I Guess I Live Here Now
- Downloads：4029
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-05 09:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Claire Ahn
- ISBN：0593403193
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A journey to the place where trends are born--Seoul， Korea--where Melody Lee unwillingly moves with her family and must start a new life， a new school。。。and maybe a new romance。
Melody always wanted to get to know the Korean side of her Korean American heritage better， but not quite like this。 Thanks to a tiny transgression after school one day， she's shocked to discover that her parents have decided to move her and her mom out of New York City to join her father in Seoul--immediately！ Barely having the chance to say goodbye to her best friend before she's on a plane， Melody is resentful， angry， and homesick。
But she soon finds herself settling into their super luxe home， meeting cool friends at school， and discovering the alluring aspects of living in Korea--trendsetting fashion， delectable food， her dad's black card， and a cute boy to hang out with。 Life in Seoul is amazing。。。until cracks begin to form on its shiny surface。 Troubling family secrets， broken friendships， and a lost passion are the prices Melody has to pay for her new life， but is it worth it？
Melody always wanted to get to know the Korean side of her Korean American heritage better， but not quite like this。 Thanks to a tiny transgression after school one day， she's shocked to discover that her parents have decided to move her and her mom out of New York City to join her father in Seoul--immediately！ Barely having the chance to say goodbye to her best friend before she's on a plane， Melody is resentful， angry， and homesick。
But she soon finds herself settling into their super luxe home， meeting cool friends at school， and discovering the alluring aspects of living in Korea--trendsetting fashion， delectable food， her dad's black card， and a cute boy to hang out with。 Life in Seoul is amazing。。。until cracks begin to form on its shiny surface。 Troubling family secrets， broken friendships， and a lost passion are the prices Melody has to pay for her new life， but is it worth it？
Reviews
Alice
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Such a lovely book！！ I want to book a flight for Korea right now， go to all the cafes and eat all the food haha！ Thanks Claire for this great read， can’t wait to read your next book ;）
Mercedez
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Libby
jillyianbroo anna
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i literally loved this book， it will be my favorite for a long time
Caitlin
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Thank you to @penguinteen for sending me a free copy of this book！ These are my own personal opinions。 And the book is already available if you’re interested in it！My rating: 3。5/5 stars-My favorite aspect of this story was definitely learning more about Korea and Korean culture！ The sense of place and culture was fantastic， and the descriptions of food were delicious！-The idea of this story was great！ Melody is suddenly uprooted from her home in NY and taken to Korea， where she finds out she ha Thank you to @penguinteen for sending me a free copy of this book！ These are my own personal opinions。 And the book is already available if you’re interested in it！My rating: 3。5/5 stars-My favorite aspect of this story was definitely learning more about Korea and Korean culture！ The sense of place and culture was fantastic， and the descriptions of food were delicious！-The idea of this story was great！ Melody is suddenly uprooted from her home in NY and taken to Korea， where she finds out she has a rich dad！-But I’m also sad that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to。 I really wanted to love it， but the pacing felt a little slow sometimes and Melody’s fights with her parents and the forced dates became a bit repetitive。-The writing also didn’t fully captivate me; there were often very long paragraphs that felt like they could’ve been broken up more/edited a little more。 I sometimes had to reread these to absorb it all。-The story also felt a tad drawn out for a contemporary novel; it takes a while to get real answers to Melody’s questions about her family-I didn’t absolutely love the characters， but I’m sure many readers would be able to relate to Melody in her situation-overall， I’d recommend this book for people who are looking for a taste of Korea and a story with family drama， or if you just want to support an AAPI author 💖-the descriptions of Korean culture and the food were definitely my favorite aspects of this story 😁-I also really liked how this book explored the meaning of home， family， and belonging-I’m glad that Melody’s parents turn out to be a little more understanding near the end， and that she pretty much gets her happy ending and feels more confident in who she is and what she wants to do with her life 。。。more
Shanni
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I hated the idea that Mel and her mom just uprooted their lives to move to Korea， but in the end， it was an amazing journey。 I really loved that Mel opened herself up and learned about her heritage and took the time to try to get to know her father。 I loved that it did seem like parts of it were like a K-drama！ I read this book in six hours 45 minutes。
