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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this for a Goodreads bingo challenge and it's... Alright. Not bad, but also not mind-blowing nor is it something that I will remember for a while. It's a good read if you just want to wind down after reading something difficult, but not TOO light that it doesn't get you thinking. I respect Jessica Jung for being raw and honest about the K-pop idol experience. The romance is nice with some very cute moments at times, too. With all that being said, I think I will continue on the second book. I'm not a K-pop fan myself but it's always nice to read about industry secrets, especially something as big as K-pop.
BE WARNED: THIS BOOK CONTAINS FAT SHAMING, BULLYING AND MISTREATMENT OF MINORS.
This is a frothy, fun read.
I don't know a lot about K-pop. I've seen some of the videos, but I can't name any of the songs or groups, so I was hesitant about reading this book. As it turned out, it didn't matter. I was able to follow the story without knowing anything about the industry. It's sad to think that something as fun and light as music comes from such a terrible atmosphere, but I'm sure it's very realistic.
The girls are treated so badly. It's horrific to watch, especially in contrast to how the guys are treated. The peak of it for me is a scene in New York; you'll know it when you get there. I wanted to shout at the adults in this book, who are more concerned with the potential money these kids can make than with the kids themselves.
I do think the story ended a little abruptly, but that often happens with books in a series. I'll be excited to see what happens next. There are several threads to pick up in the next book.
I loved Leah. I think most readers will. I'm a bit more ambivalent about Jason; he seems nice, but he deliberately ignores some of the issues around K-pop and he doesn't listen to Rachel when she tries to tell him. The less said about Mina the better, and Rachel herself...I wanted to like her, but she does the classic thing of constantly changing her mind about what's most important, her career or her relationship. It's fine to not be sure about things, but jerking everyone else around is not cool in my opinion.
However, I did like her at the end, once she'd decided what she wanted and was going for it. That takes guts and I was weirdly proud of her. So maybe all the back and forth was necessary to get her to that point.
Overall I enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel next year.
This is a frothy, fun read.
I don't know a lot about K-pop. I've seen some of the videos, but I can't name any of the songs or groups, so I was hesitant about reading this book. As it turned out, it didn't matter. I was able to follow the story without knowing anything about the industry. It's sad to think that something as fun and light as music comes from such a terrible atmosphere, but I'm sure it's very realistic.
The girls are treated so badly. It's horrific to watch, especially in contrast to how the guys are treated. The peak of it for me is a scene in New York; you'll know it when you get there. I wanted to shout at the adults in this book, who are more concerned with the potential money these kids can make than with the kids themselves.
I do think the story ended a little abruptly, but that often happens with books in a series. I'll be excited to see what happens next. There are several threads to pick up in the next book.
I loved Leah. I think most readers will. I'm a bit more ambivalent about Jason; he seems nice, but he deliberately ignores some of the issues around K-pop and he doesn't listen to Rachel when she tries to tell him. The less said about Mina the better, and Rachel herself...I wanted to like her, but she does the classic thing of constantly changing her mind about what's most important, her career or her relationship. It's fine to not be sure about things, but jerking everyone else around is not cool in my opinion.
However, I did like her at the end, once she'd decided what she wanted and was going for it. That takes guts and I was weirdly proud of her. So maybe all the back and forth was necessary to get her to that point.
Overall I enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel next year.
funny
relaxing
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so excited going into this novel because of the premise. While I did enjoy the story to an extent, I did find it pretty average. It is the author's debut novel, so maybe her future books will be better. I did still really enjoy this book and the plot was pretty interesting. I'm so excited for the second book because I'm interested to see how the author continues this story.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
This is the K-pop story that will make you see the industry in a different light. The book is fun, summery, sugar sweet goodness that reads like a K-drama with all its twists and turns, but Jung shines a light on the music industry. And it is not pretty.
I’ll save the rest of my review for after the September release.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.
I’ll save the rest of my review for after the September release.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.
I really tried to get into this because I looooove Jessica. She was always my favorite from SNSD. But I just couldn’t.
I love that she called out the industry and all the problems that idols in training have to deal with, but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’m just in a slump.
I love that she called out the industry and all the problems that idols in training have to deal with, but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’m just in a slump.