A World Apart

Between Worlds #1

by Kate Alexandra

How can you be together in a world that wants you apart?
Can love survive being kept in the dark?

Kaiya chased her dream all the way to LA, never expecting to fall into the orbit of Jihoon − a KPop Idol who lives his life under the relentless glare of the spotlight.

But the more her feelings for Jihoon grow, the less certain she is about what she wants.

As the demands of Jihoon’s fame and the intense scrutiny of the public eye threaten to destroy what they’ve built, Jihoon and Kaiya must Is their love worth the cost? Or will they always be a world apart?

Genres: Romance, Love, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Music, Fiction, Fantasy

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[HegeBea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m such a k-pop stan these days (obsessed more like it), that I could not resist reading this book. The book was a piece of art (except there are some editing there I would really like to point a finger at the editor for missing). I loved the plot, it was a stans dream come true. And if I wasn’t too old too dream about idols myself, it would have been one of my dreams too😋

Stray Kids everywhere all around the world - you make Stray Kids stay 🫰🏼

[Sarah Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me feel 14 again in all the best ways x

[adeline thorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I loved this sooooo much, I binged it in one sitting 😂 I’m obsessed with the characters and I adore Becka and Kaiyas friendship 🥹 I cannot wait for the second book! Id definitely recommend 🫶

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read! As a kpop stan this resonated with me on another level!
Looking forward to the story unfolding in book 2 x

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

I actually really enjoyed this! I loved the friendship dynamic between Kaiya and Becka, I laughed my ass off during this one scene between them (if you know you know) I've always been curious about a romance novel about a normy and kpop idol. (The fan art of Hualian of Hua Cheng on stage and Xie Lian as a fan has made me curious for years!)

Jihoon is the greenest of green flags I've ever read! So much respect he has for Kaiya! Their relationship made me feel sad at times. Jihoon having to leave to do kpop idol things, and Kaiya being stuck at points, forgetting who she was at some points. I'm happy that Becka was there to help get Kaiya out of that phase.

I can't wait to read vol. 2 and what's to come with their relationship! I want to see their relationship go public and how they will grow from that new exposure, because we know there are crazy fans in the kpop world.

I want to thank the author for being absolutely amazing! Thank you for popping up onto my TikTok fyp!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so nostalgic, it's probably because I've been a Kpop fan since high school. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!! Ky and Joon stole my heart right away and I can't wait to see what book 2 will bring them 💕

[xena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed

This book blew my mind and I couldn't put it down, I loved it so much and am looking forward to book 2.
It gave me all the feels.
100% recommend to anyone who loves K-Dramas, K-pop or anything like that ❤️

[Katie Thesing · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idol didn’t really have much of a personality to make him desirable. Also there wasn’t a conflict, big plots, or anything exciting to make you want to keep reading. I saw this book on booktok and was really excited about it but it turned out to be flat.

[Rani Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off so cliché that I immediately thought, “oh no… this is going to be one of those predictable stories.” But honestly? It ended up surprising me. The interactions between Kaiya and Jihoon got more and more enjoyable, and at some point I just thought: wait… things are getting spicy 👀. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. It definitely fed my own delulu, I have to admit. 🤭

The ending was somewhat predictable, and the overall story wasn’t exactly new. Still, it was well put together; kind of like a well-written fanfiction.

[Gelysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feet kicking cute and a nice, easy read to end 2025 and start 2026. Is it the most amazing story I've read? no, definitely not. The story itself is predictable at times, the flow isn't always all that smooth etc, but what's most important is that it was entertaining. It was hard to put down, made me laugh, it made me swoon, it distracted my brain from real life worries, and that's what made me decide on the four stars.

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tengo muchas cosas qué decir hermano osea no ha pasado absolutamente nada en este libro literalmente me aburro necesito más chicha. Segundo, los protas tenían menos afinidad que yo con mi peluquero osea no han tenido una conversación real en todo el libro ns tio y encima ese final ??? Se va a leer el segundo libro mi tía pepa pq a mí me la suda lo que pase ea que sean muy felices un beso chao

[Jordan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 rounded up!! Absolutely adored the characters in this book, and the emotional journey I went on throughout was amazing. The character development really shined, and I can’t wait to see how much more they grow throughout the sequel that comes out soon! The only thing I took points away for was the typos/grammatical errors, but they weren’t bad enough to be distracting from the story.

