Booked with Boba

We made itttt! The year’s almost over and I literally do not want it to end. I haven’t really posted much cause of school and me low key forgetting I have a blog (sorry jiejie) so I will attempt to write one last post of the year to fill the gap on my blog. As the last post of the year, I’m going to talk about my most enjoyed reads of 2022 and pair them up with songs that I think would fit well with the main characters or overall vibe of the book cause why not! I did manage to read 50 books which was less than I read last year but not bad, especially since I kept finding myself in reading slumps. I’m going to shut up now so grab some bubble tea and let’s chat about the books that emotionally scarred me!

ace of spades by faridah àbíké-íyímídé

when we were kids by twice

First up, Ace of Spades. Hello we meet again! I think this was the first book review I wrote in 2022 and this book still gives me the chills everytime I think about it. The story follows two Black kids in “a very prestigious and very white school” who suddenly find themselves the targets of a weird mysterious person called Aces who’s revealing their darkest secrets for the whole school to see. Now doesn’t that sound like a fun time. This book talks about a so many serious topics and really enhances them while still being an amazing thriller novel. I don’t have a specific character to pair up a song with but I think the song “When We Were Kids” by Twice matches pretty well with the overall vibes of the book. The song reminiscents about the past and how things were when they were kids. I think Chi and Devon would find some comfort in that song after all they’ve been through. Twice’s vocals and ability to convey emotions through their songs is no joke people.

you've reached sam by dustin thao

eight by iu

Next up we have the first book of 2022 that made me cry: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao! It follows a girl who’s life is consumed by grief after her boyfriend passes away in a car accident. She becomes so desperate to hear his voice again so she calls him and to her surprise, dun dUn DUNN, he picks up. This book was absolutely heartbreaking and I loved the portrayal of grief in Julie, especially with how some people treat those who are grieving after some time. In short words, this book was depressing and makes me feel chronically single. And what better song to pair this depresso espresso book than with “eight” by IU! The song talks about precious memories and wanting to go back to the past to stay in them, something Julie would definitely relate to. A depressing song with a depressing book! How fitting. Now excuse me while I go get my blankets and embrace my depresso espresso self.

starfish by akemi dawn bowman

stronger by wjsn (sung by dawon and yeonjung)

Oh would you look at that! The next book is also depressing af and also scarred me! Shocker. Yes, I’m talking about Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman because don’t I just love a book that scars the living heck out of me. The novel follows Kiko and her journey to accepting herself for who she is whilst also gaining the confidence to speak her mind. This book quite literally paints inspiration in your head and smacks a whole butt ton of feels right in your face. “Stronger”, sung by WJSN’s Dawon and Yeonjung, comes with an encouraging message that you can overcome any challenges and difficulties in your life. And that I think, is exactly the message Kiko needed to hear. Her struggle in standing up to her verbally abusive mother was one of the main conflicts in the book and in the end, was the most satisfying character developments/growth I’ve read this year.

the sacrifice by rin chupeco

maison by dreamcatcher

The next book surprisngly didn’t make me cry but rather, it gave me the chills. Ladies and gents, make way for The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco! This book was creepy in all the best ways possible and I am never going near a tree again. Also ghosts are real. The story opens up with a film crew from the US here to flim a ghost hunting documentary thingy on a deserted island in the Philippines. They meet Alon, a local teen who seems to have a special relationship with the island and warns the crew to stay away if they know whats good for them. And in a very Hollywood fashion with entitled celebrities and white men, they ignore Alon’s warning. With Alon agreeing to be their tour guide, the crew begin to settle down but the island’s little horrors begin showing themselves one by one. Cue the scary shit. Wow would you look at that, there’s conveniently a song called “Maison” by Dreamcatcher! The lyrics are literally “save my home in the jungle” and “please someone fight for us”, if this isn’t fate then I don’t know what is. On the serious side, this book was really good and I do highly recommend it. Oh and stan Dreamcatcher.

foul lady fortune by chloe gong

sour grapes by le sserafim

And the final book to wrap up 2022 with a smile is none other than Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong. I literally loved These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends so much and this book did not dissapoint. The book picks off with Rosalind Lang, Juliette’s cousin, who’s now an kick butt assasin and due to some mysterious experiment that saved her life, can’t die. Cue the double and triple agents and a captivating story that exploded my tiny pea brain. I low key don’t know who the antagonist is anymore but who cares; I’m just here for Rosalind and Orion and the scarce adorable moments we get from the other couples in this book. I paired Rosalind up with the song “Sour Grapes” by Le Sserafim since the song is literally her towards Orion and I’m absolutely living for it. “Sour Grapes” is a song about wanting to avoid love in fear that it’s not as sweet as the person imagines it to be. Safe to say that this song is basically Rosalind in a nutshell but not for long! Now go read this work of art right now.

