” When investment banker Jessie Kim is laid off in a virtual meeting and then overhears why (“she’s already being overpaid anyway for a woman” and “Asians are worker bees, not someone who can drum up new deals”) she delivers an “eff you guys” speech and storms out.
After moving back home to Tennessee to live with her loving but meddling mother and father, she runs into her childhood nemesis–golden child Daniel Choi–at the local Asian grocery store. The smart, charming lawyer appears to have it all…while Jessie has nothing.
Jess begrudgingly accepts Daniel’s help to relaunch her long abandoned Korean cooking YouTube channel: HANGUK HACKS, showcasing easy meal prep for busy professionals. But just as she discovers Daniel’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems and there’s more to him than meets the eye, he shows up for a life-changing business opportunity, and their rivalry is back on . . . “
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***I received this ARC, through NetGalley, from Avon and Harper Voyager, in exchange for an honest review. ***
If you prefer a sweet romance, without all the spice, this is a great book for you. This book does a perfect job of showcasing the growing attraction between Jess and Daniel without adding any explicit scenes to it. It also does a good job of showcasing the confidence Jess learns to have in herself.
Overall I enjoyed the concept of this story, childhood rivals to friends to something more, all while on a journey of self-discovery. I think Suzanne did a great job of balancing Jess’s personal development and growth with the growing friendship/relationship she has with Daniel.
As I’m used to reading from at least two different perspectives…the single narrative in this book threw me off a bit. Personally, I feel like having at least two narratives adds important depth to a story. Since the story is mostly about Jess and her growing confidence and self-esteem I really would have loved to see her mother’s narrative. As her mother has always been critical of Jess, constantly comparing her accomplishments to Daniel’s…I feel that seeing her side of the story would have been great.
The story does show her mother saying that she is proud of Jess and all she’s accomplished but I really would have enjoyed hearing the inner monologue of mom. To hear/see/feel how proud mom is of Jess since she struggles to outwardly show it. I never realized I had a preference for seeing multiple perspectives until I didn’t have that option.
I enjoyed the story and look forward to seeing what else Suzanne writes. It would be fun to explore more stories of the people we met through Jess. This world was full of fun characters that I would love to see explored further.
NoelleLovesBooks 