Contemporary

Once Upon a K-Prom

Once Upon a K-Prom

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-23 07:51:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kat Cho
  • ISBN：1368064647
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Summary

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed。 Whether by her more successful older sisters， her more popular twin brother， or her more outgoing best friend， everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want。 But she is certain about one thing - she has no interest in going to prom。 While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses， Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center， the one place that's always made her feel like she belonged。

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom， Elena is more confused than ever。 Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is？ Her childhood best friend， Robbie Choi。 And the one thing she maybe， possibly， secretly wants more than anything？ For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together。 But that was seven years ago， and with this new K-pop persona， pink hair， and stylish clothes， Robbie is nothing like the sweet， goofy boy she remembers。 The boy she shared all her secrets with。 The boy she used to love。

Besides， prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans， online haters， and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants - even if she can't stop thinking about Robbie's smile。。。 right？

What would you do if the world's biggest K-pop star asked you to prom？ Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon， this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school。

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Reviews

Gigi ，

I’ll preface that while I’m a fan of kpop I’m not really into boy groups and I don’t know a whole lot of Korean words and terminology so there’s a lot of this that just went over my head。 That said， was kind of disappointed with the amount of miscommunication that was used to further the plot in this book。 Most of the conflicts got wrapped up way too soon， the fact that there were only handful of Robbie pov chapters for the EXPRESSED PURPOSE of assuring the reader that he’s actually a good guy a I’ll preface that while I’m a fan of kpop I’m not really into boy groups and I don’t know a whole lot of Korean words and terminology so there’s a lot of this that just went over my head。 That said， was kind of disappointed with the amount of miscommunication that was used to further the plot in this book。 Most of the conflicts got wrapped up way too soon， the fact that there were only handful of Robbie pov chapters for the EXPRESSED PURPOSE of assuring the reader that he’s actually a good guy and was pressured into doing this scheme was almost insulting as a reader。 Worst of all？ No loona reference （I kid I kid but come on the fan base is called CONSTELLATION… orbits go get them） 。。。more

Anyja ，

Thanks Disney Press for providing me with an Advanced Readers' Copy of this book！Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho earns a 4。7 out of 5 from me！ I loved the details of Korean culture， first loves， childhood friends， and on-stage romance。 Elena is sweet and I really related to her when she talked about not having a passion like everyone else does。 Robbie is 。。。。alright throughout the course of the book but he did severely annoy me many times by putting Elena is situations where she felt uncomfortable Thanks Disney Press for providing me with an Advanced Readers' Copy of this book！Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho earns a 4。7 out of 5 from me！ I loved the details of Korean culture， first loves， childhood friends， and on-stage romance。 Elena is sweet and I really related to her when she talked about not having a passion like everyone else does。 Robbie is 。。。。alright throughout the course of the book but he did severely annoy me many times by putting Elena is situations where she felt uncomfortable。 I won't be too hard on him though。 Cho created a K-pop group that felt so life-like and real that， as a huge K-pop fan， I feel heartbroken that they aren't。 Overall， this book differs from other K-pop themed YA books that I've read because WBD is incredibly believable， as well as their crazy stans that I know all too well。 I'm looking forward to reading Cho's other books because this one sets a really good example。 。。。more

Sara ，

Review soon。 Really enjoyed this one。 Very reminiscent of K-Drama， so if that's your thing， and if you love K-Pop， this would be your jam。 Review soon。 Really enjoyed this one。 Very reminiscent of K-Drama， so if that's your thing， and if you love K-Pop， this would be your jam。 。。。more

Emily ，

Thank you to #NetGalley， Kat Cho， and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 When they were ten years old and as he was moving， Robbie Choi made a promise to his best friend Elena that he would come back and he would take her to prom。 Little did they know that Robbie would become a big K-Pop Star and Elena assumed Robbie forgot all about her。 Along with a disaster of a promposal and herds of screaming fans will Elena and Robbie be able to make to prom/ catch up on old Thank you to #NetGalley， Kat Cho， and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 When they were ten years old and as he was moving， Robbie Choi made a promise to his best friend Elena that he would come back and he would take her to prom。 Little did they know that Robbie would become a big K-Pop Star and Elena assumed Robbie forgot all about her。 Along with a disaster of a promposal and herds of screaming fans will Elena and Robbie be able to make to prom/ catch up on old times？I have not been into the K Pop fandom， but this book sure made me want to be in it！ Elena was such a relatable character and I felt a similar high school experience to her。 Elena fought for what she wanted and learned to not care what others thought of her in the process。 I also like Robbie's character as he was still very down to earth even though he was now a pop star。 While this book won't be age appropriate for my students， I will still recommend it to friends！ 。。。more

