notnoni's review against another edition
1.0
I really, really wanted to like this book. I have been a fan of Jessica Jung ever since I discovered Girls' Generation's "Gee" when I was 13 years old. I followed her fansites, was the OP for her thread on OneHallyu, and stopped listening to GG after 9/30. Her voice is still one of my favourite voices ever and I can't wait for her rumoured new R&B album. Jessica is a woman of many talents from singing to fashion designing.
But this book? It was ass.
But this book? It was ass.
zaheerah's review against another edition
1.0
After training six years to be DB Entertainment’s newest K-pop star, Rachel Kim is so close to making it. She just has to train, train and train some more until she can finally prove her spot. One viral incident has her thrust into the spotlight beside DB Ent’s golden boy, Jason Lee. But the harsh realities of trainee life begins to strain on Rachel as she starts to doubt herself. And any mistake can risk everything.
I have to be honest, I went into this book with low expectations as my experience with most celebrity-penned novels have resulted in some mediocre reading experiences. I thought even being a SONE for years now would colour my judgement. But Shine might be the most disappointing book that I have read this year. From the writing, characters and plot, nothing in this book shines through.
The only decent thing I could say about this book was that it is readable. I flew through the story at a decent pace, but then again, I just wanted the story to be over with. So take that with a pinch of salt. The pacing was all over the place. One chapter would end like a drama, but the next would continue as if nothing was wrong. Much of the writing was so inconsistent which made the story rather dull and boring. Jung fails to make you feel anything but annoyance towards every person we encounter in this book, including our very own Rachel Kim.
Let’s talk about the plot. Rachel has been a trainee for six years and due to her mother, she is a part-time trainee, only going to train on the weekend. Her company is rumoured to be debuting a new girl group, and this is Rachel’s only chance before she believes she will “age” out the system. But she also has to go up against company mean girl Mina, a golden spoon trainee, who is out for Rachel’s throat. An opportunity to make her mark is botched by Mina, and Rachel gets her revenge by making a viral video that puts her in the limelight, alongside Jason Lee. Shine was an eventful story that was extremely boring. The plot is essentially pulled along by common K-drama tropes to the point where you could guess what was happening. The perfect, pretty female lead, mean girl is Mean, catching the attention of the boy through quirky but cringe pick up lines. This isn’t always a bad thing, but in Shine, it was setting yourself up for even more disappointment because the writing is so mediocre.
These characters are nothing to me, completely cardboard. Rachel Kim is the perfect trainee, hated by all because the CEO favours her for some strange reason. Yet, she can’t complete basic dance moves, struggles to pass media training, and I don’t even recall if she’s that great of a singer. We’re just told she has gone through six years of training and expected to believe she is amazing. Rachel is rather selfish, and it was surprising how self-absorbed she is considering she criticises Mina for her bad behaviour. I didn’t want to believe the comments that Rachel is simply a self-insert for Jessica until halfway through Rachel starts to babble on about how much fashion means to her. I truly had a record-scratching moment there because it literally comes out of nowhere. How are we supposed to believe fashion is this passion of hers when all that ever comes out of her mouth is “I’m a six-year-trainee.” I mentioned K-drama tropes and Rachel could quite be the poster child for one. She’s a poor girl, whose family moved to South Korea to pursue her dreams. Her mother is overbearing while her father secretly attends law school on the side while running his gym. Her sister is the loud, obnoxious sibling who I actually felt bad for because she was quite literally being bullied and it’s all ignored.
Mina is our villain, the daughter of a businessman, and we obviously are meant to hate her because she gets in the way of Rachel’s dreams and her dream man. The book attempts to make a statement about the sexism within the K-pop industry. Rachel makes some great comment about the treatment the girls receive versus the boys. However, Rachel’s own internalised misogyny goes unchecked while she’s allowed to criticise everyone else for their own shallow behaviour. Rachel finds herself happy to see the other trainee receive abuse from their company, but when it becomes a problem to her, suddenly, it’s unacceptable and the system is messed up.
