Mom’s Friend’s Son (2024)

Love Next Door stole my heart with its heartfelt storytelling and the characters that felt so relatable. Bae Seokryu and Moeum mean so much to me ??and the slice-of-life aspect was really shined upon. The relationships in it-most of all the two couples-make it so entangled in emotion and subtle chemistry.
It was such a breath of fresh air how the show balanced romance, friendship, and personal growth. The two couples brought something different to the table, and I just absolutely adored watching their love stories unfold. The slow burn between the main leads made literally every second worth it in terms of those two-their connection ran that much deeper because of it.

In the last moments, my heart was so full and a little empty at the same time. Love Next Door left me with such mixed feelings, like living their journeys and missing them now. I am happy with how all things have turned out, but there's just this lingering feeling of not being ready to say goodbye just yet.

What I liked most was that the show did not rush the painful moments; instead, it allowed the characters to develop in due time. It added a sense of reality to their struggles and triumphs, which made the ending feel like a new beginning for everyone.

Love Next Door delivered a perfect mix of warmth, humor, and emotional depth, and it is a drama that will linger in my head for a while.

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Personal growth, overcoming pain, communicating better, and strengthening bonds that last a lifetime

This one actually held me captive til the end as an eager viewer, not a casual turn it on and zone out sort which is kind of how parts of No Gain No Love hit even though Shin Min Ah is captivating… don’t get me wrong; I still really enjoyed it, many of its characters (the writer especially) charming and just beautifully written and portrayed, but it doesn’t have quite the balance OR critically the lasting power of Love Next Door for me (still, the weeks LND had hard, faucet-breaking episodes, NGNL was a big comfort to mend my soul after aching so much-they have their places, this one just digging its lil heels more deeply in my heart).

I keep saying this here and there, but JSM creates amazing chemistry with EVERYONE. If her next costar is a silent but sentient rock, I will be like that rock and yearn to speak to her. I will be sold because how-can-you-not?

This isn’t romcom territory. There is plenty of romance. There is plenty of comedy… but fluff it ain’t. These are people with real struggles, real pain, and most of all real, deep friendship, enviable most all the time though occasionally quite frustrating like the real life stuff it represents…

People wanting a romcom surely felt a bit frustrated at how many times this triggered a mess of tears in non-sociopath viewers. (I imagine this didn’t get on the radar of many sociopaths unless as a study of humans without their affliction in which case it is a solid one though I can imagine being infuriated at the illogical way humans tend to be in the face of intense feelings and even pretty shallow ones sometimes).

The way families come together is just gorgeous. Episode 15 was one I watched happily til I left for work then snuck away during break to watch the last 20 minutes… I kinda knew I would probably choke up, and boy, I went from laughing at someone else getting smacked with onions to being slapped with them right in the eyes myself because of this tiny bit of dialogue: “ Seok Ryu was sick; how could I not be worried? She's your precious child, the apple of your eye. She's the daughter of my best friend. You know how much I adore her. How could I not care about her? ... I'll protect her with you. Just like you raised Seung Hyo, I'll love and take care of Seok Ryu, too.”

Geesh, just smack me with all those onions you used a bully ahjumma’s face to peel and split in half already, Hye Suk!

The only thing that could get to me more than that followed immediately… how sweet is it to promise that boy (whose face still looks 8 when he gazes lovingly at his only one forever) that despite it being tiring, hard work requiring a lot of devoted energy and making her become one with the oil… she will make him rainbows to eat forever?! Tell me ANYONE who wouldn’t be just as smitten in that moment whether she was acting or confessing to an actual lover? She makes just about EVERYONE fall for her over and over. It is just impossible to not love her (even though some early *cough*Playful Kiss*cough* titles were severely lacking)! If I got promised rainbows from such a unicorn-like mythical creature of beauty, I would be quite at risk of having organs harvested as I followed her entranced.

