Falling for Korea

by Piper Jean

America meets K-drama in this rollercoaster plot with a fresh take on romance and what it means to be family.
When Sydney is sent to Seoul to live with a family she’s never met, she encounters unexpected chemistry with their son, but must fight to unravel the mystery of why she was sent away. Will she be able to get home before it’s too late, or will Korea turn out to be just the thing she needed?

California teen Sydney Moore doesn’t know why she’s been shipped off to spend her senior year in Korea with the wealthy godparents she barely knows. What was her mom thinking? The Kims are never even home. And their son, the guy that’s supposed to help Sydney adjust to school at the elite Daeshim Academy, is totally MIA. As soon as Sydney can scrape together enough for a ticket, she’s flying home.

Korean chaebol Kim Chul knows his parents care more about company shares than they do about him. So why did they dump some American girl in his lap senior year? They must have an angle; they always do. The best way to end their schemes is to send her packing.

Chul’s game plan changes when his rival, Gun, starts hanging around. Sydney thinks he’s a nice guy, but Chul knows Gun has a dark secret. Determined to protect Sydney, Chul decides she needs a boyfriend—fast. And who better than him? But there’s a problem: Sydney already saved his contact as Loser.

Things get complicated when Sydney’s mom cuts off contact. As Sydney begins to uncover the devastating reason she was sent away, she’s even more determined to get home. But leaving isn’t so easy, especially when you’ve already started to fall for Korea.

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

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2022

About the author

Falling for Korea is Pipers Jean’s debut novel. When she’s not busy writing, you can find Piper watching K-dramas, taking care of her ever-growing hobby farm, and making Korean food. Piper believes in true love and happy endings. She is married to her own wonderful Oppa, and together they have dubbed themselves corporate nomads, moving from West Coast to East Coast, until finally deciding to settle in the lovely mountains of Utah.

Reviews

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I jumped on the bandwagon! I was definitely late to the party, but now that I can name the seven members of BTS and am not embarrassed to appreciate their global talent, the next step from K-pop in your life certainly seemed to be to check out some K-drama in print!



Although I wanted to have this story engulf me in the culture that wasn’t what happened at all. In fact, I honestly found the plot and setting to be difficult to believe.

However, something in Jean’s writing style moves things along quickly and keeps the pages turning so it wasn’t something to give up on and toss aside.

Things open with us needing to believe that Sydney, a lower, middle class, blonde-haired, blue-eyed American teen is fluent in Korean only because her working-class, single mother demanded it be spoken at home.

The reader gets no other detail outside of Mom spending time as an exchange-student years previous and a resulting life-long tie to Suni, who she stayed with during that time period.

Seems like an unconventional reason to raise your child bilingual!

Add-in the idea that Sydney and her mother’s best friend Suni, who is also Sydney’s “godmother,” have never even met in person, and top it all off by being dropped off at the airport with your suitcase packed to stay in Korea for an unknown period of time, for an unknown reason and you’re only a dozen pages into the story!

No turning back now! You have to find out what happens!

Get to Korea and of course the “godmother” is wealthier than you could imagine and just happens to be out of the country on business, so you’re left alone in a gigantic house where you don’t even realize you’re actually living with one of your classmates who just happens to be the most popular and most attractive student at an exclusive private school.

And oh yeah, he’s a computer genius so is tracking your every move!

You might think that’s the icing on the cake, but there is still the love story you knew was coming, an unconventional reason to marry in just a few short months of meeting, and an added psychological turn you didn’t see coming when your insane uncle kidnaps you after losing your mother to cancer!

Is this a standard genre formula for K-dramas? I guess I’m going to have to find out!

It is truly a very quick read and the point of view back and forth between the main characters Sydney and Chul works to move the fast-paced love story along while somehow allowing you to let go of what seems like unbelievable and unrealistic twists and turns.

-Chris McArdle Rojo

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[Basma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update 1/31/23: The more I think about this book, the more it unnerves me.

