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A review by deerbandit
K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee
4.0
I'm shook to Shakespearean levels: I did NOT think I would enjoy this, and I'm a decent kpop fan.
What I thought would be a, for a lack of a better word, "cringy" book, that 1) glorified kpop idols/industry in some way or 2) sugar coated the trainee process, was surprisingly a cute story. The author does a great job acknowledging where the problems and cons of the kpop industry lie. As far as trainee process goes, I do think this is more or less the Sparks Notes version of it -- although it may happen rarely, I don't believe the three month trainee story is the norm. And I would love to know how accurate it really is. The storyline itself reads a little like fan fiction, but I'm not complaining. The journey was entirely fun, and so dramatic, and I was rooting for everyone of these girls -- except maybe Helena.
The kpop fan in me loved the name dropping of kpop groups, companies, and members. Reading about the real idols reminded me of being younger and wanting to submerge myself in the music and genre when it was new to me. I remember wanting to know what group was debuting next, what was the next big comeback for every group, etc. Regardless, I think for the most part kpop listeners and non-kpop listeners would enjoy this. Its a story that is about the road to a [unique] stardom that I don't think has been told before. It's also about culture, family, friends, romance, and adventure.
This book was fun. It felt new, fresh, and dare I say hip. Kpop is more mainstream than ever now and I can't imagine this book coming out 10 years ago when I was just dipping my feet into the genre. I enjoyed Lee's fast paced writing and knowledge, and look forward to more amazing stories from him!
What I thought would be a, for a lack of a better word, "cringy" book, that 1) glorified kpop idols/industry in some way or 2) sugar coated the trainee process, was surprisingly a cute story. The author does a great job acknowledging where the problems and cons of the kpop industry lie. As far as trainee process goes, I do think this is more or less the Sparks Notes version of it -- although it may happen rarely, I don't believe the three month trainee story is the norm. And I would love to know how accurate it really is. The storyline itself reads a little like fan fiction, but I'm not complaining. The journey was entirely fun, and so dramatic, and I was rooting for everyone of these girls -- except maybe Helena.
The kpop fan in me loved the name dropping of kpop groups, companies, and members. Reading about the real idols reminded me of being younger and wanting to submerge myself in the music and genre when it was new to me. I remember wanting to know what group was debuting next, what was the next big comeback for every group, etc. Regardless, I think for the most part kpop listeners and non-kpop listeners would enjoy this. Its a story that is about the road to a [unique] stardom that I don't think has been told before. It's also about culture, family, friends, romance, and adventure.
This book was fun. It felt new, fresh, and dare I say hip. Kpop is more mainstream than ever now and I can't imagine this book coming out 10 years ago when I was just dipping my feet into the genre. I enjoyed Lee's fast paced writing and knowledge, and look forward to more amazing stories from him!