Author: Katie M. Stout
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 9th 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
A teen escapes to a boarding school abroad and falls for a Korean pop star in this fun and fresh romantic novel in the vein of Anna and the French Kiss.
Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.
She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.
Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.
Let’s talk about how adorable Hello, I Love You is. Quick, fun and easy to read, Hello, I Love You is the story of Grace Wilde. She has everything one can ever dream of… even ends up in an one-of-a-million kind of love. She is the daughter of a wealthy producer but wants to be far away from her family. Something terrible happened to her and all she wants to do is escape life and her fame. When Grace decided to search for an international boarding school, the first result she encounters is a school in Korea. She transfers with no hesitation and begins a new life.
What I enjoyed most about this book is the love/hate relationship between Grace and Jason. It wasn’t your typical first-look insta kind of love. No, their relationship was well paced - from let’s not beat each other to let’s be friends to okay, I like you - no, I love you. Not only are they cute together but they are great as a team. They complement each other well. They even respect each other professionally. Truly enjoyed their chemistry.
I also adored Grace’s roommate, Sophie. She is such a wonderful friend! She’s way too sweet and fun to be around. I want her to be my BFF.
Hello, I Love You is an enjoyable read. It was fun, easy to read and is an one-seat read. There are times I did not like Grace’s attitude but for the most part I did enjoy this book. I recommend this story to all Jennifer E. Smith fans.
Excerpt
We finish our study session around eight and head out of the library together. He unlocks a bike from the rack as I make to head back to the dorms.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say. “Wait, are you walking back?”
“Well, I’m not sleeping at the library tonight.” He doesn’t take the bait. “I’ll give you a ride.”
I imagine what it would feel like to sit behind him on the bike, my arms wrapped around his waist. That now-familiar heat radiates through my body again. How is it that Jason has turned me into the blushing type of girl?
“Don’t worry about me.” I wave my hand in dismissal. “I’ll be fine.”
He straddles the bike’s frame. “I don’t mind. Get on.”
I hesitate a moment, but when I see that he isn’t budging, I step up to the bike. “Uhh . . . how am I supposed to ride this thing?”
He pats the metal rack on the back of the bike, made for hauling inanimate objects.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m not going to kill you. Just trust me.”
Trust. Such a small word. Which implies so much. I lost my trust in boys when Isaac cheated on me, then lied to my face about it.
Jason’s gaze softens just a hair. “Come on, you’ll be fine.” Biting my lip, I straddle the bike, stomping down any fear
that threatens to grow in my chest.
Jason turns around to look at me. “Sit sideways, like riding a horse sidesaddle. More comfortable.”
I follow his instructions, not sure how I’m going to balance myself. When I rode with Sophie, I was more afraid of falling and cracking my head open on the pavement, but with Jason, my fear lies more in my body’s response to being so close to him.
Blowing out a slow breath to ease my nerves, I settle onto the metal rack behind his seat and pull up my feet. I knot trembling fingers in the fabric of his T-shirt, which hangs away from his body. But when he pushes the bike into motion, on instinct, I grab onto something more substantial. My eyes snap closed, and it takes me a good thirty seconds to realize my fingers are digging into his sides.
Though the wind that blows against us chills my skin, I’m so hot I feel I might spontaneously combust. Every time I attempt to let go of him, the bike teeters to the side.
“Hold on tighter,” he says over his shoulder.
I spend the entire ride in my own personal Hades, torn be- tween fear of falling and fear of Jason.
When he pulls up to my dorm, I jump off the bike so fast I stumble. He grabs my arm to steady me, and it takes an excruciating amount of effort not to rip myself away from his grasp. Memories of us dancing, of him leaning against me in the limo, flash through my brain, and a fresh stab of longing cuts through my chest. Seeing him sitting there, it seems like Saturday night wasn’t even real.
“Grace?”
My heart sprints. “Yeah?”
He picks at one of the bike’s handlebars in one of those rare instances of discomfort. “Do you want to go with us to the music video shoot next Friday?”
“What?”
“I’m sure Sophie would have asked you, anyway,” he adds. “But I just thought you should go. So we can work on the song some more.”
“The song. Right. Umm . . . sure.” I wait for the fog to clear from inside my head, but it lingers. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in class. For the test.”
“If my legs can get me home. You were heavy to carry here.” I gape at him until I realize that was his idea of a joke. Jason
just told a joke.
He gives an awkward wave. “Good night, Grace.”
“Wait a second.”