The parents and Mo Eum (and Yeon Du-ahhhhhh she calls soooo sweetly, awwww) are absolute icing on a delicious cake. Some bites of the show are bitter and salty from my tears, but okay, we’ll have salted caramels a while! In this case, nothing at all felt particularly forced/fabricated thanks to acting that really is above and beyond expectations even with mine rather high for the veteran cast playing the parents especially! It felt like every single character grew immensely through this… and HEALED… and crucially went from holding on somewhat bitterly to really charging forward embracing life HAPPILY as they sorted out their own very real-feeling issues.

The finale had a lot of predictable moments, but I savored them because this is THE LAST show I wanted another surprise from! I was kinda annoyed that the thing I knew would happen as soon as she was in cooking classes, her ultimate future, took SO long to even mention when it was so dang obvious what would happen… but I was okay with how they rolled it out even if literally no one was at all surprised by anything but how long it took lol.

Ultimately, this became a story about growth, overcoming a whole lot of pain as well as COMMUNICATING BETTER WITH THOSE YOU LOVE DANGIT, and strengthening the bonds that last a lifetime. I was not envious of their situations overall, but man oh man, their friendships-FAMILY regardless of blood ties, truly-were enviable and honestly pretty rare in this day and age. The more people in my generation and particularly my pretty spread out nation succeed, the further away from our roots we tend to get, so I live near NO ONE I grew up around. Makes me glad I don’t have any real issues socializing with strangers anymore (kind of interesting that the super quiet introvert from my hometown, me, seems like an extrovert in this place I live now where they even say there is a massive “freeze” because outsiders have so much trouble finding their people here. Who knew being a nerd would make it EASIER to find community?! Still, when I think back to the people I grew up playing with like the young adults here, nostalgia hits and I realllllly get homesick. This did bombard me with that more than a few times, but it’s been actual decades since I’ve seen ANYONE who knew me before I was 18. I wouldn’t recognize any of them, it feels safe to say, since even their faces are hazy memories (bad thing to say as the managing editor of the yearbook, but they really are hazy memories, even the teachers caricatures at this point, most all of them long gone from the living realm).

Since I am hiding this behind a spoiler, I’ll say one big spoiler detail that made me so grateful: thank you, writer, for not killing anyone off! That early “renovate a funeral home” thing really was getting under my skin with comments about it all the time and them teasing that it could be the FL of course but also the ML’s mother. I am so glad they had them instead mend wounds from the past and go forward closer and more full of love than they ever had before. My heart doesn’t have to weep. I don’t even mind sad or mixed endings, but this one I really just did not want to be manipulated emotionally by in that particular way-don’t take (probably her) away just when our forever 8 ML has finally said all he needs and grown close to her how he has wanted all these years (be it the FL or his mom, as it happened with both so beautifully)!

Wonderful lovely watch. For all the moments characters were frustrating, they were fully understandable and realistic in the ways they made me wish they were different… That is a pretty big feat to accomplish between words and location details scribbled on a page and a human carrying out the instructions and saying the lines!

Solid 9.5… the writing not always perfect necessarily, it was more than made up for by the cast embodying people I know as if the writer spied on, well, a LOT of real life humans I’ve known over the decades in all kinds of capacities… sometimes, the “flaws” become strengths of their own in scripts… in real life, though, still do your best to not be perfect, no, since that will just make you awful, but at least don’t, like, acquire new problems like crash test dummies acquire displacements of their parts!

Gonna miss this show a LOT.

(PS Kate told me to post this lengthy feed entry as a review, so all meanies who want to argue with or fight me, you gotta go through her first, and our cult leader has lots of weapons and magic curses for people that mess with her minions!)

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Best RomCom of 2024 ???

Wow, I can't believe love next door is already over, Honestly, its been a really honour of watching this drama & it has become my comfort drama of 2024. Kudos to all actors and actresses for creating this masterpiece ❤️❤️??.

