It has been a while since I accidentally came across the audiobook for XOXO by Axie Oh. It was in the midst of my annual Winter reading slump and I was in the mood for something quick and lighthearted. I’m not the biggest KPop fan, I in fact only know the most mainstream KPop groups. But, XOXO turnt out to be just what I needed at that time. Amongst all the lightheartedness, there are some serious themes assimulated into the story which provides depth to it. So, I really enjoyed this book and I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find out about ASAP, the companion novel to it.

About the book

ASAP by Axie Oh
Published by HarperTeen on February 6, 2024
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780063299306
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young adult

New York Times bestselling author Axie Oh’s ASAP is the much anticipated companion novel to beloved romance XOXO, following fan favorites Sori, the wealthy daughter of a K-pop company owner, and Nathaniel, her K-pop star ex-boyfriend, in a swoon-worthy second chance love story.

Sori has worked her whole life to become a K-pop idol, until she realizes she doesn’t want a life forever in the spotlight. But that’s not actually up to Sori—she’s caught between her exacting mother’s entertainment company and her father’s presidential aspirations. And as the pressure to keep her flawless public image grows, the last person she should be thinking about is her ex-boyfriend.

Nathaniel is off limits—she knows this. A member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world and forbidden from dating, he isn’t any more of an option now than he was two years ago. Still, she can’t forget that their whirlwind romance was the last time she remembers being really happy. Or that his family welcomed her into their home when she needed it most. . . .

So when Nathaniel finds himself rocked by scandal, Sori offers him a hideaway with her. And back in close quarters, it’s hard to deny their old feelings. But when Sori gets an opportunity to break free from her parent’s expectations, she will have to decide: Is her future worth sacrificing for a second chance at love?

My review

Expectations

I wasn’t even aware of this release, I haven’t paid much attention to this year’s new releases and am therefore quite out of the loop. Furthermore, I read significantly less YA than I used to back when I read XOXO. I already felt myself drifting away from the genre back then, but I still read more YA than I do now. Now I just read books in this age range occassionally and I’m really critical on which ones to pick up. However, I had a feeling that, since ASAP is the companion novel to XOXO, I might have a good time whilst reading. I again went for the audiobook which proved to be a good choice.

Characters

This story is about Sori, Jenny’s best friend in XOXO. Back then, her first impression was not good at all. She was mean and pushed everyone away from her, including her roommate Jenny. Later on, she thankfully turnt 180 degrees. Now, it’s time to get to know her better. We already got a glimpse of the pressure Sori is under because her mom is the CEO of one of the biggest KPop companies. So, expectations for Sori are high. She has to behave appropriately and achieve accordingly in order to keep her mom’s reputation clean. So, a scandal is out of the question, because this could ruin her family. And yes, this family has known some scandals in the past. These are touched upon in the book, which provide more insight in Sori’s earlier behaviour and the pressure she’s constantly on. Dating Nathaniel for example caused a scandal in the past. This was mentioned in XOXO as well, although this didn’t immediately ring a bell. Now, Sori realizes she still has feelings for him, but can she fall in love with him again without it leading up to another scandal? Besides, Sori is expected to debut as a KPop idol, which she actually wanted for her entire life. At the start of this book, she’s debating whether she still wants this and how to break the news to her mother. Along the way, she finds out who she really is and what she really wants in life. This growth is written really well. It was nice to see a different Sori than the girl in XOXO and it was good to be reunited with other familiar characters. Moreover, some new characters have been thrown into the mix and they are interesting too.

Writing

Since this book is targeted towards teenagers, the writing needs to fit accordingly. It did. The chapters are quite short which made me easily listen to just one more chapter each time. I therefore was able to devour the book. This is a single POV nrrated story, but it didn’t matter this time since it’s a first person’s POV. This works really well for me within contemporary novels.

Plot

As this is a contemporary romance, the plot is there to support the characters in their actions and growth. I think this is exactly how contemporaries should be, because they will fall flat when the plot is superior to the characters. This fits the fantasy genre more, my contemporary novels need to be character driven. This is no different for this book, because Sori, Nathaniel and even Sori’s mother experience character growth. For me, the family situation was the most interesting part of this book, although I loved the dynamics betwee Sori and Nathaniel. It’s clear they still love eachother and that’s not only in a romantic way. They are good friends, even though there’s quite a lot of tension between them because of their past. I think that this romance therefore feels quite natural and not forced. They are already close, but their romantic feelings for one another even brings them closer. They finally learn how to stand up for themselves and to choose their own happiness. I absolutely rooted for them. Despite the drama the plot provides, the characters learn from it all and come out stronger. Another interesting fact is the Korean culture. Sori is, unlike Jenny from XOXO, born and raised in Seoul. Therefore this book is full of cultural references as well as Korean words and phrases. I was therefore glad the audiobook was available to me.

Final thoughts

As I’d expected beforehand, I had a great time with ASAP by Axie Oh. I was glad I picked up the audiobook, since this was easier for me because of the Korean words and phrases that are written into this story. Besides this, the writing was very accessible and the characters have been written well. The plot was there to support their growth and that’s how contemporary novels should be in my opinion. Are you afraid that you are not able to read this book because you haven’t read XOXO? No need, because events from that book are briefly mentioned and therefore this novel stands on its own.