Flip the Script

by Lyla Lee

The first rule of watching K-dramas: Never fall in love with the second lead.

As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. And she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her.

But when showrunners bring on a new girl to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest—and worse, it’s someone Hana knows all too well—can  Hana fight for her position on the show while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?

-K-drama lovers will fall for all the fan-favorite tropes that make for a hit show.
-Romance is everywhere in this swoony, joy-filled novel, with fake dating, a secret relationship, and a classic love triangle!
-Visit South Korea as Hana takes readers through popular spots and hidden gems.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, Fiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2022

About the author

Lyla Lee is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Inspired by her Korean heritage and love of pop culture, she writes cute and sometimes swoony stories that have been translated into multiple languages around the world. Originally from South Korea, she’s lived in various cities throughout the United States, worked in Hollywood, and studied Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She now lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit Lyla at lylaleebooks.com or on social media (Kid lit: @literarylyla and adult romance: @authorlylalee).

Reviews

[Lyla Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very proud of my next YA novel, Flip the Script (coming out 5/31/22)! I had fun writing this book, & I hope you’ll have fun reading it.

First & foremost, FtS is my love-letter to K-dramas. 🎥 It was the hardest book I’ve ever written (I even had to quarantine for two weeks in Korea to do research for it last year!) but it’s also a total dream come true. Whether I lived in South Korea or various parts of the US, I grew up watching K-dramas & Korean movies. The shows/movies I grew up watching as a kid taught me about story-telling as much as the books I read. And I’m so happy I can fuse both my passions in this one book! The ingredients of this book are: my decades of watching Korean media, my years of film school+working in Hollywood, & the countless hours of research (in-person and virtual) I did about Seoul, the K-drama industry, etc. 🇰🇷

Flip the Script is also the sapphic novel I’ve always wanted to write. 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻 Hana is bi! And there are many other queer teens in this book. I loved the Korean media I grew up watching, but I was admittedly hurt over & over again by the fact that most queer people in Korean films/TV shows end up dying tragic deaths. In this book, I decided to flip that script (haha, get it?). A not-so-spoiler alert because it should be obvious: Hana & Minjee DO NOT die at the end of this book. None of my queer babies do! And it’s a rom-com so there’s a happy ending! Because queer teens deserve happy endings & cute rom-coms!!! 🙌💕

If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, please pre-order and/or add this book on Goodreads. Pre-orders & online buzz are so important for writers like me, all the more so during these difficult times. Cover to come soon!

(Quick note since people have asked. There are currently no plans for a sequel to I'll Be the One. Unfortunately a lot of that is dependent on sales and out of my control. I love Skye and Henry so much and would love to return to their stories again. In the meantime, I hope you'll love Hana and Minjee's story, too!)

[jules]

I’m a simple woman; I see the words “sapphic rom-com kdrama,” I add the book to my tbr.

[Emily]

I love the premise but unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. I was grateful for all the insight into the K-drama industry and the cultural norms as these are things I’m not familiar with, and liked hearing about all the food and locations throughout. Some of the explaining just read as a bit too heavy handed, though, and the same is true for the dialogue, with phrases like “now, let’s bring down the homophobic patriarchy” feeling a little far fetched. The pacing of the relationships was also somewhat off, with the fake one being established over half of the book and the real one happening very quickly later on. I liked that there was a queer friendship group at the centre of this, and I’m sure it could be an enjoyable story for younger readers.

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

the pacing was not my favourite and the story a bit too cliché for my taste but it was a fun read overall. @ lyla lee maybe slow down a bit on the bts and goblin references.

i am also a bit annoyed that hana's and bryan's sexualities are clearly labelled several times throughout the novel, but the word lesbian is never used to describe minjee. it's "i only like girls" this and "i am not attracted to boys" that, but there's a specific word for that and im tired of it not being used? the only time the word lesbian is mentioned in this book was when hana's dad talked about her in a (kinda) negative way: lesbian is not a bad word and it's past time lgbt stories stopped acting like it is.

[b. ♡]

two girls in love + their emotional support himbo <3 my favorite genre

[rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

2.5 stars rounded down

Flip the Script was a fun, easy to read book that had me finishing it in one sitting, which is a feat that I haven't accomplished for months. I especially enjoyed the main friend group that we get to see develop over the pages! It was super fun and made me very happy to see three queer teenagers fooling around and teasing each other. I really liked the boy who fell in love with Hana, Bryan, as a character, and he has to be my favorite, though it took me a while to warm up to him.

