seoulmates and other things: 5 korean love stories

Angel & Hannah by Ishle Yi Park

Summary: A novel-in-verse retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1990s NYC. Angel, a Puerto Rican teen from Brooklyn, and Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens, fall into a passionate, forbidden romance. Their relationship clashes with cultural and familial expectations as they navigate love, youth, and rebellion.

Themes: Interracial love, family, identity

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

Summary: A queer Korean man named Young navigates the chaos of Seoul: love affairs, heartbreak, clubbing, HIV diagnosis, and complicated family ties. Told in sharp, witty prose, the novel explores the personal and political facets of identity in modern South Korea.

Themes: Queer identity, found family, love, loss, cultural identity

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

Summary: Elena is shocked when her childhood best friend—now a K-pop superstar—returns to ask her to prom. Torn between public spectacle and private emotion, she must decide if she can open her heart again amid fame, media, and teenage dreams.

Themes: Childhood friends to lovers, fame, teenage identity, second chances

Seoulmates by Jen Frederick

Summary: A biracial Korean adoptee, Hara Wilson, heads to Seoul after a family scandal and unexpected rejection from her ex-boyfriend. There, she reconnects with a childhood family friend, Choi Yujun—a handsome, stoic soldier—sparking both a romance and a journey of self-discovery as she confronts identity, belonging, and Korean culture.

Themes: Cultural identity, biracial experience, family, romance

XOXO by Axie Oh

Summary: Cellist Jenny meets and falls for Jaewoo, a charming stranger in LA—only to find out he’s a K-pop idol when she transfers to a performing arts school in Seoul. Their romance is sweet but complicated by his fame, her ambitions, and the pressures of the K-pop industry.

Themes: Love, K-pop industry, cultural immersion, long-distance relationships