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jtpgdavey's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking
brittanylee0302's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the Stand In by Lily Chu which inspired me to listen to this book. I loved the little nods to the Stand In that were present in this book. However, I feel like this book was too long which made it kind of repetitive. Within the last 10 chapters I found myself really losing interest. I loved Hannah & thought Phoebe was an awesome character to help show Ari's character growth. Overall I liked the book but felt it was just too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Racism
Minor: Stalking and Alcohol
apoppyinthewind's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the romance between Ari & Jihoon, and how it started slowly but grew quickly due to their sudden roommate situation. They're both loveable, sweet though flawed characters and their story is more than how they come together but how they also grow as people. This is my second Lily Chu book and, so far, I love how she writes grounded characters in outlandish set-ups.
As in The Stand-In, The Comeback also has a subplot centred around family dynamics and in this book Ari has to deal with her strained relationship with her older sister and managing the expectations of her workaholic father. I mostly enjoyed this subplot as well though I was hoping for a more cathartic confrontation between Ari and her older sister Phoebe.
To be blunt: Phoebe came off as a hypocrite when she was calling out Ari's issues. I get that the focus is on Ari's growth and Phoebe's presence & tough love are supposed to push that but all I could think was "Who is Phoebe to get on Ari's case? Also, Ari's not wrong in reading Phoebe's comments as judgment because they read like passive-aggressive judgment and are condescending".
Hana also has a similar role, being the friend to push Ari out of her comfort zone and voice certain truths Ari doesn't want to hear. I think Hana does it better because she's more respectful of Ari's boundaries and less dismissive compared to Phoebe. So I feel like this role could have just been filled by Hana rather than dividing it between Hana & Phoebe.
Even with that minor issue, it was still an enjoyable read and an interesting look at the world of K-pop. I've already added Chu's next book to my TBR and can't wait to read more of her work.
As in The Stand-In, The Comeback also has a subplot centred around family dynamics and in this book Ari has to deal with her strained relationship with her older sister and managing the expectations of her workaholic father. I mostly enjoyed this subplot as well though I was hoping for a more cathartic confrontation between Ari and her older sister Phoebe.
Hana also has a similar role, being the friend to push Ari out of her comfort zone and voice certain truths Ari doesn't want to hear. I think Hana does it better because she's more respectful of Ari's boundaries and less dismissive compared to Phoebe. So I feel like this role could have just been filled by Hana rather than dividing it between Hana & Phoebe.
Even with that minor issue, it was still an enjoyable read and an interesting look at the world of K-pop. I've already added Chu's next book to my TBR and can't wait to read more of her work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, and Stalking
Minor: Medical content
wilybooklover's review
emotional
slow-paced
2.0
I think the thing that annoyed me the most about this book was that it had the potential to be so good, and it was a huge letdown. The bones were there, but the execution was lacking. The first third was mostly great and it slowly went downhill from there.
First of all, the book was way too long and slow-paced. There were whole long sections in there focusing on the heroine's days at work and her repetitive musings about work that could have been significantly cut down without losing anything. We never even get to see her meet two of the hero's bandmates, which I think would have made a much better use of the page-time. I'll come back to this part later, but the last quarter of the book was full of unnecessary melodrama that also went on for way too long. It felt like it needed a really good edit.
It pains me to say this, because I usually love 'unlikeable' heroines, but being in Ari's head was an exercise in frustration. If she were just somewhat less judgmental, pessimistic, and wilfully ignorant, I would've liked this book a lot more. I think part of the reason the book felt so long is how negative and closed-off she was about almost everything. And every time she had an epiphany about something, she'd seemingly forget all about it by the next chapter.
Now, back to what I said about the last quarter of the book. The thing that mainly kept me reading this book was how much I loved the hero, Jihoon, but his refusal to really listen to and understand Ari's qualms about his fame began to get on my nerves at this point.This is then compounded by the third-act conflict, where his decision not to go against his company to defend her reputation (after a picture of them goes viral and the company decide to malign her) really did not make sense with his previous characterisation and soured me on him. Ari also did not make sense at this point, with her insistence on wanting to take their relationship public when she had previously been serious about her privacy and knew that Jihoon wasn't allowed to be seen publicly dating. It all felt so unnecessary and overdramatic. I would have much rather seen them work through the conflict together, but instead they break up (AGAIN) and spend longer apart than they actually spent together throughout the whole book. They only reconcile in the very last chapter and the epilogue doesn't even have them on page together!
First of all, the book was way too long and slow-paced. There were whole long sections in there focusing on the heroine's days at work and her repetitive musings about work that could have been significantly cut down without losing anything. We never even get to see her meet two of the hero's bandmates, which I think would have made a much better use of the page-time. I'll come back to this part later, but the last quarter of the book was full of unnecessary melodrama that also went on for way too long. It felt like it needed a really good edit.
It pains me to say this, because I usually love 'unlikeable' heroines, but being in Ari's head was an exercise in frustration. If she were just somewhat less judgmental, pessimistic, and wilfully ignorant, I would've liked this book a lot more. I think part of the reason the book felt so long is how negative and closed-off she was about almost everything. And every time she had an epiphany about something, she'd seemingly forget all about it by the next chapter.
Now, back to what I said about the last quarter of the book. The thing that mainly kept me reading this book was how much I loved the hero, Jihoon, but his refusal to really listen to and understand Ari's qualms about his fame began to get on my nerves at this point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content
daniellekat's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This had so much potential. 😩 I really enjoyed Lily Chu's first book The Stand In, and thought this would be an instant winner but the plot was underdeveloped, the writing rushed, and overall the book was too long and poorly paced. I appreciated how Chu wove in topics of internalized racism, workplace microaggressions, and navigating open communication. Chu's ability to insert larger societal issues into what's otherwise a light romp is fantastic, but here these points were swallowed by the endless back and forth of the plot. The characters were relatively one note and their big "epiphanies" were hardly surprising. Ultimately this was just disappointing, but I will say that Chu writes about Toronto stunningly (There really is a book vending machine in The Monkey's Paw bookstore).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Minor: Stalking and Alcohol
phua_jieying's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Medical content, and Stalking
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content
mcire's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cute and fun but it dragged at some points
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Sexual content and Stalking
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. Lily Chu has written yet another amazing book.
I loved watching Ariadne grow as a character and how that growth effects the relationships around her. It doesn't shy aware from the good and bad of discovering your wants and needs for life.
I also enjoyed Jihoon's journey as well, though it was not the forefront of the book.
I love the two of them together and how well their personalities meshed.
I highly recommend reading this RomCom for every funny and serious moment will give you.
I loved watching Ariadne grow as a character and how that growth effects the relationships around her. It doesn't shy aware from the good and bad of discovering your wants and needs for life.
I also enjoyed Jihoon's journey as well, though it was not the forefront of the book.
I love the two of them together and how well their personalities meshed.
I highly recommend reading this RomCom for every funny and serious moment will give you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Stalking