I didn’t connect the dots until I saw the full cover today (my ebook didn’t display the full cover). The words “One American, One Oppa”There was so much about this book that made me super uncomfortable and it read like a self insert, borderline fetishization. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure what ethnicity the author was. After this morning, I looked it up and when I tell you it was impossible to find a photo of this author. Not on her website, not on her publishers (whose only book is this one??). Finally tracked down the Instagram and yep it’s a white woman. this made a lot of the book make sense because it read like someone was obsessed with the idea of being Korean. Dropping my rating to a one

Original Review: This was so messy. So much could have been avoided if people just communicated. This book read like early 2013 romance- the super possessive guy, no boundaries at all, the girl who just goes with whatever he says. I liked the other plot line but again it could’ve been so much better if it wasn’t reliant on miscommunication.

[vivie♡ {hiatus} · Rating 5 out of 5]

5✰ this book is so underrated
˚✧she closed her eyes with a sigh and felt the invisible tug of Chul’s soul pulling her closer.˚✧
isnt it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to meeeeee~

˚❀plot
basically, sydney is sent to live with her godmother who is “depressed.” while she’s there she falls in love with her godmothers son, chul. and then there’s the actual reason for her being sent there which was insane(not saying so read the book haha). the ending was crazy. her mom’s death was so unexpected and sad

˚❀characters
✧sydney
i love her so much she’s such an amazing character. i love how she stood up for herself in school and how she’s confident in herself. her character development was amazing. i love how she realized her worth and learned that her uncle was a liar and how she was never ill or a psycho. she realized what an amazing and valuable person she was. i also loved how she was a simple and kind person. she was humble and didn’t go crazy with her new wealth. she was fine being poor, even though she didn’t end up that way.

✧chul
he’s so sweet. i love how he started falling for sydney the second he laid eyes on her. he was trying to protect her and he was so consumed by the thought of her. he loved her for who she was and he was always looking out for her. he’s sooo husband material and he deserves the world<3

✧hyun
i love him so much oh my goodness! he’s sooo iconic and he took such good care of sydney. i loved his relationship with chul. he’s literally amazinggg. how he wanted to help chul with sydney was everything to me

✧gun
i hate him. idc if he wanted to help and look after sydney, he sucks. him and min deserve each other honestly.

✧sun-he
she’s so nice. i love her so much i wish she was in the book more!

˚❀realtionships
✧sydney+chul
soulmates. they are made for each other. their relationship is literally true love. the definition of love is, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church is, “to will the good of another.” that describes sydney and chul’s relationship. she was pushing him away to allow him to live his life but he just wanted her. he wanted her to be happy and heal herself so he did what she wanted and gave her space but he didn’t give up on her. it was so beautiful. i love how she got tickets for their honeymoon without even saying anything and how they wanted to stay married.
like just read this to know their relationship it’s perfect:

I didn’t know that I could feel the way I did about Sydney. Love wasn’t a word I would use to describe it. That seemed too ordinary, something that happened every day. What I felt for Syd was so big and wide, I couldn’t hold it all. Loving her hurt. And at this point, I was pretty sure if she died, I’d cease to exist.

He’d told her on the plane that he was happy, that she was his everything. Chul had confessed in every way a girl could dream. But Sydney knew that she loved him with all of that and more. Chul wasn’t just her everything. Sydney knew she loved Chul with an unstoppable force that would mold and shape them together into one future. He was the other half of her story.

