Do you know BTS? Hallyu? What do you think of when I say Butter? Today, I brought to you a book called Heart and Seoul. Hara was born in Korea and was adapted by American parents when she was very young. She struggled with her identity whole life living in a town with not a lot of Asians and had no desire to learn about the Korean culture. When her dad passed away so sudden, Hara decided to look for her birth parents in Korea. In there, she made friends and found romance, but also found out about the secret and devastating truth about her family and people around her.
While reading this book, I felt like I was watching a Korean drama in my head!! There was so much drama while Hara was looking for her birth parents, and it was really sad and heavy. And the part about Shrimp flavored ramyeon being thrown at her? Yikes!
As a Korean American who spent my early age in Korea, I was excited to see all the references about Korean food and places and cultures the author mentions during the story. Ddeokbokki, Samgyeopsal and gimbab? Beer by Han river? Who wouldn’t be excited? Also, there was a reference to a song that Hara heard in the car about Seoul as well as the name on the lock at Namsan Tower that made me think of a certain k-pop idol. Can you guess who?
I also liked the part about the cultural identity, especially the part where Hara was experiencing the complex emotions about her being a Korean descendant but not being considered as Korean among her Korean roommates because she didn’t know it’s culture or language. It felt very real and made me think of my heritage and my kids’ who living in the US.
Even though this book was categorized as a romance novel on Net Galley, I felt like it was more of Hara’s journey to find her birth parents, not just a story about her falling in love with Yujun. Though the romance is there, I felt the cultural information and finding her heritage played a bigger part of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the Heart and Seoul very much. Like the author mentioned, I am so glad that there’s a market for this kind of book. Hara’s story about looking for her birth parents felt real with lots of dramas and cultural information. Her love interest, Yujun, was swoon worthy and I wish there was more of their story! Hara and her story will definitely linger in my heart for a long time. Now, when can I visit Korea?
I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for approving my request for ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