And that’s a wrap! This year has honestly been a roller coaster of a ride with many amazing, tear-inducing memories made and I hope that’ll continue into the following year. If anything, this is just another reminder that I’m oLd. Happy new year!! Let’s make this year more beautiful than the last.

What was your favorite book you read in 2022?

"NEXT TIME THE MOON IS FULL, LOOK UP"

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love… but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

publication date: April 12th, 2022 | source: owned

page count: 400 | genre: fantasy, young adult, romance, contemporary

This book is literally depressing and Emily X.R. Pan did not disappoint. Her sophomore novel was just as beautiful and devastating as The Astonishing Colors of After and I’m 99% sure I just died a little on the inside. Thank you 姐姐 (jiejie/older sister) for pre-ordering this book so that this bored potato could get her grubby little hands on it and be emo with you. And now I will shut up and actually start this review so I can word vomit some of my pain onto this post.

An Arrow to the Moon is a Romeo and Juliet retelling with the Chinese Mythology of Chang’e woven into it. The story introduces the two rivaling families of the Yee’s and the Changs who live completely different lives and yet their two eldest suddenly find themselves entangled in one anothers fates.

I think that while this book did have some flaws with the romance aspect, the overall theme of family was definitely the highlight of the book. The portrayal of disappointment projected onto Hunter and the pressure of perfection thrown at Luna were way too relatable and I feel attacked. Those are like the inescapable sides of a bridge with having Asian parents; either they’re disappointed in you and think you can’t do anything right or they’re shoving all this pressure and expectations for you to be perfect. There is basically no inbetween and that was absolutely portrayed perfectly.

The mythology portion on the other hand, geez where do I even start with this. To put it simply, it’s beautiful, depressing, and extremely confusing. I've heard the story of Chang'e so many times growing up that I didn't really know what to expect when I read this (except pain) and well, I definitely got what I expected. I did get so lost in the end when the mythology portion popped up so suddenly that I had to reread the couple parts and even then, the words did not compute in my dumb brain. The way mythology was woven (once you actually get it) is literally the most depressing thing in the world at that moment. I’d say that despite the mythology not making the most sense, it doesn’t stray far from the original story and introduces a whole new world of magic that most people didn’t pay much attention to.

And that’s the end of my depressing review! I am so sorry because I haven’t written a blog post in like basically 5 months mostly due to me forgetting this blog existed (sorry 姐姐) and school throwing state testing and finals our way on the last couple months of school. I promise to try to write more and update on my latest books and kdramas because oh boy, there’s a lot more and this review is extremely overdue. In all seriousness though, this book was definitely worth picking up and I would absolutely recommend it. Just a warning though? Might want to bring tissues, at least mentally.

FINAL RATING:

What's your favorite childhood mythology?

"WE ALL HAVE TO DREAM OUR OWN DREAMS. WE ONLY GET ONE LIFE TO LIVE—LIVE IT FOR YOURSELF, NOT ANYONE ELSE."

A half-Japanese teen grapples with social anxiety and her narcissist mother in the wake of a crushing rejection from art school in this debut novel.

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.

But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.

publication date: September 26th, 2022 | source: owned

page count: 353 | genre: contemporary

And yet another contemporary novel that made me have the feels, but not the lovey dovey kind. This was another book on my sister’s bookshelf, and being on the top shelf means that it was a book she really enjoyed. So being an an annoyed and bored potato because I had gotten nagged by my mother previously and didn’t want to go to sleep, I grabbed it and blew through it in about 4 hours. It ended up being the most emotional and relatable 4 hours of my life and while I didn’t really cry while reading this book (shocker I know), I did mentally want to wallow in a ball of sadness. I have acquired my orange slices now so I will now shut up and start the review.

