The Name Drop

Susan Lee — 2023

New from the author of Seoulmates comes a story of mistaken identities, the summer of a lifetime, and a love to risk everything for. When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer. When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself. It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the mistake: they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations. As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line? Praise for Seoulmates "The perfect childhood friends-to-lovers story—full stop." —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners and The Soulmate Equation "Adorable, heartfelt, and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!" —Gloria Chao, author of American Panda and Rent a Boyfriend "A deliciously swoony romance." —Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Heart Principle

Reviews

Katherine Hampton@flaneurlife49

Cute and easy to read!

Thank you NetGalley, publisher Inkyard Press, and author Susan Lee for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.25 ⭐️

Plot:

The plot revolves around the two main characters Elijah and Jessica. Elijah coming from a posh family and Jessica coming from a middle class family. Elijah’s dad ships him off to New York to begin grooming to take over the company. Jessica is in need of connections for college. She applies for a summer internship at Haneul Corporation.

Elijah and Jessica are on the same flight from LA to New York. That is when the first mishap occurred. Jessica flying first class and Elijah flying coach. Why this occurred in the first place? They have the same Korean name. Once they realize that both have something the other wants they come up with Operation Name Drop.

A great Y.A. Romance Book with lessons to be learned. It’s a cute plot. Not extremely deep but entertaining to read.

Writing:

The writing is good but it took me a while to connect emotional to the main characters. I love that the author wrote about how misogynistic work places can be.

Chapter 17,

“Or holding male-run companies accountable for misogyny in the workplace could also help.”

There was one aspect that rubbed me the wrong way and I’m sure it was not intentional. In chapter 13 Location 1697 and 1709 Chanel was mentioned. I really wish the author would have picked any other designer but Chanel. Coco Chanel was a terrible person who sided with the Nazi regime. Coco Chanel did a wonderful PR job after the war, to where no one knew she was involved with the Nazis. It wasn’t until documents were declassified that the truth came out. Coco Chanel was also homophobic. If the book hasn’t already begun to be printed please make a change. Don’t alienate the young readers in such a careless manner, do your due diligence.

Characters:

The author did a fantastic job with this group of characters. Not only are Elijah and Jessica round characters but so is Jessica’s dad, Elijah’s mom and sister. I can’t choose who is the most valuable character Jason or Hee-Jin. Love them both!

Favorite lines:

“I’m Lee Hee-Jin, Chief Operating Officer at Haneul Corporation. And I’m also this turkey’s noona.”

2. “Jesus Christ. I am a privileged asshole.”

3. “I’ll tell him what I’ve learned from my Zillow search later.”

Would I recommend? Yes.

This book appears on the shelf Books

Shirley Jones @shirls