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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Was hoping for more insight into the world of a K-pop star but it is more used as a backdrop for a forbidden romance novel. Still some insightful parts and the drama is good stuff.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
I would be lying if I say I've not heard of Jessica Jung and Girls' Generation—as someone who enjoys Kpop music, I've definitely heard of her and the girl group she used to be in. With that said, those are definitely factors that could motivate someone to pick up this book, at least for me it is, even if she's not my bias.
I decided to start reading this book due to an excerpt I found trending on Twitter/X from the second book when it was released and I wanted to get the context of it. I didn't wanted to start reading the second book without reading this want first.
The book is about Rachel, a Kpop trainee who has dreams of becoming a Kpop star but has to deal with all sorts of challenges that come with becoming one, as well as being a teenage girl. It took me a while to finish reading this because I didn't really care too much about the characters and the writing is a little basic, but overall I think it's not bad, but not great either. The Kpop industry isn't as clean and wholesome as one might think, and I'm glad that Jessica Jung shed a light on that in this book.
I decided to start reading this book due to an excerpt I found trending on Twitter/X from the second book when it was released and I wanted to get the context of it. I didn't wanted to start reading the second book without reading this want first.
The book is about Rachel, a Kpop trainee who has dreams of becoming a Kpop star but has to deal with all sorts of challenges that come with becoming one, as well as being a teenage girl. It took me a while to finish reading this because I didn't really care too much about the characters and the writing is a little basic, but overall I think it's not bad, but not great either. The Kpop industry isn't as clean and wholesome as one might think, and I'm glad that Jessica Jung shed a light on that in this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reads like a 13 year old koreaboos fanficion.
fast-paced
Rachel wants to be a K-Pop idol and after years of training, it’s now or never. Her mother struggles with Rachel’s training and just wants a more normal life for her daughter and for Rachel to think more about college and less about dancing and singing. Rachel still manages to put forth all her effort into training, despite her mom’s limitations.
However, not everything's all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to her training and the company she is with. Rachel struggles with sometimes keeping up with the dance routines and is definitely more than a little camera shy. She doesn’t have the camera-ready, bubbly interview persona that the other trainees do, so she has to work even harder to prove just how talented she really is. Rachel is also Korean American and doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the girls. Mina, a fellow trainee, has made it her mission to make Rachel’s life a living hell and sabotage her chances of debuting because she thinks Rachel is a favorite among some of the trainers and executives.
Things begin to change when Rachel starts to fall for K-Pop idol Jason Lee. Should she break all the rules and go for it or put her K-Pop dream first and obey the very strict no dating rule?
This book was middle-of-the-road for me. Some of it made me cringe, and some parts even kind of made me uncomfortable. I understand the emphasis on weight and everything because that’s very realistic to what idols and idols-in-training go through and I totally get that and appreciate it being included... However, there wasn’t a condemnation of the fatphobia and intense restrictive eating by the main character. She participated in the fatphobia and encouraged it on her fellow trainees and no matter how part of a culture it is, it doesn’t make it okay. There’s also this weird thing with the passing of time in the story like I couldn't really tell how much time had passed until at one point a character specifically pointed it out.
I think my biggest thing with this book is that I’m pretty tired of the mean girl routine. I am just sick of it. I think in this case it was based on actual real events, but still. I felt like 90% of this book was just mean girls being mean and that’s just not what I want to read about, not without either a resolution of some sort or a deeper insight into the characters. There was no great redemption arc or payback or punishment, nothing. I feel like nothing changed regarding the whole mean girl thing throughout the entire book. Mina felt so surface-level. I kept waiting for there to be more, but there never was. All of the characters, in fact, felt very shallow. I don’t know anything about them besides K-Pop or for the adults, their job.
The actual writing style was fine, but the story felt a bit stereotypical and predictable in a lot of ways. It’s definitely not the worst I’ve ever read. It just fits into the category of books that I would’ve enjoyed much less if I had had to physically read. It was definitely easier to get through because I was listening to the audiobook.
What I loved about this book is that it does what it sets out to do: it exposes just how brutal the K-Pop industry is and the terribly high standards these companies have for their idols. The book also addresses sexism and double standard within the music industry, specifically K-Pop. I also did like some of the characters, even if I wasn’t given the opportunity to really get to know them. I really liked the twins and enjoyed seeing Rachell’s relationship with her family, especially with her little sister and dad.
