I had the pleasure of receiving and being accepted for an eARC of this book through NetGalley and Inkyard Press. The reason for my request was the modern retelling of The Prince and the Pauper story, coupled with the author's prior work, which I was already familiar with, having read Seoulmates.
Jessica is a top student who will be attending junior college to save money, and heads to New York for a summer intern position with a Korean tech company called Haneul Corporation. Elijah is the privileged son of Haneul’s Seoul-based CEO and will spend his summer at the same company as an executive trainee. But because Jessica and Elijah share the same Korean name (Yoo-Jin Lee), they are accidentally assigned each other’s seats on the Los Angeles to New York City flight. When they land, the confusion continues as they’re brought to the other one’s work and housing accommodations. They decide to keep their confusion a secret and try to avoid falling in love with each other.
What made this retelling unique was that the main characters were of different genders, a departure from most adaptations of The Prince and the Pauper. This kept me engaged and interested in the story. I also appreciated the well-rounded supporting characters, such as Elijah's sister and the other interns he shared his housing with.
I cannot think of any shortcomings in this book. However, I do believe that the story would not have been as impactful if Jessica had been the CEO's daughter instead of Elijah.
If you are a fan of The Prince and the Pauper, enjoy reading contemporary romance stories, or have an interest in New York City or the author's prior work in Seoulmates, then this book is worth checking out!
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