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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
4/5 stars
ARC provided by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada.
Shine follows a seventeen-year-old k-pop trainee named Rachel Kim. Rachel's goal is to become a k-pop star, and a few years prior to the novel she and her family uproot their lives in the States and move to Korea in order for Rachel to pursue her dream. We follow Rachel on her journey towards debuting and the romance she develops with one of her agency's top stars, Jason Lee.
Shine reminds me very much of a k-drama, with its likeable characters, and dramatic and entertaining plot. It's a very well paced story and the plot is compelling enough, and the stakes high enough, that I easily became invested in the novel. It provided a nice change of pace in terms of what I read, as I've never read a novel about a k-pop trainee experience before. While I'm not sure just how realistic the portrayal is, from what I’ve read and seen from interviews with former k-pop trainees, and given that this is written by a k-pop star, I’m more inclined to believe the industry is as ruthless, invasive, and restrictive as portrayed in the novel. This is Jung's debut novel, and while I can't say that the writing particularly stands out to me, it isn’t bad either. I found it read a bit young, but I think this properly reflects Rachel's age and naivety.
Aside from the plot and pacing, I found one of the novel's strongest aspects to be the friendships and rivalries featured. Initially, I was pretty annoyed that one of the main conflicts Rachel has to deal with is girl hate, but given the situation Rachel is in, and the competitive nature of the industry, I was able to forgive the story for this, and I ultimately really enjoyed how the relationship between the two girls played out. There are no quick fixes here and it struck me as much more realistic than other mean girl portrayals I’ve seen in the past. I also think Rachel’s negative relationship with Mina was well balanced by her really sweet relationship with her younger sister and her friendships with her twin best friends. The one relationship I didn’t really like was Rachel’s relationship with her mother. I thought their conflict was resolved in a very unsatisfying manner and I wish it had been better developed.
While I enjoyed the friendships and rivalries, I can't say I was as fond of the romantic developments. I personally did not feel Rachel and Jason had much chemistry, and this could be more personal preference than anything else, but I thought Jason's over-the-top romantic gestures were more cheesy than romantic. I definitely preferred the aspects of the novel that did not focus on the romance, but I also don't fault the novel too harshly for its romance as I did not feel the romance overtook the overall plot and I ultimately liked how the relationship between Rachel and Jason played out. I also appreciate that gender inequality in the k-pop industry was addressed and that Rachel really stood up for herself in this regard. I’m invested enough in Rachel to wonder what is next in regards to her relationship with Jason.
As for Rachel’s character, she’s likeable enough, but I did have a few complaints. There were times when I found it hard to sympathize with her because of her hypocritical behaviour and Rachel’s stage-fright was also a relatively large hurdle in the beginning of the novel so I don’t like how that matter essentially got brushed under the rug later on.
As for the ending, I really liked how the novel ended, it made me want to continue with the story without feeling like a cliffhanger. I'm hoping Rachel is a boss in the next novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
Blog | Instagram (main account) | Instagram (manga account) | Twitter
ARC provided by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada.
Shine follows a seventeen-year-old k-pop trainee named Rachel Kim. Rachel's goal is to become a k-pop star, and a few years prior to the novel she and her family uproot their lives in the States and move to Korea in order for Rachel to pursue her dream. We follow Rachel on her journey towards debuting and the romance she develops with one of her agency's top stars, Jason Lee.
Shine reminds me very much of a k-drama, with its likeable characters, and dramatic and entertaining plot. It's a very well paced story and the plot is compelling enough, and the stakes high enough, that I easily became invested in the novel. It provided a nice change of pace in terms of what I read, as I've never read a novel about a k-pop trainee experience before. While I'm not sure just how realistic the portrayal is, from what I’ve read and seen from interviews with former k-pop trainees, and given that this is written by a k-pop star, I’m more inclined to believe the industry is as ruthless, invasive, and restrictive as portrayed in the novel. This is Jung's debut novel, and while I can't say that the writing particularly stands out to me, it isn’t bad either. I found it read a bit young, but I think this properly reflects Rachel's age and naivety.
Aside from the plot and pacing, I found one of the novel's strongest aspects to be the friendships and rivalries featured. Initially, I was pretty annoyed that one of the main conflicts Rachel has to deal with is girl hate, but given the situation Rachel is in, and the competitive nature of the industry, I was able to forgive the story for this, and I ultimately really enjoyed how the relationship between the two girls played out. There are no quick fixes here and it struck me as much more realistic than other mean girl portrayals I’ve seen in the past. I also think Rachel’s negative relationship with Mina was well balanced by her really sweet relationship with her younger sister and her friendships with her twin best friends. The one relationship I didn’t really like was Rachel’s relationship with her mother. I thought their conflict was resolved in a very unsatisfying manner and I wish it had been better developed.
While I enjoyed the friendships and rivalries, I can't say I was as fond of the romantic developments. I personally did not feel Rachel and Jason had much chemistry, and this could be more personal preference than anything else, but I thought Jason's over-the-top romantic gestures were more cheesy than romantic. I definitely preferred the aspects of the novel that did not focus on the romance, but I also don't fault the novel too harshly for its romance as I did not feel the romance overtook the overall plot and I ultimately liked how the relationship between Rachel and Jason played out. I also appreciate that gender inequality in the k-pop industry was addressed and that Rachel really stood up for herself in this regard. I’m invested enough in Rachel to wonder what is next in regards to her relationship with Jason.
As for Rachel’s character, she’s likeable enough, but I did have a few complaints. There were times when I found it hard to sympathize with her because of her hypocritical behaviour and Rachel’s stage-fright was also a relatively large hurdle in the beginning of the novel so I don’t like how that matter essentially got brushed under the rug later on.
As for the ending, I really liked how the novel ended, it made me want to continue with the story without feeling like a cliffhanger. I'm hoping Rachel is a boss in the next novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
Blog | Instagram (main account) | Instagram (manga account) | Twitter
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh... this is a flop.
Maybe I expected something more because it's Jessica Jung. I'm a fan of hers but I'm also a bookie and this book is a big MEH.
It was poorly written and it lacks depths and substance, it feels like I'm reading a fanfic written by a 14-year-old in wattpad back in 2017. I think my expectations are too high because it's written by a former Kpop idol.
Maybe I expected something more because it's Jessica Jung. I'm a fan of hers but I'm also a bookie and this book is a big MEH.
It was poorly written and it lacks depths and substance, it feels like I'm reading a fanfic written by a 14-year-old in wattpad back in 2017. I think my expectations are too high because it's written by a former Kpop idol.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i really liked that it tried to address things like sexism in the industry but in the end it didn't really say anything new or unique. was it trying to ? idk. but it was an enjoyable read. didn't really care about her high school friends, and tbh they felt almost unecessary.
me gustaría leer más sobre rachel, pero tampoco me va la vida en ello... probablemente me olvide a final de año de que hay más libros
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it was not good, plot-wise, writing-wise. It felt like a fanfic