Just the Two of Us (Book 2) by Ryu Hyang

SYNOPSIS

Soohyuk, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, came to Korea in search of his birth parents, wanting to sort through the muddled darkness of his past. When he met Yuna, an anxious cook, he didn't expect to fall in love.

Yuna has struggled all her life to trust men after an incident in her past and spends all her time doting upon her nephew and pursuing her one true love: cooking. The last thing she expected when she met Soohyuk was that she would want to move in with him.

Both took a leap of faith and found happiness. Now, it seems certain they were meant for each other. Yet, navigating the twists and turns of a real relationship proves more difficult than either of them expected. Yuna fears what her brother will say when he finds out she's living with Soohyuk. and she grapples with the changes brought on by her young nephew's recent medical diagnosis. Meanwhile, Soohyuk is tied up working hours on end at S University Hospital, fending off the hospital director and his son, who can't seem to leave him alone.

As they build a new life together in Seoul, both of them help each other grow. Soohyuk encourages Yuna to open herself up to him in ways she never has before, and Yuna encourages Soohyuk to open his heart to the possibility of forgiving the family he once had and lost, who might be closer than he thinks.

REVIEW

Since we last saw Soohyuk and Yuna, it was just the first blossoms of their relationship and the foreshadowing of what might happen to them both in the future. In other words, the first book was simply a way to give us an insight of what type of world we find these characters in and a brief glimpse of what makes them who they are.

In some ways looking back, it felt as though there was a greater focus on Yuna in the first book and how she gained her own scars, but not necessarily a great deal about the battles Soohyuk has had to overcome before meeting her. I think this next book in particular opens up the conversation to Soohyuk's past and how this has ultimately shaped him to be a hard doctor who is constantly fighting for his patients - and it is rewarding to see how he has changed according to his experiences.

Compared to other book sequels that I have read in the past, there are only a handful and I mean only one hand, where I think that a book is able to surpass it's predecessor. This is one of the cases. One of the reasons is because of how it did not mess around in any capacity to show what all the reader's would be questioning about since the last instalment and I am very thankful that Hyang did not shy away with the plotting. But also, it seemed like the atmosphere of this book has a very different one which was full of joy and acceptance and I couldn't help but read it all to the very end in a short period of time.

I am very glad that I was able to read Yuna and Soohyuk's journey, it truly was an interesting one with sadness and fear, but with great happiness and delight. I think that this might be one I will read again at some point when I want to turn to something familiar. It seems like this time of year is the perfect way to end this story of these characters.

RATING: **** (FOUR STARS)

BUY LINKS

Amazon: Just the Two of Us, Book 2: Amazon.co.uk: Ryu Hyang, Cha, Stephanie: 9781952787102: Books

Comments

Just the Two of Us (Book 1) by Ryu Hyang

SYNOPSIS 'Soohyuk: a paediatric emergency medicine specialist. A man who never eats something someone else gives him. Soohyuk, the tyrant who rules S University Hospital's paediatric emergency room. He only cares about treating sick children, whether or not that gets in the way of advancing his career. He, a grouch to everyone aside from the patients, suddenly starts noticing a woman: the woman who feeds him. Yuna: a chef who makes boxed lunches. A woman who panics and collapses whenever she meets a man, due to trauma from her past. Wanting to do what she likes rather than going off to college, Yuna opens up her own business that specialises in boxed lunches. A Tasty Meal. She gets scared when one day she sees the tall Soohyuk standing outside her restaurant, but she soon learns he is only drawn to the delicious smell. And, somehow, she comes to be in charge of his everyday meals. When Soohyuk meets Yuna, a confident, surefooted woman who gets startled and scared when he co...

An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth: Life Lessons From Space by Chris Hadfield

I usually hate non-fiction so very much. I tend to find it utterly boring as well as depressing. But with this book it is completely different. It stands on it's own two feet by being irregular and unique in my eyes. It's inspirational. He's a role model to anyone who has met him, read him or seen him on YouTube singing 'Space Oddity'. Here is the YouTube that he recorded on the ISS of Space Oddity if you haven't already seen it. But seriously who hasn't? Anyway if you have seen it, why not see it again? It is really good. Anyway, the book itself, is a very good example with motivating people to aspire to what they really want to do. Rather than just simply dreaming of their dream, he is saying to put those words into actions and finally into reality. But not only that, if you don't exactly get to the place as to which you really want to strive to be, that's ok. It doesn't mean that you are a failure. No one is a true failure, unless you ...

Frankie and the Gift of Fantasy by Ruthy Ballard

I have always been captivated by the thought that there could be something beyond this world, yet connected by our very own. 'Frankie and the Gift of Fantasy' is set in the age range of being a children's book which is meant to help children think, evaluate and learn, not only about what is beyond our own world, but what happens on Earth today. Frankie can be considered somewhat of a dreamer like any normal kid with some amount of creativity should be. The only problem is that when he needs to be practical according to his parents, his mind is instead, is up in the clouds. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, not when he is transported through a crack in the wall to a place called 'Urth'. The writing can be seen as very colloquial, to the point that it feels as though not only are they omniscient of Frankie and the events that will take place, but it feels like they are reeling the events to only the reader. Almost like they are talking about the story in the s...

The Snow Song by Sally Gardner

Synopsis : 'Women imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt. Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all. Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.'

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

What can we truly know of the universe? Is the universe simply beyond our comprehension or are we just too ignorant to see what is actually in front of us? What if there is life beyond Earth? What if we can discover it for ourselves? What if, our curiosity gets the better of us all? This book seems to pose many questions to what knowledge we already possess yet, are we looking at life in the right way and how we come to use the environment of Earth around us. It takes us through the story of the human race and how we have expanded our skills and knowledge to become a race which is both rational and intelligent enough to discover the final frontier, space. But what comes after all of this? This is just as an important question as the one in which we ask of how we all got here in the first place. The great thing about this book is that I feel like if you read it before watching the film, you would probably have a better appreciation for Kubrick's vision. In fact, it could be believed...