If You Read These Books…Try These K-Dramas: Romance Edition Vol.3
Hello Everyone! As you know, I’m a big fan of Korean dramas and Romance novels. I’m back again to recommend more Romance novels that can be paired up with Korean Dramas and vice versa.
Each book or show centers around a romance or has romance included in the storyline. I hope you all enjoy these personal picks and come away with some new books and TV shows to watch!
To see the first roundup of recommendations, click here.
Like Nobody’s Watching fast-paced story that has a cute romance with a fake dating trope between a popular actor and businesswoman. Though the main characters are dealing with past broken relationships they work hard to heal the rift in their hearts. Their meet-cute style of dates was entertaining, and the book is lighthearted.
The Greatest Love depicts a sometimes comical, sometimes sad, sometimes sweet and sometimes maddening love square between a popular actor, a washed-up former pop idol, a successful former pop idol, and a doctor of traditional Asian medicine.
Why You Should Watch/Read: Star-Studded Romance, Opposites Attract, Chance Encounters
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse is a Rom-Com with a friends-to-lovers trope. The main characters are Kamilah and Liam, who are close friends but the older they got they grew apart and became frenemies. They are always bickering at and at each other’s throats. When their grandparents rope them in an engagement scheme will underlying feelings come to light or will everything fall apart?
In Ending Again, In Yeong got dumped unilaterally by her boyfriend who was for 8 years. Then, she decided not to get married. She starts to look for a relationship with someone after having a night together. She puts all her effort to get a job, and finally, an opportunity to work with an illustrator, who she liked, which turns out to be her ex who left her. In Yeong loses all of her home deposits borrowed from her parents by real estate fraud. When hears about the newlywed loan, she decided to do a contract marriage.
Why You Should Watch/Read: Fake Dating/Marriage Contract
Flirting With Fate follows the story of Ava and her sisters reeling after their grandmother’s death. Blessings have been passed down their family line for generations, except Ava is the only sibling to miss her chance at getting a gift. Soon she is visited by a ghostly version of her grandmother and Medardus (a saint) who is there to guide her on her journey. She tries to find the person who got her blessing before it’s too late. (Review)
In The Master’s Sun Joo Joong-won is the stingy and greedy CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate that includes a major department store and hotel. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong-shil who started seeing ghosts after an accident. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits, while delving into a kidnapping incident in Joong-won’s past.
Why You Should Watch/Read: Supernatural, Swoon-worthy Romance, Fantasy
In the novel of The Boyfriend Project, Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. Some parts of the story were a bit predictable, but most of all I enjoyed piecing together the mystery in the plot.
The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry follows the story of Broadcast journalist Shin Young is 34, and wants to find love, but it’s hard to stay positive when she’s faced with high workplace pressure and a string of failed relationships. Just when it seems like her chances may have passed, she meets a musician ten years her junior, and her former fiancé comes back to rekindle the flame. This is a drama is not only about romance but also focus on Shin and her friends navigating life and their careers.
Why You Should Watch/Read: Self-Discovery, Workplace Romance
Salt and Sugar is a wonderful YA novel set in Brazil which features two young aspiring chefs. Lari is a girl who doesn’t know how to cook but has the willingness to learn and carry on her family’s bakery. Pedro is a young chef who would love to take over his family’s bakery but they aren’t willing to try his new ideas. When then these two rivals end up entangled in their family feud and in the cooking club at school they try to put aside their differences and get along.
Playful Kiss is a romantic-comedy about the romance between Baek Seung-Jo, an arrogant young man with a genius IQ, and Oh Ha-Ni, a ditzy young woman who gets poor grades, but whose heart is as powerful as Seung-Jo’s mind. One day she decided to tell him she likes him but she was rejected, but she is determined to keep chasing after the boy she loves.
Why You Should Watch/Read: High School Romance, Opposites Attract
Have you watched any of these Korean Dramas or read any of these books? What pairings would you recommend? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