He pauses with his foot ready to peddle. “What?” “Does this mean we’re . . . friends now?” “Friends?”
“Yeah. You tutoring me, and me helping with the song. Going to the shoot next week. Are we friends?”
Why does my breath hitch at the thought?
The scowl I’ve come to associate with him reappears on his face, and arrogance drips from his voice when he says, “I’ll think about it.”
But even in the dark, I can see his scowl has transformed into a smile.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say. “Wait, are you walking back?”
“Well, I’m not sleeping at the library tonight.” He doesn’t take the bait. “I’ll give you a ride.”
I imagine what it would feel like to sit behind him on the bike, my arms wrapped around his waist. That now-familiar heat radiates through my body again. How is it that Jason has turned me into the blushing type of girl?
“Don’t worry about me.” I wave my hand in dismissal. “I’ll be fine.”
He straddles the bike’s frame. “I don’t mind. Get on.”
I hesitate a moment, but when I see that he isn’t budging, I step up to the bike. “Uhh . . . how am I supposed to ride this thing?”
He pats the metal rack on the back of the bike, made for hauling inanimate objects.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m not going to kill you. Just trust me.”
Trust. Such a small word. Which implies so much. I lost my trust in boys when Isaac cheated on me, then lied to my face about it.
Jason’s gaze softens just a hair. “Come on, you’ll be fine.” Biting my lip, I straddle the bike, stomping down any fear
that threatens to grow in my chest.
Jason turns around to look at me. “Sit sideways, like riding a horse sidesaddle. More comfortable.”
I follow his instructions, not sure how I’m going to balance myself. When I rode with Sophie, I was more afraid of falling and cracking my head open on the pavement, but with Jason, my fear lies more in my body’s response to being so close to him.
Blowing out a slow breath to ease my nerves, I settle onto the metal rack behind his seat and pull up my feet. I knot trembling fingers in the fabric of his T-shirt, which hangs away from his body. But when he pushes the bike into motion, on instinct, I grab onto something more substantial. My eyes snap closed, and it takes me a good thirty seconds to realize my fingers are digging into his sides.
Though the wind that blows against us chills my skin, I’m so hot I feel I might spontaneously combust. Every time I attempt to let go of him, the bike teeters to the side.
“Hold on tighter,” he says over his shoulder.
I spend the entire ride in my own personal Hades, torn be- tween fear of falling and fear of Jason.
When he pulls up to my dorm, I jump off the bike so fast I stumble. He grabs my arm to steady me, and it takes an excruciating amount of effort not to rip myself away from his grasp. Memories of us dancing, of him leaning against me in the limo, flash through my brain, and a fresh stab of longing cuts through my chest. Seeing him sitting there, it seems like Saturday night wasn’t even real.
“Grace?”
My heart sprints. “Yeah?”
He picks at one of the bike’s handlebars in one of those rare instances of discomfort. “Do you want to go with us to the music video shoot next Friday?”
“What?”
“I’m sure Sophie would have asked you, anyway,” he adds. “But I just thought you should go. So we can work on the song some more.”
“The song. Right. Umm . . . sure.” I wait for the fog to clear from inside my head, but it lingers. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in class. For the test.”
“If my legs can get me home. You were heavy to carry here.” I gape at him until I realize that was his idea of a joke. Jason
just told a joke.
He gives an awkward wave. “Good night, Grace.”
“Wait a second.”
He pauses with his foot ready to peddle. “What?” “Does this mean we’re . . . friends now?” “Friends?”
“Yeah. You tutoring me, and me helping with the song. Going to the shoot next week. Are we friends?”
Why does my breath hitch at the thought?
The scowl I’ve come to associate with him reappears on his face, and arrogance drips from his voice when he says, “I’ll think about it.”
But even in the dark, I can see his scowl has transformed into a smile.
One winner will get signed copies of Hello, I Love You
(Open to US and Canada residents only)
Posts
I heard so many awesome things about this one! I'm happy you liked it! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
Sounds very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review! I really need a fluffy book which doesnt' include insta-love and this one is also pretty interesting because of the k-pop stuff and Korea! I've already added it to my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteCarolina M on rafflecopter
Thank you very much for the chance. More power to this blog! Awesome giveaways, updates, reviews and recommendations!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for this one! I've heard mixed things about the romance, so I'm glad you enjoyed their love/hate relationship. Great review!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is hooked on K Pop and she got me hooked on it. This seems like awesome book! Thanks for the chance to win this awesome giveaway!
ReplyDelete