However, the book really wasn't what I was expecting, and not in a good way, I'm afraid. The characters fall flat to me and I couldn't form a strong connection to any of them. I've read the author's debut novel, and I felt a stronger connection to those characters because they simply felt more original. What I mean is that I think the author could use a little more practice in developing unique voices for each character, because while Hana has had a very different life than Skye, it feels like the same narrator speaking, and I couldn't get a feel for Hana's personality at all.

I also don't think Minjee (the love interest) and Hana's relationship was very well explored before they started developing feelings for each other, since all the screentime was used to develop Hana and Bryan's friendship instead, which in turn makes Minjee feel like an incredibly underdeveloped character. Flip the Script was also marketed as a rivals to lovers romance, but we got none of the animosity one would expect, and rather quite the opposite. Minjee and Hana were friends and continued to be happy and close friends all throughout the book. the rivalry was not expanded on at all. Plus, Bryan's feelings for Hana developed extremely quickly, with no build up or chemistry at all which I get is part of his character but the blurb on the book made it seem like it would be different. It did not deliver on the implied promise of unrequited angst that comes with the trope of Bryan being in love with Hana like it was marketed, not even for a second since Bryan seems to just brush his feelings away easily, which didn't cause much conflict at all. In fact, a lot of the characters seem very passive.

lastly, one last complaint: Minjee is a lesbian, but the only time the term lesbian is ever used in the book is to describe Hana in what feels like a negative way. I just wish authors would use the term lesbian to describe their lesbian characters. It's really not that hard. For a book all about not being ashamed to be queer and uplifting queer voices, the author does a pretty good job of tiptoeing around a prominent identity in the community-- my own identity -- like it's a dirty word. I hope in the final book that this will be changed.

all in all, I'm sad to report that I didn't enjoy the book as much as I wanted to, especially since I was excited for a kdrama based sapphic romance. however, i would recommend it if you would like a fun, breezy ya sapphic romance, but this really wasn't for me at all.

[prutha]

bisexual rep in k-dramas we love to see it besties

edit: LOOK AT HOW CUTE THE COVER IS

[౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

my sapphic-kdrama-lover-self is screaming rn - this book was entirely vibes and i love it !

br w @Leilani <3

[inês · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, this one was very sweet, but also... lacklustre. Part of the fault is definitely on me, who entered the book hoping we'd have more drama and depth, that the story would brew some tearful stuff and feel more inspiring, become some one of a kind YA, you know?

I'm not stating it won't be any of those things to you, but as someone that has read her fair share of YA and, just perhaps after this, has outgrown the genre, it was simply a nice book. The main characters are all pretty nice, but none of them impressed me or stood out to me. Their backgrounds had space for more complexity, but alas, I don't think there was any aim to follow that path.

It wanted to be a cute, heart-warming and hopeful novel, and it did that. The representation was clearly a highlight, just like the fast passing and the almost picturesque "tour" through many famous Korean sites.

---
did someone just say k-drama with lgbt representation??!?!?!?

i still haven't moved on from soljiwan so u can BET i WILL be tuning in!

[Nev · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I’m so happy that we got another queer YA book set in the Korean entertainment industry from Lyla Lee! I really enjoyed I'll Be the One, so I was super excited to see what she’d bring to a YA book about K-dramas. Flip the Script follows Hana, a Korean-American teen who has finally been cast in the lead role in a K-drama. When the ratings aren’t that great the studio decides that she and her K-pop co-star Bryan should fake date to bring in press. But when her former BFF Minjee is brought into the show as well, sparks start flying between the two girls instead of between Hana and Bryan.

While I didn’t love this quite as much as I’ll Be The One, it was still a fun read. I felt like the K-drama portion of the story wasn’t as fleshed out as it could’ve been. For how important it was to the plot of the book I was expecting to understand more about the show and the behind the scenes goings on. Also, I wanted more character development from Bryan and Minjee. I enjoyed them as characters and the roles that they played in the story, but because we don’t get their POVs sometimes things felt super abrupt or not fully explored. I was also hoping for a bit more insight into the different family relationships.

But overall I did like the book. It was cool to read a queer YA story set in South Korea. While there are difficult things that happen and some people who don’t fully accept the queer characters, this is a mostly hopeful book. There were also mentions of characters from I’ll Be the One which were fun to see.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Anniek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much from start to finish!

