Seoulmates

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Seoulmates by Susan Lee


Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reviewed by Julia W., 11th Grade

Rating: 8/10




Hannah Cho is ready for the best summer of her life. It’s her last one before senior year and it’s her first one with her boyfriend, Nate. However, that all goes down the drain when Nate dumps her. If that wasn’t bad enough, she finds out her childhood best friend turned superstar, Jacob Kim, is coming back to San Diego for the summer. The thing is–he’s not her friend anymore. Hannah has been mad at him ever since he left to go chase his dream without saying goodbye to her. And the best part of all of all of this is that he’s going to be living at her house! As far as Hannah is concerned, summer literally couldn’t be worse! As the summer progresses, though, Hannah’s thoughts change and she begins to wonder why she doesn’t actually feel mad. She has every right to be upset, but she isn’t. Maybe summer isn’t doomed after all.

 

Seoulmates is so diverse, showcasing day to day events all the way to things most people don’t ever get to experience. Hannah’s life is very relatable, but also very interesting. Her dad left her family, and ever since she has always felt like she was missing something. She shows vulnerable sides of herself while she looks to find her true identity, beyond her ex-boyfriend. Her character development as the book progresses is astounding. On the flip side, Jacob’s life isn’t as relatable because of his celebrity status. However, he too faces his own set of problems. He has been working like crazy and is constantly being nagged by his manager. He is asked time and time again to do things that he doesn’t want to do, making him miserable. There is so much that he misses out on because he is always working. Over the course of the novel, he looks to find a way to level his work with his personal life. Susan Lee does an excellent job of balancing Hannah and Jacob so they both get their fair share of both challenges and times to shine. It is also commendable how much is packed into Seoulmates, from friendship, to love, to family issues, celebrity life, and growing up as an entire concept. It was a great read that I think young adults can learn a lot from!