Scan barcode
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
1.0
1/5
Wasn’t into it.. was hoping I would get into it but that didn’t prevail
Wasn’t into it.. was hoping I would get into it but that didn’t prevail
allisonreadsabook's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
goodthingsread's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Look, I support Jessica. But this was painful.
The romance was mediocre and ended up being more of an object lesson in sexism than anything approaching real. I had hopes that Jason Lee would end up being a worthwhile character, fleeting glimpses of characterization, that all swiftly swirled down the drain as the novel drew to a close. He ended up just being a stand-in for a point, three tropes in a trench coat pretending to be a man.
The rest of the supporting characters were worse. Again, Mina, the stereotypical mean girl who's only mean because her father is mean to her, who becomes a friend briefly, also falls apart and immediately becomes an antagonist again at the first opportunity (and a flimsy opportunity, too). The trainee best friend is never given a chance to show any personality because Rachel, the MC, ghosts her quite early in the novel. The school best friends are twins and indistinguishable from each other, except one is a makeup maven and one is science-y with a crush on a nerdy boy. Don't ask me which is which. Dad is going to night school for a law degree and never seems to contribute anything to a conversation and Mom is heavily judgmental of K-Pop and Rachel's choices at all times.
Leah is the little sister and is obviously a stand in for Krystal and is therefore perfect and without flaw. (This is me, the reviewer's opinion, because I stan f(x), still. But in reality, Leah as a character acts much more childishly than I would ever expect a thirteen year old to. I honestly thought she was nine until the narrative announced she was thirteen halfway through.)
The fact that this is just a blatant grab for attention through the cache of K-Pop though is terrible since... the K-Pop is incredibly surface level. This is marketed as a sneak peak behind the scenes, but it's either obvious facts that a casual fan would know or nonsense. Trainees have strict dieting restrictions and weekly weigh-ins? Wow, shocking. But three (three!) K-Pop performers (two wildly popular trainees and one boyband star on the level of any member of BTS) are allowed to rent a car in Canada and drive themselves hours to a performance the same day without supervision.
There was a lot that simply didn't make sense though, and that killed me, dragging down the rating. I can handle basic and uninspiring story and characters. But Rachel talks about training 24/7, but also goes shopping with her school friends constantly, goes to a theme park, goes on an overnight school field trip, and spends an entire day in Tokyo seemingly without any backlash from her label. She talks about dieting and weigh-ins, but never does she restrict her food intake or second guess whether she should eat a particular item or not. The biggest event to start the novel involves her going to the trainee house for late night practice, only to find that there's a raging party going off, not any training at all. She stays to make a point, but then Mina, the mean girl, drugs her so she passes out after looking a mess on camera. Sure, I'll accept that. It's the kind of K-Drama nonsense I expect. But when Rachel wakes up the next morning, late for practice, she runs to the label building only to find that it's not <i>just</i> practice, but monthly evaluations. You mean to tell me she's been training for <i>seven whole years</i> but happened to <i>forget</i> that she was going to be out late the night before <i>monthly evals</i>? She can't get a single dance step right and then cracks on her first note, only managing to regain her control when Jason joins her on stage. They light up the stage, pure magic.... and then she barfs on his shoes and runs off stage to the bathroom.
I just... it's so tiring. You don't need every bad thing to happen to make a MC sympathetic. You need to make a worthwhile MC. That didn't happen here and so they're trying to make up for it by making Rachel such a pity case that you have to root for her, because no one else in the book is even remotely redeemable (except Leah, again, perfect). It's not a story, it's a slog, waiting to see what ridiculous event will happen next that will blow up in Rachel's face.
Yeah, I'm probably going to read the whole series because I enjoy pain.
The romance was mediocre and ended up being more of an object lesson in sexism than anything approaching real. I had hopes that Jason Lee would end up being a worthwhile character, fleeting glimpses of characterization, that all swiftly swirled down the drain as the novel drew to a close. He ended up just being a stand-in for a point, three tropes in a trench coat pretending to be a man.
The rest of the supporting characters were worse. Again, Mina, the stereotypical mean girl who's only mean because her father is mean to her, who becomes a friend briefly, also falls apart and immediately becomes an antagonist again at the first opportunity (and a flimsy opportunity, too). The trainee best friend is never given a chance to show any personality because Rachel, the MC, ghosts her quite early in the novel. The school best friends are twins and indistinguishable from each other, except one is a makeup maven and one is science-y with a crush on a nerdy boy. Don't ask me which is which. Dad is going to night school for a law degree and never seems to contribute anything to a conversation and Mom is heavily judgmental of K-Pop and Rachel's choices at all times.
Leah is the little sister and is obviously a stand in for Krystal and is therefore perfect and without flaw. (This is me, the reviewer's opinion, because I stan f(x), still. But in reality, Leah as a character acts much more childishly than I would ever expect a thirteen year old to. I honestly thought she was nine until the narrative announced she was thirteen halfway through.)
