I loved it

I'll be in the minority if I have to be. I loved it even with any flaws it had. The chemistry of the main couple is more than enough to make up for the side character/plot shenanigans to me. My husband and I both looked forward to new episodes every week and I just generally enjoyed it much more than I have any drama in the past year or more.
There were some over the top lines to the story, sure, but entertainment value for me was very high. At no time was I bored. I laughed, cried, got angry - just had my emotions all over the place. The music was lovely as well. So take my 2¢ for whatever it's worth. I liked it a lot and I would watch it again.
Kim Jo Won was already one of my favorite Korean actresses, and I'm even more of a fan now. Kim Soo Hyun had the most expression in any show I've seen him in thus far - he really shined in this role.
I wouldn't say there is anything realistic in this storyline but it was entertaining to me and for those reasons I've listed, I'm rating it well above what most people are feeling.

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Relaxing type drama but not without flaws

I was really looking forward to this drama because I love Song Seung Heon, and I became a fan of Seo Ji Hye in Crash Landing On You. Seeing Ye Ji Won in the cast list was also a plus for me. I had a slow start due to having to watch on my laptop but I really did like the first episode. The cinematography was well done and the music was pretty good. The first several episodes were really great and I felt very relaxed watching this show. There were things I enjoyed about it, but there were a lot of criticisms as well and the plot just wasn't that great. I'd like to see SSH and SJH paired up in something better than this because the chemistry between them was pretty good.

So here come my nitpicks: I wasn't excited about the ex-lovers showing back up in the plot and annoyingly they never went away. That was a pretty old school trope/cliché - the ex that won't give up even though that person is in a new relationship. No Eul also seemed to be way too young to have been in a relationship with Hae Kyung - especially for such a long time. There are a lot of times that age gaps don't bother me. This wasn't one of them. It was awkward. I thought both exes were overly clingy and that the main leads coddled them way too much. It interfered with their relationship to the point that I was annoyed. The main couple were also mature age-wise but the script-writers kept blocking any scene they got cozy in with stupid interruptions that would have been understandable if it was a drama about a much younger couple. Add in to that a year time jump at the end where Do Hee starts acting a bit wishy washy about marriage...I was just super disappointed in the ending. There should have been a bigger payoff for all that frustration.

SSH, SJI, and YJW were the high points of the show. I think Son Na Eun and Lee Ji Hoon are both horrible actors and really dragged the show down a lot.

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Definitely more innocent than the source material

I had heard such mixed reviews on this show that I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it, but I finally decided to give it a go. It was much better than the bad reviews said - not perfect by any means, but it was fairly enjoyable. I looked up the source material, and I will say that it was definitely more innocent. I'm not sure what all the deviations were because I only looked at the first episode of the manga (which is very NSFW! Just a warning!) I know some people found the age gap "problematic" (I'm really starting to hate the over-use of that word. LOL!) but the show was pretty PG so that didn't really bother me. Backstreet Rookie is a simple love story set in a convenience store for the majority of the drama. There were some manga-like moments also that reminded me a bit of some things from Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Saet Byul falls for Dae Hyun at first sight while she's still in high school when he's just been dumped by his girlfriend. They don't see each other again for 3 years, when she's 22 - no longer a minor. DH is in a very one-sided relationship with a rich girl that takes advantage of his naivety and good heart. SB has her own issues, having to leave school to finish raising her sister after their dad dies. She answers DH's ad for a part-time worker and they gradually become closer as they work together. There's not a really heavy plot, and it's just some cute bit of fluff. Watch it if you want something not too taxing on the brain! :)

Kim Yoo Jung as Saet Byul was super freaking adorable! Such a sunshine-y character that she made me smile every time she was on screen - she really was the one to give this show life. Ji Chang Wook was kind of under-whelming as Dae Hyun, but I suspect that it was because his character was such a mild mannered, nice guy that made it seem that way. *shrug* I also have to say that I really don't care for Han Sun Hwa (playing Yeon Joo). This is the third (at least) show I've watched her in and she always ends up playing the most annoying characters that I've developed a distaste for her. Kim Sun Young as Dae Hyun's mother, Boon Hee, has her stereotypical loudness that I've come to expect from her. I liked her character over-all, but I really wish she would tone down the yelling a bit in her dramas. She's a great actress and doesn't need to resort to such cheap tactics. I still thought her character was warm, loving, and genuine underneath all the bluster.

I enjoyed the music, but nothing stood out as really special either. It was good though.

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