Jason Lee was just annoying. Another case of the author wants them to be together, but the effort to make to develop them were incredibly cliche and frankly very cringe-inducing. Because we know they’ll end up together, so the attempt to develop them was rather poorly put together. I was so frustrated at Rachel for even risking her career for this fool. Rachel also has three close friends and I could not tell you one important thing about them. Aside from Akari, a Japanese trainee, who is supposed to be Rachel’s best friend, but she’s conveniently ignored for most of the novel, aside from the moments where Rachel wants to emphasis their foreign position within the company. Rachel being an American-Korean, and Akari being Japanese, but I felt bad for Akari more because Rachel still gets better treatment.
Overall, Shine was a lacklustre debut that doesn’t really live up the hype it was given. Normally, I wouldn’t say this, but I would rather this book be ghost-written because to believe Jessica actually wrote this is rather embarrassing. It’s marketed as this profound novel that shines a light onto the K-pop industry when really it only ever covers a surface level that most fan will know. Some moments truly felt borderline fanfiction. I want to believe Jessica used her own experiences in some scenes and for some moments, I did, but this story was slapped together and reads more like a koreaboo’s wish fulfilment fantasy, than an actual decent story.
I have to be honest, I went into this book with low expectations as my experience with most celebrity-penned novels have resulted in some mediocre reading experiences. I thought even being a SONE for years now would colour my judgement. But Shine might be the most disappointing book that I have read this year. From the writing, characters and plot, nothing in this book shines through.
The only decent thing I could say about this book was that it is readable. I flew through the story at a decent pace, but then again, I just wanted the story to be over with. So take that with a pinch of salt. The pacing was all over the place. One chapter would end like a drama, but the next would continue as if nothing was wrong. Much of the writing was so inconsistent which made the story rather dull and boring. Jung fails to make you feel anything but annoyance towards every person we encounter in this book, including our very own Rachel Kim.
Let’s talk about the plot. Rachel has been a trainee for six years and due to her mother, she is a part-time trainee, only going to train on the weekend. Her company is rumoured to be debuting a new girl group, and this is Rachel’s only chance before she believes she will “age” out the system. But she also has to go up against company mean girl Mina, a golden spoon trainee, who is out for Rachel’s throat. An opportunity to make her mark is botched by Mina, and Rachel gets her revenge by making a viral video that puts her in the limelight, alongside Jason Lee. Shine was an eventful story that was extremely boring. The plot is essentially pulled along by common K-drama tropes to the point where you could guess what was happening. The perfect, pretty female lead, mean girl is Mean, catching the attention of the boy through quirky but cringe pick up lines. This isn’t always a bad thing, but in Shine, it was setting yourself up for even more disappointment because the writing is so mediocre.
These characters are nothing to me, completely cardboard. Rachel Kim is the perfect trainee, hated by all because the CEO favours her for some strange reason. Yet, she can’t complete basic dance moves, struggles to pass media training, and I don’t even recall if she’s that great of a singer. We’re just told she has gone through six years of training and expected to believe she is amazing. Rachel is rather selfish, and it was surprising how self-absorbed she is considering she criticises Mina for her bad behaviour. I didn’t want to believe the comments that Rachel is simply a self-insert for Jessica until halfway through Rachel starts to babble on about how much fashion means to her. I truly had a record-scratching moment there because it literally comes out of nowhere. How are we supposed to believe fashion is this passion of hers when all that ever comes out of her mouth is “I’m a six-year-trainee.” I mentioned K-drama tropes and Rachel could quite be the poster child for one. She’s a poor girl, whose family moved to South Korea to pursue her dreams. Her mother is overbearing while her father secretly attends law school on the side while running his gym. Her sister is the loud, obnoxious sibling who I actually felt bad for because she was quite literally being bullied and it’s all ignored.
Mina is our villain, the daughter of a businessman, and we obviously are meant to hate her because she gets in the way of Rachel’s dreams and her dream man. The book attempts to make a statement about the sexism within the K-pop industry. Rachel makes some great comment about the treatment the girls receive versus the boys. However, Rachel’s own internalised misogyny goes unchecked while she’s allowed to criticise everyone else for their own shallow behaviour. Rachel finds herself happy to see the other trainee receive abuse from their company, but when it becomes a problem to her, suddenly, it’s unacceptable and the system is messed up.
