Sugar Love by Victoria H Smith
- Brandan Wilburn-Herbert
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
I know almost nothing about Kpop but this book gave me a crash course.
*
We find Jae (aka Sugar) meeting Harley at her record shop and there is an immediate attraction. The only problem? Jae is a member of an internationally known Korean pop group and is only in America briefly while working on his solo album. Oh, and he's not supposed to date anyone. These conditions, along with a lot of other side stories, make for an engaging story. I also appreciate that the characters are people of color (Jae being Korean and Harley is black).
*
This is the 3rd book that I've read by this author and the 3rd that I've truly enjoyed!
*
2026 reread: 3.5 out of 5 stars (slightly revised review)
*
I don’t know what made me think of this book, but it had my searching deep in my archives to find it! I read this book 10 years ago! I can’t even begin to think what 2016 Brandan was thinking but I enjoyed this reread.
*
I know almost nothing about Kpop but this book gave me a crash course. We find Jae (aka Sugar) meeting Harley at her record store and there is an immediate attraction. The only problem? Jae is a member of an internationally known Korean pop group and is only in America briefly while working on his solo album. Oh, and he’s not supposed to date anyone.
*
These conditions, along with a lot of other side stories, make for an engaging story. I also appreciate that the characters are people of color (Jae being Korean and Harley is black).
•
There’s drama, misunderstanding, cultural differences all rolled into one story. On this reread, I know that this book is too “young” for 2026 me. While I appreciated that the author gave them opportunities to talk things out, there was also a lot of “oh, they’re just young” mixed in there, too.
•
It was a cute book then and it remains a cute one now, just slightly less so.
*
2016 review: 4 out of 5 stars
2026 review: 3.5 out of 5 stars/ Recommend
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