True to Love

Good at Giving Advice Not so Good at Following her Own Advice

My Rating: 9.5/10

If you like good solid romances that start with two characters who don’t necessarily like each other but move from enemies to frenemies, to friends to lovers, this is a great pick. The Female Lead (Yeon Bo-ra) and Male Lead (Lee Soo-hyuk) have excellent chemistry that makes their slow-burn progression feel natural and satisfying.

It also hits the spot if you’re interested in break-up tropes, self-help type characters or dating counselors who have to face their own messy love lives. The show handles a lot of it with real levity and funny moments, which keeps things from getting too heavy. I would absolutely recommend True to Love, I’d watch it again, and it’s earned a permanent spot in my library of must-watch romances.

Spoilers

Watching the Female Lead (Yeon Bo-ra) belittle herself with her ex was cringe to the next level. The begging him to take her back and saying she would just ignore his cheating felt second-hand embarrassing. My daughter, my 30-something drama-watching buddy, especially had a hard time with those parts and it almost made her quit watching. Her personal style is that she doesn’t grovel on anything. I’m more the hopeless romantic who has made an idiot out of myself over some guys, so we had very different responses. It was a bit much though, even for me, given her background as a dating coach. Still, I know we often give the best advice to others that we never take ourselves, and that theme really landed for me.

The ex of the Male Lead (Lee Soo-hyuk) was just mean. Yes, he was a little emotionally distant, but that didn’t excuse her starting a relationship with someone else and saying every vile thing she could think of when she broke up with him. And given some of the things she said about Bo-ra, she just wasn’t a very nice person. I was actually glad she went through with her marriage and left because she felt toxic to me.

And man, some of Bo-ra’s friends. I’m like girl, you need to re-think who you befriend. The girl at the wedding where she was told to think of the champagne glass as a prop? Why would you even associate with someone so mean-spirited? Her really good friend/bestie (Lee Yoo-jeong) had her moments too. She sided with the Male Lead (Lee Soo-hyuk) one time and threw Bo-ra under the bus, which frustrated me.

Then that event Bo-ra hosted where she went off on her fans — peak cringe. I know people lose it like that, but letting it ruin your job? That was a lot.

I also wasn’t a fan of the age-gap romance between the CEO (Male Lead’s friend) and the young employee. The gap felt way too big for me — she seemed very young with this idealized, almost fairy-tale view of romance, while he was clearly in a much later stage of life with different priorities and perspectives. I just couldn’t picture the two of them together at all. It came off like the classic “wealthy older guy dating a much younger woman because he can,” even though the show tried to make it feel deeper and not about that. They didn’t seem to have much in common, which made the pairing feel forced and unconvincing to me.

A lot of other viewers seem to have felt the same way about these parts — the groveling scenes, the toxic ex dynamics, the age-gap romance subplot, and some of the frustrating friend moments. Many people noted how realistic (if painful) it was to watch a dating coach struggle so badly in her own love life, and quite a few mentioned the second-hand embarrassment during Bo-ra’s lowest points. It made the growth later feel more earned for me, even if those middle sections tested my patience a bit.

Overall, the strengths of the central romance and the show’s honest look at relationships far outweighed the cringier moments for me. That’s why it still lands at a strong 9.5/10 in my book.

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love or not.

This is a very interesting series. it took me trying a few tries before i could make myself finish 1st episode. it was difficult for me to get into the series. and it took me few episodes to love the story , actions - leads and supporting characters and their back stories.

the series attempts to explore happiness , who is happier,-one who is single , or one in relationship or one in marriage. It seemed everyone is unhappy irrespective of their relationship status. married ones , more so.

it seemed only the women are worried about the health of their relationships , their happiness in it and wish to work on it .
was the series meant to be that way? FL's ex other than being scumbag doesnt even leave her with shred of dignity when he dumps her.

<>

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Lesson of the Day, be a man and tell her you love her sheeesh!