ahhhh i love this book more than words can express. please read ittt! it’s fast paced and completely clean, nothing inappropriate. it was perfect.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling for Korea was a decent middle-of-the-road read. Yes, it did feel a bit like a K-drama (one of the more melodramatic teen rom-coms), and I could imagine the scenes playing out on the screen as I read. The plot was, as mentioned, a little overblown, but it was still fun and allowed for some interesting action. The split POV in 1st person worked fine, letting the reader understand the perspectives of both main characters. However, there was a little something lacking in the relationship for me. It felt too sudden, and I never really got why they were so right together when they hardly knew each other. It was also hard to see how she 'fell for Korea' when she didn't go anywhere much except school and the house and did nothing but complain that she hated the food every time they had a meal. A K-drama would have 16-20 hours to gradually expand the relationship and let us see Sydney adjust and come to like Korea. This book had fewer than 300 pages, and I fear that was too short a time for the relationship development to be believable, especially given her age and the way the book ends. This was an entertaining enough read, especially if you like the K-drama vibe, but it requires a high suspension of disbelief. It gets 3 stars from me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cloreep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, fun read about Sydney who is sent unwillingly to stay with her godparents in Korea. Their son, Chul, rich and aloof, soon discovers there’s more to this fiery blonde American teen than he’d thought. The chemistry is fantastic and yet the book is clean-no unnecessary language or sex-and totally appropriate for my teenagers to read, but a great book for me as well! It’s so nice to have a book that I don’t have to sensor before giving it to my kids. We need more of these.

[Sara Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough good things about this book and author, but it all stems on the quality of Piper's writing. This book kept me engaged and intrigued the entire way through because of how well-written it is. I'm not a K-drama fan nor do I fall into the YA range but I could completely relate to the various characters and enjoyed becoming immersed in their stories. I can't believe this is Piper's debut novel, it's clear they've been writing for a very long time. Excellent work, I can't wait to read your next work!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book for my summer reading list. I enjoyed the setting in Korea and especially loved the romance between Sydney and Chul. By the end, I couldn’t put it down and stayed up way too late reading it. I hope there’s a sequel!

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

To begin, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone that loves love.

I have always been someone that avoids things simply because they are popular. K-dramas are something I’ve been keeping my distance from as so many friends have become quite taken with them. So when someone suggested I read this book, I was skeptical. However, I found the story well-written, enjoyable, and moving. I’m a sucker for proper romance stories (clean and cute) and found this right up my alley.

Definitely a good read!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!! 10/10

I felt like I was watching a Kdrama it was so beautiful to read. I loved the love triangle and the way Sydney helped herself to be better and not cling to chul. Hopefully there's gonna be a sequel where they have kids together.

[Liralen · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was...a ride. Untagged spoilers below the fold.

The cover: Is lovely.

The heroine, part 1: A blonde, blue-eyed California girl who is sent to Korea by her mother, who will not tell her why. Sydney's first language is, improbably, Korean (learned from her similarly white mother), and virtually nobody in Korea blinks at this. Despite speaking fluent and apparently unaccented Korean, has never heard of most Korean food and openly talks about American food as "real food". (Cue all the Korean boys falling over themselves to make sure she never has to eat Korean food.)

The heroine's friends: Nonexistent. I think the book technically does pass the Bechdel test, because there are other female characters and Sydney occasionally engages with them, but it passes only on a technicality. After all, why would a seventeen-year-old need friends when she has a stalker godbrother boyfriend husband around to fulfill all her social needs?

The heroine's godparents: Running Sydney's life without any agreement from her or, like, telling her what they're doing. Have planned out her adoption, where she'll go to university, where she'll live, and who she'll marry...all while she still thinks she's returning to her mother in California in a few weeks.

Literally everyone but Sydney: Actively lying to Sydney for most of the book.

Villain #1: A mean bitchy mean bitchy meanie who is not above chucking a rock at someone's head or putting a terminally ill child's already shortened life at risk to make the (completely innocent, naturally) heroine look bad. Throws herself constantly at the hero (though everyone understands that she doesn't actually want him; she just wants him to want her). Runs rampant through the book, chucking rocks and all, until she drops off the page because there's a bigger villain in town.

Villain #2: Not actually the bigger villain (that one's still to come). One of the boys who immediately falls head over heels for Sydney for no particular reason except that she's there. Gets aggressive fast. Eventually sees the error of his ways and dedicates himself to protecting Sydney from villain #1...until she drops off the page and so does he.