Laura Mauro ，

* I got this book for review*I adord this book。 This book focused on some of my favorite troups。 Including blast from the past romance， friends to more， hollywood elements through K pop。 I also loved how this book dived into korean culture。 I also loved how this book had a "save the thing" element。 This book also had some misscommuncation issues but i think this book also got to issues both characters had with communcaiton issues。 I also really loved the fast pace nature of this story！！ I devore * I got this book for review*I adord this book。 This book focused on some of my favorite troups。 Including blast from the past romance， friends to more， hollywood elements through K pop。 I also loved how this book dived into korean culture。 I also loved how this book had a "save the thing" element。 This book also had some misscommuncation issues but i think this book also got to issues both characters had with communcaiton issues。 I also really loved the fast pace nature of this story！！ I devored this read and really loved it！ I also loved all the side characters and really hope she created more books in this world！ 。。。more

Ariel • The Book View ，

This book was full of wonderful characters， ex-bff vibes， and k-pop fameeee。WARNING: WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO STALK AND OBSESS OVER K-POP GROUPS IF YOU DON'T ALREADYRTC This book was full of wonderful characters， ex-bff vibes， and k-pop fameeee。WARNING: WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO STALK AND OBSESS OVER K-POP GROUPS IF YOU DON'T ALREADYRTC 。。。more

M。 Langlinais ，

I’m struggling with how to rate this one。 It’s easily 3。8-4。0 if the final product has a thorough edit。 If not… 3。5？Anyway， thank you to Netgalley & Disney Hyperion for the ARC。 Keep in mind that I read an uncorrected digital version of this book。Rather watch than read my review？ Video here: https://youtu。be/-fC32n6HnfEElena （or Elana？ It was spelled both ways at different points） Soo is a high schooler who doesn’t plan to attend her prom。 Instead， she’s more concerned with saving the local comm I’m struggling with how to rate this one。 It’s easily 3。8-4。0 if the final product has a thorough edit。 If not… 3。5？Anyway， thank you to Netgalley & Disney Hyperion for the ARC。 Keep in mind that I read an uncorrected digital version of this book。Rather watch than read my review？ Video here: https://youtu。be/-fC32n6HnfEElena （or Elana？ It was spelled both ways at different points） Soo is a high schooler who doesn’t plan to attend her prom。 Instead， she’s more concerned with saving the local community center where she volunteers。 Meanwhile， her childhood friend Robbie， who moved back to Korea when they were 10 and then went on to become a member of a popular K-pop band， returns to keep their juvenile promise: that he would take her to prom。Sure， it basically reads like fan fiction。 But it is a largely cute and swift read。 It reminded me a bit of “You Should See Me In a Crown。” （Though this one is firmly hetero。） And aside from Elena being something of a self-insert type， she is relatable in her feelings of invisibility， in her attempts to find herself and “her thing。” The fact that she learns a lot about herself through the book and realizes she’s made as many mistakes as she accuses others of making， gives the story a little bit more depth。Elena’s chapters are first person; the few Robbie has are third person。 Kinda strange， and I don’t know if that will be changed before publication， but… It’s a choice， I guess。 I mostly hope they fix the places where it goes from past to present tense， which is a particular peeve of mine。In all， a solid upper middle grade to lower YA offering。 Light and inoffensive， just enough steam to be safe for somewhat younger readers。 。。。more