[idc:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to feel about this book tbh. It felt too much like I was reading a fanfic. The story was solid and then somewhere towards the end I just stopped being interested. If you want to read without thinking too much this might be something for you otherwise I don’t think you would enjoy this

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Current Stay here - absolutely devoured this book!

This book is for all those who have delulu fantasies about meeting your biases.

Slow burn ✅
Secret dating ✅
Smiling, acting all giddy reading the flirtation between Kaiya and Jihoon ✅

Can't wait to read the second book!

[Cheri McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I actually really loved the relationship between Kaiya and Becka. Their banter was great. I enjoyed the writing.. I'm just not sure im sold on another one.

[Hannah Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ate this up in two days flat and loved every minute of this read!

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book! couldn’t put it down haha, i love kaiya’s relationship with all of the people in her life and the romance aspect was so sweetly written, cant wait for book 2!

[Cassie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted and more!!! I need book 2 now!!!! Kate you're amazing!!!!

[charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I needed and more from a k-pop romance novel. Easy to read but descriptive and luring narrative, accurate k-pop idol descriptions, and a great romance. Impatient for book 2!

[Ashley Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Absolutely Loved this One!!! There Much to say the Characters, Kaiya and Jihoon!! Too Cute and I cant wait for The next Book!!! I hope Thier Love Survives!!! And Becka Her Bestfriend can Visit her amd Everything my 3rd KDRAMA Book But my second about Romance with. Kpop Idol.

[Julia :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It was so well written and I loved every bit of it. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Jihoon and Kaiya 🤍

[Lara (Atlas Of Stories) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A World Apart is a sweet and easy-to-read romance for fans of K-pop. I was immediately drawn in by the cover and the author’s posts on Instagram — and the story definitely delivered what I hoped for.

The story begins in LA, where two very different lives intersect: Kaiya, a young woman still figuring out her path in the music industry, and Jihoon, a K-pop idol navigating the pressures of fame. From their first meeting, we follow their relationship as it grows through friendship, romantic moments, and personal challenges.

What I really enjoyed were the quiet, heartwarming details — the friendship between Kaiya and her best friend, the glimpses into the world of a K-pop group, and how both Kaiya and Jihoon are working through their own struggles and dreams. It’s a love story, but also a story about finding yourself.

The ending left me with a few questions (and a lot of curiosity!), and I genuinely hope there will be a sequel. I’m definitely rooting for these characters and want to see what choices they’ll make next.

If you're into K-pop, sweet romances, and stories about chasing your dreams, this one’s for you.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are so many absurdities in this novel with not a whole lot of upsides to help me over look them. Obviously the premise of the novel is a little absurd, but that is not what I am talking about. If you start a novel about a kpop idol falling in love with a fan, you have to accept that as plausible in this reality right from the jump. No, it's more so things like the fact Kaiya claims to have no real personal knowledge of the members of GVibes and wouldn't even consider herself an official fan, but later says that they are her most favourite band in the whole world? Becka says that Kaiya is a person who would rather write a dissertation on her favourite music than do the practical work that comes along with music production, but knows absolutely nothing about the writer of her favourite song that she in the beginning of the story spoke critically about the meaning of the lyrics? Am I really suppose to believe that as a music student she knows NOTHING about the person who wrote this deeply personal song? She knows nothing of him or the other members, but even just hearing their voices is deeply familiar to her. She watches their dance practices and interviews, but couldn't even tell you their ages? She is also apparently a half Japanese grown adult who has enough familiarity with Asian food to recognize kimchi and marinated tofu, but doesn't know how to use chopsticks??? I feel the author went too far in trying to make Kaiya seem detached enough from Jihoon's world to not make it weird, but does not do it effectively and consistently.

Jihoon is really a nothing character beyond what most fans assume kpop idols are like, they deal with the hardships of being an idol and yet would never do it anything different because the fans make it worth it. While that may all be good and true, there is nothing else to him. I don't even really know what he likes about Kaiya besides the fact that she is not famous and makes him feel normal. Their first few interactions at the studio are spent mostly in silence until they share lunch, at which point he is clearly already developing a crush on her. They play guitar together briefly (starting off with his song), and then later in the novel they talk about his music, but he never asks her about hers. They share experiences about moving away from home, but he seems surprised when near the end of the novel when she talks about leaving LA at the end of her visa. Why would he have not asked her about her plans for the future? Her goals and aspirations? Kaiya's revelations about her uncertainty for her future and career was a major theme in the latter half of the novel, and he's apparently completely unaware of this after months of dating? Doesn't even know that she's debating whether or not she'll try to find work to stay in LA or go home until she mentions it in passing? Kaiya seems to always know what his schedule is, they do talk about the fact that she starts to completely center him in her life, and she does work to try to focus on herself. But it still doesn't seem like HE is really invested in HER plans for her future. And that's further proven by him asking her to move to Korea, at the drop of a hat, at the end of the novel without even ASKING HER what she is wanting her next move to be. I genuinely can't think of something that bonds them together besides him being an idol she likes (but also supposedly knows nothing about). He is very charming and witty, and does has nice moments about consent, so I understand his appeal to the reader. It's clear the author intends to have him come across as a respectful gentleman, but it is also inconsistent. Why is he never offering to arrange transportation for her to the things he invites her to? And to further that point, why is the topic of their MASSIVE income disparity NEVER brought up between them.

Kaiya is so broke and has such a low income, she can't even afford to give Becka consistent rent, and only covers some of their living expenses. She says that if they take too many ubers, she literally cannot afford to eat. And yet every single event, or even date, Jihoon invites her to, she orders her own ubers or has to take the bus. This man is always being driven around in big black escalades and he can't even offer to arrange a car for her? Or at the very least, PAY FOR HER UBER. He paid for ONE uber for Becka to get Kaiya up to the weekend house, but he literally had to because it was a surprise. If I had to take the fucking bus to the concert of my millionaire kpop idol boyfriend, I would be fucking LIVID. SHE TOOK THE BUS TO HIS CONCERT AND AFTER HE SPENT THE NIGHT PARTYING WITH A-LISTERS. His wealth is obvious and mentioned in passing, but there is literally not one single conversation between Kaiya and Jihoon where they even mention money, and as a reader it is so frustratingly obvious and feels like the author is intentionally avoiding it. I assume it will comes up in book two, I have not read it, but it should have come up here. Becka and Kaiya have one conversation after their weekend at the airbnb where Becka says that he paid for everything and calls him a "richsonofabish", but is never framed in a way that it could be a problem. Which is it.

The idea of a power imbalance in their relationship is brought up, Kaiya does say to Becka how she is aware that there could be a problem because she is normal and he is a rich kpop idol. But the way it is framed is more so about his "idolness", and not his money. By the end of the book, Kaiya is still broke, now jobless (thanks to Jihoon, who could have and SHOULD have at the very least defended her even if it wouldn't save her job), and headed to Korea where employment opportunities are EXTREMELY limited for her, and where she knows no one but Jihoon. Becka is rightfully strongly opposed to this, but then drops it immediately because Kaiya uses her trauma with her ex-boyfriend against her. Kaiya has no money, no career, no present support system, and decided that she is going to go to a country that she has never been to before, a country that she CANNOT EVEN SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, and where she will have to be 100% dependent on a man she has known for 9 months who has never so much as paid for her uber before. And to top it all off, she has to hide their relationship from anyone she may possibly meet, and can't be seen in public with him. This screams RED FLAG to me and I can't get over it, it is complete isolation and total control. Kaiya thinking the only possible reason Becka would be opposed to this is because she is projecting her personal relationship issues is insane. Becka brings up that literally two months prior they did have a conversation about making sure Kaiya was centering herself in her life, especially now when she has discovered that the career she has been working towards is no longer what she wants for her life, and Kaiya does not even take a SECOND to have a critical thought about this. She missed her mom's fucking birthday and the thought doesn't even cross her mind that maybe she should go see her parents before MOVING TO FUCKING KOREA. SHE DOESN'T EVEN CALL THEM TO ASK THEIR OPINION.