If you a big fan of romance, comedy, friends to lovers, slow burn, friendship, all this elements then you will really love this incredible drama. First of all, Jung Soo min and Jung Hae in a.ka Jung-Jung couple ❤️. These two chemistry throughout the drama was chemistrying like the bickering, their love and their humour was so awesome to watch. Second of all, our second couple Danho and Moeum was really amazing too, like i really love and adore their relationship,they were so funny and wholesome together. I would love to see them in another drama again..
And to the lavender sisters, I really wish i have the type of friendship they have, the bickering between our leads' mums were the best, they bicker but they still love each other like any other friendship and also the dads too aka drinking buddies, they were the best and so cute together. And our cute Yeondu, she slayed her role at such a young age. She is such an amazing actress and have a bright future ahead of her.
And other actors and actresses such as the exes of the leads, the child actors and actresses, all supporting roles, they did so amazing. ???❤️❤️❤️❤️


Overall, you will enjoy this drama if you like the elements I stated in the intro, and most importantly enjoy the drama, the chemistry between the actors and actresses were really top notch???? so you will love love love it.
Thank you for choosing to watch this if you haven't already and thank you for taking time to read my review. God bless you ??

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Excessive. Lacking. Draggy. A big disappointment.

NOTICE; MY REVIEW IS A BIT LONG, BEAR WITH ME. ALSO, I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE, JUST STATING MY OPINION.

I won't bother on wasting anyone's time by stating the obvious about the overview. Obviously, it something everyone know. I'll only say so little about it. Love Next Door tells the story of the reunion of two childhood friends.

Love Next Door is one of my most anticipated drama of the year. Also, I had high expectations for this mainly because of the casts. Jung Hae In, Jung So Min, and Kim Ji Eun were the ones who got my hopes up. I've seen Jung Hae In in many dramas, and those dramas were interesting and engaging. Same goes for Jung So Min, I was utterly impressed with her role in Alchemy of Souls. There's also Kim Ji Eun, I loved her role as the cold, yet kindhearted woman in Branding in Seongsu. Just as I was anticipating these actors next project, the news of Love Next Door came along. Thus, I got my hopes up. When this finally aired, I was impressed with the premise, but only to be disappointed as the drama unfolds. Honestly, "disappointed" is not the right word for this, I'm "exasperated" about how this one turned out.

Yes, there are things I liked about this drama, but my dislikes outweighs my likes for this. But I think it'd be unfair to only list my dislikes, without saying a single thing about the ones I liked. To be fair, I'll list my likes and dislikes, even though I'm "fuming" over how this drama turned out. I'm not sure I have that much likes about this, but I'll list them before I mention how "discontented and enraged" I am with how what could have been, but turned out to be something else.

LIKES

The premise of this drama drew me in, the first episode was really great. It's like a unique start. The introduction of the characters also seemed great. During the premise, I got to withness the chemistry of the first leads, "Choi Seung Hyo and Bae Seok Ryu." I said to myself then, "this is going to be fun." From the premise, I got to see two friends who seemed like enemies meet again. Although all that is common when watching a drama, I still loved it regardless.

The flashbacks of when Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu were kids. How they grew up together, down to when they became high school teenagers. It's really nice to know their history, how they protected each other when they're kids. How they're there for each other during the happy moments, and of course, the sad ones too. It's really nice to watch their embarrassing moments which they'd rather forget when they're kids. I laughed upon some of those moments when they're kids. I mean, the funny ones.

Also, Jung Hae In and Jung So Min, their chemistry was really great during the first few episodes. I loved their interaction which seemed like bickerings. It's really great to see. From the first episode, to about the seventh one, they had this unique and nice chemistry. There were some scenes I love because of this two. For one, that pool scene.

Jung Mo Eum and Kang Dan Ho also made me laugh at some points. There's this scene when there's only a drink of a particular brand that remained, and it just so happens that these two have the same tastes. It's funny to see them quibbling on who touched that drink first. There's also another scene which I liked. It's when Mo Eum and Dan Ho were in the car and she told Dan ho her crush was "Mudflat Man." In that instant, she realized the shirt he wore was the same one her secret crush had on that day, even though she didn't catch a glimpse of his face. Then and there, she knew Dan Ho was Mudflat Man all along. The awkwardness.... That scene made me laugh.

Another thing I liked about this drama is when the misunderstanding of Seung Hyo's parents were cleared up. They finally reconciled after so long. I almost forgot, there's this scene when Seung Hyo was going to propose to Seok Ryu, but nothing was going his way. When he wanted to propose at a restaurant and was carrying a cake. However, that cake was crushed when he tripped and fell. That scene was so funny.

