Since Hara Wilson and Choi Yujun didn't quite get their happily-ever-after in Heart & Seoul, author Jen Frederick--a transracial Korean adoptee--returns with its addictive sequel, Seoulmates. In the first book, Korea-born, Iowa-raised adoptee Hara's loss of her estranged father prompted a two-week trip to Seoul searching for biological connection. As Seoulmates opens, Hara is installed in her birthmother Choi Wansu's lavish home, employed by Wansu's international conglomerate IF Group and still madly in love with Wansu's stepson, Yujun.
Hara's new life screams tabloid-ready: haters insist Wansu discarded her own fatherless baby to mother Yujun, the child of a rich widower she married for money and power, while Wansu's role as IF's CEO makes it easy for them to dismiss Hara as a mere nakhasan (nepotistic hire). And then there's that wee matter of stepsibling entanglement, which is not only taboo, but such a marriage is illegal in Korea. Beyond family dysfunction, Hara is also dealing with limited linguistic facility, stumbling through cultural hurdles, frustrated in an unsatisfying job and disregarded by snide co-workers. But then again, having two mothers isn't so bad, devoted Yujun remains stalwart, new friends prove true. Hara just needs to recognize which links will lead to the longed-for connections that brought her back to her birth country.
While Seoulmates easily stands alone, continuing audiences will certainly be rewarded with deeper, multi-layered appreciation. Some readers might catch various discrepancies or notice occasional repetitions that could have been edited, but Frederick's accessible writing and savvy narrative twists encourage committed engagement. She nimbly targets anachronistic traditions, social clashes, homophobia--issues challenging cultures anywhere--to enhance a familiar genre. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon