Novels With Stories like K-dramas: 10 Books For Fans of Korean Dramas

K-dramas and K-pop are riding the hype train right now. They’re sweet, cheesy, sometimes smart and full of serotonin boosting scenes and characters. But since we don’t have K-books just as yet, we’ve compiled a list of novels with stories like k-dramas written by Korean authors. Not only do they have the same cultural feel, but also similar ambience and themes. So here are 10 books for fans of Korean dramas.

Beasts of A Little Land by Juhea Kim

This debut historical fiction weaves the grandiose story love and war during the Korean independence movement. The chance encounter of a hunter who saves an officer begins a domino effect spanning 50 years. Jade is sold to courtesan house, where she befriends a young boy who will grow up to be a revolutionary. As their lives intersect and divorce, a poignant story emerges. It’s also vaguely reminiscent of the K-drama Jang-Ok-June.

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

Just like ‘Her Private Life’, this book involves a contract relationship which turns into true love. In addition, it also has themes of art like ‘Her Private Life’.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

If you loved Playful Kiss, you will love this book – it has the same tropes of popular guy-shy girl romance and trouble with love letters. In the book, Laura-Jean writes secret unsent love letters to her crushes to get over them, but her sister mails them to her crushes. And then Noah, the most popular boy at high school, asks to fake date her to make his ex jealous. Of course, the two end up in love.

One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun

This magical realism about a slum electronic market ins Seoul with ‘rising’ shadows and a cute romance definitely reminds us of W: Two Worlds due to the genre.

If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon

In this book, Xia who only leads a lonely tech-driven life finds herself in the midst of a social bloom due to an app incubator Foundry. Here, she finds herself in a love triangle between her online crush, and a tech geek she finds herself attracted to. It has very similar plot points and settings as the K-drama Start-Up.

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

Just as the K-drama ‘It’s Okay Not To Be Okay’, which many BTS people adored, focused on mental health issues, so does this book. The protagonist of this book is a boy called Yunjae, who suffers from a brain condition called alexithymia. In this condition, people find it difficult to process emotions and communicate them – and the book revolves around Yunjae’s trials and triumphs.

XOXO by Axie Oh

In this romance novel reminiscent of ‘True Beauty’ due to its themes of self-love, a nerd cellist Jenny opens up to a handsome and broody boy one night in LA. But Jaewoo is moving to Seoul the very next day. However, when Jenny goes back to Seoul to take care of her ailing grandmother and gets accepted into an elite arts academy, she finds him there. What happens is a beautiful love story that teaches Jenny to accept her identity.

Yolk by Mary HK Choi

In this book, a family attempts to come to terms with a daughter’s illness as June’s terminal illness prompts her sister Jayde to commit insurance fraud. This is similar to Doom at Your Service’s storyline.

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

This series draws on the Korean folklore of a nine-tailed fox who lives off the energy of men to tell the fantasy romance of Gu, a fox and Jihoon, a human. The fantasy K drama ‘Tale of the Nine-Tailed’ is similar in its motifs.

Shine by Jessica Jung

Search: WWW is a corporate drama with the lead characters being ambitious women. And the book Shine, follows a K-Pop star Rachel Kim, who also struggles to balance her personal and professional life.

Also Read: 10 Best Books Based on History of The Roman Empire