center open when it’s on the brink of being shut down. I also liked reading about the other members of Robbie’s group; they have a good rapport and are particularly playful with Robbie, who’s the maknae or the youngest of the group.

The romance was really cute! As I said before, this is an “estranged childhood best friends to lovers” story. Elena and Robbie were childhood friends that haven’t spoken in four years after Robbie became a trainee. However, all this time, Elena thought he ghosted her and rebuffs his first attempt at asking her to prom because of this. Once they get over this, they begin to relearn their friendship with each other, rekindling their romantic feelings for each other.

Overall, Once Upon a K-Prom was a fun, adorable story that also navigated discovering your passion. I liked the characters, and the romance was very cute. Whether you’re into K-pop or not, I think anyone can enjoy this estranged-childhood-friends-to-lovers story!

original review:

not the bts erasure 😭 (joking, mostly. some of wdb's backstory is def inspired by them so that was necessary I guess)

but fr, this book was very fun and the romance was a sweet estranged childhood friends to lovers

[janeee :D · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh lord… i cant keep reading kpop stories… im too delulu… janekook will prevail one day 😞😞 ill make sure of it 😵‍💫💔

[Kaya Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once Upon A K-Prom is incredibly reminiscent of XOXO by Axie Oh. But while XOXO takes place in Seoul, this story is set in the USA. This follows Elena, a girl who isn’t keen on going to prom for several reasons. One is that she’d much rather the funds go to the local community center and the other reason? Well, that reason is the star of the biggest Kpop boy band in Korea…and the boy who’d promised to take her to prom when they were little. So what happens when he comes knocking on her door, prepared to keep the promise? What happens when the Robbie Choi Elena used to love is now a pink-haired idol?

I somehow read this entire story within the span of almost one full plane ride. It’s so incredibly wholesome and fun, and full of all the cute Kpop cliches.

Elena sometimes annoyed me with how quickly she shut down Robbie, and her refusal to communicate properly, but I liked her for the most part. She feels overshadowed by all of her siblings and just wants to make her Korean mom proud. I loved seeing her passion for helping people, specifically those in the community center. Even better, she has great female friendships that aren’t toxic in any way.
This did touch on some of the rougher aspects of the industry, such as the terrible attitude towards Korean idols and dating, as well as the concept of an artist’s freedom with their music. So I really appreciated that!

AND THE ROMANCE!!! It was so cute!!! I mean, it relied a little too much on miscommunication for my tastes but it was super sweet for the most part. It also had the benefit of being supported by hilarious banter from Robbie’s bandmates so yeah.

I enjoyed the glitz, the glamour, and the insanity of Kpop. But I also really enjoyed the smaller, sweet moments between Robbie and Elena that really helped make their relationship feel organic. I just wish that miscommunication hadn’t gotten in the way so much, because it truly did make the story feel a bit repetitive.

a huge thank you to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

[Romina · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب با اینکه اصلا برای من نبود، و با اینکه الان توی این شرایط جامعه اصلا توی مود خوندن چنین چیزی نبودم، خیلی کیوت و قشنگ بود!
شاید اگه طرفدار کی‌پاپ بودم یا اگه سنم یکم کمتر بود خیلی بیشتر از اینا ازش خوشم میومد ولی خب...با دید کسی که طرفدار رومنسای YA نیست و با اینکه خیلی چیزا از دنیای کی‌پاپ میدونه (چون دوست صمیمیم کی‌پاپره و مطمئنم عاشق این کتاب میشد) میتونم بگم خیلی خوب تونست منو وارد دنیای کی‌پاپ و ام‌وی و زندگی ایدل‌ها بکنه.
شخصیتای کتاب واقعا دوست داشتنی بودن. شخصیت دختر اصلی Elena با همه‌ی نقص‌ها و حساسیت‌ها و ترس‌هاش شخصیت خوبی برای خوندن بود و اعصاب آدم رو خورد نمیکرد. دوستا و همکلاسی‌های النا، حتی آدمای اون مرکزی که خیلی بهش علاقه داشت خیلی قشنگ پرداخته شده بودن.
و گروه WBD با اینکه واقعی نبود خیلی واقعی به نظر میرسید و اعضاش مثل یه خانواده دوست داشتنی بودن.
خلاصه که همه‌ی شخصیتا، از النا و رابی گرفته تا شخصیتای خیلی فرعی تر مثل سویون و جی‌دی و جکسون و مینسوک و حتی فلیسیتی، تک به تکشون برای خودشون یه شخصیت جدا و منحصر به فرد داشتن که این خیلی خوب بود.
و رابطه النا و رابی...من خیلی طرفدای تروپ friends to lovers نیستم مخصوصا وقتی از بچگی با همدیگه دوست بودن ولی خب این اینقدر قشنگ و کیوت نوشته شده بود که دوستش داشتم.
در کل آره...دوست داشتنی و حواس پرت کن بود ولی اصلا به حال و احوال این روزام نمیخورد و در کل هم خیلی سبک من نبود!

