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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
It was fun! Keen for someone much more dedicated than me to map out all the parallels.
I feel like this book was a way for Jessica to spill the tea about some of the injustices in the kpop industry, and wrap it in a bow to make it seem like a fictional story, but this was definitely heavily inspired by either her own, or her friends trainee days.
Critically speaking this might not be the best book, but it was incredibly fun and I genuinely couldn't put it down it was so addictive!
If you like kpop or the idea of being a trainee then you will love tthis book!
Critically speaking this might not be the best book, but it was incredibly fun and I genuinely couldn't put it down it was so addictive!
If you like kpop or the idea of being a trainee then you will love tthis book!
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it took me 5 months to finish this but that’s just bc i put it down once the semester started and I didn’t pick it back up until now oops.
i’m at a point where YA doesn’t appeal to me much anymore so I didn’t feel like the novel really targeted me in any way (except being about kpop i guess? It was still a fun and entertaining read nonetheless, and the novel did touch upon some very interesting issues amidst the drama and romance.
I did enjoy how this book doesn’t shy away from tackling the toxic aspects of the industry (the music industry is toxic everywhere but this book obviously deals with the kpop industry specifically). I especially liked how Jason was oblivious to the sexism in the industry and among fans until Rachel points it out and he slowly starts to notice how differently the women around him are treated compared to him. I also liked how the novel explores Rachel’s identity as both Korean and American and how this affects her both in general and on a more specific day-to-day basis. Rachel’s family was also one of the best elements of the book for me: her relationship with her sister was my favorite dynamic in the entire book.
now i don’t get how what Mina did to Rachel at the party was just... dropped? and forgotten??? it irked me how easily the story moved on from the incident throughout the entire book. the rivalry between Rachel and Mina and the rest of the members of the girl group is very hefty and it does feel very catty. it felt odd to have all the central women in the novel be very aware of the misogyny directed towards them by others but never acknowledge how this pits them against each other and fuels the tensions between them. I really hope the effects misogyny has on the relationships between the women themselves will be addressed in the sequel.
I also didn’t like the romance one bit, which kinda sucked since it’s such a big part of the book:,) I’m not a romance person to begin with and Jason is kind of an insufferable character most of the time so yeah, i didn’t care for their relationship much at all. I’m not rooting for them to end up together, a “kill all men” moment would be way better in my opinion.
will I pick up the sequel? probably not unless I’m in the mood to read a YA and possibly refuel my hatred for the kpop industry but that latter part happens all the time anyway.
i’m at a point where YA doesn’t appeal to me much anymore so I didn’t feel like the novel really targeted me in any way (except being about kpop i guess? It was still a fun and entertaining read nonetheless, and the novel did touch upon some very interesting issues amidst the drama and romance.
I did enjoy how this book doesn’t shy away from tackling the toxic aspects of the industry (the music industry is toxic everywhere but this book obviously deals with the kpop industry specifically). I especially liked how Jason was oblivious to the sexism in the industry and among fans until Rachel points it out and he slowly starts to notice how differently the women around him are treated compared to him. I also liked how the novel explores Rachel’s identity as both Korean and American and how this affects her both in general and on a more specific day-to-day basis. Rachel’s family was also one of the best elements of the book for me: her relationship with her sister was my favorite dynamic in the entire book.
now i don’t get how what Mina did to Rachel at the party was just... dropped? and forgotten??? it irked me how easily the story moved on from the incident throughout the entire book. the rivalry between Rachel and Mina and the rest of the members of the girl group is very hefty and it does feel very catty. it felt odd to have all the central women in the novel be very aware of the misogyny directed towards them by others but never acknowledge how this pits them against each other and fuels the tensions between them. I really hope the effects misogyny has on the relationships between the women themselves will be addressed in the sequel.
I also didn’t like the romance one bit, which kinda sucked since it’s such a big part of the book:,) I’m not a romance person to begin with and Jason is kind of an insufferable character most of the time so yeah, i didn’t care for their relationship much at all. I’m not rooting for them to end up together, a “kill all men” moment would be way better in my opinion.
will I pick up the sequel? probably not unless I’m in the mood to read a YA and possibly refuel my hatred for the kpop industry but that latter part happens all the time anyway.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
When I heard that THE Jessica Jung was writing a novel about k-pop I knew I had to get it. I rarely pre-order books, but this was one of the cases I HAD to.
Shine follows a teenager during her k-pop trainee days.
I do think it does a great job showing the hardships of k-pop trainees and idols and that not everything is rainbows and unicorns and not everyone gets along.
In regard to that I think it’s a great book for the people that romanticizes that industry.
It does touch on more serious topics such as bullying and eating disorders and body shaming, not always criticizing enough of that aspect of the industry in my opinion, so you might want to consider that before reading this book.
Now for the things that I didn’t really like.
I didn’t really like any of the characters. I didn’t find them likeable at all, and I never found myself actually rooting for them.
At times, this book reads more like fanfiction, especially when it comes to the romance part. That might be due to the inexperience of the author so there's room for improvement.
Overall, the story didn’t click with me but also keep in mind that I’m way past the target audience’s age for this novel so that might be why.
If k-pop is something that interests you, consider checking out this book but keep your expectations on the lower side.
Shine follows a teenager during her k-pop trainee days.
I do think it does a great job showing the hardships of k-pop trainees and idols and that not everything is rainbows and unicorns and not everyone gets along.
In regard to that I think it’s a great book for the people that romanticizes that industry.
It does touch on more serious topics such as bullying and eating disorders and body shaming, not always criticizing enough of that aspect of the industry in my opinion, so you might want to consider that before reading this book.
Now for the things that I didn’t really like.
I didn’t really like any of the characters. I didn’t find them likeable at all, and I never found myself actually rooting for them.
At times, this book reads more like fanfiction, especially when it comes to the romance part. That might be due to the inexperience of the author so there's room for improvement.
Overall, the story didn’t click with me but also keep in mind that I’m way past the target audience’s age for this novel so that might be why.
If k-pop is something that interests you, consider checking out this book but keep your expectations on the lower side.
This was a really interesting read. An acquaintance told me it was cliché, and it surprisingly was.
This was like Mean Girls meets K-pop and I am here for it!
There are actually some plot things that I just don't find to be logical but I'd have to use spoilers to explain in detail.
Nonetheless this was such a fun read which just swallowed me whole! I really like Rachel as a protagonist especially her relationship to her family.
There are actually some plot things that I just don't find to be logical but I'd have to use spoilers to explain in detail.
Nonetheless this was such a fun read which just swallowed me whole! I really like Rachel as a protagonist especially her relationship to her family.
read more than half of it before it got a bit tedious and boring. the romance didn't really make me feel anything and the pacing was really weird. if i were in a different mood i probably could have finished it but i skimmed to the end and think this should have just been a standalone novel.
Very much enjoyed this book. I'm excited to find out what happens next in the series.