Stephanie Boedecker
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One of the reviews I read of this book stated "reads like a Kdrama" and that was 110% accurate。 I found myself thinking about the character and situations they were in during my daily life， eager to come back at the end of the day to see where they would end up or if they would find love， etc。 I enjoyed it， the same way I have enjoyed fluffy Kdramas， especially those of the earlier 2000s （Boys Over Flowers anyone？） I do want to acknowledge the lessons woven throughout the book that are on point One of the reviews I read of this book stated "reads like a Kdrama" and that was 110% accurate。 I found myself thinking about the character and situations they were in during my daily life， eager to come back at the end of the day to see where they would end up or if they would find love， etc。 I enjoyed it， the same way I have enjoyed fluffy Kdramas， especially those of the earlier 2000s （Boys Over Flowers anyone？） I do want to acknowledge the lessons woven throughout the book that are on point for YA readers （I'm a little aged out of the category myself） and hope that this book can bring clarity to young readers as they navigate high school relationships， friendships， the chasing of dreams and difficult family dynamics。 。。。more
Forever Young Adult
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Graded By: Amanda B。Cover Story: Before You Leave The House， Look in the Mirror and Take One Thing OffBFF Charm: Heck Yes！Swoonworthy Scale: 8Talky Talk: Is This Real Life？Bonus Factors: Fashion and Fun！， Tasty BusinessAnti-Bonus Factor: Grumpy GrandparentsRelationship Status: Finger Hearts！Read the full book report here。 Graded By: Amanda B。Cover Story: Before You Leave The House， Look in the Mirror and Take One Thing OffBFF Charm: Heck Yes！Swoonworthy Scale: 8Talky Talk: Is This Real Life？Bonus Factors: Fashion and Fun！， Tasty BusinessAnti-Bonus Factor: Grumpy GrandparentsRelationship Status: Finger Hearts！Read the full book report here。 。。。more
Eden ☽ ༉‧₊˚✧
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** 2。5 stars **it's not a bad book （also the fact that this is her debut？？ it's very good first book）， i just didn't connect with it that much。it was easy to read and fast paced; which was very much appreciated！ it was also mildly entertaining and didn't bore me which is why i kept reading it。 a simple to get into and easy to keep up with book， which is exactly what i needed right now and it has helped my reading slump （at least so far）。 i just don't really care about rich people whatsoever - i ** 2。5 stars **it's not a bad book （also the fact that this is her debut？？ it's very good first book）， i just didn't connect with it that much。it was easy to read and fast paced; which was very much appreciated！ it was also mildly entertaining and didn't bore me which is why i kept reading it。 a simple to get into and easy to keep up with book， which is exactly what i needed right now and it has helped my reading slump （at least so far）。 i just don't really care about rich people whatsoever - i don't find *anything* in their lives interesting， and there was many things that were relating to all of that so。。 not for me。 also i didn't really feel anything for the characters at all （not even melody， the main one）， they actually felt a little flat。 especially wonjae who's the love interest。 though the romance is barely even a subplot sksk。 i did appreciate that their relationship lacked drama and that they just liked eo and got together without a bunch of obstacles or silly drama。 and idk。。 i kinda felt like not that much happened and that it didn't go "deep" enough， which i often feel about ya。 so yeah， noted that i'm not the target audience lol。 anyway it was an ok book， easy to get through and just completely ok overall！ 。。。more
Cherrie
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I had so much fun with I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW！ While I’ve been staying at home to limit my family’s germ circles， I have been feeling very wander-lusty and this book is perfect for transporting to Seoul。 All in all， IGILH is a soothing blend of exploring a beautiful city， eating delicious food， and experiencing teenage angst & puppy love。 I may be biased because of my love for Korean food but I was definitely won over by the descriptions of all the scrumptious dishes on every other page。 I thin I had so much fun with I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW！ While I’ve been staying at home to limit my family’s germ circles， I have been feeling very wander-lusty and this book is perfect for transporting to Seoul。 All in all， IGILH is a soothing blend of exploring a beautiful city， eating delicious food， and experiencing teenage angst & puppy love。 I may be biased because of my love for Korean food but I was definitely won over by the descriptions of all the scrumptious dishes on every other page。 I think the strict parent-child Asian stereotype is overstated in a lot of Asian American books and so I wish that there was more deviance from that stereotype in this book。 。。。more
Sara （A Gingerly Review）