[Ruei (Ruei's Reading Corner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review & Blog Tour: https://rueisreadingcorner.blogspot.c...

As the youngest child in the Soo family along with her twin brother, Elena just wants to get out of everyone's shadows. Her successful sisters and even her more popular twin brother all seem to have accomplishments Elena can only dream of.

When prom season comes around, she hopes to make her mark by focusing her energy on the community center where she volunteers instead of all the prom chaos going around her. But then Robbie Choi, her childhood best friend, shows up at her door, literally asking her to attend prom with him.

Seven years earlier, Robbie had left the U.S. for Korea without much communication with Elena over the years. While Elena has been working to save the community center, Robbie has become a member of the global sensation K-pop boy group everyone is talking about.

How will prom season turn out for Elena?

I loved the characters especially Elena because she's just SO relatable. She's honestly kind of a perfectionist and feels that everything has to go a certain way according to her plan but also life doesn't work that way. Sometimes, she has a hard time knowing that but the supportive people around her always help remind her of it.

Overall, Once Upon a K-Prom was just such a fun, easy read. The childhood lovers omg are just so cute. Books on K-pop are becoming popular these days and this one is definitely a must-read!

**Thank you so much to Rockstar Book Tours and Disney Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour!**

[Anette Xia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never have I read a romance book where the main character is so unlikeable. Elena makes many mistakes in the course of this novel, and it feels like they all have no weight whatsoever. Also, can we please move beyond the shy, quirky, girl who thinks she’s so different from everyone else? Where is the revolution that came with Hailee Steinfeld’s “Most Girls”?

Robbie Chen is okay, but only because he has no discernible personality other than being charming and deceptive for the sake of drama. Also, the author mentions he suffered from depression briefly, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. It’s never actually brought up again or taken seriously as an actual part of his life. How shallow does it get?

None of the side characters were notable except sooyeon, who I only like because once again she’s one sided enough that there is no depth to her personality beyond being a genuinely good person. Thank god this book didn’t fall into the plot of girls vs girls, because that would’ve sent it off to one stars.

Overall, was it enjoyable and cheesy and cute at times? Yeah of course. It’s hard not to be when you’re in this kind of plot. But it was also cringeworthy and confusing, and the characters were shallow and I just didn’t want to root for their success. There are far better romance books where the tension feels genuine and meaningful, and the characters’ struggles make you worried for them and hope they’ll come out okay. This is not one of those.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

yeah this with the best-friends-keeping-their-promises-and-also-falling-in-love

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!

[Chantaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I want from books like this is to have fun and I HAD FUN.

This is a really fun read, utilizing all the best fanfic tropes for a story that is pretty well told. I did have some issues with some of the rapid fire character resolutions toward the end, but they were only minor gripes. This book read fast and delightful and cheesy and I enjoyed it.

I think it pairs really well with Axie Oh's XOXO (though I liked that one a bit more).

[Cassandra Lynn Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Was this what seven years did to someone? Just took all their sweetest features and sharpened them just enough to make them dangerous. Because that dimple was a serious weapon."

For fans of Axie Oh's XOXO and Kristen Burnham's Heart & Seoul comes Once Upon a K-prom, a refreshing meet cute with a twist.

Let's be honest, if you are looking for a young adult story with that k-drama twist, I am your girl to give you the truth as I absolutely devour everything in this sub genre of YA. I absolutely love watching k-dramas so reading instead of watching these types of stories is literally my guilty pleasure.

Elena has practically felt invisible her entire life. Not only has she been overshadowed by her older sisters, she is constantly overshadowed by her own twin Ethan. Everyone constantly leaves Elena -- they are always moving, leaving her feeling even more alone. The one person in the world Elena misses the most was her best friend Robbie who moved when they were 10 years old to Seoul, South Korea. Now Robbie has found his passion and is a part of a famous k-pop group. Elena's world is suddenly turned upside down when Robbie shows up on her door step 7 years later to uphold his promise to her -- They would go to prom together. However, is Robbie still the person she fell in love with when she was 10 or is has he changed with fame?

