The first read of 2025 just happens to be one to make readers smile....because we need more smiles. This romance doesn't release for almost two weeks but that makes it early enough to put onto those reading lists and give readers something to look forward to. If the book is worth it, that is.
Now, I'm not always the biggest romance fan as many of you know. It needs a little more than lovey-dovey moments to win me over. So, let us see if this book can pull that off or not.
BINGSU FOR TWO
by Sujin Witherspoon
Union Square
YA Romance Comedy
320 pages
COMING...
JANUARY 14th!!!
This outrageously charming and infuriatingly adorable enemies-to-lovers coffee shop romance is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Better Than the Movies.
Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.
Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.
After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.
But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . .
Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.
Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.
After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.
But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . .
MY TIDBITS
With original and refreshing directions, this read packs a fun romance with tons of quirks.
River has managed to ruin almost every part of his life within 24- hours and not on purpose. He broke up with his long-term girlfriend (who also happened to be his co-manager at his parents' newest cafe site), walked out of his SAT, and yelled at a customer until he had to quit his job. Suddenly realizing that he'd shoved his life, basically, into the trashcan, he manages to find a new place to work to start getting his feet back on the ground...ish. While his co-workers are awesome, he soon discovers his boss has it more than out for him because she's the customer he'd once destroyed. But he's determined to make it through even if it costs him what little dignity and future he has left.
This is a super, cute romance with a true enemies-to-lovers, which builds up deliciously from rock bottom to starry-eyed. And it is a battle the entire way, which makes it tension packed and very humorous with each turn of the page. While the writing flows smoothly enough, its the other aspects which make this one shine. Firstly, it's written from the guy's point of view, which was a nice change-up from many YA romances. Secondly, River is a mess. Don't expect a handsome, put-together, swoon-worthy guy because he's not it. Yet, he's loveable in his very own chaotic way and grows on one quickly. Lastly, there are the sub-characters, which add so much personality while harboring their own little bubbles of character depth. It throws in life from all directions to ensure heart and smiles.
While this is a romance, it leans heavily into the humor direction and keeps things upbeat. The writing includes all sorts of social media snippets and directions, which add spice to the read and change-up for those eyes. A huge, extra bout of humor waterfalls in as the employees of Bingsu for Two (the cafe River ends up working for and book's title) try to come up with more videos and such for their sudden, social media success. It's adorable. All along the female role adds bite and tension to round off for a heartwarming romance by the last page.
Romcom YA fans are going to want to take a peek at this read...if they're into a different type of couple and not always perfect characters.
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