Golden Arrow Reviews

Review #23: Eleven - Eleven

Reviewer: _RoseThorn_

Story: “eleven-eleven. han jisung” by softkyuu
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✿ Cover ✿

I find that this background image is a lot more relevant to the story than the previous one which was the car. The words on the shirt make it pretty obvious that the story will have to do with romance and I like that you kept your aesthetic the same for your other books. I know I’ve brought it up before, but once again, the main issue I see with your cover is the fact that the title is way too small. The words on the person’s shirt are larger than your title and that could pose as a problem because it makes it look like the title of the book is supposed to be ”Kiss Me Quick” since that's what is emphasized.

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✿ Summary ✿

Based on the summary, the story will be based on a romance that stemmed from a friendship. It would most likely give readers the impression that the book will revolve around a cute and happy romance, which is pretty accurate overall. Although it lacks detail, your summary gets the main idea of the story across pretty well so I don’t see any problems with it, nor do I believe that it needs to be changed in any way.

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✿ Grammar, Spelling and Vocabulary ✿

If this story was intended to be like a regular book, there would be tons of grammatical issues. However, since it’s supposed to replicate two people texting/Snapchatting each other, the grammatical errors fit perfectly. Obviously, no one texts with perfect spelling and grammar so showing that was a great way to keep the story realistic and relatable. Added to this, it was very easy to understand everything so I found that the inconsistent grammar was a great touch and should be left as it is to keep the story genuine.

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✿ Characters ✿

I absolutely loved how you showed Han Jisung thinking about confessing his love for Kim Areum before deciding against it and instead, choosing to send her a casual message. It shows how Jisung is afraid of her response and how he might ruin their friendship by revealing his true feelings. The way he texts shows that he's easygoing and has a great ability to play things off casually, such as the fact that he is attracted to Areum. As for Areum, the way she texts shows that she is a fun-loving and quirky person. She also often stated that she loved Jisung but it was very clear that she was trying to be playful and friendly.
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✿ Plot ✿

I was pleasantly surprised to see that you settled for a happy and wholesome ending this time. I liked that you added a little plot twist by making Areum confess her love for Jisung because it seemed as if she only considered him to be a good friend throughout the story. Also, the last line was an awesome title reference and I thought it was a clever addition and a great way to end off the story. Another thing I liked was the photos you included because they made the book feel like it was a real Snapchat conversation. I found the plot to be fairly simple and I was glad to see that everything worked out for Jisung and Areum. The way they expressed themselves explained a lot about their personalities in a unique way. It’s rare to find books based on text message conversations that are actually enjoyable to read. Often, they tend to be unrealistic or have so many errors that it becomes frustrating to read, but yours did not have any of those issues. I’d say this story would be a great one to check out if someone was looking to read a short and cute romantic tale.
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