Jason Lee was just annoying. Another case of the author wants them to be together, but the effort to make to develop them were incredibly cliche and frankly very cringe-inducing. Because we know they’ll end up together, so the attempt to develop them was rather poorly put together. I was so frustrated at Rachel for even risking her career for this fool. Rachel also has three close friends and I could not tell you one important thing about them. Aside from Akari, a Japanese trainee, who is supposed to be Rachel’s best friend, but she’s conveniently ignored for most of the novel, aside from the moments where Rachel wants to emphasis their foreign position within the company. Rachel being an American-Korean, and Akari being Japanese, but I felt bad for Akari more because Rachel still gets better treatment.
Overall, Shine was a lacklustre debut that doesn’t really live up the hype it was given. Normally, I wouldn’t say this, but I would rather this book be ghost-written because to believe Jessica actually wrote this is rather embarrassing. It’s marketed as this profound novel that shines a light onto the K-pop industry when really it only ever covers a surface level that most fan will know. Some moments truly felt borderline fanfiction. I want to believe Jessica used her own experiences in some scenes and for some moments, I did, but this story was slapped together and reads more like a koreaboo’s wish fulfilment fantasy, than an actual decent story.
currantcat's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
konskara's review against another edition
3.0
Jessica Jung may have created a whole new genre with this book, writing fanfiction about her own life.
Having been kicked out of the girl group "Girl's Generation", I expected something more along the lines of a memoir, her describing her pre and after debut day to day live, expectations for her, toxicity in the industry etc.
Instead of this, I read a romance novel, filled with romanized korean words, cheesy lines and non-believable storylines. Maybe an NDA got in the way of the memoir I had in mind, but in no way would I imagine "Shine" would be this far away.
Nevertheless, I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was fun reading it after work or studying, I LIVED for Rachel and Mina fights, the foreshadowing for certain events was pretty well distributed across the chapters. It was quite shocking that Mina has some good sides, you usually don't get multiple-level vilains from wattpad-level storywriting.
I will read the sequel with more interest, since it takes place years under the "Girls Forever" (no pun intended I see) debut, so more sides from the industry will be shown. At least I hope so.
Having been kicked out of the girl group "Girl's Generation", I expected something more along the lines of a memoir, her describing her pre and after debut day to day live, expectations for her, toxicity in the industry etc.
Instead of this, I read a romance novel, filled with romanized korean words, cheesy lines and non-believable storylines. Maybe an NDA got in the way of the memoir I had in mind, but in no way would I imagine "Shine" would be this far away.
Nevertheless, I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was fun reading it after work or studying, I LIVED for Rachel and Mina fights, the foreshadowing for certain events was pretty well distributed across the chapters. It was quite shocking that Mina has some good sides, you usually don't get multiple-level vilains from wattpad-level storywriting.
I will read the sequel with more interest, since it takes place years under the "Girls Forever" (no pun intended I see) debut, so more sides from the industry will be shown. At least I hope so.
claraberkelana's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
buffywnabe's review against another edition
5.0
While I’m personally not into the K-Pop sensation these days, a lot of my students and even some of my friends are. So I was very interested in reading this book and not only getting a glimpse inside the world, but also seeing what my students might actually enjoy reading.
This was a book I could not put down. The only reason I didn’t finish it in one day is because I was so tired and kind of a little down the first day I read it, that when it was bedtime, I just turned off the light and fell asleep instead of my normal up for an hour or two reading. But when I got up this morning, I went and sat by the window and enjoyed the rainy day and a good book.
There was a lot of drama in the story, which probably is exactly how that world is, especially since this author knows exactly what that world was like, having been a part of it herself. And the main character had so many things to juggle, and even when something started to look like she’d reached her dream, something else would either throw a wrench in the whole thing, or it was the “be careful what you wish for” scenario. The world of glitz and glamour was totally shown to be so much less glamorous on the other side, as we pretty much know from all celebrity tell-alls. But another thing that was really pointed out in this book was what a horrible double standard there is for the females compared to the boys. Not even just by the people in charge of the whole music industry, but with the fans as well. The horrible things girls say about the females they see with the male stars that they adore, and how the males can do no wrong, or are encouraged to do those things.
