YA Kpop Romance: XOXO and ASAP by Axie Oh
Looking for books with YA Kpop Romance? You’ll want to check out this post on XOXO and ASAP by Axie Oh, companion books with crossover characters that take place in the Kpop world!
YA Kpop Romance: The World of XOXO and ASAP by Axie Oh
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE YA contemporary books that take place in the same story world and have crossover characters.
I just did a post on Emma Lord and the way her books and characters link up AND a post about Marissa Meyer and her Fortuna Beach YA series.
Books that share a story world are also a great way to give the reader another look at a favorite couple from a past book AND tell the story of a new couple, maybe ones readers have been shipping.
XOXO and ASAP both take place in the United States and Korea, and follow a group of characters connected to the Kpop world. XOXO is a Kpop boy band, and ASAP is a Kpop girl band!
XOXO and ASAP have different tropes and vibes, since I’ve written a XOXO review on my other site, I will run down all the differences here!
XOXO by Axie Oh (2021)
- A classic celebrity romance, with a regular girl having a meet cute with a guy she doesn’t realize is a famous Kpop star
- A fish out of water story, in which Jenny goes to study in Korea and finds out that the cute guy she met in LA goes to her school
- A “can this relationship work” conflict? Can a normal girl find love with a celebrity?
My full review of XOXO by Axie Oh listed the things I loved about the book.
What I Loved about XOXO by Axie Oh
- The boarding school element, which reminded me of Anna and the French Kiss, a very popular YA romance of the 2010s set at an international school in Paris. If you love Books Set in Boarding School, check out my very popular list post on Jen Ryland Reviews!
- Learning about how Kpop groups are created and the tight control that record labels hold over their music, branding, and image.
- Watching Jenny explore Seoul, a city I loved visiting!
- That XOXO is a sweet and charming book about friendship, family, and following your dreams.
Should you read XOXO by Axie Oh before reading ASAP?
Absolutely, as many XOXO characters and plot lines cross over in ASAP! I think you’d feel a little confused by all the backstory you were missing. ASAP isn’t technically a sequel, so you could read it as a standalone, but… don’t.
So, let’s talk about the overall vibe of ASAP and how it feels quite different (in a good way!)
ASAP by Axie Oh
- ASAP features a Second Chance at love romance between Sori, the daughter of a powerful record label CEO, and Nathaniel (or Lee Jihyuk) one of the members of XOXO.
- The characters are a bit older in ASAP. XOXO takes place in high school, and now most of the characters have graduated, giving the story an “older but wiser” vibe.
- ASAP focuses more on the role of women in Kpop, and Sori has transitioned to being more of a mentor, having given up her dreams of being an idol.
- Sori also gains more empathy toward her mother and the struggles she’s faced as a powerful woman.
What I Loved about ASAP by Axie Oh
- The character growth in Sori was great to see. In XOXO, she was guarded and tough, and this book sees her open up a little. She’s still a private person, but it was fun to see her softer side.
- “Catch Me if You Can!” Sori and Nate compete in a crazy Korean reality game show.
- There’s a “drama” (or Kdrama) element, which was also really fun to read about. Written by Sun! About mermaids and sea princes!
- Girl Power! Loved the exploration of women in Korean society, from Sori’s Girl Boss mother to the women of ASAP.
Ok, let’s chat in comments. Who is the next couple that we’ll read about? I’m feeling like it will be new girl Hyemi. But will her love interest by Sun (the older man she seemed to have a slight crush on) or Youngmin, who she was flirting with?