The fact that this is just a blatant grab for attention through the cache of K-Pop though is terrible since... the K-Pop is incredibly surface level. This is marketed as a sneak peak behind the scenes, but it's either obvious facts that a casual fan would know or nonsense. Trainees have strict dieting restrictions and weekly weigh-ins? Wow, shocking. But three (three!) K-Pop performers (two wildly popular trainees and one boyband star on the level of any member of BTS) are allowed to rent a car in Canada and drive themselves hours to a performance the same day without supervision.
There was a lot that simply didn't make sense though, and that killed me, dragging down the rating. I can handle basic and uninspiring story and characters. But Rachel talks about training 24/7, but also goes shopping with her school friends constantly, goes to a theme park, goes on an overnight school field trip, and spends an entire day in Tokyo seemingly without any backlash from her label. She talks about dieting and weigh-ins, but never does she restrict her food intake or second guess whether she should eat a particular item or not. The biggest event to start the novel involves her going to the trainee house for late night practice, only to find that there's a raging party going off, not any training at all. She stays to make a point, but then Mina, the mean girl, drugs her so she passes out after looking a mess on camera. Sure, I'll accept that. It's the kind of K-Drama nonsense I expect. But when Rachel wakes up the next morning, late for practice, she runs to the label building only to find that it's not <i>just</i> practice, but monthly evaluations. You mean to tell me she's been training for <i>seven whole years</i> but happened to <i>forget</i> that she was going to be out late the night before <i>monthly evals</i>? She can't get a single dance step right and then cracks on her first note, only managing to regain her control when Jason joins her on stage. They light up the stage, pure magic.... and then she barfs on his shoes and runs off stage to the bathroom.
I just... it's so tiring. You don't need every bad thing to happen to make a MC sympathetic. You need to make a worthwhile MC. That didn't happen here and so they're trying to make up for it by making Rachel such a pity case that you have to root for her, because no one else in the book is even remotely redeemable (except Leah, again, perfect). It's not a story, it's a slog, waiting to see what ridiculous event will happen next that will blow up in Rachel's face.
Yeah, I'm probably going to read the whole series because I enjoy pain.
jess_84's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hazel_oat's review against another edition
1.0
jessica has many talents! writing is not one of them.
saschabookishowl's review against another edition
3.0
This was cute but I wasn't very interested in the romance or in Jason to be honest. I was hoping for more scenes with practicing and the training program and such.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
K-pop, training, songs, family, and more. Follow Rachel as she tries to become a K-pop star!
While I am not that much of a k-pop listener myself, I should remedy that, I have listened to songs and I love the dances, I love how flashy it all is. So I couldn’t resist buying this one. It looked shiny, the premise sounded so much fun.
Meet Rachel, she has been a trainee for years and is now nearing to be too old to be a star. We see her train, study hard, try to make her dream come true, have fun with friends, and much more. Rachel was quite an interesting character to follow and I definitely found myself rooting for her. She was working so hard and I was hoping she would debut.
We see clearly that life as a K-pop trainee is not easy. Calorie-counting, weighing weekly and sometimes also surprise, hitting when you are not hitting a note, endless training, barely any sleep, and the constant fear you may just get send home. Then you cannot date. Your fellow trainees may be bitches send from hell. And there is plenty more. It is not a world I would ever want to be in no matter what. It sounds like pure hell. You have no control over anything. You just hope that the execs will see you and think you are worth the career. Brrrrr. Not to mention the differnt sets of rules between boys and girls as we see clearly in this book.
I do have to say I found it a bit too much that EVERY girl that Rachel saw and that knew her was complaining about her look and telling she was ugly. WTF? There wasn’t one who was happy with her and I found this highly unbelievable and silly. It felt like it was just added for the sake of showing the differences in everything between female and male k-pop stars/trainees some more.
I loved Rachel’s family and especially Leah was adorable. While Rachel doesn’t have a lot of time to do things with her sister, she does try. Buys yummy treats, shares gossip, goes to a fansigning. I love the bond they have. It was cute and sweet.
It must have been such a big change for the family as they lived in the US before going to Korea. For Rachel’s dream. I can only imagine how heavy that is for each family member. Each had to find a new way in this country.
Umma was not my favourite character in the beginning, but the ending definitely brought another side to her and I could understand her actions a bit better. But it would have been nice if she had just listened to her daughter, if she helped her out more, if instead of holding her back she would have allowed a bit more. At times I got quite frustrated with the mom. I mean, you went to Korea mostly for her, and then you hold her back. What is it that you want?
Her two friends Hyeri and Juhyun were great. I also liked Akari though we didn’t see a lot of her.