Ah, without excluding when Seok Ryu finally found her dream. It's good to see her dream after having searched for it for some time. In my opinion, a dream doesn't have to be something grand, or something big, just as you find happiness when pursuing it. That's all that matters. I loved it when she finally pursued her dream, even though her parents were against it at first. I also loved some scenes of the "Lavender" Sisters, formerly the "Suk" sisters.

I think that's all about it. All that'll follow is my "dissatisfactions". They'll sound harsh, but I just have to say it.

DISLIKES

The duration for the episodes is excessive. They went overboard with it. The first episode was around 66 - 67 minutes. It'd have been nice if they continued with that, but they just had to increase the duration. I started to see 80 minutes, then 90 minutes. 16 episodes is too long for such a plot and storyline as is. The least Netflix could have done to prevent audience from getting tired/bored of the drama, is to keep the episode duration at a maximum of nothing more than 60/65 minutes, but what did they do? Each episode's duration kept on increasing, till I almost got fed up. If you eat too much, you get indigestion. If you drink too much, you'll get a hangover. In other words, moderation is best. But in this one? I didn't see that moderation, all I saw were padded episodes.

LND lacks greatly as a Rom-Com. It's too overly dramatic. I watch Rom-Coms for two reason. One, for the comedic relief and laughter. Two, for the light-heartedness, but what did I get? A big disappointment. LND didn't feel like a Rom-Com most of the time, it's like a melodrama. Too much emotions. If I wanted an emotional drama, or a melodramatic one, I wouldn't have chosen a Rom-Com, I'd go for a melodrama. What's a Rom-Com? It's simple. A Rom-Com makes you laugh your heart out, it makes you forget about life's problem for a short while. The question is, did LND achieve that? I don't think so. The fact that LND was promoted as only a Rom-Com, without telling fans that's it's infact a melodrama infuriates me. What I saw was 75% melodrama and 25% comedy, and that really got on my nerves. It's just too emotional for a Rom-Com. If you want to watch LND because it's a Rom-Com, then I'd advice you to save yourself from it. Well, the first four episodes were funny, but after that? It's mostly full of melodramatic embellishments. I'm trying to be polite here by calling it just that.

And what's with the whole ex comeback trope? I know it's common in dramas, too common that it's become a cliché. But really, was that whole scenario necessary? Seung Hyo's ex wasn't annoying, she even tried to get him and Seok Ryu together. But Seok Ryu's ex? He's really annoying. For some reasons, he gets on my nerves. Do you know what makes it even more annoying? It's the fact that it took Seok Ryu almost forever to reject his advances, she's even giving him attention. Oh, I can't stand that. The more she gave him attention, the more hubristic he became. When she eventually set things straight between them, I felt it's too late. But it's better late than never. Still, there's no need to keep dragging out what could have been wrapped up in an episode or two.

There's also the romance. It fell flat for me. Yes, it's a slowburn, although it's not promoted as one. I've watched many slowburn romance, and they're not like this. It took forever for the romance to bloom in this one. I waited, waited, and waited again, untill I got tired of waiting. Just as I thought the romance was about to blossom, the whole cancer trope set in. Really? Is this the best Netflix could offer? They kept going around in circles regarding the romance. Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu finally got together at episode 11. I don't know whether it's because it took them a thousand years for their relationship to blossomed romantically, I'm not sure. However, when they finally got together, it's too late that I could no longer feel anything. Let me put it this way. It felt like an adult whom as a kid wanted a particular toy, but couldn't get it, till he became adult. As an adult, she's now in possession of the toy, do you think the toy would still hold the same value/meaning it held years back when she's a kid? I don't think so. By then, the toy would have lost its meaning. Well, it depends on the person. As for me, that's how I feel about the romance in this one. "Timing" is very important. But the romance here lacks proper timing.