Starfish centers around Kiko, a biracial teenage girl who wants nothing more than to get into an art school and leave the hell she calls home. After reuniting with her childhood best friend, Kiko’s given a chance to escape. And she takes it in a heartbeat. What follows is an incredible journey of a girl who learns to accept her heritage for who she is and gather up courage to speak what’s on her mind. Starfish is a book about family, identity, and finding hope in a world that often makes it difficult to even smile at times.

Sooo this book hit way too close to home and I feel attacked. Kiko’s relationship with her mother and brothers made me want to go give my parents and older sister a hug because I don’t think I realized how privilege I was, nor how toxic family relationships can be. Seriously, the levels of toxicity made me want to jump into the book just so I can wave red flags in Kiko’s face or tell her to get the heck out of there and away from her mom. Reading about Kiko’s sort of growing up story as many Disney and Pixar movies are now telling, was incredibly heartfelt and full of emotion I’m almost certain this book was written coming from personal experience.

I loved watching Kiko grow out of her comfort zone and learn to stand up against her mother’s verbal abuse in which she was unable to do so for years on end. Her seeking to please her mother in hopes of finding any sort of acknowledgment and love was absolutely devastating to read and I know that if I was in her place even a few years ago, I would’ve done the same. Kiko’s pining for her mother’s love all these years annoyed me so much because it was obviously unhealthy but it also set up the expectation that the people closest to you couldn’t possibly hurt you. Also, I’m 99% certain that her mother made her feel worthless because she was insecure about herself which is a load of bs and she needs to get her butt to therapy.

In the end, picking up this book was definitely worth it. There were some aspects of the book that I was slightly uncomfortable with such as the fact that this book basically excused Kiko’s mother’s behavior with having a mental disorder and demonizing certain mental disorders. Nevertheless, the writing told the story beautifully and quite literally paints inspiration into your head. I hope that if you do end up reading this book, you’ll enjoy and love it as much as I did.

FINAL RATING:

What was the story you needed most growing up?

"LETTING GO ISN'T ABOUT FORGETTING. IT'S BALANCING MOVING FOWARD WITH LIFE, AND LOOKING BACK FROM TIME TO TIME, REMEMBERING THE PEOPLE IN IT."

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.
And Sam picks up the phone.
In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

publication date: November 9th, 2021 | source: library

page count: 304 | genre: romance, contemporary, fantasy, magic realism

I blame my older sister for this and it shall forever be her fault. That aside, this book is the most depressing book I’ve read this year and I cried. Multiple times. Kind of. Anyways, let’s dive into this depressing and yet beautiful work that is You’ve Reached Sam.

The story begins after Sam’s death and our protagonist, his girlfriend Julie, is grieving. Her dreams and plans for the future are shattered in an instance, all that is left is a broken hollow shell of a girl who doesn’t know what to do anymore. Something inside her snaps, and out of despair she calls Sam’s phone just to hear his voice. And Sam picks up. It feels like fever dream at first and with each call Julie feels herself falling in love with Sam all over again. But with every call, it gets harder to say goodbye.

First of all, I am at a loss of words. I don’t think I’ve cried while reading a book since Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller sometime last fall–that book was depressing as heck and I love Patroclus and Achilles so much. But this book just made me cry like multiple times after I thought I was done crying when I finished. My older sister wasn’t of much help either, “comforting” and totally not laughing at me while I was wallowing in a ball of sadness and tears. Thanks a lot sis.

While Julie may not be the most likeable character but her personality and the emotional pain she goes through is almost too relatable. Grief is messy. It’s mentally and emotionally draining. It’s something everyone goes through when they’ve lost someone, and it makes people change in ways that would have never occurred prior to the loss. It’s personal and should be understood, but after a certain period of time it goes from being understood to not. Which is actually ridiculous but unfortunately that’s how the world works. Sam’s old friends were a pure example of that, and every time they were just being straight up rude I swear a little part of me wanted to cry out of frustration. But they’re irrelevant and I am going to pretend they don’t exist so I don’t commit a felony to a non-existent character.

You’ve Reached Sam was a pure work of art and is proudly the first book I rated 5 boba drinks this year in the contemporary genre. While the middle of the book paced a bit slower, it was necessary to keep the story going so that Julie could heal and attempt to move on. The portrayal of grief and the several stages through it was depicted almost perfectly and I am most likely still mentally and emotionally scarred. I would without a doubt recommend this book and I hope that if you pick it up, you’ll love it as much as I did. Thank you Dustin Thao, for writing this beautiful heartbreaking novel that turned this bubble tea obsessed potato into an emo mess.