This Drama was so good but so frustrating at the same time. Let me elaborate. I’ll start with what was so frustrating and what I disliked first. I don’t know if I’m just a cold hearted person but I feel like the length of time that she(Bo Ra) spent crying and embarrassing herself over her ex was way too lengthy. I mean it’s not like they ended because he broke up with her out of nowhere which would have made her spiral more understandable. No, he literally CHEATED on her with his “cousin” or whatever. If I was the FL I would have been more disgusted and mad than sad and pathetic. The scene of her on stage was the most cringe and embarrassing. Over a cheater? I could never. And the fact that she was a “love coach” but she couldn’t tell he was no longer In love with her and seeing someone else is bazaar but I guess it’s part of the lesson here. I did not feel the chemistry from any of the side couples besides Jin Ho and Bo Mi, they were so cute. I did not like how the ML (Soo Hyuk) took so long the develop character wise. So you’re gonna tell me his ex broke it off because he couldn’t express his emotions and needs as a man should and he was just like “oh well that’s just how I am I guess”. It took him till the end of the drama to actually say “I like you” like
wtf. I feel like they(the writers) could have portrayed it as though he was becoming more open about his feelings as the drama progressed, like expressing himself verbally little by little. I did not like that Bo Ra didn’t make it clear to her ex that she didn’t want him as soon as he tried to come back, I would have told him off when he showed up to the radio show, but she decided to get into his car AND befriend him after all that he’s done like why!!! That chapter is closed tell that bum
to get a life. It just caused unnecessary
misunderstandings. I would have like to see more intimacy between the MLs throughout the drama but that was restricted by the fact that both of them were behaving immaturely about their feelings. There was a lot of flirting and a kiss so I guess I’ll sit and be satisfied. Now for what I liked. I felt the chemistry between the main leads perfectly. Despite the fact that they were circled jerking. I still felt the love between them even though word were not said. They genuinely had a connection which is why it was so frustrating to see them pulling back. I loved that they helped eachother heal from their pasts. I liked that there was so much screen time with them and so much going on. I liked Bo mi and Jim Ho’s relationship, they seemed way more mature when it’s came to their relationship than the older couples. I loved the entire plot, love coach finding love is a plot I have yet to see as much. And I think the MLs were very attractive especially the Soo Hyuk and I’m not one to like older men in dramas usually( besides the ML in Goblin) but honestly he is sexy! And the FL is so gorgeous. She has such a Doe look to her. We needed some steamy scenes….but anyways I give this drama a 9.5/10 highly recommend.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " Bo Ra! Deborah " is a new aged romantic comedy.

The drama focuses on Deborah and how she experiences her whole world view crumbling down.

Being centered around its female lead, the drama needed strong performances to be able to pull it off, and, indeed, Yoo In Na does a great job monopolizing each and every scene.

The rest of the cast is enjoyable as well, with the side characters being especially entertaining.

However, when it came to the story, the drama started strong, yes, but did not maintain the momentum. The series started losing each charm episode after episode, with the love story being a slow burn, and the plot going in circles.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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A must watch Romcom of 2023

A must watch Romcom...❣
Very satisfying ending ever... it was best ending for all the couples in the drama..🥺 In the Era of Dark drama this drama was a very satisfying experience for me..it has the best plot, very good acting by all the cast members. Every episode made me smile, i laughed so much even some scenes made me Sad this is how dramas should be all in one🤩🤩🤩
Want more dramas like this...💙💙

Deborah's character was so cute... 😍 I am happy she found a person in front of him she doesn't have to act like she is okay... she feels comfortable him....🤩🤩

The character of male lead was on point
At first I thought the male lead is an idiot he should express himself in front of female lead But then i thought In reality a person really hesitates to express feelings...he/she always thinks about the other person opposite to him/her..like if i say this would it be okay or what would she'll/he'll think about me what if he/she gets a wrong idea and all... so this made me think his character was on point.
But if the opposite gender is expressing himself/herself there's no harm in expressing yourself..And at the ending writer did it...🥺🥺🤩🤩🤩

The Ex's character of both lead were reality of clingy people in Real life.😂😂

And other two couples were too cute to handle❣

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Mending a broken heart

It was a little slow in the beginning, the leads had too few scenes together and it was all about Bora and her ex. But then it got so much better after her break up. I understood then that it was a process Bora had to go through. The narrative has a good pace, it's not slow, and that's really good. I was a little afraid of all the relationship talk in this drama but I really liked it in the end. It wasn't shallow and full of corny and cringe phrases, instead I resonated with Bora's views and takes on love and relationships. I like the narration on some scenes, it makes all her suffering and eventual growth more meaningful. It was all very well produced and directed. The OSTs were really good, there wasn't a single bad one for me.