[♡ F a n n y ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hana Jin es una joven actriz que inicia su carrera en los k-dramas, por eso, cuando es seleccionada para representar un papel protagónico en el siguiente gran programa estelar, no duda en dar lo mejor de ella para hacer de esa historia todo un éxito. Sin embargo, al no recibir el rating esperado en su noche de estreno, los productores deciden que tienen que hacer algo para conseguir más audiencia y no se les ocurre una mejor idea que emparejar en la vida real a Hana con su coprotagonista, el rompecorazones Bryan Yoon.
Hana puede manejar sin problemas una relación falsa, después de todo, ella les prometió a los productores un romance perfecto y eso es lo que les dará. Pero los productores tienen preparada otra sorpresa: no sólo se integrará un segundo interés romántico, sino que la actriz elegida resulta ser Minjee, una antigua amiga de la escuela de Hana con quien había perdido el contacto casi por completo.

Obviamente que esto sería un k-drama pero escrito en papel y esta entretenido, tenemos el trope de Fake Dating que es supeeer top, el de “Salir con famoso” siendo Bryan un famoso cantante de k-pop, el cuál obviamente caerá enamorar de Hana, tenemos el trope de Friends to lovers.
Siento que este libro es perfecto para los amantes de los k-drama y k-pop, tiene una representación LGBTQ algo diferente y siento que fue bien llevado, el final es tal cuál película cliché romántica y eso hizo que me gustará, es un libro cortito y fácil de leer.

Muchísimas gracias a Planeta por él envió del ejemplar.

[kay! ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

———————
post-reading review

flipping the script is just soljiwan if they were ✨celebrities✨ and ✨rival actresses✨you literally cannot tell me any different <3





p.s. my mind says 3.5/5 stars but my heart says 5/5 stars so i am GOING WITH MY HEART BECAUSE JDJEJDJS THOSE ARE MY GIRLS!! THIS WAS SO CUTE

also: go watch nevertheless but only watch the soljiwan cuts okay thanks bye

———————
tbr review

kdrama’s + sapphic best friends to frenemies/rivals to lovers?? H E L L O?? SIGN ME UP RIGHT HOW FJWJDJWJDJD
———————

[kashvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

read my review of flip the script over on my blog!

[Eva B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Kismet Books for the arc! If you’re a book lover in Wisconsin, pop over to Verona and check them out!

Is there anything more disappointing than one of your most anticipated reads being, well…disappointing? I absolutely loved I’ll Be the One and have not hesitated to incessantly recommend it to all of my K-Pop loving friends, but I found Flip the Script very underwhelming.
To start with the positives:
- Hana, Bryan, and Minjee (once we finally saw her) were enjoyable characters to follow
- The romance, once it actually happened, was cute!
- I think this is the first book I’ve read that takes place in Korea and the setting was super vivid. Everything from the food to the locations to the cultural and social norms felt very real.

Now the negatives:
- I don’t go into YA contemporary romances expecting amazing writing but this felt very distinctly like it was telling instead of showing, especially in regards to Hana’s feelings as an American-born K-Drama star and how she felt too Korean for America but now feels too American for Korea. It was mentioned a lot in very blunt, tell-y terms when it could have made for some very good internal conflict instead of being dropped in a few times. The writing was overall just…aggressively mediocre to the point where as I read I kept thinking “I don’t remember I’ll Be the One reading like this??”
- The romance. took. forever. and not in a slow-burn way. The first 200 pages of the book are production drama and fake dating with Bryan and then Hana and Minjee finally start to build up to a romance. Maybe it’s just the way this was advertised, but I was expecting it to be much more romance-heavy throughout and was not thrilled for like half the book to be fake dating with Bryan, fun as he was.
- The plot also doesn’t really kick in until Minjee becomes a central player…200 pages in. And it’s the same plot I’ve read a million times in any fandom-related book: the media property ends up being Bad, Actually and the actors have to get the studio to change the ending. It was admittedly done better here than in other fandom books I’ve read (looking at you, Ship It. Don’t think I’ve forgotten you quite yet you piece of shit) but it’s still a trope that I find overdone and irritating. While it still seems a bit unrealistic for Hana and Minjee to get the studio to not only keep their characters from getting fridged (which my phone refuses to acknowledge as a real word) but get a sapphic end couple, I’ll suspend my disbelief for a wholesome sapphic moment. And the bit at the beach? So cute! I also like that it actually acknowledged that yeah, there’s gonna be fallout for the ending and it could impact their careers as opposed to some other fandom books where the actors pull off some crazy stunt and get their ship in the final episode or whatever and everyone is magically fine with it. It felt grounded and realistic; I just wish the rivalry had begun sooner so we could get a bit more of a slow burn.