FINAL RATING:

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?

"IS IT YOU THAT MAKES THE WORLD CRY, OR THE WORLD THAT MAKES YOU CRY?"

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

publication date: feburary 22nd, 2022 | source: tour/netgalley

page count: 336 | genre: historical fantasy

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is a beautiful debut novel enriched with mythology and fantasy. I got like serious deja vu and Daughter of the Moon Goddess vibes while reading this book which was hilarious and I enjoyed it so much. Like any good fantasy novel, it teaches the importance of family and made me wish I was in a fantasy world with magical beings and yummy food. Excuse me while I acquire my bubble tea and let’s get this review started!

The story opens up with introducing the world where storms rage and in order to appease the Sea God in hopes the storms will calm, one bride must be sacrificed to him every year. Except this year, Mina takes the place of Shim Cheong, the original bride and her older brother’s lover, in hopes of saving her brother. In doing so, she enters the Spirit Realm and finds out that things are a lot more messier down there than up in her world. She’s given a month to find out how to fix the curse of the Sea God or her soul is to remain trapped in the Spirit Realm.

This book has been gettin a reputation of being similar to Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away which was definitely interesting to read since I adore all of Studio Ghibli’s films. The first half of the book where Mina is wandering the unfamiliar Spirit Realm is somewhat similar to Chihiro wandering around so I can see the connection. But the two go on seperate paths later on, though still end amazingly. I do think it would be interesting if Mina and Chihiro met considering they both went through an interesting time in a world filled with spirits. Now that’s a crossover I would definitely check out.

I absolutely adore all the characters in the book and Namgi is 101% my favorite. I need fictional characters to be real I swear. I honestly felt so bad for the Emperor cause the poor dude kept getting rejected by Mina cause her heart belongs to Shin so now I feel justified in saying that he needs a partner ASAP. Mask, Dai, and Miki just melted my heart and I freaked out at the end of the book. Hyeri and Shinki are like couple goals, and I loved every moment that was spent with them in the book. Shim Cheong and Mina’s brother Joon were also couple goals and what is it with this book and adorable couples making me feel single. Ahem. Anyway. Kirin is a little stone faced and cold which was like a bit exasperating but his chemistry with Namgi was adorable and I need a second book starring the two of them please and thank you.

In the end, this book just emphasizes the importance of family and I honestly want to give everyone in the book a hug because of how much emotion was just piling up towards the end. Like if you were going to write something that sweet at least prepare some tissues. I would absolutely recommend this book and I hope that if you did pick this up, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Axie Oh, you really did an incredible job in writing this novel and I could not have enjoyed it more.

FINAL RATING:

- P L A Y L I S T -

thank you so much to Colored Pages Tours for allowing me to participate on this fantastic tour!

- A U T H O R B I O -

Axie Oh is a first-generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dog, Toro (named after Totoro). She is the author of multiple books for teens, including The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.

Author Links:

Website: http://axieoh.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15243084.Axie_Oh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/axieoh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/axieoh/

"HUMANS TELL MYTHS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY CANNOT UNDERSTAND"

"UNLIKE THE INTERNET, INFORMATION ON PAPER WASN'T FOREVER. IT COULD BE BURNED, CONSUMED, NEVER SEEN AGAIN. LOVE LETTERS COULD BE FORGOTTEN. SECRETS COULD BE DESTROYED. STAINS COULD BE SCRUBBED AWAY. INK WAS NOT FOREVER."

Tess Matheson only wants three things: time to practice her cello, for her sister to be happy, and for everyone else to leave her alone.

Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library's grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.

The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot's face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her... and he'll have her, dead or alive.

publication date: August 10th, 2021 | source: library

page count: 368 | genre: fantasy, horror, young adult, thriller, mystery

2022 reading-wise was off to a great start, Ace of Spades was incredible by the way and you should go read that book, but The Devil Makes Three was a bit disappointing and didn’t reach my high expectations after reading Ace of Spades. I heard a lot of intriguing things about this book from said older sister to be a YA Dark Academia Horror/Thriller novel, spooky and chilling which obviously sounded like a book I would really enjoy because I’m weird that way, but guess I didn’t end up liking it as much as I though. I need to shut up now and actually start writing this review so here’s my honest and critical review of The Devil Makes Three.