There were so many great issues touched on in this book, but it wasn’t preachy or anything like that. It was just a wonderful, edge of the seat, can’t stop turning pages story.
I did have to google some of the words, I wanted to know about the foods that were being talked about. And I’m sure I butchered the pronunciation of many if not all of the names in the book. But I know it is a culture I’d like to continue to learn more about. I may even look up some of these K-Pop groups just to see what I was reading out. And while I fell a little bit in love with the love interest, Jason Lee, I adored his snarky sarcasm, in the end, the book is about female empowerment and taking charge and not needing a man, even as we continue to fight for the equality we deserve, and all that storyline is fine the way it is.
Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.
This was a book I could not put down. The only reason I didn’t finish it in one day is because I was so tired and kind of a little down the first day I read it, that when it was bedtime, I just turned off the light and fell asleep instead of my normal up for an hour or two reading. But when I got up this morning, I went and sat by the window and enjoyed the rainy day and a good book.
There was a lot of drama in the story, which probably is exactly how that world is, especially since this author knows exactly what that world was like, having been a part of it herself. And the main character had so many things to juggle, and even when something started to look like she’d reached her dream, something else would either throw a wrench in the whole thing, or it was the “be careful what you wish for” scenario. The world of glitz and glamour was totally shown to be so much less glamorous on the other side, as we pretty much know from all celebrity tell-alls. But another thing that was really pointed out in this book was what a horrible double standard there is for the females compared to the boys. Not even just by the people in charge of the whole music industry, but with the fans as well. The horrible things girls say about the females they see with the male stars that they adore, and how the males can do no wrong, or are encouraged to do those things.
There were so many great issues touched on in this book, but it wasn’t preachy or anything like that. It was just a wonderful, edge of the seat, can’t stop turning pages story.
I did have to google some of the words, I wanted to know about the foods that were being talked about. And I’m sure I butchered the pronunciation of many if not all of the names in the book. But I know it is a culture I’d like to continue to learn more about. I may even look up some of these K-Pop groups just to see what I was reading out. And while I fell a little bit in love with the love interest, Jason Lee, I adored his snarky sarcasm, in the end, the book is about female empowerment and taking charge and not needing a man, even as we continue to fight for the equality we deserve, and all that storyline is fine the way it is.
Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.
trulybooked's review against another edition
2.0
Want Spoilers?
Here: 6 Reasons Why Jessica Jung's Shine Was Flawed As Hell
All the below is spoiler free:
I have so many things to say about this book, that I’m probably going to have to do a separate spoiler review on it. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of this book. I think that the series shows promise and the writing was better than I expected, but let’s get a few things out of the way.
First of all, anyone who’s looking for the equivalent of a youtube expose video on Girl’s Generation is going to leave disappointed. While there are moments that feel very catty and probably close to Jessica Jung’s view of how things went, there doesn’t seem to be a direct one to one comparison for everything that happens. There are parts that feel very autobiographical, but that’s not the whole of the book.
Shine focuses on one main antagonist rather than the full group since this is before SNSD would have debuted. The main character here is still a trainee and so is her rival.
Two, there as aspects of wish fulfillment here, but this is a story about Jessica/Rachel first and her romance second. The driving force here is to succeed in a brutally tough industry.
Three, if you daydream about becoming a kpop star then you’d probably like this book. I’m not someone who would ever want to be in the industry, so I can understand that this book isn’t made for me. I’m not the target audience. That said, I think that Jung does an admirable job of trying to lift up young women through her main character (even if her other characters end up tearing them down).
If you’re even vaguely curious, give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised, so maybe you will be too.
Here: 6 Reasons Why Jessica Jung's Shine Was Flawed As Hell
All the below is spoiler free:
I have so many things to say about this book, that I’m probably going to have to do a separate spoiler review on it. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of this book. I think that the series shows promise and the writing was better than I expected, but let’s get a few things out of the way.
