Warm, Cozy, Friends to Lovers with a Bookish Backdrop

This show. This show. *This show*. How do I even begin to describe it?

Is it the best kdrama ever? Probably not. Does it feel like it to me and is it my favorite out of everything I've ever watched? Yes.

I wish I could properly describe how incredibly wonderful this show is. It's probably not for everyone. If you're looking for something super dramatic and crazy and intense, this isn't it. Come back to it later when the chaos around you is too much and you need something soft and quiet and cozy to wind down to. This is it.

Romance is a Bonus Book is warm. It's quiet in that it sort of sneaks up on you. You're enjoying it but you don't realize *how much* until you're in too deep. It's literally the equivalent of a steaming cup of tea (or hot chocolate, whatever your poison is) by the fireplace. It's *beautifully* written, the romance is soft and quiet just like the rest of the aesthetic of the show, but it's *so welcome*. I didn't realize how tired of problematic leads I was until this show. The ML is literally *the* most unproblematic, wholesome, beautiful, wonderful ML I've ever come across. There were scenes where I literally could not stop grinning because of him (and the FL). I also really loved the FL. She's incredibly strong and there's this quiet strength to her that really drew me in from the very moment she was on screen.

There isn't a *single character* I dislike (except for random people that show up once or twice but barring them). Scratch that, there isn't a single character I don't like and/or love. Every character is unique and brings something really special to the storyline. This isn't a plot-driven drama, it's a character-driven one, so this is incredibly important. Each character is like this thread in a larger, gorgeous tapestry. One after the other, their lives weave together and create this beautiful thing that is this show. The cast is great, the acting is wonderful, and I just love everyone! (I've always heard great things about Lee Jong-Suk and this show *truly* showed me why. Guess who's watching While You Were Sleeping Next?)

This show is about strength, about resilience, about friendship, and love. It's very beautiful to see the different kinds of love that people can have for a person, and how that love can develop/change over time. It's just ... ugh I love it so much. If you're looking for a friendship to lovers, this is it. This is wholesome and beautiful and makes me happy. The side couple is also *incredibly cute* and I love them to pieces. So much. As individuals and together, and that is so rare!

All of this, added to the absolutely *gorgeous* backdrop/theme of a book publishing company and it's the best thing I've ever seen. The publishing house is so clean and brightly lit, you love every scene spent there. Not only are you surrounded by books, but by people who love and cherish them too. The literature references, the way people talk about books, the different references to quotes/deeper things was just the bow that wrapped the present that is this show all together. It brings everything together so so beautifully. As a lover of literature, just the book storylines/backdrops alone were enough to make me like this show. Pair it all with the flawed but incredibly wonderful characters and it's now my favorite show ever.

It's not without its faults, don't get me wrong but the good far *far* outweighs the little things I'm not the biggest fan of. A certain storyline could have been handled better (or just omitted altogether), and I admit I sometimes want those fireworks/epic love kind of romances, but that's just not this show's style. It's just so soft and warm and cozy, so welcoming and quietly deep, when it ended, I lowkey teared up but they weren't sad or happy tears they were just ... wow this is done. I have to leave this show now.

I definitely plan on rewatching because just thinking about it makes me want to smile like an idiot.

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Lacks Heart

I was tricked! The storyline sounded like it was /right/ up my alley. It was cute, promised me fake dating, AND friends to lovers? I was so ready! The top reviews were also very promising despite the actual rating being a bit low (+ I actually liked the main cast!). But really, this just wasn't it.

While this show had a really cute, albeit cheesy, storyline, it just had no heart. I found myself fast forwarding through SO MUCH. Emotions were lacking, chemistry was nonexistent, and everyone either seemed like they were over or underacting. Some had zero emotions, some had a bit ... too much for what the situation called for. The tropes and cliches were a bit too much (like y'all, there were some WILD storylines just casually thrown in and barely addressed or properly dealt with) and there was absolutely ZERO nuance. I sometimes like cheesiness, sometimes that's /exactly/ what I'm looking for (I enjoyed True Beauty, okay?) but this was like the sad nacho cheese from a vending machine or something (do they exist? If they don't just imagine it does and it's the equivalent of what college campus coffee vending machines are to actual coffee). Poor decisions were made all around. I'm not sure what I was expecting but, I repeat, this wasn't it.

Thankfully it was short so it was easily binged and crossed off but I would not recommend and wish I had passed on this one.

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Love All Play Does NOT Play Around (Except With Your Heart)

I was first going to point you in the direction of the synopsis and go on about my feelings instead but the synopsis on here is pretty terrible and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up had it not been for the ML. Which, hey, what a great place to start. The ML in this show is the greenest green flag to ever flag. Or green. Or exist, whatever. You get the idea. He sits at the table with some of my favorite green flag MLs and I don’t give that title lightly. He is literal sunshine and made me smile like an idiot on several occasions. I can’t stress this enough. I just need you to know this before I go on about the synopsis and then my feelings. Okay, cool. Moving on (for now).

Love All Play is about a badminton team. It’s about the different plays on the team and their individual struggles individually and as members of a team, together. Obviously, our focus is on our FL and ML but we get insight into other members of the team occasionally and they are just as special in my heart honestly. Our FL is returning to badminton after leaving the Olympic team in disgrace. There’s a lot of question marks about what happened and why, but the main story is bribery and then she literally disappears off everyone’s radar. Our ML is kind of apathetic about badminton, despite being a great athlete and this being his livelihood. It seems more like a job than a passion, and his heart isn’t really into it. There’s a lot more to it than that, but I can’t really say without spoiling. Both the FL and ML get picked up by a commercial team and the rest is just … kind of magic to watch. She’s scared, holding back (both herself and just so so much else), very much hated by her ex-teammates and others in the profession, and is having a really hard time but she also loves the sport so much she can’t bear to be away anymore. The ML is really great and talented but there’s no spark in what he does and he almost doesn’t seem to care… about anything. Now pair them up together and they really bring out the best in each other. Both leads are really warm and loving in different ways and it was truly a joy to watch their romance unfold.

I will say, the romance isn’t as prominent as other romance kdramas because there is so much focus on other aspects of the show, character growth, and just plot. However, what we do get is so so beautiful. I also need you to know that there are a lot of heavy topics and issues that are addressed and dealt with in the show. It’s not all fun and games, despite it being centered around one. Sometimes it was a lot, especially with how much the FL had to deal with.

Despite all of that (or maybe because of it), I highly recommend this show. It’s criminally underrated. It is about growth, about facing your fears, about loving something (or finding something to love) so much that you can’t not do it, about not just sitting down and doing nothing or letting fear win, but also about knowing when and where to stop. It made me cry and smile like an idiot. It was so well written and had so many different lovable characters that I adored. The cast was phenomenal and I loved them all. One person in particular (outside of our two leads) really really grew to be a favorite despite me hating him initially, and that’s what I love about this show. It’s about pain and dealing with it and growing and doing better. It’s about A LOT OF THINGS aND I LOVED IT OKAY.

Also the ML really really made my heart hurt in the best way. He was so loving and adorable and warm and just … I need you all to watch and experience this love too.

That is all, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

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