The book stars with introducing the protaganist: Tess Matheson, who’s working as an assistant at her elite private high school. Her character was more expected as a character who is not as privilaged as the other students, a cello prodigy who got into the school, and as expected of any older sibling-fiercely protective of her younger sister. She meets Eliot Birch, a seemingly rich bastard who has more than meets the eye. His mother’s dying from Cancer, his father is a grade A a-hole, and he secretly has an passion in grimoires and magic books, hoping that studying them will fix his life above. The two meet in the weirdest way possible and what they unleash is a lot bigger than either of them signed up for.

Honestly, I think the reason why this book was bumped down to a 2 stars was because instead of a chill that was supposed to come of excitment and thrill, I got chills from how creepy this book was. Which normally would be a fantastic thing but this book took that up to a whole new level. Like theres chilling creepy and then there’s the kind of creepy that makes you just freeze and look around your room to make sure there’s no demons in your room to haunt you. The plot of the story was also a bit slow and I felt like Tess and Eliot’s love life was so rushed throughout the book as well. I mean they go down into a no no basement thingy and decided to open a book that clearly looks like it’s posessed and suddenly he’s in love with her. Did we skip the chemistry between the two or something? My train of thought when he made a move was just ‘Y’all just nearly died and now you’re asking her out to dinner???’ If all it took was a near-death or truamatic experience to make someone fall in love with me, I would’ve had a line of guys asking for my number or to take me out to dinner. Sadly, my butt is still single so clearly that does not work. Obviously.

Speaking of chilling, I mentioned that instead of like getting good chills from this book I got what-the-heck-did-I-just-read-is-my-room-now-haunted kind of chills. To be fair, I have to give props to the author for writing it so well that it made my blood run cold but I am like the biggest baby in the world according to my older sister and I was reading this book at night like the idiot I am so yeah, not the biggest fan. Reading this book did remind me why I sometimes enjoy horror movies even though I cannot for the life of me do jump scares but I’m fine with blood and gore by itself for some reason. This book just reminded me a lot a horror movie that was a book instead because Tess and Elliot made a lot of uh, questionable decisions. The main reason why I love watching horror movies is to mainly make fun of the characters in the film for making dumb choices to move everything along. While it’s all staged, it’s still extremley stupid and entertaining to watch, and Tess and Elliot’s choices to go down into the forbidden basement in search for a grimoires or touch that clearly possesed book was just that. Except less entertaining and more exsaperating.

The Devil Makes Three was more of a book that I didn’t really enjoy most of it and clearly had more thoughts than I expected, just look at this moutain of a review, I did not expect this review to turn out as long as it did. Then again, with books you don’t tend to enjoy as much, writing a review becomes a whole rant and I am fantastic at those so to speak. Ahem. Moving on. Recommendation wise, I wouldn’t really recommend it but I think a lot more of you would enjoy it but this book was just not for me, I hope that if you do pick it up, you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

FINAL RATING:

If you were trapped inside a book, which book which would it be?

First kdrama of 2022!! Did I barley finish this in time by the end of winter break and had to cram it in? Absolutely. Did I love this drama through every adorable and cringy scene? Through all my loving groans and awe's, 100% yes. Since I am now done wallowing in my post kdrama feels, I shall now deliver a book and playlist recommendation!

EXTRAORDINARY YOU is a fantasy rom-com starring high school student Kim Hye-Yoon (Eun Dan-Oh) who has a heart disease and is told that she might not live past her teen years. She realizes that she is just a mere supporting character in the world of a Korean Webtoon. Upon meeting the mysterious character of Rowoon (Haru), Dan-Oh decides that she'll make her own fate, not one dictated by the artist.

eun dan-oh - spin the dawn by elizabeth lim

i'm the greatest by taeyeon

Dan-Oh is stubborn, strong-willed, determined, and willing to do anything for her family and friends. Her heart of gold makes her the perfect kdrama female lead and one you'll easily fall in love with. Like Dan-Oh, Maia's fiercely protective of her family and is willing to do anything for them. And now I need a world where the two meet because that should be interesting to say the least. With the enchanting story of Spin the Dawn mixed with the powerful melody of I'm the Greatest, I can practically see Dan-Oh reading this book while listening to the song and rambling about everything to Haru. And possibly singing I'm the Greatest at the top of her lungs. Just possibly.