First of all, anyone who’s looking for the equivalent of a youtube expose video on Girl’s Generation is going to leave disappointed. While there are moments that feel very catty and probably close to Jessica Jung’s view of how things went, there doesn’t seem to be a direct one to one comparison for everything that happens. There are parts that feel very autobiographical, but that’s not the whole of the book.
Shine focuses on one main antagonist rather than the full group since this is before SNSD would have debuted. The main character here is still a trainee and so is her rival.
Two, there as aspects of wish fulfillment here, but this is a story about Jessica/Rachel first and her romance second. The driving force here is to succeed in a brutally tough industry.
Three, if you daydream about becoming a kpop star then you’d probably like this book. I’m not someone who would ever want to be in the industry, so I can understand that this book isn’t made for me. I’m not the target audience. That said, I think that Jung does an admirable job of trying to lift up young women through her main character (even if her other characters end up tearing them down).
If you’re even vaguely curious, give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised, so maybe you will be too.
bloggingwithdragons's review against another edition
3.0
Shine was one of my most anticipated novels of this year. I am a huge fan of Jessica Jung, and have followed her career for years, so I couldn’t wait to read her very first novel, which is inspired from her own life as a K-pop trainee. I was pleasantly surprised by Shine and even read the book in one sitting. What I liked most about this novel was not any tea being spilled about famous K-pop idols under different names, but the glimpse into the cruel K-pop machine. Jessica Jung shines an essential, critical light on the misogynistic, sexist, competitive, abusive, and grueling world of the K-pop industry, and I couldn’t look away.
Shine follows Rachel Kim, a Korean-American who is scouted by DB entertainment. She and her family pack up from New York and move to Seoul, South Korea in order to pursue her dream at the tender age of eleven. Thinking of myself at age eleven, an insecure girl who splattered her binders in Sailor Moon and horses, I can only imagine just how limitless the damage of growing up in the K-pop industry is. Rachel Kim and the trainees are forced with monthly evaluations, where they are forced to perform in front of CEOs, executives, and other trainees. They are hit in the stomach during singing practice to strengthen their diaphragms. They are forced onto the scale constantly. On top of that, trainees get very little sleep, dancing and singing for most hours of the day. Dating is forbidden. If they aren’t perfect, they are verbally abused, or worse, kicked out of the company without another thought, rendering their dreams crushed. And I thought middle school was unbearable.
“DB talks about us being a family. But they don’t care. They don’t care about me. About you. They don’t care about anyone. All they care about is making us into perfect K-pop machines that will do everything they say and rake in the money for them.”
One could hope that trainees could at least find solace in the bonds of friendship the form with one another, but at least in Rachel Kim’s experience, that is not the case. Rachel is looked down upon for growing up in America, for her mother’s insistence that she not live in the trainee house and that she goes to a real high school, and for practically everything else. Her fellow trainees attempt to sabotage her at every turn, even drugging her and blackmailing her. And things only go further down hill when Rachel captures the attention of Jason Lee, DB’s most successful male idol. Through Rachel’s budding forbidden romance with Jason, author Jessica Jung demonstrates the double standard for male and female idols. When Jason is praised for his performance, Rachel and other female trainees are fat or slut shamed by the general population and blamed for any little thing that goes wrong by the company.
The author does a great job of showing this injustice through Jason, who is a typical man, and clueless of the privilege that his gender grants him. Shine realistically and sympathetically portrays what the consequences would mean for Rachel versus Jason. I found this relationship compelling, but also very sad. Perhaps more upsetting, was the way no one in Rachel’s world could be trusted. Her fellow trainees are out for blood, and I have seen a lot of other reviews stating that they couldn’t root for Rachel as she had to resort to threatening to expose another trainee’s relationship to protect herself. I completely disagree with this assessment. Shine makes it clear that Rachel is simply trying to survive, and unfortunately, in such a competitive world, when people are constantly trying to sabotage one another and to undercut one’s talent and very existence, one to use whatever means one has at his or her disposal to protect oneself. For God’s sake, Rachel was already drugged once. Shine makes it extremely clear that no one else in this environment is going to look out for you—not the CEOs, not your idol sunbaes, not your trainers, and not your fellow trainees. Rachel is simply a product of her environment, and instead of judging her, I think we should all feel sad that her world drags her down to that level in order to survive.