So yeah. Underwhelmed. Good concept, lacking execution. I’ll still be anticipating Lyla Lee’s next books, but this just didn’t do it for me :(

[Ashley (wickedreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ever since she was little, hana has dreamed of becoming a k-drama star. she earns the lead role on fated destiny, and is excited yet nervous for everyone to see what she can do. but when ratings aren’t as high as the studio hoped after the first episode, she’s put into a fake relationship with her co-star and k-pop star, bryan. hana doesn’t think faking the relationship will be hard—after all, she does that on camera, anyway—but when a new lead is brought onto the show to play bryan’s second love interest, hana finds it increasingly harder to pretend to love her fake boyfriend as she falls for someone else.

i went into this book thinking i’d love it since i loved the author’s other book, i’ll be the one, and i was right! i was even pleasantly surprised to see that the MC of that book was mentioned in this one! however, this story is incredibly different. hana is struggling with impostor syndrome and being queer in a conservative country throughout this novel. however, her character growth was amazing, and the ending was so amazing!

i highly recommend to any romance & k-drama fans.

source: my local library

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - fun coming out YA novel.

I enjoyed this coming out story against the backdrop of a South Korean K-Drama set. It dragged a bit in the beginning because took so long to introduce the love interest who does not really have any major screen time until the 50% mark. Ending has the best possible outcome you could wish for.

[Mella aka Maron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a refreshing and lighthearted romance. I expected a lot more drama for a book that was well…. About actresses in a K Drama. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was so drama-free.

But on the other hand, there was also no tension. The two girls got together relatively peacefully and they were cute and sweet as normal couples are. I can’t fault Lyla Lee for giving us this breath of fresh air, but I was also at times a little bored. It was a very tension-free light romance.

Then there was a leap into queer rights which I liked and yet, felt it should have been captured more? I wish we had more time with that segment and the repercussions.

It felt like we could have taken out the fake dating portion at the beginning and taken more time to really get to the meat of the later conflict. That’s why my rating is right in the middle.

I thought the book was nice, but that’s all it was. I wouldn’t say I liked it and I wouldn’t say I disliked it. I felt there were a few different attempts at conflict that didn’t get fleshed out enough. And the dates throughout were so tame…

If you are looking for a very lighthearted romance, then this one could work for you. But know that you likely aren’t going to see any high-tension moments.

[Leilaniiii · Rating 4 out of 5]

FOR A YA NOVEL DAAANG DID I LIKE IT SM!
HEHEHE FOR THOSE K DRAMA LOVERS OUT THERE THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU BABE<33
UGH HAD ME GIGGLING AND SMILING ALL THE WAY THROUGHHHH

MINJEE <333
HANA <3333
BRYAN <333

HONESTLY HAS THE BEST TROPES SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP, FAKE DATING, FORBIDDEN ROMANCE (kinda), AND RIVALSSS SORTA😏.

HEHEHE BUDDY READ WITH ASH <333
MI AMOR, I FINISHED A BIT TOO EARLY BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD!

[Clarissa Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I have to admit it feels like it's missing something. I absolutely loved the author's last book and this one was good but just doesn't reach quite the same height.

The premise is interesting enough. Hana is a young teen actress in Korea filming a show called Fated Destiny with k-pop star Bryan. When ratings start to fall it's decided by the adults behind the scenes that Bryan and Hana will date to raise publicity for the show. Around this time the people behind the show also decide to bring in Hana's best friend Minjee to play a love rival they've added to the series to get interest in the series and spice things up with a love triangle.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Bryan and Hana as well as the one Between Hana and Minjee. The book is pretty fast paced and the supporting cast is really lovable, especially Bryan. Hana is a likable enough main character but there's something missing, something I think having to do with her character but I couldn't tell you what that is.

The ending was great and I enjoyed how this book turned out. I'd definitely recommend it to teens, especially queer teens, but it pales in comparison to her previous book I'll Be the One. There was something more three dimensional about Skye Shin that Hana is lacking.