While I did like the romance between Jason/Rachel or at least the sweet and cute moments (I just LOVED how they met that was funny and adorable)… I was also pissed at Jason. Because he darn well knows the rules. He knows that Rachel could lose her entire career if she had a boyfriend. Even though he may deny it. He should know there are different sets of rules. Female singers get way less freedom. Why is he denying it when it is so clear? He does get a bit better later and he also helps Rachel in NY, so I was happy with that. Later on we find out more about things and then I just wanted to kick Jason. Hard.
The whole thing with Mina (but also the other girls) and then later the ending. Wow, a total big bag of bitches those girls are. Mina was the worst character in the world and I am sad she keeps being rewarded for doing shitty things to people. At times we saw another Mina, but sorry it just didn’t make anything that Mina did better. OMG, the stilettos I got from you broke and now I cannot dance, you must have sabotaged me… while Rachel never did a thing. WTF girl is wrong with your brain? Mina (but also the other girls) just made me like this book just a bit less. Instead of 5 stars it became a 4.5 stars, especially given that freaking ending.
While I enjoyed this book, there were many great parts and I was totally into it… I am not sure if I want to read the next book. Given the ending and how things go for Rachel now.. I am just not in the mood for a whole book about that.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
While I am not that much of a k-pop listener myself, I should remedy that, I have listened to songs and I love the dances, I love how flashy it all is. So I couldn’t resist buying this one. It looked shiny, the premise sounded so much fun.
Meet Rachel, she has been a trainee for years and is now nearing to be too old to be a star. We see her train, study hard, try to make her dream come true, have fun with friends, and much more. Rachel was quite an interesting character to follow and I definitely found myself rooting for her. She was working so hard and I was hoping she would debut.
We see clearly that life as a K-pop trainee is not easy. Calorie-counting, weighing weekly and sometimes also surprise, hitting when you are not hitting a note, endless training, barely any sleep, and the constant fear you may just get send home. Then you cannot date. Your fellow trainees may be bitches send from hell. And there is plenty more. It is not a world I would ever want to be in no matter what. It sounds like pure hell. You have no control over anything. You just hope that the execs will see you and think you are worth the career. Brrrrr. Not to mention the differnt sets of rules between boys and girls as we see clearly in this book.
I do have to say I found it a bit too much that EVERY girl that Rachel saw and that knew her was complaining about her look and telling she was ugly. WTF? There wasn’t one who was happy with her and I found this highly unbelievable and silly. It felt like it was just added for the sake of showing the differences in everything between female and male k-pop stars/trainees some more.
I loved Rachel’s family and especially Leah was adorable. While Rachel doesn’t have a lot of time to do things with her sister, she does try. Buys yummy treats, shares gossip, goes to a fansigning. I love the bond they have. It was cute and sweet.
It must have been such a big change for the family as they lived in the US before going to Korea. For Rachel’s dream. I can only imagine how heavy that is for each family member. Each had to find a new way in this country.
Umma was not my favourite character in the beginning, but the ending definitely brought another side to her and I could understand her actions a bit better. But it would have been nice if she had just listened to her daughter, if she helped her out more, if instead of holding her back she would have allowed a bit more. At times I got quite frustrated with the mom. I mean, you went to Korea mostly for her, and then you hold her back. What is it that you want?
Her two friends Hyeri and Juhyun were great. I also liked Akari though we didn’t see a lot of her.
While I did like the romance between Jason/Rachel or at least the sweet and cute moments (I just LOVED how they met that was funny and adorable)… I was also pissed at Jason. Because he darn well knows the rules. He knows that Rachel could lose her entire career if she had a boyfriend. Even though he may deny it. He should know there are different sets of rules. Female singers get way less freedom. Why is he denying it when it is so clear? He does get a bit better later and he also helps Rachel in NY, so I was happy with that. Later on we find out more about things and then I just wanted to kick Jason. Hard.
Spoiler
Sure he was manipulated as well, but he was never honest. Was he ever truly in love with Rachel or was it all pretend? I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care. Boo Jason.The whole thing with Mina (but also the other girls) and then later the ending. Wow, a total big bag of bitches those girls are. Mina was the worst character in the world and I am sad she keeps being rewarded for doing shitty things to people. At times we saw another Mina, but sorry it just didn’t make anything that Mina did better. OMG, the stilettos I got from you broke and now I cannot dance, you must have sabotaged me… while Rachel never did a thing. WTF girl is wrong with your brain? Mina (but also the other girls) just made me like this book just a bit less. Instead of 5 stars it became a 4.5 stars, especially given that freaking ending.
While I enjoyed this book, there were many great parts and I was totally into it… I am not sure if I want to read the next book. Given the ending and how things go for Rachel now.. I am just not in the mood for a whole book about that.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
emmie1507's review against another edition
4.0
Where to start! I thought this book was REALLY good. It made me want to cry, scream, and laugh all at the same time. It really gives you a good look into the K-Pop industry, and I could never imagine going through what K-Pop idols have to go through. It was a really amazing book!
daydreamerjade's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0