And what's wrong with Seok Ryu? What's with the contradictory character? After all she went through while she's overseas, I can't believe she's still thinking about going back there to pursue her cooking career. Some people never learn, do they? I don't know if I should call her a goal getter, overly positive, or plain stupid. She said it herself that she doesn't want to go back, that she won't be going back, but she's going back on her word? After all the cancer, depression, I thought she wouldn't even think about working there ever again, but it appears it's all my wishful thinking. She says one thing, and does another. How contradictory!

When Mo Eum confessed her feelings to Dan Ho, she's rejected. He said words like, "No, we can't. Never." So I wanted to know why he rejected her, why he used those words. Because of a promise? Because of what happened to his family some years back? Till the end, there wasn't really any sort of clarification as regards to why he said that. Nothing. They've got to be kidding me. After all that, how could there be no clarification on that?


Also, what's with Seok Ryu's mother, Mi Suk? She's too immature. She nitpicks over the littlest things. I can't stand her character sometimes. First, it's when Seok Ryu returned, it's as if she's embarrassed to let people know she's her daughter. Two, she tried to get her daughter and her ex back together. And then, the way she treats her husband. There's also her inferiority complex. Throughout the drama, I've never seen her apologize to her husband. Not even once. I thought I'd be seeing some character development, but there's none. And that's really irritating.

I didn't want to say this, but I will. What's with Seok Ryu's English speaking? I mean, she lived in the States for over a decade. At the very least, her English should be fluent to a certain point, but it isn't. They should have dubbed her voice out or something. This a Netflix drama for Heaven's sake, so why did they hand us such low quality? I don't get it.

And there's also Seung Hyo's company, Atelierin. That place seem pretty deserted for a company. It's a company with two CEOs, so why are there only 4-5 employees? And to make it worse, it's a company that's been running for years, plus, it has won many awards. So it kept me wondering how they were able to do all that with just four employees when they're in the architectural industry. It just doesn't make sense. At least, if you're going to hand us a load of crap, make it believable. All the flaws of this drama doesn't make it seem like a Netflix drama, not one bit. With all the hype, is this the best they could give?


About the cancer trope. I'm not against it one bit. Why? It's because I tend to believe life come in pairs. I believe we have four seasons for a reason. Also, we all have that winter moments. After all, the reason why she decided to quit her job needs to be a valid one. Plus, the cancer clarified the question I had about why she decided to quit her job back in the states, and suddenly decided to return to her homeland, South Korea. But why? Why couldn't they just end all those emotional moments with an episode? Was an episode duration of over 80 minutes not enough for all that? Why did they have to drag it out? It's really annoying. I only wanted a clarification. Yes, I did get what I wanted, but did they have to go on and on till it got really frustrating and annoying? It just doesn't make sense. Just a mere waste of time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I'm sorry, but I just can't bring myself to like something just because many loved it. I'm not the type who hypes a drama just because others are hyping it, it just doesn't make sense. If I'm disappointed, I'll say it. If I'm impressed, I'll say it. This is me. I can't call a disappointment, a masterpiece, or intriguing. Not my style. I know this is harsh, but this one is a big disappointment. I just have to say it. I'm enraged with how LND turned out. If LND wasn't my most anticipated drama of the year, I might have decided to cut it some slack. However, it is, so I can't. "To whom much is given, much is expected from". That's what I believe in, you see. The premise is unique and all that, but is it only the premise that makes a drama? The answer is "No". A premise of a drama can only do so much. A drama has to be engaging as it unfolds to be called "a true work of art". Unfortunately, I don't get that feeling from LND. Furthermore, I don't overlook a drama's flaw just because the leads are my favourites. I call it what it is regardless of how much I love the leads.

Did this have potential? Yes, it did. At least, that's what I thought, at some point.
The ending is great, but since it's all predictable, why drag it out? Why make it so frustrating? Why? Just why was a drama that could have been interesting, engaging, one of the best, turned into the frustration it became?

Is this the best Rom-Com of the year? Certainly not. Engaging? No, it isn't? Would I recommend this one? I won't. Is this worthwhile? It's not. Aside from the premise, and some lovely scenes, the rest is trash. LND fell flat as a Rom-Com. It lacks as a Rom-Com. This is not me "fuming," it's the harsh truth that some are ignoring and turning a blind eye to. I'll be the bad guy and call this one what it really is. Three words, "underwhelming, frustrating, and boring."