Kay Lemay ，

This book was agonizingly cute。 Compelling characters， awesome secondary cast， plot elements that felt natural and not contrived。 I'm always a sucker for a good friends-to-more story， and this does not disappoint。 Add in the kdrama type elements， and I was desperately sold。 I'd easily hand this to a younger teen as well as an older one; the romance and conflicts are more universal than they might be in books targeted more specifically at older teenagers。 This book was agonizingly cute。 Compelling characters， awesome secondary cast， plot elements that felt natural and not contrived。 I'm always a sucker for a good friends-to-more story， and this does not disappoint。 Add in the kdrama type elements， and I was desperately sold。 I'd easily hand this to a younger teen as well as an older one; the romance and conflicts are more universal than they might be in books targeted more specifically at older teenagers。 。。。more

Lea Wilbur ，

I found an uncorrected proof of this book in a little free library so I figured I’d read it and give a review before release。 I won’t comment on any misspellings or anything like that only plot。 As for the plot， it was very cute。 It gave me flashbacks to reading fanfiction in my early teens， but I mean that in a nostalgic good way。 Once upon a K prom was a feel good happy book。 I think a lot of teen K-pop fans will really enjoy this book。

Chris G。 ，

Elena has three older sisters and a twin brother; Ethan gets a lot of family attention as the only boy so Elena has developed a pattern of pushing away or leaving to avoid feeling rejection or failure while at the same time pouring all her energy into good grades and community service。 Her best friend Robbie moved away when they were ten and he promised they would stay in touch， but it’s been years since Elena has heard from him， years Robbie has spent becoming part of a fabulously popular K-Pop Elena has three older sisters and a twin brother; Ethan gets a lot of family attention as the only boy so Elena has developed a pattern of pushing away or leaving to avoid feeling rejection or failure while at the same time pouring all her energy into good grades and community service。 Her best friend Robbie moved away when they were ten and he promised they would stay in touch， but it’s been years since Elena has heard from him， years Robbie has spent becoming part of a fabulously popular K-Pop group。 When Robbie comes to town to keep a childhood promise and invite Elena to prom， she’s flattered but cautious。 Can she share her heart after protecting it so well？ Lots of rom-com fun！ EARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more

Lily ，

3。5 starsIt's a cute story about two childhood best friends who fall in love after seven years apart。 Promises are made to be kept and Robbie kept his promise to Elena to take her to the prom when the time came。 3。5 starsIt's a cute story about two childhood best friends who fall in love after seven years apart。 Promises are made to be kept and Robbie kept his promise to Elena to take her to the prom when the time came。 。。。more

Kathreadya ，

Once Upon a K-Prom is a super cute romantic comedy featuring a high schooler and her old childhood friend who is now part of a popular K-pop band。 I really enjoyed this book！ Elena and Robbie are super cute together， and I liked the journey their relationship went on， as the book begins with them not being in contact for several years and Elena being very upset about that。 I'm glad that we had chapters from Robbie's viewpoint as well as Elena， because at first I had trouble understanding Robbie， Once Upon a K-Prom is a super cute romantic comedy featuring a high schooler and her old childhood friend who is now part of a popular K-pop band。 I really enjoyed this book！ Elena and Robbie are super cute together， and I liked the journey their relationship went on， as the book begins with them not being in contact for several years and Elena being very upset about that。 I'm glad that we had chapters from Robbie's viewpoint as well as Elena， because at first I had trouble understanding Robbie， but once we got in his head his actions made much more sense。 The family dynamics that Elena had to deal with at home were very authentic struggles that a lot of girls face， and I felt that they book explored familial expectations well。 The book started a bit slow， but once it got going it was a quick and satisfying read。 Overall this was a cute romantic comedy， with themes of coming of age。 。。。more

kate ，

If your life could do with a little bit of joy right now， do yourself a favour and pick up this book because this book is an utter delight。 From the characters （who are all gorgeous， multilayered and lovable） to the childhood-best-friends-to-lovers romance to the k-drama of it all， it was an absolute joy to read。