Overall, an okay book. I just didn’t enjoy reading it. Everything felt kind of surface level and I felt like I just wanted MORE from this story. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool to read about the behind-the-scenes of the K-Pop industry from Jessica Jung herself, a former idol. I’ll give it 2.5 / 5 stars.
However, not everything's all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to her training and the company she is with. Rachel struggles with sometimes keeping up with the dance routines and is definitely more than a little camera shy. She doesn’t have the camera-ready, bubbly interview persona that the other trainees do, so she has to work even harder to prove just how talented she really is. Rachel is also Korean American and doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the girls. Mina, a fellow trainee, has made it her mission to make Rachel’s life a living hell and sabotage her chances of debuting because she thinks Rachel is a favorite among some of the trainers and executives.
Things begin to change when Rachel starts to fall for K-Pop idol Jason Lee. Should she break all the rules and go for it or put her K-Pop dream first and obey the very strict no dating rule?
This book was middle-of-the-road for me. Some of it made me cringe, and some parts even kind of made me uncomfortable. I understand the emphasis on weight and everything because that’s very realistic to what idols and idols-in-training go through and I totally get that and appreciate it being included... However, there wasn’t a condemnation of the fatphobia and intense restrictive eating by the main character. She participated in the fatphobia and encouraged it on her fellow trainees and no matter how part of a culture it is, it doesn’t make it okay. There’s also this weird thing with the passing of time in the story like I couldn't really tell how much time had passed until at one point a character specifically pointed it out.
I think my biggest thing with this book is that I’m pretty tired of the mean girl routine. I am just sick of it. I think in this case it was based on actual real events, but still. I felt like 90% of this book was just mean girls being mean and that’s just not what I want to read about, not without either a resolution of some sort or a deeper insight into the characters. There was no great redemption arc or payback or punishment, nothing. I feel like nothing changed regarding the whole mean girl thing throughout the entire book. Mina felt so surface-level. I kept waiting for there to be more, but there never was. All of the characters, in fact, felt very shallow. I don’t know anything about them besides K-Pop or for the adults, their job.
The actual writing style was fine, but the story felt a bit stereotypical and predictable in a lot of ways. It’s definitely not the worst I’ve ever read. It just fits into the category of books that I would’ve enjoyed much less if I had had to physically read. It was definitely easier to get through because I was listening to the audiobook.
What I loved about this book is that it does what it sets out to do: it exposes just how brutal the K-Pop industry is and the terribly high standards these companies have for their idols. The book also addresses sexism and double standard within the music industry, specifically K-Pop. I also did like some of the characters, even if I wasn’t given the opportunity to really get to know them. I really liked the twins and enjoyed seeing Rachell’s relationship with her family, especially with her little sister and dad.
Overall, an okay book. I just didn’t enjoy reading it. Everything felt kind of surface level and I felt like I just wanted MORE from this story. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool to read about the behind-the-scenes of the K-Pop industry from Jessica Jung herself, a former idol. I’ll give it 2.5 / 5 stars.
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Alcohol
When I saw that Jessica Jung (of Girls' Generation fame) had written a book about a teenage girl trying to debut in the Kpop industry, I knew that I was definitely interested because (1) it just feels like such an original/novel premise (I can't say that I've come across any other book like this) and (2) because if anyone would've some insight into that world, it would've been Jessica. Granted, I'm not really a Girls' Generation fan but anyone with some idea of the Kpop world would've known how big a deal the girl group is and how shocking Jessica's departure from the group was.
Shine definitely feels like a book that I would've enjoyed if I haven't read so many YA novels about teeangers trying to make their dreams come true in a cut-throat industry (eg see [b:Tiny Pretty Things|18710209|Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things, #1)|Sona Charaipotra|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413576484l/18710209._SX50_.jpg|26568298]), because the book falls a little short when it comes to deciding exactly how real and messy it wanted to be and how much it wanted to let Rachel continue to be a good girl about. Essentially, seventeen year old Rachel Kim and her family relocated from the US to Korea for Rachel to have a shot in becoming a Kpop idol after she was scouted by DB Entertainment. Rachel never really felt like she belonged in the US and Kpop was always what she turned to when she had a rough idea - makes sense that she would consider a career in this industry, especially since she's been recruited by an influential company. However, she never imagined that she wouldn't really fit in at DB either as she's considered too American/pampered by her peers, who don't have much of a life outside of training for debut while Rachel's mother has pressured the execs to let her continue to have her high school education. Now that she's seventeen, Rachel is also aware that the window is closing on her debut, because soon she may have to give up on her dreams and go to college instead, like what her mother has been urging her to do.