You can watch it if you're curious though. Who knows? Your opinion might differ from mine, you might actually love it. But as for me? I didn't like it, or shall I say I have mixed feelings?

LND was really great at the premise. Honestly. But what came after was unexpectedly lackluster.

My overall rating is 6.5/10, considering the fact that I enjoyed some parts of it. I'm not rating this any lower because of four reasons. One, the chemistry of the leads during the first five episodes. Two, their lovely moments. Three, because the leads looks cute. Four, the acting of Jung Hae In, Jung So Min, and the other two leads (Kim Ji Eun and Yun Ji On). If not for these four reasons, it deserves lower, considering all the trauma I went through while watching this one. In my opinion, 6.5/10 is still a fair rating, considering how lacking, disappointing, frustrating, and underwhelming this was.

SIDE NOTE;

I stop dropping comments, even though I was dissatisfied with how each episode was unfolding to avoid being called hateful, and all sorts of names for saying how I truly feel. Most importantly, I didn't want to spoil the fun for those who were enjoying the show. I didn't want to be a bummer. I even gave this review a second thought, but decide to write it cause I couldn't contain how I feel about it. So here I am....

Let's say you love a particular brand of drink. One day, you visit a convenience store and discover that only one of the brand remains, but it's past its expiration date. Would you still take it because it's your favorite? I won't.
What I'm trying to say in essence is, you can't force yourself to like something that's not good. That's it.
Well then...
Thanks for reading♡♡♡♡ And for those who want to watch regardless, hope you enjoy it all the same ♡♡♡♡

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More Than a Rom-Com: A Deep Dive into Love and Life

*Love Next Door* is the kind of drama that sneaks up on you. You start expecting a light-hearted rom-com, ready to be charmed by the bickering "friends to lovers" trope, but what you get is a deep dive into complex family dynamics, existential questions, and a side of free therapy. ? It's the type of show that gives you butterflies, a touch of annoyance, and maybe even a few "I need to rethink my life" moments. And, oh boy, did it deliver all of that and more.

At first glance, it seems like a simple slice-of-life rom-com, but beneath that cozy exterior lies a drama packed with introspection and emotional weight. The story beautifully explores the scars of growing up neglected, feeling the pressure to succeed, and the awkward art of rebuilding relationships that never really took off. It asks questions like, "Can I ever be more than my parents' pride and joy?" and, "Why do dreams feel like luxuries for the privileged?" In other words, *Love Next Door* doesn’t just aim for your heartstrings—it goes straight for your soul. ?

Now, let’s talk about the characters. On paper, Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu sound like your typical K-drama leads—she’s ambitious and independent, and he’s a little self-centered and emotionally closed-off. But the writers took it a step further by giving them real flaws that affected their relationships in ways that felt... too real. Seok Ryu’s fierce independence is admirable, but is it always a good thing? And Seung Hyo’s tendency to view everyone’s problems through how they affect *him*? Oh, we’ve all been guilty of that at some point. ?

Admittedly, Seok Ryu's journey was more fleshed out than Seung Hyo’s. It felt like *her* story, and while he was important, he wasn’t always the star of his own show. It's a common K-drama imbalance, but it didn't take away from the overall experience—it just made Seok Ryu's arc feel more impactful. Still, I wasn’t fully sold on their transition from friends to lovers. One minute they were bickering, the next they were in love, and I couldn’t help but think, “Wait, when did *that* happen?” But hey, maybe I blinked too long during a lip-biting scene. ??

Speaking of lip-biting... Jung Hae In. Need I say more? If watching him swim, bite his lip, and navigate complicated emotions doesn’t get you hooked, I don’t know what will. His character may have been a bit whiny at times, but let’s be real—JHI could probably make even whining look charming. Meanwhile, Jung So Min was equally compelling, despite her character’s tendency to yell a bit too much for my taste. But in the end, her relatability and depth stole the show for me.