Larissa ，

Elena Soo loves her community center so much。 She would do anything to save it。 In fact she is currently running a campaign to help raise money at her school in hopes that the students will realize how wasteful prom actually can be。 If only students would take the money they were planning on spending for prom and donate it to the community center she knows that they would be able to save it。 Unsurprisingly the student body is not quite behind this idea。 Yet when a promise made when Elena was 10 Elena Soo loves her community center so much。 She would do anything to save it。 In fact she is currently running a campaign to help raise money at her school in hopes that the students will realize how wasteful prom actually can be。 If only students would take the money they were planning on spending for prom and donate it to the community center she knows that they would be able to save it。 Unsurprisingly the student body is not quite behind this idea。 Yet when a promise made when Elena was 10 years old brings an old friend back into Elena's life the school and Elena are rocked to the core。 Can Elena set aside 7 years of disappointment and welcome Robbie back into her life？ Why really did Robbie come back into her life？ Most importantly is there a spark between Elena and Robbie and what does that mean for their future？I really enjoyed this book。 There are a couple of twist and turns， that make reading this book quite a joy。 Elena and Robbie really are well developed characters and you really get to know them in a way that makes you invested in their lives。 I truly enjoy that Robbie's point of view is also mixed into the story as well。 I love when authors give us both standpoints。 I think it really adds a lot to the context of the story and lets the readers see things from both points of view。Thank you so much to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book。 。。。more

Anna Jackson ，

First of all， thank you to Edelweiss and Hachette for the ARC！Ok， this was definitely a guilty pleasure book for me。 And while I may not tell my "professional" library friends that this is what I read for fun。。。it totally is！ （And did I just go back and binge read some K-pop webtoons after reading this book。。。why yes， yes I did。）I really enjoyed this book！ The K pop drama was fun and the characters were well written。 It was one of those books that just reads very quickly too - I feel like I blin First of all， thank you to Edelweiss and Hachette for the ARC！Ok， this was definitely a guilty pleasure book for me。 And while I may not tell my "professional" library friends that this is what I read for fun。。。it totally is！ （And did I just go back and binge read some K-pop webtoons after reading this book。。。why yes， yes I did。）I really enjoyed this book！ The K pop drama was fun and the characters were well written。 It was one of those books that just reads very quickly too - I feel like I blinked and 200 pages were gone！ I appreciated the character growth for the main character， Elena， as well - too often fictional characters are portrayed as perfect or with minimal flaws， but Elena really got a chance to grow and develop in this novel！My only *slight* problem with this book （other than the idea that 11 year olds would actually promise to go to prom together。。。do kids do that？ I certainly wasn't thinking about that in elementary school！） was when one character told Elena that the boy she liked was emotionally an 11 year old because he had started his career so young that he didn't have time to have real relationships。 As an adult reader， and as a woman who has dated an emotional man-child once， this SHOULD be a RED FLAG， not an acceptable challenge to overcome！！ But again， maybe not when you're 17。 But whatever。 I'll roll with it。 The rest of the book was just so darn cute and K-pop drama-y that I will literally allow almost anything。Anyway， overall， I really had fun with this one， and I will definitely recommend to K pop drama teens and any young adults who love the genre （like myself）。 。。。more

Carmen ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Rating: More like a 3。5I love the hearts detail at the beginning of each chapter。Elena feels like a teenager， which makes me very much annoyed by her。 I don’t want to fault the book for this and I’m not going to。 I have to be reminded often that teenagers in YA don’t have the foresight that their adult writer’s now （nor that they exist in a book）。The plot relies on miscommunication， even when the lo Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Rating: More like a 3。5I love the hearts detail at the beginning of each chapter。Elena feels like a teenager， which makes me very much annoyed by her。 I don’t want to fault the book for this and I’m not going to。 I have to be reminded often that teenagers in YA don’t have the foresight that their adult writer’s now （nor that they exist in a book）。The plot relies on miscommunication， even when the love interest knows that communication is a big deal to the protagonist。 。。。more

san ，

[NOTE: I accessed an advanced digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss]at first i didn’t have high hopes for this thinking oh god its gonna be so cringe （and it was sometimes） anyways the beginning was kinda hard to get into but it got a little betterthe main character was really so insufferable to me and i just wanna smack her like she made the reading just not so fun sometimes and i felt like i wasted my time hoping for these character developments that never really happened so i’m j [NOTE: I accessed an advanced digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss]at first i didn’t have high hopes for this thinking oh god its gonna be so cringe （and it was sometimes） anyways the beginning was kinda hard to get into but it got a little betterthe main character was really so insufferable to me and i just wanna smack her like she made the reading just not so fun sometimes and i felt like i wasted my time hoping for these character developments that never really happened so i’m just a little disappointed :/ fun read but i just wished it would have been better。 also the pov changes from 1st to 3rd？？ WHY 。。。more

