Book Review: Bingsu For Two by Sujin Witherspoon

‘Bingsu For Two’ by Sujin Witherspoon was released in 2025. It is Witherspoon’s debut novel. I have been excited to read it since she was originally pitching it on social media.

I really enjoyed this book. Witherspoon was able to convey a lot of serious and hard-hitting topics and themes within her book and it left a strong impression. This story, on the surface, looks like an enemies-to-lovers romcom, with fake dating, but in reality, while all these things are true, this story is about finding yourself, your passions and the nefarious side of social media and insta-fame.

River Langston-Lee is the firstborn son of his ambitious, proud parents, whose entrepreneurial spirits had them launching a profitable business called Cafe Gong, where River effectively grew up. He loved the nostalgia and family-business aspects of the cafe, but as he grew up and the business evolved, with increasing franchising opportunities, River’s love for his family business has changed, it isn’t the same anymore, and while he wants to do what his parents want, and be a good son, he feels like he can’t meet their expectations.

The book opens with River walking out of his SAT exams midway through his paper, and trudging to work, where he is greeted by his ex-girlfriend’s friends. He’s uncomfortable, tense and on edge, so when he encounters a rude customer that ends up upending a thermos of coffee over his head, he pours coffee beans down her shirt and quits his job. Consequences be damned.

Realising the sheer enormity of his choices and his desire to be somewhere that isn’t home, River grovels at a nearby cafe for a job – only for it to be where the rude customer from before works.

When a video of his first shift at Bingsu For Two accidentally blows up on social media, the business is inundated with prospective customers, and the staff are propelled to a level of semi-viral stardom. To keep the business afloat, they decide to utilise their fifteen minutes of fame and start making more videos for social media, but wearing a mask that simplifies a person’s character, and taking the words from strangers online to heart really impacts each member of staff differently.

There was such a strong sense of character voice in this book. I loved how Witherspoon was able to establish the various personalities of the characters that River finds himself interacting with. None of his found family at a rival cafe, Bingsu For Two, a family business on the verge of going under, feel flat and two-dimensional, they are fleshed out with a lot of problems that weigh on them. I really enjoyed seeing these teenagers try and find joy in the chaos they’re experiencing, and striving to believe in themselves, and their dreams, even when the going gets tough.

I loved how Witherspoon was able to explore the idea of people misusing social media in her book, it had a lot of perspective in it and allowed her target audience the opportunity to reflect on the influence of having an online persona can have, before an individual may actually experience some of the more malignant areas of social media, like fake accounts impersonating you, or being criticised by people online.

Once I’d finished ‘Bingsu For Two’, I messaged all of my bookish friends, and demanded they read it too. It was such a thought-provoking story that addresses so many things a modern audience encounters, with little risk that the book will be dated by its acknowledgement of current social media trends etc. I loved this book, and already have plans to lend it to a friend! This was a fantastic debut, and Witherspoon has definitely made an impression.