The leads are great together, they have chemistry and are fun together. Liked how they become friends and connect with each other before being together. I think they could've stayed together just a little bit sooner, but the fact that they just become a couple in the last episode didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Her ex was an asshole, I hated him, but I knew he was gonna ask to come back with her. Liked how she stayed firm and never thought of a second chance with him. Also, I think it was a sign of growth how she was the one that confessed first to Suhyeok, he's really slow and she learned her lesson with her ex.

Some side stories were good. In many dramas I feel like the side plots are fillers and shenanigans that are used as a relief from the main story. But it wasn't like this in this drama, the side characters have their own stories and personal dramas going on (at least some of them), and I personally like that. It kinda feels like all characters are deep in a way or just as important.

Since the main theme of the drama is romantic relationships, they explored this not only with the leads but also with the side characters. So we have many couples, the married one, the younger couple, and the divorced.
However, the only side couple that mattered were BOMI/JINHO. They were cute together, loved and trusted each other. Thought they were gonna make her be cruel and distant to him until the last minute, but instead she warmed to him and ended up being a good girlfriend. Although it was too soon, I liked that they married and were gonna have a baby in the end.
YUJEONG/JINWOO were disappointing. I mean, he was not a good husband. She spent the whole drama trying to make him see her but he was just too busy playing videogames to notice her. I understand he needs some alone time but at what cost! They simply stopped having sex and he couldn't be bothered by that. In the end he changed, that was good, but I didn't see that change, it was too rushed.
SANGJIN/WOORI were weird. I couldn't understand where they were taking this couple cuz they don't make sense. That's it. Her voice was a little annoying, she speaks like a kid. And their interactions seemed more like uncle/niece to me. Tbh, why did he accept her feelings for him?! It came out of nowhere.

Overall, I think it was a great drama. The main couple is good and the thoughts on love and relationships are mature. There were some things that annoyed me but I had a great time watching it. Totally reccomend.

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Best comfort drama for a bad break-up

This drama is the ultimate safe space to see yourself at your worst possible mental state. I walked into the drama expecting a sappy rom com but it was so much more than that. It was raw, unfiltered and denoted all the emotions a person goes through during a bad break-up.
The story is well paced, properly written and you won't really get bored till the end. But it also has it's pros and cons. While the pros are the story and the main leads, rest of the actors are mediocre. While some stories were simply fillers, some unnecessary and some completely predictable. It's a good watch for a lonely night when you have nothing else to watch but not as good if you want something exciting and relatable.

Will i watch it again? No.
Will i recommend it to anyone? Probably if they are going through a really bad breakup

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There are countless things to say so I can't find a proper headline. Please enjoy the review.

When I first heard about the drama I thought it would be something classical and boring, but I started it anyway because of the cast, and I don't regret it. Indeed, when I watched the first episode, I really liked the energy the FL gave through her work. Despite the fact that she was a dating coach which I found really weird, it made me curious about how she will break up with her bf and how she will meet the ML, so I was intrigued by the storyline. But when she broke up with her bf and did all those embarrassing things, I would have dropped the drama then if it wasn't for Su-hyuk, the way he comforted her and helped her, their chemistry was near to perfect to the point that got me wondering if would ever find someone to whom I can show my true self. I even asked myself this question : "Can I ever be true to love?". The secondary couples were lovely too: I liked the way the married couple tolerate each other, it was .. Warm. As for Bomi and Jinho, thoe two were very cute and refreshing.
(I wanted to talk about this part separately, that's why I'm writing it in its own paragraph) The last episodes were about how the ending should be, and the way they interpreted love stories' endings was unique : "But our love story is neither a perfect happy ending, nor a sad ending, it's an open ending" (This should be my favourite line in this drama). That's what made the drama end perfectly. Which is rare in dramas to have an ending this satisfying.
I still have a lot to say but It's already long So I hope everyone who has ever watched this drama or wants to watch it will enjoy it, appreciate it, and see the story from all parts.