Amanda ，

Look for my review soon on TheLitBuzz！

Hayley （hayleyinpages） ，

**thanks to netgalley for my early copy！**This was so cute！ I loved being emerged yet again with dreamy kpop idols， high school dramas and reunions of childhood friends！Robbie and Elena were best friends during their childhood before Robbie’s family moved back to Korea。 Elena watched as Robbie grew up and gained the public’s attention both in Korea and the world， as the maknae of a famous kpop group。 He kept their childhood promise of coming back and asking her to prom- and yes the sparks from t **thanks to netgalley for my early copy！**This was so cute！ I loved being emerged yet again with dreamy kpop idols， high school dramas and reunions of childhood friends！Robbie and Elena were best friends during their childhood before Robbie’s family moved back to Korea。 Elena watched as Robbie grew up and gained the public’s attention both in Korea and the world， as the maknae of a famous kpop group。 He kept their childhood promise of coming back and asking her to prom- and yes the sparks from their childhood were still there！！ What a dreamy little YA book， I really enjoyed the growth of Elena and felt that she started to recognize her own insecurities by the end of the book and maybe it was possible to have a relationship with Robbie， her twin Ethan， and other people in her life and could stop being afraid that everyone would leave her。 I can’t wait for more kpop themed YA novels， this one did not disappoint！ Can’t wait for it to be published！ 。。。more

Magen ，

Well this was just delightful！ Elena hates prom （except she doesn’t） and she definitely doesn’t miss her childhood best friend （she does）。 When Robbie， said childhood best friend， “promposals” her， she’s thrust into his world of international K-pop fame and the drama that comes with it。 I really liked this book， I loved Elena and her family and all the inner workings of Robbie’s career。 It’s fun and tropey and just the right amount of emotional， plus it’s got a beautiful cover！ I’m adding Kat Ch Well this was just delightful！ Elena hates prom （except she doesn’t） and she definitely doesn’t miss her childhood best friend （she does）。 When Robbie， said childhood best friend， “promposals” her， she’s thrust into his world of international K-pop fame and the drama that comes with it。 I really liked this book， I loved Elena and her family and all the inner workings of Robbie’s career。 It’s fun and tropey and just the right amount of emotional， plus it’s got a beautiful cover！ I’m adding Kat Cho’s previous novels to my TBR can’t wait to see what she does next！Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Tara ，

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a preview copy of this title。 I have to admit that as a teacher-librarian in a high school library I love when students gush over titles with me。 I have a feeling that Once Upon a K-Prom will be one of those titles that students gush over。 This book has a very relatable main character Elena Soo， who feels invisible， has former friends who are current enemies， and feels like everyone leaves。 Pretty much sums up high school for so many。 Then h Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a preview copy of this title。 I have to admit that as a teacher-librarian in a high school library I love when students gush over titles with me。 I have a feeling that Once Upon a K-Prom will be one of those titles that students gush over。 This book has a very relatable main character Elena Soo， who feels invisible， has former friends who are current enemies， and feels like everyone leaves。 Pretty much sums up high school for so many。 Then her former friend Robbie Choi who moved to Seoul when they were ten returns， but now he is a K-Pop idol who wants to take Elena to prom based on a childhood promise。 But Elena is actively against prom as she and her Awareness Club seek to persuade her classmates to spend less on prom and donate to the local community center in danger of shutting down。 This goes over as well as you can imagine。This lovely rom-com features tropes well done。 It's a will they or won't they with a does of growth for the characters。I feel like teens relate to the characters--even the K-Pop idol who has a way different life， but I think the overly managed and controlled life he experiences will resonate with teens longing for more independence。Recommend！ 。。。more