The hero: One giant red flag. Is a literal stalker—puts tracking software on Sydney's phone before even meeting her, reads Sydney's emails, interferes with her emails, hacks her bank account, reads her text messages, etc., etc. Gets mad and tells Sydney she is "too emotional" when she's upset at learning the truth about the first of his lies. By the time we get to lie #713, she's thinking that "only Chul could make stalking romantic" (185). IT IS NOT ROMANTIC, SYDNEY. HE'S AN ASSHOLE. Also low-key tries to guilt Sydney into sex, after she has been married to him without her knowledge or agreement, by asking how much more sure she can be than married. SHE DIDN'T AGREE TO MARRY YOU, YOU ASSHOLE.

The heroine, part 2: A doormat. One who feels guilty that the guy who forced her to marry him is now stuck with her.

Villain #3: On paper he has Munchausen by proxy (albeit a manifestation that I don't think exists in real life). In practice he's just unhinged.

The plot: Also unhinged.

I don't know what I expected out of the book, but this was not it. If I'd ever seen a K-drama, would this all make more sense? I'm not sure I've ever seen even an American soap opera. Though, if Chul is the sort of hero one can expect in a soap opera—from any country—then nope, nope, I'm out. Nobody needs that many red flags in their life.

[Aisha (Free Palestine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I gave this book 3.25 stars. I gave it this rating because the beginning was quite frustrating and it made me not wanna read the rest but I think it was worth it for the ending and to see Sydney finally heal.

[William Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pretty captivating read and had a certain unpredicatability about it. I really had no idea where it was going. The pacing was a bit quick at points but it really settled in and I loved it.

[Mary Harty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characters and how easy it is to get into the story. It will make you laugh and want to cry. Well written and enjoyable read.

[Janean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has great pacing and some really engaging characters. Sydney and Chul are my new favorite couple.

[Nnwecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like k-dramas, but you don't have to listen to sappy music with every flashback. Great read, with lots of twists and turns to keep the slow-burn romance kindling.

[AirLindSea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling For Korea was a wild ride. It read like a K-drama and I loved it. There were twists, there were turns, and I read it in a day.

[Ashten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 stars (I liked this book when I read it, two years ago and gave it 5 stars. i loved the plot, but don’t think i will read it again)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.".

I enjoy watching K- drama's that's what Falling For Korea reminded me of. It was a cute 4 star read




Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review


Happy Reading Lisa 📚 

[Bego Salem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read, I quite liked it.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ridiculous. Like what the hell did I just read. Spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!

I'll start by saying the book changes genres like three times. It's very heavily marketed as YA rom-com, which it is! For like 60% of the book. Then it crosses into suspense and thriller and I really think that wasn't cool because it wasn't marketed as such. Like sorry, but the FMC getting drugged and kidnapped really came out of nowhere when the book's blurb drones on and on about how Sydney wants to go back to California but she's already started "falling for Korea" (wowee, title drop). I also feel like that's the type of thing that readers need to know BEFORE reading a book so they can decide if they want to read that??? The marketing for the book focuses so heavily on a love triangle (which literally isn't even in the book) that the book is set up to be some silly lighthearted love story with a dash of drama. And I'm not even saying that the Creepy Uncle Greg subplot shouldn't have been in the book, I'm just saying that HOW he was in the book wasn't cool.