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A kaleidoskope of failed relationships

This drama is a kaleidoscope of failed relationships and call me a cynic but I'm not seeing a bright future for most of this drama's couples:
-Yu Jung and her lazy ass husband finally talked it out and have delved into role playing games to spice things up, but watch them get bored in a couple of years again. The husband will be the first because he is just lazy by nature and takes his wife for granted. And the wife needs constant affirmation of their love.

-FL's spoiled brat of a sister just didn't give me the vibe that she truly loves the guy, she just goes with the flow in life. A NEET and a minimal wage worker, they are a staple divorce statistics example, so often stories such as these happen. Since they don't even know each other well or what they want to do with their life I think in a couple of years she's gonna start blaming the guy for ruining her life and gonna end up a divorcee with two kids, continuing living off of her relatives. If I were FL I would have given her an earful and kicked her out of the "bird's nest" long ago to get a taste of real life. Or at the very least made her pay rent. I really dislike lazy loafers like these, have seen them in real life and they just never learn to live on their own due to continued coddling.

-U-Ri and CEO...just why and how the ef? I don't even think CEO really fell in love with U-Ri, no chemistry whatsoever. He just didn't want to end up alone in his age and used her puppy love to his benefit. Too bad his ex wife didn't want to get back together with him, would have been a better fit. I don't know what else to say besides it being cringe.

-That bitchy bride friend of FL's is gonna get divorced in a couple of years as well. Pressured an unready guy into marriage, yeah, that's gonna end well.

-The chicken sh*it of an ex his current gf - not gonna happen. At this rate the guy is going to end up forever alone, he really needs to dial himself down by a lot.

-ML's ex and her husband - not really seeing it either. She clearly didn't know what she wanted and gonna question and beat herself up until her husband will get sick of it.

-ML and FL...they will probably be ok? ML kinda half-assed his confession, but FL considerately gave him slack. ML really struggled to convey his feelings until the very last, but judging by his behaviour in the end he seemed to have overcome it, he became all lovey dovey with her. They were quite cute in the end. And FL is not going to ditch ML, because where else will she find a guy who likes her no matter all the embarassing stuff she constantly gets herself into. Personally, I think the lead couple was the most natural in development and healthiest of all of this drama's relationships. Their bonding through similar ordeal allowed them to really get to know and understand each other, which I can't say for many of the other couples of this drama.

Overall, a 7/10 from me. I really loved YIN's performance, she really carried the show and managed to pull off various aspects of her character, ranging from really embarassing ones to very mature ones, with effortless grace. I can imagine it must have been difficult though, because her character had to stay likeable while being very flawed.
And some of the show's dialogues were real gems, full of witty banter and meaningful one liners.
But still:
-1 point for cringey U-Ri and CEO couple.
-1 point for trainwreck of a shotgun couple.
-1 point for too much screen time and tears wasted on Mr. Trash.

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Healing Journey w/ Comedic Value

Bo Ra! Deborah is a drama that focused on the different stages of relationships. While it is not perfect, people got hooked on it because it actually makes a lot of sense.

The storyline is ingenious, to be honest. It focused on the personal growth of not just one character but almost all of them.

I most especially appreciated the growth of Bo Ra, initially, she tried too hard to cloak her real self to fill the mold of what her previous partner preferred. It was maddening because it seemed like she had no real personality and was living in a Barbie world. The breakup while it wrecked her, also helped her in the end to be the best version of herself or try to be. Plus, while the portrayal of her wreckage was very cringe-worthy it was still part of the healing journey and was very real- I mean, let's be honest, most people really do insane things when brokenhearted, it's just that her actions seemed over the top.

I also appreciate the moment Soo Hyuk entered Bo Ra's life. They helped each other in more ways than one. They became each other's pillar and at the same time, they learned more about each other in the realest way than the other couples. I really appreciate how they saw each other in their lowest stage and became friends and each other's support system. I also liked how Bo Ra didn't push Soo Hyuk to be the person he isn't, she helped him overcome his difficulties in communication by meeting him halfway and allowing him to digest his feelings without rushing him. I also loved the part wherein Soo Hyuk said that "Whatever you do, nothing can make me stop liking you." Because from the very start that's what Bo Ra needed, someone to accept her as she is. And that admission is also what Soo Hyuk needed, a person who'll make him finally break the dam that prevents him from accepting his feelings.