Honestly, after reading Shine, my heart aches for all the K-pop trainees. Shine does an amazing job demonstrating the countless sacrifices not only the trainees make, but also their families. They miss birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, the normal high school experience, and so much more. It really put me to mind of the military life, where deployments separate loved ones for years, put lives at risk, and require countless sacrifices in order to have that career. It seems so severe that children at such young ages enter into the type of lifestyle that usually puts lives on the line, and this goes on for years, with so little sleep and few kind words, if any. I think that is one of the main questions Shine poses, is it really all worth it? Personally, I don’t know how anyone survives this world, let alone is able to shine in it. It’s clear that the author herself, Jessica Jung, has a lot of strong feelings about her own experiences:
After reading Shine, I feel like I even better understand why Jessica Jung had to share these feelings under the guise of fiction—it's clear that she could get sued otherwise. And I’m so proud of her for having the bravery to expose what the K-pop industry is really like. Shine is definitely a must-read for any K-pop fan. I would’ve loved to give the novel a higher rating, especially as Jessica is my ultimate bias, but the writing, although better than I expected, was subpar. Though Shine does a great job when it is dealing with the darker themes and realities of the K-pop world, it makes a few odd writing choices.
For instance, the inclusion of Korean words was reminiscent of fanfic writers who love to sprinkle these cultural terms in just to prove that they know them. It was also strange to me that most of the novel is in English, except for these words, but one assumes everyone is speaking Korean in South Korea, right? So the reader can reasonably infer that the novel is simply being translated to English, but then why are these terms included? One scene in particular, where Rachel is on a bus, is completely in Korean. Having watched a ton of K-dramas, I was able to translate this scene, but it was really out of place and took me right out of the novel to wonder why it was in Korean instead of English like the rest of the novel, when it wasn’t even an important conversation.
I think Shine was just trying to give readers more glimpses of Korean culture and an interest in the language, but its lack of consistency was off-putting and was ultimately, poorly executed. Oddly enough, these inclusions of the language did not feel very authentic, despite having been written by a Korean-American who has lived in South Korea for most of her life. Likewise, the swearing of the characters seemed very out of place and mature with the overall simplicity of the writing style. It was almost like the novel couldn't decide to whom it was geared towards.
However, these are just small issues I had in an enlightening and entertaining read that I couldn't put down. After reading Shine, I feel it's more important than ever for us all to support our K-pop favorites. They've been through so much. I’m looking forward to the sequel to ,i>Shine, as it will focus on Rachel’s success in the K-pop industry, and I’m curious how closely it will follow author Jessica Jung’s own career.
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“If someone had told me when I was eleven years old about everything I’d have to sacrifice to get to this point, everything that would be stolen from me, I would have said they were writing a K-drama. The path to get here has turned out to be harder than anything I could’ve ever imagined, but here I am.”
Shine follows Rachel Kim, a Korean-American who is scouted by DB entertainment. She and her family pack up from New York and move to Seoul, South Korea in order to pursue her dream at the tender age of eleven. Thinking of myself at age eleven, an insecure girl who splattered her binders in Sailor Moon and horses, I can only imagine just how limitless the damage of growing up in the K-pop industry is. Rachel Kim and the trainees are forced with monthly evaluations, where they are forced to perform in front of CEOs, executives, and other trainees. They are hit in the stomach during singing practice to strengthen their diaphragms. They are forced onto the scale constantly. On top of that, trainees get very little sleep, dancing and singing for most hours of the day. Dating is forbidden. If they aren’t perfect, they are verbally abused, or worse, kicked out of the company without another thought, rendering their dreams crushed. And I thought middle school was unbearable.
“DB talks about us being a family. But they don’t care. They don’t care about me. About you. They don’t care about anyone. All they care about is making us into perfect K-pop machines that will do everything they say and rake in the money for them.”
