My rating: 5/5 stars
THE CUTENESS IS KILLING ME, YOU GUYS!
Hello, I Love You is THE BOOK to read if you wish to fall in love and swim inside never-ending FEELS! I just cannot get over about how superb and touching it is. I LOVED it!
First, I must start off by telling you how amazingly this book made my life take a turn for the better. I was browsing my Goodreads feed a few months ago when I noticed that several of my friends were shelving this cute-looking book. I fell in love with the cover immediately, but then I read the synopsis and I was torn. I loved the idea of finally getting a book that would live up my need of something along the lines of Anna and the French Kiss, but I wasn’t sure about the kpop thing. I was uncultured back then, you see. I knew that I wanted to read this book, but I didn’t know if I was going to get it because I had never watched a kdrama or heard kpop before. So that settled it for me, I had to check kdramas and/or listen to kpop before reading Hello, I Love You.
Readers, it was the BEST. DECISION. EVER.
Now I can’t get enough of kdramas (reason why I’m behind on reading books!) and I can’t stop singing along with Ailee pretending to know what she is saying. So, when I was granted access to read this book, I was prepared for it. I was prepared for the cuteness overload, for the feels, the swoons, the barely there touches and awkward moments. Oh, and were they lovely!
Hello, I Love You reads just like a teen kdrama with music! I just loved the idea of Grace going to boarding school in South Korea. School settings are always so much fun to read about and they usually come along with cute brooding guys like Jason and other amazing characters like Sophie (Jason’s sister & Grace’s roommate). I also loved that the characters were free to explore outside the school, like take trips to Seoul or the sea.
Now, I don’t mean you need to love kdramas or kpop to read this book, but you will certainly appreciate how Katie M. Stout throws you a few easter bunnies (I think that’s what they are called) that you would only get if you’ve watched a few of these dramas. Still, Hello, I Love You is a book meant for every contemporary lover!
I loved that the characters in this book are NOT flawless. They make so many human mistakes, like misjudge people or cultures before really getting to know them. This made them all the more real to me. For example, Grace doesn’t really like kpop in the beginning because it couldn’t be any more different from country or American music in general (but really, language is the only difference in here). She doesn’t get it back then. But soon, Grace realizes that they are not mindless or unoriginal music (Americans have them too!), that like any other song from US or any other country, they can be beautiful and meaningful as well. We humans are so naïve sometimes and I would be a liar if I’d said I had never made a mistake like this before.
Now, THE ROMANCE. It was adorable. I fell in love with Jason and I am totally calling dibs on him *teehee*. Those tiny moments and tiny touches here and there would make my heart beat faster. It was all just too cute. However, it pained me how their family issues & personal demons were making it harder for them to fight for their feelings. I wish I could have made everything better for both of them from the beginning so that they wouldn’t have gone through all the pain and heartbreak. They even made me shed a few tears. *sniff*
Without making this any more longer, all I have left to say is that Hello, I Love You is a GREAT book. I loved it and I’ve fangirled so hard about it with my closest friends. I’m excited to have this beauty in physical so I can hug it and pet it endlessly. It’s a top shelf book I will show off proudly and will re-read time and time again!
*****
My sister and I loved this book so much that we decided to make Hello, I Love You cupcakes! And by we, I mean my sister baking & I tasting the delicious blue frosting.
So behold….
The Cupcakes:
So cute and yummy! Oh, and do you see that weird looking cloud with a heart in the middle? I MADE IT. And yes, it’s a cloud. I should get an A for effort. 😉
I LOVE YOUR REVIEW!! I NEED IT ASAP!!!! <3 <3!
And those cupcake! Am sooooooo gonna steal them all!! Specially yours XD hahahahaha
I think we are gonna bitch fight over Jason, when I have read it ;D prepare yourself!!! ^_^ <3
HAHA PUH-LEASE! Jason is mine ♥ Because I'm such a good friend, I'll lend him to you on occassions. :)) Hope you love this book, Emma!
This book. This book is a poor depiction of Korean culture–at least it was to me, at least in the ways that counted. I liked Jason but I wasn't feeling the swoony feelings you did. I'm really glad you enjoyed it because my review is not as favorable. The cupcakes, those look great though!
Aww, that's too bad Jazmen :/ I obviously did not have a problem with this book and I didn't even realize that HILY somehow offended the korean culture. o.o I still don't understand how. But oh well, some books aren't for everyone. 😉
If you and your sister ever visit my part of the states we are totally going to have a books & baking party :).