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blakethebookeater's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexism, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Drug use, and Alcohol
bookswithsoumi's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Review: As a decade long fan of K-pop, SM Entertainment artists, Girls’ Generation, AND Jessica Jung, I knew I had to read this book when Jessica first announced it. As far as I know, this is the first YA book that really explores life as a trainee, and definitely the only book written by a former idol!
In addition to the protagonist being a woman of color, I appreciated that the love interest is a person of color as well, especially a biracial one! Jessica did a wonderful attempt of describing a biracial person and an American’s perspective living in South Korea. Feelings of being an outsider are common, and you don’t have to be a Korean-American living in Korea to connect with Rachel.
Jessica also wrote out every fangirl’s dreaming of getting close to their idol. Jason, the Korean- Canadian love interest, is Korea’s number 1 idol. Out of the men Jessica has been romantically linked to in the past (Tyler Kwon, Taecyeon, and Donghae, who happens to be my bias in Super Junior), none of them stand out to me as the basis for Jason Lee’s character. Perhaps Jason was an amalgam of all the K-pop stars she has met over the years, including Henry Lau, Chinese-Canadian idol, who is very talented with various musical instruments and from Toronto, just like Jason.
Regarding the ending, I found it to be a very good set up for the next book in the series. I am indeed excited to see how Rachel performs as an idol as she matures into her twenties. I can’t wait to be thrown into the world of music shows and concerts. Maybe even fighting over endorsements or commercial gigs?
Time to read: 8 hours over 8 days
Content Warning: Avoid this book if you do not want to read about drugs, drugging, alcohol, bullying, vomiting, weight watching (not explicitly eating disorders), or loss of consciousness.
Tl;dr: Read this book if you want a light-hearted novel that makes you feel like a K-pop trainee! Complete with all the stress of making rehearsals, dance practices, and typical teenage drama.
(Adapted from my review posted on Instagram @BooksWithSoumi)
In addition to the protagonist being a woman of color, I appreciated that the love interest is a person of color as well, especially a biracial one! Jessica did a wonderful attempt of describing a biracial person and an American’s perspective living in South Korea. Feelings of being an outsider are common, and you don’t have to be a Korean-American living in Korea to connect with Rachel.
Jessica also wrote out every fangirl’s dreaming of getting close to their idol. Jason, the Korean- Canadian love interest, is Korea’s number 1 idol. Out of the men Jessica has been romantically linked to in the past (Tyler Kwon, Taecyeon, and Donghae, who happens to be my bias in Super Junior), none of them stand out to me as the basis for Jason Lee’s character. Perhaps Jason was an amalgam of all the K-pop stars she has met over the years, including Henry Lau, Chinese-Canadian idol, who is very talented with various musical instruments and from Toronto, just like Jason.
Regarding the ending, I found it to be a very good set up for the next book in the series. I am indeed excited to see how Rachel performs as an idol as she matures into her twenties. I can’t wait to be thrown into the world of music shows and concerts. Maybe even fighting over endorsements or commercial gigs?
Time to read: 8 hours over 8 days
Content Warning: Avoid this book if you do not want to read about drugs, drugging, alcohol, bullying, vomiting, weight watching (not explicitly eating disorders), or loss of consciousness.
Tl;dr: Read this book if you want a light-hearted novel that makes you feel like a K-pop trainee! Complete with all the stress of making rehearsals, dance practices, and typical teenage drama.
(Adapted from my review posted on Instagram @BooksWithSoumi)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Vomit
queenfury's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Eating disorder, and Bullying
Moderate: Vomit, Drug use, and Misogyny
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic relationship
hoshi's review
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming
leannj's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a case where my impulse is to rate this 4 stars and 2 stars simultaneously, so 3 stars it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Eating disorder
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
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