The next thing I really didn't like about the book was its weird treatment of race. I was a little surprised when I learned that FMC is blond with blue eyes, but I was like, "Okay whatever, that doesn't mean too much." What I really didn't like, however, was that as soon as Sydney touched down in Seoul, ALLLL the boys in her school started to pursue her. At this point I'm wary but not too concerned because I'm like, "I don't want to be one of those people who are super sensitive to everything and get offended over nothing." HOWEVER, as soon as the two hottest, richest boys in school started to fight over her because she has (and I QUOTE) "American curves" YOU LOST ME. Like ew what the hell??? Reading this book, you can tell a white person wrote it and it was weird undertones of white saviourism. The book feels like a Koreaboo self-insert. Like that goodness neither of the boys were K-pop idols or I would've rage quit the book sooner. Racism and stereotypes go both ways, so this whole book felt a little weird. A white women writes from the POV of a Korean teenager who is utterly attracted to blond hair and white skin? "People can have their types" yeah whatever, I think that RACE-based types are strange. I would even go so far as to say this book felt like it was bordering on exoticism and fetishization of Asian people. I don't want to get too mean, but I was suspicious when the author's blurb said she has her own "Oppa", but I could find NO photos of her "Oppa". This guy could be the key to all of this, because the author is either an INTENSE Koreaboo who calls her white partner Oppa, or her "Oppa" is Asian and she's just trying very hard (and failing) to write a story which connects to him. (However, the author's own instagram account spells "mochi" as "mochie" which tells me all I need to know). I was SHOCKED when I saw in the acknowledgements that there were Korean sensitivity readers. Am I overreacting? Maybe I'm overreacting. But this is weird. I'm just gonna throw this quote here (they are talking about Namsam Tower): "It's beautiful. Like the Korean version of a colorful Eiffel Tower" (chapter 26).

Sydney pissed me off the whole time. I was sympathetic to her plight, her mom really screwed her over. However I HATE the miscommunication trope, and that's all this book is. There's not a single good character in this book because they're all so shitty to each other. Sydney is also dumb as rocks in the name of girlboss empowerment. "No, I got it!" she says to Chul while facing down her psychotic and physically aggressive uncle. Like, babe, it's not weak to know when you're in over your head and it's not weak to be protected by a man WHEN YOU ARE BEING THREATENED BY ANOTHER MAN. GET OVER YOUR EGO. And the other thing is that Sydney has this WEIRD attitude towards Korean food. "Sydney's mom studied abroad in Korea and loved it so much that she taught her daughter how to speak Korean" and you mean to tell me that never ONCE in Sydney's childhood did they eat Korean food??? Sydney gets to Korea and REFUSES to eat Korean food, not because it's too spicy (which would've been stupid, because not all Korean food is spicy, but valid), but because it's too "different" from American food. She doesn't try Korean food until the book is almost OVER. Yet throughout the book she'll happily eat her cheeseburgers and MEXICAN FOOD.

Chul also SUCKED. He's actually a terrible person who is possessive, bossy, and controlling, but it's oaky because he has trauma! His trauma? Going to jail because he hacked a major database and leaked people's medical records. Chul is the TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF "man meets a woman who makes him FEEL things! So he becomes emotionally dependent on her to FEEL FEELINGS and showers her in pretty language telling her no one has ever made him FEEL this way before!" And again, going back to the weird obsession with Sydney's body. I'm just gonna leave this quote here: "Before she could retreat, I stood behind her and settled my hands around her waist. Sydney wasn't small, and I loved that. I tried not to think about the deep curve of her hip as I lifted" (chapter 19).

Speaking of the ending of the book, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCKNUGGETS WAS THAT ENDING. I'm not even talking about the slow AF last chapter that switched POV like 20 times. The whole "marriage" bullshit crap????? The writing of this book was so fucking idealistic and honestly just reinforces my Koreaboo, self-insert theory. "Oh, my son has been living with this girl for two months and they like each other! Guess we should get those kids married instead of adopting Sydney just to protect her from her pervy fuckass uncle!" And the last chapter???? I haven't seen a love story as pathetic since Bella and Edward in New Moon. NOTHING makes sense. And again, I'll remind you, THIS BOOK IS MARKETED AS YA ROMCOM. IT'S MARKETED AS HAVING A LOVE TRIANGLE. IT'S MARKETED AS FAKE DATING. It has the stereotypical mean girls whose character development is flatter than an iron. But don't worry! It also have children who don't listen to their parents and then willingly go into an unsafe situation where (surprise surprise) they get hurt! It has a girl who gets kidnapped! It has an evil psychiatrist (who they say has Munchausen by proxy but I don't think actually does because non of Greg's behaviors align with my own online research!)! Additionally, Greg is Sydney's psychiatrist, which is not allowed by the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics! I also feel the need to say that the way mental health is handled in this book is ABYSMAL and negates the experiences of real people who have PTSD and depression.