Tales Of A Bookbug ，

My reading month this January was okay with most of the reads being pretty good - with a mixture of re-reads and ARCs（because I'm so behind on them！😶）。 And surprisingly my favorite was a YA book！ My first and only YA book of the year - Once Upon A K-Prom by Kat Cho which comes out this May！ I'm very picky about my YA reads these days but I didn't hesitate to request the ARC on NG because - K-Pop！！！ And I love Kat Cho's writing！ I enjoyed her Gumiho duology so I had high expectations for this one My reading month this January was okay with most of the reads being pretty good - with a mixture of re-reads and ARCs（because I'm so behind on them！😶）。 And surprisingly my favorite was a YA book！ My first and only YA book of the year - Once Upon A K-Prom by Kat Cho which comes out this May！ I'm very picky about my YA reads these days but I didn't hesitate to request the ARC on NG because - K-Pop！！！ And I love Kat Cho's writing！ I enjoyed her Gumiho duology so I had high expectations for this one and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint！This was such a cute childhood friends to lovers romance with a K-pop star and a Korean-American girl who wants to save her local community center！Elena Soo（one half of the Soo twins and almost forgotten among the bunch of Soo siblings） would rather collect donations to prevent her local community center from closing down than go the prom。 This doesn't really make her popular amongst the bunch of kids who think that she's anti-prom（though she's not）。 She just wants them to donate the money that they'd be spending on prom and help out。 But it's not working out well for her and her best friend - Josie who are members of the Awareness club， till。。Robbie shows up！Yes， her childhood bff who's now a member of the super-popular K-pop group - WDB！ And he now wants to take her to the prom， to keep the childhood promise that they'd made to each other（even though they haven't talked to each other in years）。 You can guess what was Elena's reaction！ Yep， she said 'No'。😂Like can you imagine？ I'd totally freak out if Taehyung or Suga showed up at my doorstep and asked me to prom！！！ Gah， just imagining it makes me want to swoon（even though the chances of that happening are like 0 lol🤣）。What makes it even better is there is another promposal which then goes viral and makes her the girl who rejected Robbie。 No need to guess how their fans would have reacted（it was bad but not too scary， some sasaeng fans irl are super crazy！）。So， as Robbie and Elena begin to reconnect， they figure out some ways to keep the community center from closing down and this brings them closer。 But， Robbie has been keeping some secrets from her regarding the reason why he showed up in the first place！ What will happen when Elena finds out？You'll have to read the book to know！ :PI really loved Elena's character and how witty， relatable and vulnerable she was！ She's used to feeling invisible and left behind， even among her family and friends。 This makes her a little less confident and wary of people leaving her。 And just like any other teen， she feels a little lost as well when it comes to choosing what to do next - which is why she's very passionate about the community center， the one place where she feels included and not overlooked。 I loved how authentic she and her family's interactions were （as an Asian I found them so relatable！）。 Her parents usually focus more on her brother while her sisters have gone off to pursue their own things and she gets her mom's attention only when Robbie shows up and asks her to prom（lol）！There’s a phrase in Korean : eom-chin-ah。 It means your mom’s friend’s kid， but it really means “perfect kid。” The one who makes everyone else look bad。 And our eom-chin-ah went and became a worldwide mega star。 How can a kid top that？There's a little resentment at first as Robbie and Elena haven't talked to each other in a few years， but their reconnection feels effortless as soon as they start spending time with each other！ And I absolutely loved that！ I could really feel how much they adored each other even though the development of the romance was a little slow！And Robbie was so cute！ My goodness， I just wanted to give him a hug。 Even though he's a K-pop star， he's not arrogant or cocky。 Just a little clueless when it comes to girls 😂。 It was so much fun watching him figure out things！ He's got his own set of struggles with fame， idol pressure and the desire to write his own songs。 It's not easy for K-Pop idols， if you don't know already。 The persona that they create and the fan service along with the internal struggles that they face are vastly different from the usual music stars or Hollywood actors。 So， I loved how the author showed all of that！"He knew how easy it was for the public to turn against them just for trying to live normal lives。 Idols weren’t allowed to be normal。 They had to be better， shinier， cleaner。 Sexy but still pure。 The perfect balance of illusion and approachable。"Robbie's band members - JD， Jun， Minseok and Jaehyung were also very cute and vivid with their differing personalities（I kept thinking about BTS💜）。 And the relationship between JD and Sooyeon was also so good！ Relationships between idols aren't easy either（anyone remember HyunA and Dawn？）。So， all of that made for a fun mix along with the romance！"Wait， what was I doing？ I wasn’t a swooning fangirl。 This was Robbie。 My oldest friend 。 The one who I’d watched swallow a pebble once because he wondered if they were edible。 My heart should not be racing just because he’d kissed my hand as part of video play-acting。 Except， he hadn’t done it with the dancer。 It was something he’d done just with me。"I loved watching Elena grow and figure things out！ The honest talk between her and her brother - Ethan at the end was a great moment and really improved my opinion of him as it wasn't really that great at first！ I'd have liked it even more if she could have voiced out her discomfort to her parents and sisters as well， but well everything can't be fixed immediately unless it's a perfect world。 So， that was very realistic as well！ In the end， I was left with a goofy smile on my face！ So， I'd totally recommend this one if you're a fan of K-Pop or K-Dramas and if you've read XOXO， you'll definitely love this one as well！❣️✨You can also find my review on my bookstagram here。Blog*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more

