Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about ASAP by Axie Oh. I was thrilled to win and ARC copy of this from Harper360 last year 💜 – and then even more thrilled when I discovered that it was a companion novel to XOXO! Upon being introduced to Axie Oh’s first K-Pop drama, I was incredibly taken with the fictitious world of this boyband. I’m so pleased that there was enough traction to develop the world of XOXO even further with ASAP which celebrates its UK publication release today! Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

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Synopsis (from Goodreads)

New York Times bestselling author Axie Oh’s ASAP is the much anticipated companion novel to beloved romance XOXO, following fan favorites Sori, the wealthy daughter of a K-pop company owner, and Nathaniel, her K-pop star ex-boyfriend, in a swoon-worthy second chance love story.

Sori has worked her whole life to become a K-pop idol, until she realizes she doesn’t want a life forever in the spotlight. But that’s not actually up to Sori—she’s caught between her exacting mother’s entertainment company and her father’s presidential aspirations. And as the pressure to keep her flawless public image grows, the last person she should be thinking about is her ex-boyfriend.

Nathaniel is off limits—she knows this. A member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world and forbidden from dating, he isn’t any more of an option now than he was two years ago. Still, she can’t forget that their whirlwind romance was the last time she remembers being really happy. Or that his family welcomed her into their home when she needed it most. . . .

So when Nathaniel finds himself rocked by scandal, Sori offers him a hideaway with her. And back in close quarters, it’s hard to deny their old feelings. But when Sori gets an opportunity to break free from her parent’s expectations, she will have to decide: Is her future worth sacrificing for a second chance at love?

My Musings

ASAP takes place after the events of XOXO and returns us to the world of one of South Korea’s hottest boybands. Rather than offering up a direct sequel and continuing the focus on Jenny and Jaewoo, Axie Oh cleverly gives us a fresh narrative with the perspective of Sori. This was a brilliant curveball in that it opens up more of the XOXO world, rather than just churning out a sequel to an already well-rounded and satisfying conclusion from the previous novel. I really loved this direction change as we still get to explore what happened to this K-Pop band after XOXO ended, but we also got a brand new main character to offer fresh depth to this showbiz world.

Sori has immensely strong ideals. She cares about her family and wishes to uphold the traditional Korean values she is expected to exude. On the other hand, she also wants to stay true to herself and establish her own identity, but in doing so runs the risk of disappointing those around her. Trained her whole life for stardom as a K-Pop Idol, when the time finally arrives for Sori to step into the spotlight, she begins to doubt that this is her true career path and the life that she is destined for. When past-love Nathaniel of worldwide XOXO fame comes back into her life, Sori finds herself completely lost and unsure which path she wishes to venture down the most.

This conflict between familial expectation and personal desire was exceptionally well balanced and written. Axie Oh managed to portray all of Sori’s feelings in the open for the reader to bond and connect with, be it her relationship with Nathaniel, or her future career choices. She comes across as strong yet polite, humble but not weak-spirited, friendly yet not afraid to stand up for herself. This notion of a vulnerable rebel was a refreshing difference from Jenny’s characteristics in XOXO and firmly establishes ASAP as a fully-fledged novel in its own right.

We need to talk about the actual boyband that is XOXO! I’m not one for K-Pop (or boybands actually), but I found something remarkably charming about the dynamics between these boys. Experiencing more of their dramas brought me a happy sense of nostalgia that I had when reading ASAP’s predecessor. I enjoyed hearing the updates about Jaewoo and Jenny, gaining more of Sun’s wisdom and getting to read more of Youngmin’s joyous outlook on life.

The romance element in the book was tastefully done. Nathaniel had an air of brooding mystery about him which kept the angst and tension flowing from page to page. The perception of ‘forbidden love’ was subtle, yet effective. As relationships for K-Pop idols are highly frowned up and almost forcibly discouraged, the sense of forbidden love in ASAP is a refreshing twist against those where the two main love interests may be rivals or enemies. In a world where Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are actively cheering each other on and demonstrating their love to the entire world, the idea that musicians and those in the spotlight must deny themselves of any relationship happiness seems really backwards and archaic. This only ends up making the reader champion Nathaniel and Sori’s relationship even more and I was rooting for them so much by the ending of ASAP.

This book also offers some wonderfully delightful moments in the form of a TV reality show where the characters have to buddy up and find missing tokens; Sori and her penchant for stuffed animals; the awkward, cringey blind date set-ups; numerous references to Korean food (which if you’re anything like me will make your mouth water!) and of course, the return of Korean Karaoke!

All in all ASAP is truly a book that you can lost in, with characters that you will find yourself championing to the core! If you loved the first glimpse into the world of XOXO, then this companion novel should be right up your street!

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Why Should I Read This?

As this is a companion novel to XOXO, I would strongly recommend that you read that first to get a true flavour of the world and the characters, however this isn’t entirely necessary as Sori and Nathaniel’s narrative is a story in its own right.

You should try picking up ASAP for:
> a heartwarming, sweet tale of two characters who embrace their second chance at romance
> the semi-escapist, dramatic world that is K-Pop and their idols
> the references to Korean culture which will have you putting Seoul on your travel bucket-list!

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | Harper Collins UK | Author Website

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Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com