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I didn't like this。 I was bored and kept waiting for something to happen。 I didn't like this。 I was bored and kept waiting for something to happen。 。。。more
Serena Blackter
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I read this book quite a long time ago， but due to some issues wasn't able to post a review！ But I'm here now， and encourage you to read this one so bad！！I read this when i was in my k-drama obsessed phase， and no kidding， this book matched up to my expectations！ I was invested since the start of the story， and really loved the part when shr entered Korea。Reading about Korea through Melody's eyes was a great experience， specially all the travelling she did for the school project。 The romance sub I read this book quite a long time ago， but due to some issues wasn't able to post a review！ But I'm here now， and encourage you to read this one so bad！！I read this when i was in my k-drama obsessed phase， and no kidding， this book matched up to my expectations！ I was invested since the start of the story， and really loved the part when shr entered Korea。Reading about Korea through Melody's eyes was a great experience， specially all the travelling she did for the school project。 The romance sub-plot was so cutee， and i enjoyed that too as i fully supported them and smiled at their cute moments。 The character development in Melody was quite visible to the end of the book， and this one didn't disappoint。But one thing that i didn't quite enjoy while the plot was still amazing， was that there was no emotional depth。 I'd recommend k-drama fans to check this one out， as it was enjoyable for the most of the part。♡ thanks for the copy PRH international 。。。more
Little_lizabeth
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It's 4。5 for me， but I liked it very much！！ It's 4。5 for me， but I liked it very much！！ 。。。more
Riley
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This book was decent and there were plenty of great parts， but I could not stand Melody/Solmi。 She was all "nObOdY uNdErStAnDs mE" and I was all "SHUT UP" This book was decent and there were plenty of great parts， but I could not stand Melody/Solmi。 She was all "nObOdY uNdErStAnDs mE" and I was all "SHUT UP" 。。。more
Kerry
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book started off well but very soon into it the pace was just stuck on one level。 There wasn’t much to keep me engaged。 I also at times found Melody/Solmi to be very annoying and judgmental。 I found her lack of understanding of her parents and friends bothersome。 But while this was true， I can also understand that she is a teenager who’s home changed at a drop of a hat and she found herself living in a totally new country。 I can’t imagine how I would react at her age in the same situation。 This book started off well but very soon into it the pace was just stuck on one level。 There wasn’t much to keep me engaged。 I also at times found Melody/Solmi to be very annoying and judgmental。 I found her lack of understanding of her parents and friends bothersome。 But while this was true， I can also understand that she is a teenager who’s home changed at a drop of a hat and she found herself living in a totally new country。 I can’t imagine how I would react at her age in the same situation。 I also wanted more chemistry with the love interest， but it felt very surface level and I didn’t feel like we got to know Wonjae。 So for me it’s 2。5 stars。 。。。more
Lili Kim
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I love the references to De Witt Clinton Park， 99 cent pizza， etc because that is my ‘hood！！ Wonder if Claire Ahn lived near me…🤔LOVED this fun book， which got me super excited for our upcoming trip to Korea！ So fun and such a delightful read！
Felicia Chen
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This was a fun read that also delved into some serious topics on familial relationships and the immigrant/children of immigrants experience。 I totally missed my subway stop one day while reading it， so read & commute with caution！ Loved the descriptions of Korean food & Korean architecture， makes me want to visit Korea in the future！
Cathy
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Claire Ahn joins the growing group of AAPI writers creating K-Drama like stories for YA audiences。 She is in company with authors like Maureen Goo， Axie Oh and Grace Kim。
Amanda
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AHHHH this book is so wonderful！ Full of food， family and fun！ I couldn't put it down！ AHHHH this book is so wonderful！ Full of food， family and fun！ I couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
Kadisha （paperbackpassionista）