I feel if we isolate either of these issues, the weird race undertones or the misleading marketing, the book would still be weak. But putting them together really sets the book up for disappointment and offending someone.

(I'd also like to say that I'm not against interracial relationships. Authors can base the book's love interests off their irl partner without coming across as a weirdo. Author Brittany Wang is a GREAT example of this).

[Lizzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of silly, delusional self-insert books that fulfill one vaguely borderline fetishist fantasy or another, but this one might top the list. I said “WHAT” out loud at least three times reading this book because I could not believe what was going on. Absolutely bonkers. Would like to unread.

[sas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I regret picking this book up so much. Everything I wanted it to be personally it was not. So sad it wasn't as good as I hyped it up to be in my head

[Katherine Vercouteren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm I'm not entirely sure what to think of this book...It was pretty good, there were definitely some parts that struck me as very good, but overall I just didn't click with it? Let's jump into it :P

Things I liked: 
-The setting! It was very cool. I love stories set in Asian countries, and the fact that it was in Korea was the main draw for me.  
-Sydney. She was a pretty good main character. I liked how she wasn't over the top and she felt pretty sensible to me, while also having a nice backstory
-Chul. He was sweet, although sometimes his motivations confused me? But I did really appreciate his protectiveness and sensitivity to Sydney. Though sometimes he felt a bit too perfect, with not enough flaws (in comparison to Sydney, who was believably flawed and still likable) 
-Some of the scenes were super fun

Things I didn't like:
-There were definitely some sentences and scenes that the author didn't have to put in there that was a bit uncomfortable. Like, it was still a clean romance, but there were just some things that I didn't like. There was quite a lot of the "physical attraction and affection" element to the romance that wasn't my favorite. Like obv it's fine to think your significant other is cute but, like, they thought about that a LOT.
-The ending... (SPOILERS AHEAD) Like, what????? I get that the author's trying to prove that they love each other so much they'd wait a year for each other, but it seems like such a random (and slow) climax. I admire the author for trying to make Sydney's arc believable, but it just didn't strike the right note, I don't think. 


Anywho, I definitely don't regret reading this book. It was a buddy recommendation so I was happy to do it. I read it in two days, which probably says something about how intriguing it was! Definitely not my favorite book, but also not my least favorite. 

[DANII · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. It is 2:45 am in the uk right now, and I've just finished, I read it in one sitting. I thought this was going to just be a love story between a young man from Korea and a girl from the States, but it was so much more than that, the story of Sydney and her mom and her uncle Greg kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen, also the love story between Chul and Sydney was adorable it wasn't what I had expected but I loved it and I'm not normal a big fan of romance, but this had heart fluttering,feet kicking moments that even I can't deny were just lovely to read. And without giving too much away, the crime aspect of it made it all the better for me, especially as my usual genre of books are thrillers. I would give this book 10 stars if I could. 😊 If I need to add anything else, I'll do it after sleep. I can barely see now, lol 😆
Happy reading, everyone ☺️ 📚

[Kayla crosbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so truly dumb and not at all rooted in reality - I don’t think this author has ever interacted with a teenager in their entire life and the idea of a grown person writing this is kind of terrifying, and “one American one oppa” is weird as fuck

But i did have fun reading this over the top mess and I could not put it down so I’ll give it 2 stars lmao

[jo_withbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Falling For Korea" is exactly what it promises! A wild ride of a book with the pacing of a K-Drama and as a K-Drama addict and lover it lived up to my expectations!
I have no cons in "Falling for Korea" and I recommend the book!!

