Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Summary from Goodreads:

10 00 p.m.: Lucky is the biggest K-pop star on the scene, and she's just performed her hit song "Heartbeat" in Hong Kong to thousands of adoring fans. She's about to debut on The Tonight Show in America, hopefully a breakout performance for her career. But right now? She's in her fancy hotel, trying to fall asleep but dying for a hamburger.

11 00 p.m.: Jack is sneaking into a fancy hotel, on assignment for his tabloid job that he keeps secret from his parents. On his way out of the hotel, he runs into a girl wearing slippers, a girl who is single-mindedly determined to find a hamburger. She looks kind of familiar. She's very cute. He's maybe curious.

12:00 a.m.: Nothing will ever be the same.

Review:

This was not my favorite book. There were things in it that really spoke to me. I love YA books that take place in other countries, particulatly ones I’ve never been to –like China. I love that it was described as a Roman Holiday type story. I love travel romances. Something has just always called to me about them.

I also loved the idea of reading a book from the perspective of a K-pop star! I don’t know a ton about K-pop. But, I’d love to learn more. I took a Korean class in high school, and I’ve always been a little fascinated by the culture. So, I was excited to learn more. I was a little sad that Lucky was pretending to be normal the whole time, and I didn’t really get to see her as herself. I wanted to see her be the K-pop version of her true self. And I didn’t really get to see that until the end. So, it wasn’t the learning expereience I was hoping it would be.

Still, that doesn’t make or break a book for me. And it looked like the book had enough other cuteness going for it. Oh, and the food! I love how much Lucky loves food! I was starving reading this. I want dumplings and noodles so bad, even writing this review! And maybe a hamburger, too.

I guess my real problem stems from the fact that Lucky was drugged up for her big romantic day. And because she was on sleeping pills and anxiety meds (that should have put her to sleep), she wasn’t in the right frame of mind. And this made me hate Jack. Jack mistook her for being drunk…But still, it just felt like he was taking advantage of her. And I never shipped them. Their whole romantic night in the city was just spoiled by this icky feeling of him taking advantage her in this state…and is this the best message for a YA novel? That girls should be falling in love and making huge life–changing decisions while on drugs that are meant to put you to sleep?

And Jack is also working for Tabloids, which is also supposed to bother me. That didn’t really bother me though like the whole Lucky not being in the right frame of mind for the whole night, thing did…And if you’re going to mention anxiety medication, can you then explain why she is on the medicine? It’s never brought up. Her anxiety is brushed aside. Her eating disorder is brushed aside. Her mistreatment by her managers is pushed aside. And then Jack thinking she was drunk is also pushed aside. Nothing is taken seriously enough in my opinion. I would have rated this book so much higher if she was in a more stable state of mind for her romantic night. And if things were taken more seriously. All in all though, I give it a 4/10.