When I begin reading I felt like the story I was sold in the synopsis wasn't the story I was getting, but as the story progressed it got a lot better and I really started to enjoy it. I personally think this is defiantly aimed more towards the younger audience of YA as there isn't a whole lot of spice to it, but doesn't mean I didn't think it was a cute story! So let's dive into my overall experience! The beginning of this novel was incredibly slow. We see Robbie show up within the first few chapters, however, it feels like it's dragged on and we have filler chapters where nothing really significant happens. I understand the playing hard to get and Robbie going all out to prove himself, I just think it was missing that special emph to get it to the five stars I would really love to give it.

One of my biggest take aways and suggestions before this book is published is maybe a guide for some of the Hangul words that are included in the novel to be included. I Found myself reading and noticing there were Hangul words mixed into the sentences without any real translation or indication of what the words meant. For example, " I remembered the story about how harabeoji had come to the us to work for a few years without halmeoni." I of course know that Harabeoji is grandfather and halmeoni is grandmother, finally my years of watch k-dramas has finally paid off haha, but to the average reader of YA they might not have that basic knowledge of Hangul to understand the context of the sentence. Especially with there being no clarification or context to indication that she is talking about her grandfather and grandmother. I think that just a guide at the beginning to the words word be an amazing feature that would help the reader understand a little better.

Overall, this was a light read for me and I did enjoy the overall theme of the novel! I think this was a really cute fun read and those who are also into kdrama style books or books in a high school setting will really enjoy this read! I also found out that this was the author's first contemporary novel, but she's written a fantasy romance series. Needless to say, I am intrigued and ready to read it as I did overall like the writing style of this author!

[andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

→ 3.5 stars

once upon a k-prom was very cute, but it was simply not for me. i don’t have any particular feelings for this book, it wasn’t mind-blowing and it wasn’t bad. it’s pretty fun to read, so i would definitely recommend it, but it’s just one of those “it’s not you, it’s me” cases.

i really liked the end half of the book, it was so fun to read and it kept me engaged to the very end, however, the beginning was a bit tedious. the references were also really fun to see and i quite like the friends-to-lovers trope and how the book approached it.

i think this novel simply bit off more than it can chew because it switched between so many side plots, that nothing felt well-developed. the characters felt a bit one-dimensional, with a couple of main traits and that’s it. i literally can’t tell you anything about them because they were all superficially characterized. their problems were explored on a surface level and i don’t think all of them were resolved properly. the main character, elena, was interesting, but i have a bone to pick with how she was written. the “everyone leaves me” mentality got annoying really fast. she does get better, but i think the switch was a bit too abrupt. i wish we would’ve gotten more of her realizing she also tends to give up on people easily. she simply refused to communicate with anyone and all of those problems could’ve been avoided so easily. or, at least, resolved sooner.

the book is told in 1st pov – elena’s, but then we’d have some chapters that followed robbie written in 3rd pov and i did not get why. it brought absolutely nothing to the story, it broke off the flow because it abruptly switched at the worst times.

once upon a k-prom is a light-hearted novel that also touches on some heavier topics -like the struggle with self-identity and the dark side of the k-pop industry. i really liked the way these topics were covered and i wished we would’ve spent more time watching the characters deal with some of these issues. the book was simply too fast-paced for what it tried to do.

overall, it’s a really cute book and i would totally recommend it for when you’re in the mood for something light. i have to say fans of xoxo by axie oh will probably like this one as well!

[Scarlett Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been better but I didn’t jive with the FMC. She is just too negative and toxic. She spent majority of the book acting like the entire world was against her when in reality she was the one driving people away. It all started with her childhood best friend, the MMC, moving to another country. And then they lost touch when he joined a boy band so she basically closed herself up and expected people she got close to will eventually leave her. While I sympathized with her, it just got too much.

The romance itself was cute and if you’ve ever been a fangirl of some celebrity, you will most likely have some appreciation for this type of story. When the FMC wasn’t being miserable, I was actually rooting for the couple. And I enjoyed the the K-pop scenes. I also liked how everything got resolved and the FMC’s character development.

Overall it was cute and ok.

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits are one of my all-time favourite duologies, AND I love K-Pop. So this should have been a new favourite, right?

Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad book. But I was hoping for so much more. I frankly found myself quite bored while reading this, especially because I felt like I never really got to know the characters, which made it feel like it was dragging at times. I also wanted a lot more charm from this. I guess I just didn't like the characters very much.

[graziella ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️

Maybe I am the problem but I don’t like how they made the FMC own everyone an apology when she deserved the biggest apologies

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley approved me for this gem and I am over the moon!

REVIEW TIME!

Reasons to read: childhood friends reuniting except one is a famous K-pop idol and OMG

I only recently became obsessed with K-pop thanks to a Blackpink reaction video and now I'm devouring anything having to do with K-pop! Let's be honest, I'm on the older spectrum, but I do enjoy a good YA contemporary as it does make this 80-year-old woman feel young again. Jk, I'm not 80, but someday's I feel like I am. I digress...

Before Robbie moved to Korea, he and Elena made a promise to attend prom together. Years later, that promise is the last thing on Elena's mind. She's bust volunteering at her local community center and raising money to keep it going, so when Robbie knocks on her door one afternoon, she's flabbergasted for more reasons than one. One is Robbie is a famous idol in one of the most popular K-pop bands around. His attitude is different and she's initially put off; they have drifted apart over the years and their prom promise was nearly forgotten. But the more Elena starts to get to know Robbie again, the more she sees the old Robbie coming through.

The things I loved:

I adore that Elena is not initially starstruck by Robbie and it makes for some serious tension when she grows to love the man he's become and vice versa. She's focused on the things she cares for and doesn't let anything deter her from her goals. It was fun seeing her loosen her grip on controlling the things that cannot control.

Robbie and Elena's relationship is slow-burn and not as rushed as most YA novels.

Can I take a second to gush over Robbie's bandmates? They are all so kind and unique and added such a fun element to the story.

Some quick issues I had:

I felt like Robbie's POV was thrown in last second and didn't add much depth to the story; it would have been fine without it.

The lack of communication and repeated conflicts felt redundant. I felt like I was in the Twilight zone when the same thing that had just happened, happened again and I'm like, at this point, why isn't Elana asking more questions and communicating better instead of jumping to just assuming she's being used or wronged? She had some woe-is-me moments that took me out of the book and I began to lose my connection with her.

Overall, this was a cute and fun read and will be an amazing addition to your bookshelves.

[Kaya Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once Upon A K-Prom is incredibly reminiscent of XOXO by Axie Oh. But while XOXO takes place in Seoul, this story is set in the USA. This follows Elena, a girl who isn’t keen on going to prom for several reasons. One is that she’d much rather the funds go to the local community center, and the other reason? Well, that reason is the star of the biggest Kpop boy band in Korea…and the boy who’d promised to take her to prom when they were little. So what happens when he comes knocking on her door, prepared to keep the promise? What happens when the Robbie Choi Elena used to love is now a pink-haired idol?

I somehow read this entire story within the span of almost one full plane ride. It’s so incredibly wholesome, and fun, and full of all the cute Kpop cliches.

Elena sometimes annoyed me with how quickly she shut down Robbie, and her refusal to communicate properly, but I liked her for the most part. She feels overshadowed by all of her siblings, and just wants to make her Korean mom proud. I loved seeing her passion for helping people, specifically those in the community center. Even better, she has great female friendships that aren’t toxic in any way.

This did touch on some of the rougher aspects of the industry, such as the terrible attitude towards Korean idols and dating, as well as the concept of an artist’s freedom with their music. So I really appreciated that!

AND THE ROMANCE!!! It was so cute!!! I mean, it relied a little too much on miscommunication for my tastes but it was super sweet for the most part. It also had the benefit of being supported by hilarious banter from Robbie’s bandmates so yeah.

I enjoyed the glitz, the glamour, and the insanity of Kpop. But I also really enjoyed the smaller, sweet moments between Robbie and Elena that really helped make their relationship feel organic. I just wish that miscommunication hadn’t gotten in the way so much, because it truly did make the story feel a bit repetitive.

So that’s it! This is definitely a shorter review but I’d 100% recommend this for fans of XOXO by Axie Oh! I’m giving this 4.25/5 stars.


i finished this entire book somehow on an airplane after reading nothing all week so…do i get bonus points or no?

anyways this was too cute for words and will honestly be the highlight spring contemporary novel. full rtc! thank you disney books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was too cute I love it so much the characters were so wholesome 🤌🏻the character development 🤌🏻 and the cover 😍😍😍😍this is a great rom com and the puns 🤌🏻 I love this book, all I need is to own it!!!