[Cristiann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intense & romantic teen Kdrama

“Falling For Korea” is such an excellent debut novel. Not only is the cover of the book absolutely gorgeous, but the story itself is very well written and addictive. It’s not a perfect book by any means (I do have a few criticisms that I’ll list here), but I would still highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys multicultural/interracial romances and who likes reading about romances that are set in other countries besides Europe or in the Americas. And of course, I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching romantic Kdramas. ♥️

Pros:
1. Dual POVs from both our heroine and our hero. I love that we got to see things from both of their perspectives because it helped me understand each of them (and their motivations) much better.

2. The book is really well written and has a very nice/easy flow to it. Also, you can tell that the author did actual research on Korean culture by actually consulting with real Korean people before publishing it. Unfortunately, not enough published authors take the time to do that, so I really appreciate it when some actually do.

3. The main characters are very relatable and actually felt like real teenagers to me. I appreciate that the author made sure that they came across as young and inexperienced, while still not making them too childish and naive. They’ve both been through difficult experiences and it’s forced them to mature faster than most teens do, but at the same time they’re still a bit immature and grow a lot as people throughout the story. Both characters are flawed enough to feel genuine to me, but both are also still likable enough to root for.

4. It’s a bit of slow burn romance where the hero develops feelings first and I personally enjoyed that very much. The first official kiss doesn’t happen until about half way into the story, but you can clearly feel the romantic chemistry between them early on. There is no sex in the book (and therefore no smut) but that’s okay because they’re very young. Plus, there was still plenty of swoon-worthy romance to satisfy me. 🥰

5. There is a happy ending and it’s one that perfectly ties everything together. This is a standalone novel, so thankfully there are no cliffhangers to worry about. Just a great book to curl up and relax with.

Cons:

1. I didn’t particularly care much for the typical “mean girls” scenes that we got in the beginning of the book. Granted, I understand (and remember from personal experience) that bullying is sadly a very common thing in high schools all over the world, but those scenes were still my least favorite because of how stereotypical they felt.

2. I didn’t like how the heroine was so scared and reluctant to try any Korean food at first. I realize that she’s a typical foreigner in a foreign land, but still … it was a bit annoying and off putting how she just wanted to eat “American” food in the beginning. I’m glad she became more open minded later on, though … so that was a nice sign of growth imo.

3. I didn’t like that the hero kept so many secrets from her in the beginning. I understand why he did it (again, I’m thankful that we got his POV as well because it helped me like him more) but it still felt a bit unnecessary, especially when it came to his real name + identity.

4. I felt both of the main characters had parents who were selfish and should have done better for their kids, but sadly I guess that’s just another realistic aspect about the story. Plus, I realize that the mistakes their parents made are partially why these kids are the way that they are.

5. I’m not sure how realistic it is that a non-Korean person (especially one who’s never even been to any part of Korea before) would somehow grow up being very fluent in speaking Korean since childhood. That was probably the one thing that I had a hard time believing to be honest, but I suppose it’s not impossible. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Plus, I do think that helped them communicate much better with each other. And its certainly pleasantly refreshing to see a White American learn another language that’s not French or Spanish, lol.

So yeah, I think this is a really wonderful standalone romantic novel and an excellent YA debut in general. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely reread it again in the future. It’s currently available for free on Kindle Unlimited, so I’d take advantage of that if you’re a KU subscriber. And again, this book has such beautiful cover art that I didn’t even hesitate when I ordered a copy of it on paperback as well. All in all, I highly recommend “Falling for Korea” to everyone. ❤️

[NaBi]

Beautiful

I really loved this book. I recommend it is a beautiful story. If I like kdramas this is definitely a great read

[Alyssa Toño · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling

I truly enjoyed this novel! I am an avid watcher of Asian dramas. As most of them are based on manage and novels, I can totally see this story played out in k-drama fashion. In fact I can see it made into a drama for many countries. It has many of the typical Asian drama tropes and is still entertaining.

[Debra Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that resembles a KDrama is what this is. It was well written and kept me engaged from beginning to the end. This was a great first novel