Friday, June 12, 2015

Blog Tour: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout- Review & Giveaway

From Goodreads:
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.




When Grace decides to go to a boarding school in Korea, she didn't really think it through.  In the begininning of the book, she's on her way there and realizing that this is really happening.  She doesn't know much about the culture, the only reason she picked it was because it was the first foreign school that came up on her Google search.  While that sounds super scary and could make kind of a good premise, I wished that Grace had fallen in love with the country before going there.  I have a lot of friends who love Korean culture... one so much she's moved there indefinitely.  And I think the people there deserved more than Grace gave them on that respect.

There is the romance of course, which I found cute and also frustrating at times.  I'm not the biggest fan of the whole "we hate each other, and then we like each other".  It wasn't quite that of an extreme relationship, but they had a lot of back and forth that I found kinda boring.

The roommate Sophie was a riot.  I wished she was my roommate.  Also who wouldn't want their roommate to have a hot brother?  That's just a win-win.  Grace on the other hand came off a little harsh.  She was a rich girl, from country music royalty, and you could tell.  There were times when I cringed at some of the things she thought...  and definitely some of the things she said.  I still wanted good things for her though.  I wanted her to learn and grow and not let the stuff from her past weigh on her so much.

I thought it was swoony.  I thought the romance was readable and tried hard.  I didn't hate it, but I wasn't in love.  Very middle on this one.  But I think it's worth a try!

OVERALL:  Romance lovers should definitely try this one.

My Rating 2.5/4










Add it to your To-Read List!!!


Date Published: 6/19/2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
How I got this book: Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy to read and honestly review.

Buy Links:


Giveaway



  • (1) copy of Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout
  • U.S. and Canada Only


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks to St. Martin's Press for having me on this blog tour and allowing me to host this giveaway!



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8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. actually have had this high on my to read list for a while. I think it sounds adorable but have read multiple times Grace is a bit harsh and cringy with things she thinks. I love good supporting characters and Sophie sounds fun - I'm glad you enjoyed it - Oh and I would want to go to boarding school in Australia. I have been there once and it was the best! Great review!

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  3. I've been curious about this one! I love me some K-pop and this premise sounds super cute. Great review and thanks for hosting the giveaway! :)

    Also, there have been two times when I almost had the opportunity to study in England, which would've been amazing! Both times unfortunately fell through, but that would've been my top choice for sure. :)

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  4. I would love to study in England! :)

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  5. Anywhere really! But I who pick either Mexico, Korea or Japan!
    Mary Loki

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  6. I think maybe Scotland or anywhere in the UK, really. That's a tough question though!

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  7. I've heard many mixed things about this one - and Grace would drive me BONKERS.

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  8. I would definitely go to England! Thanks for the chance :)

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