Alright, it's official! Lily Chu is my new auto-buy author! Especially if she has Phillipa Soo narrating her books! Both are Batman and Robin to my heart. The Donny and Marie of voice writing. The cheese that holds the macaroni together! The point is that I need both of them united for projects at all times. We are two for two, with Chu's sophomore debut, The Comeback. I couldn't get enough of The Stand-In and its performance so much that I couldn't wait for this book to drop. Lily Chu, ma'am, you have a new fan!
"Ariadne Hui thrives on routine. So what if everything in her life is planned down to the minute: That’s the way she likes it. If she’s going to make partner in Toronto’s most prestigious law firm, she needs to stay focused at all times.
But when she comes home after yet another soul-sucking day to find an unfamiliar, gorgeous man camped out in her living room, focus is the last thing on her mind. Especially when her roommate explains this is Choi Jihoon, her cousin freshly arrived from Seoul to mend a broken heart. He just needs a few weeks to rest and heal; Ari will barely even know he’s there. (Yeah, right.)
Jihoon is kindness and chaos personified, and it isn’t long before she’s falling, hard. But when one wrong step leads to a world-shaking truth, Ari finds herself thrust onto the world stage: not as the competent, steely lawyer she’s fought so hard to become, but as the mystery woman on the arm of a man the entire world claims to know. Now with her heart, her future, and her sense of self on the line, Ari will have to cut through all the pretty lies to find the truth of her relationship...and discover the Ariadne Hui she’s finally ready to be."
It seems as if K-Pop has been all the rage these last couple of years. With supergroups like Blackpink and BTS dominating every stage, interview, and commercial appearance worldwide, this book came in at the right time. Set in Canada, we meet Ariadne Hui, the steadfast lawyer whose heart desires to become a partner at a well-established law firm to (have this crossed out) lowkey make her family proud. All that changes when she meets her roommate's mysterious cousin, JiHoon, who has big secrets of his own. The Comeback was a cute girl-meets-boy story with clumsy comedic relief and relatable path-choosing situations. The thing I like most about Chu's writing is that she has a patterned theme of characters being stuck in a repetitive motion and later breaking out of that shell to start living a happy and healthier life.
Soo dominated this narration! I had never heard so much personality in character before. She made Ariadne sound frustratingly relatable. If it wasn't Ariadne's headstrong personality that did it, it had to be the squabbling sibling pettiness with her sister or starring in a musical concert in the kitchen with a spoon as a microphone when she thought no one was looking. I connected with Ariadne (can you tell I love saying her name?) when she broke down her feelings towards her sister. Hey, we all have that moment when we look at our siblings and wonder why they were born in the first place. (Yes, I'm looking at YOU, little brother. You know which one you are). It was a raw moment for the both of them, where they finally laid out their truths and decided which path to take. It was touching. It makes me think maybe one day, my family and I can talk it out at some point. But I got to be able to stand them for more than 5 minutes ... baby steps. All and all, I say all that to say that only Soo will make me rethink my relationship with my family.
Anywho, the romance between Ariadne and Jihoon was closed door, but it felt appropriate. You honestly didn't need the graphic details for this one because the story wasn't tailored for it. Ari's cluelessness about who Jihoon really was, made up for the lack of steam. It made the situation adorably cute. And though Jihoon sounds like the perfect guy that all the girls want to date, he did have some qualities that'll make any sane girl raise an eyebrow. Ooo the drama!
Overall I rated this book 5-stars. All of Lily Chu's books are fun (even though she only has two out)! It was the quickest 12 hours of my life that I would spin again. Hopefully, like The Stand-In, we will get a physical copy out of this one because I need this on my shelves!
The Comeback is available for audio now.
Opmerkingen