All of this is so absurd to me and really forced me out of enjoying the story. I know that for the sake of the story, she's has to go to Korea, it's much more interesting than the alternative. But I feel like the author briefly touches on the glaring problems so she can show us as readers that she sees them too, but then ignores it 5 seconds later. This all may get unpacked in the second and third novel, but the fact that the novel ended with the notion that they will end up stuck together in lockdown during the looming 2020 COVID pandemic, I am not 100% sure that it will, and it might end up being completely about that. I don't want say there was nothing good about the novel. The pacing and writing (even with a few punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors) was fun and easy, I finished in two sittings. There were really nice and sweet moments, I like Kaiya's personality, her relationship with Becka, and her struggles to find her path. The juxtaposition of her professional situation against Jihoon's is really interesting, but I feel he plays such a passive part in it and Kaiya's life in general. And it's because he is a nothing character. Like genuinely why does he like her outside of her maybe wit, her physical appearance, and how she makes him feel???? He is just suppose to be perfect kpop idol boyfriend who was instantly into her, won't do anything wrong, and definitely won't take advantage of her or this situation. I am not impartial to suspending disbelief when it comes to romance, but even this feels like a stretch.

[Ruth Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! I enjoyed the characters and story from front to finish. I am so excited for book #2 to come out :) hopefully soon, I am excited for more!

[Mich · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book. Binge read it in one day. The characters are very likeable (and one very UNlikeable) vibrant, funny, emotive. I cannot wait for the next instalment!!!!

[Jenell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute for Kpop fans!

It was cute but I don’t see myself continuing this series. Any Hollywood-set industry-related love story always has some sort SA/SH in it but is either too big a deal, or just disregarded entirely and I’m kind of sick of it to be honest. The plot besides that though was adorable for any fan of Kpop.

[Kei · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listen, I'll be the first to love a delulu moment but this one didn't even have a plot.

One random girl met a kpop idol in her work place and he was so awestruck he asked you out?


This is giving "1D kidnapped me Wattpad era" vibes.

Please touch the greenest of grasses, thanks.

[Elena🌺🎶 · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Read: I need book two like ASAP.
2. Read: no idea why I loved this sm the first time| dnf 79% because I’m bored and annoyed😪

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3 stars. I JUST WROTE A WHOLE REVIEW BUT GOODREADS DIDN'T SAVE IT - ugh I can't be bothered to rewrite everything, RIP. First I need to state something that ruined my immersion in the story multiple times. Whoever copyedited this book needs to be fired and never be hired again. They missed far too many "" quotation marks between when people finished speaking and then character actions. It was extremely jarring and happened far too many times. Also there were obvious spelling errors such as 'her' when it should have been 'here.' Just sloppy copyediting and it ruined the reader's immersion in the story.

Overall I thought the story was cute enough. There were some millennial-style cringe moments (and I say that as a millennial myself), but they weren't awful enough that I stopped reading. I think Kaiya had a bit of the 'Bella Swan' syndrome as in why was she so special that an international popstar instantly fell in love with her? I just feel like she needed to be a stronger female lead so I can see why she was better or different from any other girl, and not just because 'she treats him like a real person and not just an idol' cause that just ain't enough. I thought the love story was cute and it had me giggling/smiling at some parts - so that was nice. I also found some of the points raised in the book about how a fan could go crazy when dating an idol interesting. About how being on fan forums and trying to follow every movement of the group could drive them insane - that was an interesting point.

I will be reading the second book in the series because the famous words were uttered - the ones every kpop fan at a meet & greet long to hear 'Come with me to Korea' ahhaha XD But seriously isn't that the kpop meme and dream?! So I am interested to see how the story will unfold in Korea and I hope the author includes more of the Korean language and culture in the next book because I think that adds to the story and Kaiya & Jihoon's relationship. I just hope the author got a different copywriter for this book!