Deborah Zeman ，

What’s it like to have your childhood best friend become one of K-Pop’s biggest stars？ To have him surprise you with a visit， in the hopes of fulfilling a childhood promise？ to have to learn what it’s like to become immersed in the life of a popstar？ That’s what Elana has to do in this fun rom-com romp。 She has to come to terms with the fact that people leaving doesn’t mean they are leaving you。 Sometimes people have to do things they’ don’t want to do because its supposedly for the best intenti What’s it like to have your childhood best friend become one of K-Pop’s biggest stars？ To have him surprise you with a visit， in the hopes of fulfilling a childhood promise？ to have to learn what it’s like to become immersed in the life of a popstar？ That’s what Elana has to do in this fun rom-com romp。 She has to come to terms with the fact that people leaving doesn’t mean they are leaving you。 Sometimes people have to do things they’ don’t want to do because its supposedly for the best intentions。 That you aren’t invisible， that those around you really do see you。 A sweet story that deep dives into the life of a KPop star and the girl he left behind。 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsDeath of a father in a car accident

Kaya ，

i finished this entire book somehow on an airplane after reading nothing all week so…do i get bonus points or no？ anyways this was too cute for words and will honestly be the highlight spring contemporary novel。 full rtc！ thank you disney books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review！

Tesia Lewis ，

The Appalachian Bookwormcontent warnings: main character with low self esteem， bullying， harassment， anxiety， emotional abuse， death of a parent （in the past）Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho is a cutesy YA novel following Elena Soo， an anxious teenager who feels like she’ll never be out of her sibling’s shadows and her childhood best friend who is a K-Pop idol now。 With overzealous fans， band mates with secrets， and stylish pink hair， Robbie Choi definitely isn’t the kid that Elena remembers。 What The Appalachian Bookwormcontent warnings: main character with low self esteem， bullying， harassment， anxiety， emotional abuse， death of a parent （in the past）Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho is a cutesy YA novel following Elena Soo， an anxious teenager who feels like she’ll never be out of her sibling’s shadows and her childhood best friend who is a K-Pop idol now。 With overzealous fans， band mates with secrets， and stylish pink hair， Robbie Choi definitely isn’t the kid that Elena remembers。 What will happen when Robbie shows up at her door to keep a promise he made to Elena years ago？What I loved:★ Elena was incredibly relatable。 I grew up with a mother who favored my younger brother （most of the time if not all） so I understand the struggle she has with feeling like she’s stuck in the shadow of her sisters and her twin brother。 ★ I loved Robbie and Elena’s friendship！ I loved that they picked up where they left off but also still had to learn one another and how they would fit into each other’s lives。 I loved their chemistry and their inside jokes。★ This was a quick and easy read that made my heart feel all soft。★ All of the references to Korean culture and language， especially as a K-Pop fan！What I wish were different:★ There were a few storylines that didn’t feel like they had been finished or wrapped up enough， like everything with Elena’s mom still felt like a frayed edge。 Their relationship definitely needed more work。★ I wish there hadn’t been any miscommunication between the two main characters but they’re teenagers so maybe I’m not entirely mad about it。tOverall， Once Upon a K-Prom was a cute story with cute characters！ I definitely would recommend it to anyone who enjoys K-Pop or K-Dramas， friends-to-lovers or overly sweet， cheesy romance novels！I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Once Upon a K-Prom

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Once Upon a K-Prom&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Once Upon a K-Prom&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0