My only qualm is that while we saw both Soo Hyuk and Bo Ra grow and get over their previous failed relationships, the drama lacked in showing how they are outside of that bubble. Like what will Bo Ra and Soo Hyuk be into now that they're together? How is their dynamic as a couple? What are the things they do together that they both enjoy? I think those little things would make so much more impact on their storyline. Either way, they still gave them an impactful story.

As for the other couples, I think that their storyline is done in a way that's a middle point between acceptable and needs to be improved or fixed.

San Jin's storyline. I actually appreciated the first part of his story a lot more than I realized. The story about his divorce and how they both failed as partners was perfectly portrayed. It highlighted how failing to communicate as partners will eventually lead to the failure of the relationship. But sadly, the appreciation of his story ends there. Sang Jin's new love interest is a mess, not only do they have nothing in common and have no chemistry at all, the progression of their storyline also makes zero sense. I'm left wondering if he gave in because she gave him exactly what he was looking for; whether it be attention or the youthful and innocent portrayal of her admiration. I really don't know or understand.

Then there's Yu Jung and Jin Woo. The married couple seemed like they were only roommates. I honestly don't understand this couple or the resolution they gave about their marriage problems in the end. It's clear that Yu Jung would always need validation regarding Jin Woo's love, which might be because she was the one who proposed to him, and there'll always be a lingering insecurity there. I think that Jin Woo on his part really needs to show value to Yu Jung. I'm not looking for over-the-top showering of attention and all, just any small action on his part just to show his love and appreciation for her would be nice. Them meeting halfway on each other's interest would be nice too. The ending they gave, which is to dive into foreplay is not actually a real solution to their problems but just a patch to the hole.

Lastly, the young love of Bo Mi and Jin Ho. Oh my. I think that the ending they gave this couple is the weakest one in the whole series, and their storyline had such great potential! This couple needed to learn more about themselves and their place in society at first, and they know and have discussed this. Seeing them grow into the people they're meant to be while still choosing each other would've been great. Instead, they shocked us by impregnating Bo Mi early on giving them no chance to grow at all. Bo Mi just became dependent on both Bo Ra and Jin Ho without having the chance to know what she wants for herself. Also, can we also note the fact that we know little to nothing about Jin Ho other than him being instantly in love and attracted to Bo Mi. What is he going to do to support Bo Mi and their twins in the end? Oh well... I guess this part of the story refers to the youth today and how unstable things are in this generation.

Overall, Bo Ra! Deborah is such a great drama to watch with healing and growth as its main point. The romance between the main leads while lacking airtime is still something to look forward to on every episode.

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bora debora, foi um drama bom eu particularmente esperava mais sabe aksjsjw

no final, ali nos dois ultimos... na vdd 4 ultimos ele cagaram, queria q os protas fosses desenvolvidos melhores cara, conversasem, sabe.... tinha tudp pra ser um dorama 10000, mas por questao disso nao gostei tanto foi um drama normal, nada muito aaaaaa, eles ficam juntos oq é bom mas eles ficam apenas no final dps q a bora dar corda pro ex, deps q ele ler o livro e toma uma posição... o casal de amigos eles tbm, plmds eles tinham q conversar né.... ficaram naquele lenga lenga pra no fim, nao ser nada de mais a questao, pobri da bomi ela gravida, tipo asssim, os dois nem tem estabilidade, ele uma pobi coitada sem nada pra fazer e ele arrecem vai viver

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Goes downhill along the way

This show started out pretty good, the story line was interesting. It wasn't anything new tbh but it had some nice realistic elements. There were some unnecessary incidents happening, especially ones that included humiliating the female lead SO much throughout the show. The last 2 episodes are what ruined it for honestly, it was very rushed and most of it didn't even make much. The last episode where they all somehow fixed their life in a few moments was a bit cliche and underwhelming. Overall, I don't think I would recommend this show even though it had a nice cast with good dialogue at times but the story plummeted somewhat which is a shame.

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