To add unto the drama, things are also heating up between Rachel and DB's newest and hottest idol Jason Lee. However, one of the golden rules for trainees, especially female trainees, is to never get caught in any dating scandal or to have their careers cut short, permanently. Rachel is drawn to Jason, a boy who seems to understand the pressures and allure of their industry. And when they're put into the same trio, along with Rachel's archenemy, their professional and personal lives become increasingly intertwined with each other.
Shine was definitely a quick and fun read about the difficulties of debuting in such a competitive industry and the pressure that Rachel faced definitely felt real. I also enjoyed the little glimpses that we got at Korean culture too.
However, the pacing was a little uneven because not very much happens in the first third (except for Rachel making some patented Bad Life Decisions about Drinking). I've also seen some reviews that noted that the book has parts that can be triggering, because Rachel has some pretty unhealthy relationships with food and this isn't really addressed by anyone around her. Meanwhile, the middle was preoccupied with Rachel's feelings for Jason and some scenes which show exactly how sexist the industry can be towards the young girls that they're marketing - I could relate to Rachel's struggles about how much she wanted to be part of the industry and yet, how little the industry seemed to value girls like her, except for whatever revenue they can generate for their entertainment companies.
And the last third is where things felt very rushed and a whole bunch of secrets suddenly spill out. The ending was also the part that felt the most unrealistic to me.
Shine definitely feels like a book that I would've enjoyed if I haven't read so many YA novels about teeangers trying to make their dreams come true in a cut-throat industry (eg see [b:Tiny Pretty Things|18710209|Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things, #1)|Sona Charaipotra|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413576484l/18710209._SX50_.jpg|26568298]), because the book falls a little short when it comes to deciding exactly how real and messy it wanted to be and how much it wanted to let Rachel continue to be a good girl about. Essentially, seventeen year old Rachel Kim and her family relocated from the US to Korea for Rachel to have a shot in becoming a Kpop idol after she was scouted by DB Entertainment. Rachel never really felt like she belonged in the US and Kpop was always what she turned to when she had a rough idea - makes sense that she would consider a career in this industry, especially since she's been recruited by an influential company. However, she never imagined that she wouldn't really fit in at DB either as she's considered too American/pampered by her peers, who don't have much of a life outside of training for debut while Rachel's mother has pressured the execs to let her continue to have her high school education. Now that she's seventeen, Rachel is also aware that the window is closing on her debut, because soon she may have to give up on her dreams and go to college instead, like what her mother has been urging her to do.
To add unto the drama, things are also heating up between Rachel and DB's newest and hottest idol Jason Lee. However, one of the golden rules for trainees, especially female trainees, is to never get caught in any dating scandal or to have their careers cut short, permanently. Rachel is drawn to Jason, a boy who seems to understand the pressures and allure of their industry. And when they're put into the same trio, along with Rachel's archenemy, their professional and personal lives become increasingly intertwined with each other.
Shine was definitely a quick and fun read about the difficulties of debuting in such a competitive industry and the pressure that Rachel faced definitely felt real. I also enjoyed the little glimpses that we got at Korean culture too.
However, the pacing was a little uneven because not very much happens in the first third (except for Rachel making some patented Bad Life Decisions about Drinking). I've also seen some reviews that noted that the book has parts that can be triggering, because Rachel has some pretty unhealthy relationships with food and this isn't really addressed by anyone around her. Meanwhile, the middle was preoccupied with Rachel's feelings for Jason and some scenes which show exactly how sexist the industry can be towards the young girls that they're marketing - I could relate to Rachel's struggles about how much she wanted to be part of the industry and yet, how little the industry seemed to value girls like her, except for whatever revenue they can generate for their entertainment companies.
And the last third is where things felt very rushed and a whole bunch of secrets suddenly spill out.
