Genre: Contemporary

Oh, the magic of K-pop! It just brings me so much joy whether it’s the music, the groups, or the books dealing with the subject – and this one was no exception. It made me stay up very late (you could also say early) so I could inhale it in a day. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And while this would usually mean I had a five star read in my hands, it also made me have complicated feelings that ultimately cost it the top spot … Let’s unpack!

I actually never meant to read this book. I wasn’t interested in it at all. But then I read her second novel, In Search of Us, for work, which I really liked, and decided to give this one a try anyway – and off I was on a reading odyssey. I borrowed the audio book online from my library but had to discover that it ended rather abruptly. Too abruptly and on a rather sad note for a YA novel. So I did some research and found out that a quarter of the book was missing. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a paperback copy from a colleague to finish it. I’m glad I did, though this book wasn’t really for me …

AWWWEEEE! XOXO was everything I hoped for AND MORE! If you’re looking for a super cute, wholesome, and fun read that screams for a K-drama adaptation because it basically already is one, then look no further. This is IT!

Sometimes, it’s best to let the hype die down before reading a book. When We Were Liars was published in 2014, everyone was talking about it even. Unfortunately, spoilers were flying around so I lost interest. Now, five years later and not remembering all of that, I was able to read this with an almost clean slate. And what can I say: without that kind of baggage, I really enjoyed this book – much more than I would have, had I read it back then …

I really enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars and since John Green is worshipped as the God of YA – I still haven’t figured out why -, my expectations were extremely high. Everyone and their grandma seems to love it. Well, and then there’s me, the odd one out, the one with the most unpopular opinion ever: I’ve never been so bored reading a novel I read voluntarily. I was bored senseless. I couldn’t even get angry with or roll my eyes at some of the more annoying parts …

I bet you thought that this is a horse novel, but really, it is not. It’s more or less the 1987s version of a New Adult novel that has incidentally horses in it because it’s set on a farm. You’re probably not convinced yet. After all, there’s a horse on the cover and it has ‘stallion’ in the title (well, one could read it metaphorically, but we really, really don’t want to go there) . . .