This review is for My Life as an Internet Novel Volume 1. Ink Pop provided a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I first encountered My Life as an Internet Novel on Tappytoon—full disclosure, I didn’t finish it there. I’m not even sure what chapter I left off on. But the premise hooked me instantly. As someone who reads an embarrassing amount of webnovels and webcomics, a story about a reader being isekai’d into a webnovel felt less like a gimmick and more like a personal challenge.
Volume 1 opens with Dani Hahm, a 14-year-old girl who abruptly finds herself inside an internet novel. She doesn’t realize this immediately, of course—instead, she’s confused, disoriented, and deeply unsettled. When her classmate Yeoryeong shows up to walk her to school, Dani can’t understand why they’re suddenly going together, while Yeoryeong is visibly hurt by Dani’s cold, distant behavior.
Things only get worse once they arrive at school. Dani literally bumps into a blue-eyed, devastatingly handsome boy named Cheonyeong, triggering an immediate and intense reaction from the students around her. She’s accused of doing it on purpose. Girls glare at her. Possessiveness flares. Dani, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out why everyone is acting like she wandered into the wrong building—convinced her mom must have bought her the wrong school uniform.
Unfortunately for Dani, she quickly learns that this is her school now.
As she continues to spiral, Dani receives a message from Yeoryeong—prompting a new wave of panic. When did they ever exchange phone numbers? As classroom chaos unfolds involving Yeoryeong and the so-called Four Heavenly Kings (Cheonyeong included, alongside two other boys Dani encountered earlier), Dani has the perfect internal summary for her situation: “It feels like I’ve been thrown into a daytime soap opera.” She’s not wrong.
By the end of the day, Yeoryeong confronts Dani about her strange behavior, asking why she’s been acting like they don’t know each other. Dani has no answer—but when her in-novel mom casually confirms her relationship with Yeoryeong, it becomes painfully clear: the problem isn’t the world. It’s her.
After a three-year time skip, the story shifts to a graduation trip—and emotional tensions that have only grown more complicated. Dani and Cheonyeong are now openly at odds following their biggest fight yet. On the train, Dani reflects on her earliest days inside the novel, particularly her attempt to distance herself from Yeoryeong by befriending a girl named Yeomin.
At first, Yeomin feels like an escape hatch—a way to create distance without confrontation. But the Four Heavenly Kings notice the rift immediately, and Yeoryeong, determined to fix their friendship, visits Dani at home… only to find Yeomin already there. The realization that Dani has grown close to someone else without her is quietly devastating.
Things sour quickly. Yeomin begins speaking badly about Yeoryeong behind her back, and Dani is left deeply unsettled. This wasn’t what she wanted. After ending the friendship with Yeomin and reconciling with Yeoryeong, things appear to return to normal—until Yeomin turns hostile, openly badmouthing Dani and accusing her of sticking around Yeoryeong purely because she’s surrounded by gorgeous boys. (Enter: the Four Heavenly Kings.)
Back in the present, the graduation trip takes a darker turn when Yeoryeong—completely unaware of her own beauty—is harassed by delinquents. When they begin mocking Dani, Yeoryeong’s protectiveness flares dangerously. Dani tries to intervene, only to recognize one of the boys’ names as the kind that usually belongs to disposable bullies in the novels she used to read. Certain she’s about to be beaten senseless, Dani panics—until Eunhyong, one of the Heavenly Kings, steps in.
While the rest of the trip passes without incident, the emotional groundwork has been laid. Dani’s deep fear of abandonment surfaces, mirrored by Yeoryeong murmuring in her sleep, revealing that she carries similar trauma. Dani also can’t stop comparing herself to her wealthy, beautiful, seemingly perfect friends, constantly measuring her own worth against theirs—and finding herself lacking.
Physically, the book is a standout. The formatting is clean, the paper quality is excellent, and the overall design feels premium. I do have a few nitpicks—“goosebumps” appears as two words, and there’s often no space after an ellipsis (Seven Seas does this too)—but these are minor and don’t detract from the reading experience. At $17.99, it’s an excellent value.
My Life as an Internet Novel isn’t just an isekai—it’s a story about friendship misalignment, emotional dependency, and the quiet terror of realizing you don’t belong as easily as you thought you did. The series recently returned from hiatus in January, with the English localization set to resume in February. The physical edition is available now through Penguin Random House and major booksellers.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens after you wake up inside the story—once the novelty fades and real emotions take over—this novel might hit closer to home than you expect.