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This was a really cute and heartfelt story about change and getting to know who you are！This story starts off with Melody having the perfect life。 She loves her friends and the high school she attends and she feels like she's on top of the world。 When Melody makes one bad decision after school， her life is turned upside down。 Melody and her mom pack up their life in New York City and move to the country where her ancestors are from， Korea。 Here she will have to start all the way over and she doe This was a really cute and heartfelt story about change and getting to know who you are！This story starts off with Melody having the perfect life。 She loves her friends and the high school she attends and she feels like she's on top of the world。 When Melody makes one bad decision after school， her life is turned upside down。 Melody and her mom pack up their life in New York City and move to the country where her ancestors are from， Korea。 Here she will have to start all the way over and she doesn't know if she will every fit in again。 Given that I am not Korean and I've never had to make a huge move like that in the middle of my high school career， I could definitely empathize with Melody and this huge life change。 Like Melody， I too have felt felt lost， confused， inadequate， and left out but after reading this book made me feel seen heard and understood。 。。。more
mia noor ！！
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DNF’ing this:the way the characters speak and act sounds so unnatural， i rly didn’t like the reading :（
Elizabeth
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1
Sarah Salisbury
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This one was very fun。 A nice post wisdom teeth removal read with lots of escapism， a protagonist who’s realistically flawed （me wanting to yell at her through the screen heh） but likable， and an unusual ability not to make the romance overshadow the plot。
Erin
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What a sweet and fun story。Side note: I am so hungry for ddukbokki it’s not even funny。Might be checking for deals on flights to Korea。 ✈️
Bunny
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3。5 Stars
Misty
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This book got 2 stars instead of the 1 I really wanted to give it because I loved the description of the food and how amazing it sounded and would probably taste， and also the descriptions of Seoul。BUT， I could care less about any of the characters， specifically Melody， the main character。 She was soo annoying and stubborn and stuck in her head and almost always made me want to smack her and tell her the world did not revolve around her。The book was also a lot longer than it needed to be。 Scenes This book got 2 stars instead of the 1 I really wanted to give it because I loved the description of the food and how amazing it sounded and would probably taste， and also the descriptions of Seoul。BUT， I could care less about any of the characters， specifically Melody， the main character。 She was soo annoying and stubborn and stuck in her head and almost always made me want to smack her and tell her the world did not revolve around her。The book was also a lot longer than it needed to be。 Scenes， where they described the interior design or how things （clothes， spaces， etc） were neutral in color schemes but hey， here's a pop of color for individuality， could have been taken out。 （I get it， its Melody's whole thing， her personality， yada yada yada）。 I don't care。 It could have been taken out or cut short。I forced myself to push through and finish it。**Side note， Wonjae was a very good rom-com， k-drama lead。 。。。more
Shannon
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A really great look at a contemporary Korean American family living separately。 Melody's perfect life in NYC is upended when her mother announces out of the blue that they're moving back to Seoul to live with her father。 Melody has culture shock as she has to adjust to a new school， new friends and a whole new country， not to mention getting to know the father she hasn't lived with for sixteen years。 Perfect for fans of Loveboat Taipei or Anna K and good on audio。 A really great look at a contemporary Korean American family living separately。 Melody's perfect life in NYC is upended when her mother announces out of the blue that they're moving back to Seoul to live with her father。 Melody has culture shock as she has to adjust to a new school， new friends and a whole new country， not to mention getting to know the father she hasn't lived with for sixteen years。 Perfect for fans of Loveboat Taipei or Anna K and good on audio。 。。。more
Katrina
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i liked how it captured me from the start and i love the character development with the mc but i felt like the tyrning point with her parents supporting her just felt too quick？ like idk it felt kind of unrealistic at that part but overall fun read ！！！！！
Christy Broderick
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Claire Ahn’s debut novel was just the cutest book to pick up！ I loved reading about how Melody rediscovered her identity （after moving suddenly to Seoul with her mom to live her dad）， learned more about her family， talked about so much delicious food， and has amazing friends by her side ❤️ If you want to discover Seoul with Melody， please pick up this book and enjoy every minute of it！ 🤗
Rachel
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it’s summer and we are here for friendship， love， and a good time
Rachel Beeler
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2。5
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I Guess I Live Here Now
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I Guess I Live Here Now&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft