Book Name: Hello, I Love You
Author: Katie Stout
Published: June 9, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: YA Contemporary
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Blurb:
Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who has topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother's breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.
She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie's twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a strenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.
Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what ti means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.
Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who has topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother's breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.
She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie's twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a strenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.
Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what ti means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.
Lisamentary:
Hello, I Love You is about Grace who runs away to South Korea to escape from her life at home that has fallen apart due to her brother. She has left everything behind, going across the world hoping for a fresh start. There in South Korea she meets sweet, pixie-like Sophie who has a twin brother, Jason, who is her complete opposite. He is indifferent, rude, and completely closed off. Despite his unwelcoming demeanor, Grace can't help but want to get to know this KPOP star, even though he's everything she ran away from.
When I first read the blurb for this book months ago and saw that it had KPOP in it, I knew I had to read it. It's not because I'm KPOP fan or even a K-Drama fan because I'm not! But I know so many people who are in LOVE with the Korean culture so I knew it was a must-read since I've never came across a book like this. However, I was disappointed in the lack of KPOP factoids and references the book had. This was because the boy band that Jason is in along with his bandmates Tae Hwa and Yoon Jae are in a hiatus throughout this novel. What this book lacked in KPOP, it talked tons about food, language, and authentic South Korean culture. This was really cool since the most Korean food people eat here in Southern California is Korean BBQ, which is disgusting in my opinion.
In the beginning, I didn't like Grace. She seemed vain and was completely ignorant of Korean customs. She came to Korea because it was the first thing that came up when she searched up international boarding school. She didn't care to learn and really struggled even though she claimed to be a really smart girl. She's really judgmental, in general--of the food, the people, and how they live their lives. She thinks and I quote "it's dumb" that there are so many different levels of respect in Korean; respect and respect for elders, especially, are really important in Asian cultures. She's even called out by Sophie for how she acts!! Thank god because culture shock only lasts so long!
And do you know what's worse? The way she thinks she is a music god(dess) and completely dismisses pop and KPOP. Just because you took a few years of music classes and listened to your dad producing country music doesn't make you the go-to-girl for musical help! What's maddening is that she's portrayed this way! Even Jason, who is the lead singer and composer of the band, hates his own music and thinks it's "terrible." I really hated this because I was looking for KPOP-centralized book and all this book did was tear down a genre a music that millions love!! Even though I'm not a fan, I was offended for them.
Not only does Grace think she's a music goddess, she basically believes she knows everything and can do everything better than the native people. She is racist and ignorant. Period. However, she is not the only racist person in this novel. The Koreans were portrayed this way too. I'm not going to defend the racist Koreans because I'm sure there are racist people in every culture. Nonetheless, it makes white people, Americans, Koreans, and basically everybody look bad.
Learning more about her family made me slightly more sympathetic for her. Only a bit though because she basically abandoned her little sister, Jane, who is left to deal with their mom. This is the very mom who made Grace leave. From the few glimpses of Jane, I hope she gets her own companion novel because she's much more understanding than her older sister, Grace, in spite of her being a bit immature. She's still young so I forgive her. The situation about her brother though really made me feel for her. I sympathize for her with her residual guilt and everything. When I found out the truth about her, everything came together and I was sad. It was subtle but I didn't want to assume the worst.
Well, it seems I didn't like Grace very much at all.
What made up for all of this was the plot and Sophie, even though she went wonky later on. The story was fun and if I just read it for what it was, it's not that bad. Sophie was cute, spirited and very welcoming to Grace. She's also protective of her brother while having a side-romance with her brother's best friend, Tae Hwa, who's also in the band. That was a total plus. Jason and Grace are cute together and are meant for each other, having so many things in common and all. They are both angsty, afraid of relationships, and are troubled souls. Even so, I'm glad they got together in the end because if they didn't, this book really would and truly SUCK!! Suck worse than Grace, that is. Suck worse than the song Jason wrote her. The song that can be interpreted as a extremely romantic yet terribly cheesy gesture.
I don't know if KPOP fans should read this looking back at this review. Probably not. It looks down on KPOP and the band breaks up. Also, it's nothing like Anna and the French Kiss that it's trying to be passed off for. Anna and the French Kiss is exactly what they advertised it to be: a fun and fresh story about a girl who studies abroad. That was this and so much more!!! If you want to read an AMAZING book about a girl who study abroad, invest in Anna and the French Kiss and not Hello, I Love You.
This was more of a beach read than anything: something to pass the time by and not very meaningful even though it discussed some very serious topics. It was an easy read, and if you don't look too closely, it's fun and cute too. Anyhow, enjoy!!!
Rating:
Story: 6.5
Characters: 6.5
Enjoyment: 6
Overall:
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