Spoiler
For example, that Jason had been seeing Rachel as well Rachel's archrival, Mina and had been alerting the paps to it - in order to solidify his image as a soulful male idol.Spoiler
Given that even an established female idol can be ruined because of her relationship, it felt strange to me that Jason supposedly had so much influence at DB that he could force Rachel's debut to occur? This just didn't make any sense at all.
LIFE AS A GIRL AND A RISING K-POP STAR
rating: ★★★.5
✩‧₊˚ background ✧.*
Rachel Kim is one of DB Entertainment’s talented trainees, on her way to become a known K-pop star. In order to fulfill her dreams, she must follow everything right: no dating, practice, showcase your skills, get to the top. She has all the support from her family and friends, but the industry is never her friend. She meets Jason Lee, a NEXT BOYZ member, as she connects with him with her heart. Rachel gets the chance to perform with Jason and others in a new song, which is a chance for her to become a star. As things become harder for her with managers wanting more from their trainees and fans hating on her for the most ridiculous reasons and making rumors about her, Rachel must find herself through the life she wants to live.
✩‧₊˚ review ✧.*
As a K-pop fan and a growing fan of Girls’ Generation, when I found out Jessica Jung had written a book, I had to check it out. The blurb of the story caught my attention, as readers can get a chance to dive into the dark world behind K-pop. I felt like Jung’s character was some kind of a self-insert probably. I knew many of the difficult things K-pop idols unfortunately go through–such as fat shaming, watching their intake, no dating, hate from fans over ridiculous things, etc–and Jung does well to associate her characters with these kinds of matters. Rachel has a lot to deal with while being a K-pop trainee, and both her life with her family and the life she has with her friends is tough for her to handle. I liked Jason at the start, but when it came to the hate Rachel was facing, he was not any help at all, and he started annoying me a bit with his actions. I felt like this book could have had more of a connected plot rather than having it jump from place to place often. At the end of the book, Rachel seemed like a changed person to me, and I wonder if the second book will have more insight on this.
✩‧₊˚ recommend? ✧.*
I recommend this book if you are a K-pop fan and are looking for a young adult book filled with scandals. On the other side, I don’t recommend it too much since the book does have a lot of cringy parts, and the overall plot isn’t that well-lined with itself. But I do suggest giving the book a chance if you like K-pop and want some insight into Korean culture.
rating: ★★★.5
✩‧₊˚ background ✧.*
Rachel Kim is one of DB Entertainment’s talented trainees, on her way to become a known K-pop star. In order to fulfill her dreams, she must follow everything right: no dating, practice, showcase your skills, get to the top. She has all the support from her family and friends, but the industry is never her friend. She meets Jason Lee, a NEXT BOYZ member, as she connects with him with her heart. Rachel gets the chance to perform with Jason and others in a new song, which is a chance for her to become a star. As things become harder for her with managers wanting more from their trainees and fans hating on her for the most ridiculous reasons and making rumors about her, Rachel must find herself through the life she wants to live.
✩‧₊˚ review ✧.*
As a K-pop fan and a growing fan of Girls’ Generation, when I found out Jessica Jung had written a book, I had to check it out. The blurb of the story caught my attention, as readers can get a chance to dive into the dark world behind K-pop. I felt like Jung’s character was some kind of a self-insert probably. I knew many of the difficult things K-pop idols unfortunately go through–such as fat shaming, watching their intake, no dating, hate from fans over ridiculous things, etc–and Jung does well to associate her characters with these kinds of matters. Rachel has a lot to deal with while being a K-pop trainee, and both her life with her family and the life she has with her friends is tough for her to handle. I liked Jason at the start, but when it came to the hate Rachel was facing, he was not any help at all, and he started annoying me a bit with his actions. I felt like this book could have had more of a connected plot rather than having it jump from place to place often. At the end of the book, Rachel seemed like a changed person to me, and I wonder if the second book will have more insight on this.
✩‧₊˚ recommend? ✧.*
I recommend this book if you are a K-pop fan and are looking for a young adult book filled with scandals. On the other side, I don’t recommend it too much since the book does have a lot of cringy parts, and the overall plot isn’t that well-lined with itself. But I do suggest giving the book a chance if you like K-pop and want some insight into Korean culture.