Now, let's throw some love to the supporting cast because they truly *made* this drama. The parents? Their stories were just as captivating as the main leads. In fact, I found myself more invested in their complicated relationships at times than I was in the main romance. The subtle friendship between the mothers? Chef’s kiss. ?‍❤️‍? And Jo Han Chul’s portrayal of Bae Geun Sik? Well, let’s just say I cried when he cried and laughed when he laughed. That man deserves all the awards. ?

But hey, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The drunk scenes and occasional over-the-top yelling took up a bit too much screen time for my taste. And let’s not forget the friendship dubbed “lavender,” which was honestly a bit unbearable to watch. Thank goodness for the younger generation’s far more lovable and heartwarming friendships—they saved the day. ?

In the end, *Love Next Door* is not just a rom-com. It’s a thoughtful exploration of relationships, family, and the messiness of life. It’s not about who’s right or wrong; it’s about combining different perspectives to see the bigger picture. It’s about privilege, setbacks, and fears—real issues that we all face. And even though it might occasionally frustrate you, it’ll also make you think, laugh, cry, and question your own assumptions about people and relationships.

Is it perfect? No. But it’s honest, it’s real, and it’ll leave you with enough emotions to fill a journal—or a long-winded review like this one. ?

So, if you’re looking for something deeper than just a standard love story, give *Love Next Door* a try. Just make sure you’re ready for the feels. ?

A shoutout to @kate and @Jojo for inspiring some ideas in writing this review! Your insights made the experience all the richer. Thank you! ?✨

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Starts Out Strong But Tanks in the Middle, Recovers in the End

My thoughts after watching to the end---I have to say that I almost dropped this after the 12th episode. You can read why below. It was slow getting to the end, but I'm glad I finished it. In the end, this is a feel-good story about the importance of family, friends, and community over status and money. Who doesn't love a story with this type of message? If you're going to watch this, be advised that there are moments within the series that are exaggerated, unrealistic, and are frustrating for the viewer. I would say overall the writing of this drama is good, with really bizarre weak areas built in, most likely to get it to 16 episodes. My favorite of the series were the 4 friend/moms. To have such strong friendships throughout your life is truly exceptional and these 4 actresses added so much to the storyline. The FL and ML were nice. I think the writing and the way they acted showed a relationship of two people who grew up together and pretty much knew everything about each other, except that they loved each other. It was not exceptionally romantic, but I'm not sure 2 friends turned lovers would be all that romantic. Lastly, the dad friendship was funny and great. Just 2 bros hanging out trying to help each other understand their wives and children. The supporting female and male actors and their storyline was really precious too. It reminds me of Queen of Tears because there was this dip in the middle where the storyline just got stupid, but it is redeeming in the end. Just beware of this as you watch it.

Watched up to the 12th episode --- I started watching this for the two main leads who are a couple of my favorite actors. It started out strong and promising, but somewhere around episode 8 and 9, it just went off the rails and fizzled. There are some things I'm getting so tired of in Kdramas and unfortunately this had too many of these annoying qualities.

First, the writers forcing adults in adult situations to act childlike. Why are legal consenting adults hiding their relationship from others? Why do they have to come off as so stiff and awkward during a kiss? Do South Koreans have to take a vow of celibacy? Actually, considering the birth rate is so low, I think I just answered my own question.

Second, an adult facing a life altering illness, but telling no one about it. When Soek Ryu is diagnosed with cancer, she tells no one in her family.....really? One of the first things doctors ascertain about their patients when dealing with a serious diagnosis is "do you have a support network around you." This same thing played out in Queen of Tears and it was so, so, so very unbelievable.

Third, lack of communication between married couples, close friends, colleagues, you name it. Everyone just stays silent so misunderstandings abound. Why would a married woman be able to share secrets with her gay boss, but can't say 2 words to her husband?

Fourth, why are the females portrayed as physical abusers? Why are they always hitting everyone around them? Are women in South Korea that mean? And, why are the men forced to act like trained dogs? I really don't think this is how it truly is in South Korea, but for the life of me, I don't understand why people are portrayed as such.

Can't say for sure if I'm going to finish this or not. But for now I'm moving on to something else.

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