Matching Set

Korean From Context #2

by Samantha Ann

Matching Set (필연)
필연 – inevitable fate.

Valerie Parker has her dream job. Assistant interior designer at Seung Designs for the well-to-do of San Francisco. And she just got handed her biggest client. Too bad her boss leaves out some key points of the design.

박종현. Millionaire, almost billionaire, and Valerie’s new client drops a bomb on her creation. He needs his apartment to look like a girlfriend, who doesn’t exist, lives with him.

What?!

Her job goes from crazy to full blown mental when, to cover up his lie, 종현 tells his mother Valerie is his girlfriend. That’s when they make a deal.

One contract. Two dates a week. Five months to make it believable.

But what happens when the line between fake and real feelings starts to blur? Could they possibly be a Matching Set?

Genres: Romance, Fake Dating, Adult

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2023

Reviews

[Jessica Parascando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Val is such a fun and loving character. I was so excited to read more of her!

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the "Korean From Context" series. I loved the first book (Seoul Searching was a 5-star read imo) and Matching Set did not disappoint. Val is working her dream job when a bomb drops. Her new client wants her to decorate his apartment to make it look like his girlfriend lives with him. Except, he doesn't have a girlfriend. Valerie finds herself playing the role of his girlfriend.

One contract. Two dates a week. Five months to make it believable. Fake and real feelings start to blur and the pair starts to wonder if they're a matching set.’

I think the concept of these books is so fun! Samantha Ann has such a way to how she writes that allows the reader to retain Korean! Plus, who doesn’t love a good romance? I typically hate the fake dating trope, but I didn’t mind it as much in this read. I enjoyed seeing the relationship flourish between Valerie and 종현. As you continue to read you can see them falling so hard for each other. Also LOVED the Maria cameos because she was thee blueprint!

Just shy of 200 pages, this book was a quick 5-star read!

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very cool read. It literally felt like I was in a k drama. Loved it.

I almost cried while reading this novel, and this was in regard to his mother.

[Caz Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of the Korean in context, I found it didn't quite work for me in practice.

I liked the book, I did think it was a little insta-love but I enjoyed the characters and I felt they were well matched. I happened to read the second book of this first, so it was quite nice to go back and see their story having had hints of it in the next one.

[Gayathri Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished the book in one day. I loved the story the characters and the pace. I didn't want their story to end. Will definitely read the next book. The only thing was I had to keep going back to read the translations of certain words which I did not like doing on my phone kindle app.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Love this style of writing and the romance is so sweet!

[Bookish Bear (Stephanie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable story. I loved it. I didn't think much of Val in the first book, Seoul Searching, but I definitely liked her in Matching Set. For me, it cleared up some odd behavior in Seoul Searching.

Matching Set is fun, both characters are likable, and the growing love story between the two is wonderful.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it just as much as the first book. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet romance with Korean language sprinkled throughout. Light, relaxing read. The only complaint I have is the sudden change to the Mother character. I just couldn’t suspend disbelief.

[Kelly Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost 5 stars!

This was a good read. I enjoyed the characters and the attractiveness between the leads. I just wish it wasn't so drawn out to get them to share their true feelings. And although there was obvious chemistry and slow burn moments, I would've liked to see more passion, especially with how long their plan was stretched out. Overall, I still recommend it!

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book overall was okay. On par with most of the shorter romances, and it wasn’t a slog to get through. That being said, the story and characters felt very underdeveloped. It felt like it was trying to be a kdrama by hitting so many of the typical tropes, but failed to develop a full plot around all of the tropes it was trying to hit on. So it felt very rushed. The development of the relationship didn’t feel natural or real. In my opinion, I think the story could have used more time and developing to tell the story it was trying to tell. I’d be interested in seeing how the author develops as she keeps writing and would love to try reading her future work. But this series just didn’t do it for me.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short novel, it was really cute and it reminded me of a k-drama. It also helps you learn some Korean, which is a plus. I would also like to say both female and male characters were likable and held their own when it came to his mom. Such a good read.

[Debra Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book really played out like a fake dating KDrama. Sweet and cute. I wish the meaning of the words and names in Hangul would have been next to it instead of at the end of the chapter

[Khalia Gilliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things that drew me to this book was the black woman/Asian man interracial type, as I too am in a similar relationship.

I love how these characters grow and chemistry strengthen and how they handle their conflicts. This was a quick read and I was able to finish within a day. I guess you could say I was locked in. But overall beautiful story.

Oh I also love how the author implements the Korean vocabulary at the end of each chapter.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful continuation of my new favorite love story. The couple continues to navigate their differences and overcome every challenge. The author provides a Hangul vocabulary list for each chapter helping the reader learn and appreciate what they are reading.

[Ruth Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so cute and fun to read. I enjoyed the writing style and how it all pulled in together at the end. I liked the characters and the artwork for the book is so pretty.