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute! The concept of a kdrama actor falling for her female co-lead interested me right away. It seemed bound to be either really sweet, drama filled or both! Definitely a good palate cleanser between the high-fantasy and sci-fi I’ve been reading.

Although I did end up enjoying the story, Flip the Script had a rough start. The writing came off as amateurish and almost cringey, though I was determined to give the story some time before judging it too harshly. I’m glad to have waited, since the writing did improve a little as things went forward.

Hana, Minjee and Bryan were all really likeable characters. Their easy friendship with one another despite their occasional disagreements made this such an easy read to get through. I liked the casual lgbt representation, and the message this book sends about the culture in South Korea. Although not particularly ground breaking or unique, Flip the Script is definitely an enjoyable and entertaining romance!

[Nicole Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was wonderful!!! if you like books about celebrities and acting, k-dramas, and YA romance? you need to pick this up! it's sapphic, has bisexual, pansexual, and lesbian rep, along with all our main characters being Korean (Hana, our main character, is Korean American).

it's set in Seoul and focuses on the k-drama our characters star in. i loved all the acting parts of it, the romance was SO CUTE, and the friendships were amazing too. Hana has to fake date her male co-star for publicity, and then her best friend she lost touch with then ends up being a new lead so they all form a love triangle on screen. this dynamic was really fun, and even if you don't like love triangles, it's not going to be a problem because it's not a love triangle in the actual story. Hana's parents were also a big part of her life and they're really great. so i definitely recommend this book!!! 💕

[suhani · Rating 1 out of 5]

buddy read with Rachel!!
this was sadly very underwhelming and cringey, and the childish dialogue did not act in its favor! :(

[Starr ❇✌❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: online harassment, homophobia
3.8

Hana wants nothing more than her first K-drama to do well, so when less than great ratings poor in after the first two episodes she agrees to fake date her annoying co-star. It's not ideal in the first place, but when it turns out the producers hired a love rival for her character as a back up plan things gets more complicated. It turns out they hired Minjee, Hana's former friend/rival from school she's only just gotten back into contact with after some tension. And now there's a whole different type of tension, because it turns out she might want more than just friendship with Minjee, but Minjee thinks she's taken- and probably straight- and the studio would never let anyone think any different.

This a cute, fluffy story of artistic queer kids going up against The Man that pairs well with Lee's debut, I'll Be the One- which it also has multiple, fantastic easter eggs for-, or with If This Gets Out. It's definitely a feel good book with hopeful energy and sweet characters.

With an exception for the miscommunication bumps of the middle of this book, these characters all work really well together. The chemistry is divine, for the platonic pairs and for the romance. The snarky growing friendship between Hana and Bryan is a lot of fun to watch, and the already developed friendship between her and Minjee reconnecting is lovely as well, even before the romance sets in.

And when the romance does strike, you get a full array of some great tropes- secret dating, rivals to lovers, friends to lovers, etc- and Lee plays them all so well. And those tropes, as well as some others, get a friendship angle too that helps keep the book moving and keeps the characters connected.

For me, I wish that the Bryan complication was handled better. It was hard to shake off the bad taste his behavior left in my mouth, and while I did eventually get there digging into that reaction felt unnecessary and hindered my reading enjoyment.
This is also a surface level, saccharine story with one real driving force of a plot, so it felt a bit thin, but if you're just looking for feel good fluff then you'll certainly get what you asked for.

Lyla Lee is great at what she does- and I can't wait to see her next book (I have some ideas about what that could be too!). As always, the queen of queer, Korean vibes.

Pre-review comments below
More fluffy romance with a bi main character by Lyla Lee???? YAY 🎉

[Amani · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you LOVE k-dramas, you will LOVE this!!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The author has a gift for making teenagers feel that way without being deeply annoying to an adult reader, which, I get that I am the problem here, but it is what it is. Really loved that this was set in South Korea and how central the place was to the story.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love this one as much as I adored I'll Be the One, mainly because I wanted more of Minjee (and more of her personality to show on the page). I wanted MORE.

But it was still really great, and had a really awesome discussion of homophobia in Korea.

I also really loved a lot of the adult figures (the good ones) in the show: Sophia, and Hana's mom and dad. And, to a smaller extent, Director Cha and Mr. Choi.

Full RTC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

[Trisha]

I AM REALLY EXCITED about this one. I loved I'll Be the One and this sounds magical.

[Shenwei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Protect Hana, Minjee, and Bryan at all costs!!!