Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Shine

A fun read overall, but it was a pretty mediocre book.

The good:
- The actual writing was pretty decent, not standout, but not bad for a cheesy teen novel

- Not as childish as I was worried. there's teen drinking, swearing, and real-world problems among all the over the top k-pop drama

- Much of the 'over the top' drama was pretty entertaining despite being unrealistic at times

- The main characters weren't entirely one dimensional throughout
(notice how the praise is very measured?)

The not so good:
- With all the over the top drama, it felt like it would've worked better as a k-drama (which based on the acknowledgments at the end seems to be the goal). It couldn't decide how realistic it wanted to be and made for a bit of a confused tone. It could have been an entertaining melodramatic story OR it could have been a more realistic story of a girl struggling to achieve her dreams depending entirely on the chapter. I don't mind a mix, but I wish this novel had a clearer identity.

- VERY fan-ficcy. By which I mean there were many tropes that were distractingly cliche. For example: describing outfits constantly, random insertions of Korean language that seemed out of place, describing luxury experiences without having any real meaning behind them. All three of those things at the very least could have been worked into the story better or even just left out 50% of the time.

- Although the main three characters (Rachel, Jason, and Mina) were not 1D they weren't exactly 3D either. The other background characters suffer more, almost all of them being very 1D throughout. This book subscribes to the notion that in teen media every character is the best friend or worst enemy and it gets tired pretty quickly.

- Short. I don't think I would want it longer, but some things felt rushed, especially the ending. I know there's a sequel planned for next year and some of the stuff at the end could have been pushed into the sequel rather than being tacked on in the last chapter.

Overall:
I didn't hate reading this book and at times could be entertaining, but it has a confused identity and some tropes that stop it from being a more unique and interesting story. I'd probably read the sequel when it comes out out of curiosity, but I wouldn't be rushing to recommend this to anyone. I think the target audience of teen girls interested in kpop may find it more enjoyable than I did though.

Content Warnings

rotatinglibrary's review

Go to review page

challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I listened to this book on audio and found the narrator frustratingly old-sounding. The secondhand embarrassment in this book is HIGH. I was also incredibly disappointed that in Rachel's father's storyline. He just lies for 3 years about going to law school and it's cool? NAH. 

I think Jung attempted to shed some light on the negative aspects of the KPOP industry: cattiness behind the scenes, sexism, and valuing looks over talent, HOWEVER Shine spends a lot of time talking about weight, body image, disordered eating etc. As this is a YA novel, I think it's important to remember how incredibly vulnerable young people are to disordered eating and body image issues. Jung could have presented her critiques in a stronger manner, but I understand where's she's coming from, having lived through them.

CW: 
Body talk, weight talk, disordered eating, negative self talk, vomit, racial microagressions, internalized racism, drugging, profanity, teen drinking, slut shaming.

Content Warnings

scarlettreadsbooks's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When I first heard that Jessica Jung had written a book all about the K Pop industry, I had to read it! Jessica was in one of the most famous K Pop Girl Groups on the planet, Girls Generation. I was such a fan when I was a teenager.

When I first started reading Shine, I wasn’t sure if it was a book for me. But by the end I absolutely loved it. We follow Rachel, a K Pop trainee who’s whole life has been dedicated to becoming an Idol. The book discusses a lot about the industry itself, such as the harmful environment all trainees are subject to and the sexism faced for the female Idols. It’s worth noting that there are a lot of toxic topics, such as overworking to the point of exhaustion and eating disorders.

It was by far one of the cheesiest books I’ve read this year, but it was a really great YA with a lot of drama 🍿

And there is a sequel coming out this year?! YES PLEASE!

Thank you so much to @electricmonkeybooks for sending me this #gifted copy!

Content Warnings

queenfury's review

Go to review page

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

More...

Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Shine by Jessica Jung

theprinceofdenmark's review against another edition

scifi_rat's review against another edition

brigsis's review

gingercheddar's review against another edition

liannaedgelord's review against another edition

blakethebookeater's review

elskabee's review

rotatinglibrary's review

scarlettreadsbooks's review

queenfury's review