haru - the bird and the blade by megan bannen

crown by txt

I have no shame in saying that Haru's an innocent but protective bean and I cannot describe a more perfect male lead in this drama. The old-fashioned yet beautiful story in The Bird and the Blade is definitely something Haru would love. Crown's lyrics honestly fit perfectly with Haru's personality. Unsure at first but now rising with the crown on his head that is Dan-Oh, showing him to shine like the star he is. The two are adorable and like every good kdrama, it took them forever to finally find their way to each other after. She became his crown and the two of them are finally perfect. Let them have their happy ending in peace, they definitely deserved it.

jung gun-joo - the never tilting world by rin chupeco

strawberry moon by iu

Jung Gun-Joo is a hecking puppy and must be protected at all costs. His hilarious reactions in all the scenes makes everything 10x funnier and I absolutely adore him. Of course with funny reactions must come a reaction worthy book. And The Never Tilting World is the perfect reaction book. As for Strawberry Moon, this may or may not be one of my favorite songs of all time and its just a song that makes you wish you were on a strawberry moon date. With being second choice, he deserves to be on a strawberry date more than anything and that is totally not because hes one of my favorite characters. Definitely. I can practically hear him singing along to this song and I will unapologetically sing along with him even if I don't know Korean.

jiminchae - the astonishing colors of after by emily x.r. pan

all night by astro

This character in this kdrama is literally named Kimchi Squid Fairy and he's my favorite character (along with Gun-Joo of course). His scenes and reactions with Gun-Joo were the peak of this kdrama and I love them both so much. I totally did not cry while reading this book and I am now recommending it to one of my characters knowing full well he'll probably cry as well. This book is really a work of art though and I can't imagine anyone more suited to read it. All Night is honestly such a fitting song and I can just see him staying up all night on the phone with his special someone. It would be adorable so now I really need that to happen please and thank you.

baek kyung - heartless by marissa meyer

hate that... by key ft. taeyeon

I am a horrible person and I am so sorry. But I can't lie that this book and song are basically made for Baek Kyung. And on the subject of not lying, Baek Kyung annoyed me so much in the kdrama for getting in the way and just being a jerk to poor Dan-Oh. Everytime he blew her off or was being an a-hole, I got so pissed off because like the dumb idiot I am, I know what it feels like to love someone for years on end and know that no matter how hard you try, they'll never feel the same about you as you do towards them. Heartless teaches an important lesson to treasure what you have right now before you lose it and I want to be the one to smack the lesson into Baek Kyung by making him read this book which will be very effective I'm sure. I think Hate That also expresses Baek Kyung's emotions quiet well when he hates that Dan-Oh is now happier without him and finally realizes that he should've treasured what he had and before he lost it.

yeo ju-da - circe madeline miller

celebrity by iu

Ju-Da's character in the comic of the kdrama with being the bullied scolarship girl was honestly so cliche and I can now say for sure that bullying is so heavily dramaticized in dramas and movies. Coming from personal experience, it's honestly tiring to watch bullying be so cliche and treated as if thats what bullying really is. Because in reality, it's nothing like that and can be so much worse. I think Ju-Da will at least relate to Circe somewhat in the book since the two are always constantly looked down upon and hopefully learn to rise and stand up for herself like Circe did. Celebrity is just a song that reminds you that you're still a star even if drawn with a left hand. I hope Ju-Da knows that she is one because staged or not, no one should deserve to be treated that way.

oh nam-joon - ace of spades by faridah àbíké-íyímídé

gorilla by pentagon

I literally just realized I'm suggesting the head of the A3 (Ace 3) read a book called Ace of Spades. Wow, I'm hilarious. Technically this book is leaning more towards white privilage and supremacy but practically every person is rich and popular in one way or another so I think that cancels some of it. But in all seriousness, this book really enhances some heavy topics and teaches a really important lesson that I hope Nam-Joo will at least learn from reading this. And for Gorilla, courtesy of big sister thank you for suggesting this song because it fits perfectly with Nam-Joo's personality and I cannot agree more. In hindsight, let's just say it's the rich and popular boy falling in love with the poor and bullied girl, defending her as the song would say, like a gorilla.

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