Review of XOXO by Axie Oh

*XOXO* by Axie Oh (2021). Published by HarperTeen.

I will admit, a book like XOXO is something I would not typically read. I ended up picking this book up because I was obsessed with The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, which I reread twice over the course of a week because I just loved the plot.

I wrote a review of that book on this blog as well, but as soon as I was finished reading that book for the first time I looked up Axie Oh and what else she had written.

And, despite the fact I typically don’t go for this kind of book, I still ended up putting an order for it immediately at my library when I read the plot.

Anyways, when I drove over to my local library branch and picked the book up, I read it over the course of a day. I find young adult really quick to read personally because of how simplified the language and plot tends to be.

I speed through these kinds of reads because I’m typically used to dense texts due to the sheer nature of my academic work and graduate school research. In the end I would say I had mixed feelings about this novel, but let’s get to the review first before I divulge all of my feelings.

Here’s my review!

After meeting a boy in Los Angeles, Jenny finds her life changed when she studies abroad in South Korea and realizes he’s a K-pop idol.

The premise in XOXO is that the main character is Jenny. She lives in Los Angeles and is an immensely talented cello player, but she kind of sacrifices other aspects of her life in order to achieve the dream of becoming a professional. One night, when out, she stumbles upon a strange boy named Jaewoo, and they bond in their small time together.

She notices that there is something bogging Jaewoo down when he hangs out with her, and during the end of their time together, he is picked up by people in a van. She doesn’t think much of this, but when his flight is the next day and then he never responds to her texts, she initially shrugs it off.

But then she has to move to South Korea with her mother. Her grandmother, who lives in the country, is sick and needs them to come back in order to take care of her. So the two of them pack their bags for a temporary move, and Jenny ends up applying for a prestigious music high school.

As it turns out, this high school is the one that a lot of Korean pop idols end up attending, and when she arrives for her first day, there is Jaewoo in the flesh. He still hasn’t really responded to her messages, and now she’s coming to the realization that he’s not an ordinary guy she met on the street. He was a Korean pop idol this entire time.

Despite the obvious attraction between the two, there’s a big caveat involved with this pop idol thing: he isn’t allowed to date anyone.

And to make things worse, he’s in one of the most popular groups in the world, so if the two of them did start dating, it would have to be in secret and could screw both of their lives and careers up.

But throughout the novel it becomes obvious even more that this attraction is too much to deny, and when they end up dating, they try the whole secret thing. The plot is extremely predictable in this book because I’m sure you can imagine how this unfolds.

There’s also a moment of bullying and whatnot scattered throughout, but all of these conflicts get wrapped up neatly with a bow by the end of the novel.

This is a novel that tends to go full force on the romance aspects, and we don’t really delve deeper into the familial aspects. I kind of wanted to see more of Jenny’s interactions with her mother and grandmother, especially considering she moved to the other side of the world to be with her in her time of need.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, if you’re familiar with these kinds of narratives, and Korean dramas especially, you’re not going to be surprised by any of the events that happen in this book. I think it’s fine in this context, but if you’re looking for unique plot, I don’t think you’re going to get what you want in this read.

The implementation of Korean culture and language in the novel is another standout for me throughout. As someone who lived in Seoul when I was Jenny’s age on a prestigious language scholarship, the experiences she relays throughout the story and details Oh implements I could relate to, although I myself am not ethnically Korean.

Seoul is such a vibrant city and the book captures that very well. The writing itself is very clear as well, and as I mentioned earlier, I could get through the book pretty easily because of that.

Overall Thoughts

It’s a cute book that was a fun little read. I personally wouldn’t purchase a copy for my collection or would consider it to be high literature, but it’s a young adult book that can be fun with a small flair for the dramatics.

In the end, I am glad I read it, but I also don’t think I would be rereading it. Taste is subjective, though, so I’m sure someone out there would consider this one of their favorite books and would purchase a copy.

That said, don’t let my review stop you from following your dreams.

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