One could hope that trainees could at least find solace in the bonds of friendship the form with one another, but at least in Rachel Kim’s experience, that is not the case. Rachel is looked down upon for growing up in America, for her mother’s insistence that she not live in the trainee house and that she goes to a real high school, and for practically everything else. Her fellow trainees attempt to sabotage her at every turn, even drugging her and blackmailing her. And things only go further down hill when Rachel captures the attention of Jason Lee, DB’s most successful male idol. Through Rachel’s budding forbidden romance with Jason, author Jessica Jung demonstrates the double standard for male and female idols. When Jason is praised for his performance, Rachel and other female trainees are fat or slut shamed by the general population and blamed for any little thing that goes wrong by the company.
“She told me that being with Jason wouldn’t just be difficult; it would be dangerous. And it is. But it’s also unjust. I gave my life to DB, and in the end this decision—a decision we both made—will destroy me. And only me. In the end I will be the only one who’s forced to walk away from everything I’ve worked for—the fans, the music, the magic. For the first time in a long time, I can feel the threads of my life start to weave together with perfect clarity. And they’re all pulling me toward one obvious conclusion: I might want to be with Jason, but I need to debut. And being with Jason could cost me my career before it even begins.”
The author does a great job of showing this injustice through Jason, who is a typical man, and clueless of the privilege that his gender grants him. Shine realistically and sympathetically portrays what the consequences would mean for Rachel versus Jason. I found this relationship compelling, but also very sad. Perhaps more upsetting, was the way no one in Rachel’s world could be trusted. Her fellow trainees are out for blood, and I have seen a lot of other reviews stating that they couldn’t root for Rachel as she had to resort to threatening to expose another trainee’s relationship to protect herself. I completely disagree with this assessment. Shine makes it clear that Rachel is simply trying to survive, and unfortunately, in such a competitive world, when people are constantly trying to sabotage one another and to undercut one’s talent and very existence, one to use whatever means one has at his or her disposal to protect oneself. For God’s sake, Rachel was already drugged once. Shine makes it extremely clear that no one else in this environment is going to look out for you—not the CEOs, not your idol sunbaes, not your trainers, and not your fellow trainees. Rachel is simply a product of her environment, and instead of judging her, I think we should all feel sad that her world drags her down to that level in order to survive.
Honestly, after reading Shine, my heart aches for all the K-pop trainees. Shine does an amazing job demonstrating the countless sacrifices not only the trainees make, but also their families. They miss birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, the normal high school experience, and so much more. It really put me to mind of the military life, where deployments separate loved ones for years, put lives at risk, and require countless sacrifices in order to have that career. It seems so severe that children at such young ages enter into the type of lifestyle that usually puts lives on the line, and this goes on for years, with so little sleep and few kind words, if any. I think that is one of the main questions Shine poses, is it really all worth it? Personally, I don’t know how anyone survives this world, let alone is able to shine in it. It’s clear that the author herself, Jessica Jung, has a lot of strong feelings about her own experiences:
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you? This glamour? This fame? It’s all an illusion set up by the label. The execs. And then they’ll take everything away from you, framing you as an irresponsible, high-maintenance diva, so that no other label will want to touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
After reading Shine, I feel like I even better understand why Jessica Jung had to share these feelings under the guise of fiction—it's clear that she could get sued otherwise. And I’m so proud of her for having the bravery to expose what the K-pop industry is really like. Shine is definitely a must-read for any K-pop fan. I would’ve loved to give the novel a higher rating, especially as Jessica is my ultimate bias, but the writing, although better than I expected, was subpar. Though Shine does a great job when it is dealing with the darker themes and realities of the K-pop world, it makes a few odd writing choices.
For instance, the inclusion of Korean words was reminiscent of fanfic writers who love to sprinkle these cultural terms in just to prove that they know them. It was also strange to me that most of the novel is in English, except for these words, but one assumes everyone is speaking Korean in South Korea, right? So the reader can reasonably infer that the novel is simply being translated to English, but then why are these terms included? One scene in particular, where Rachel is on a bus, is completely in Korean. Having watched a ton of K-dramas, I was able to translate this scene, but it was really out of place and took me right out of the novel to wonder why it was in Korean instead of English like the rest of the novel, when it wasn’t even an important conversation.
I think Shine was just trying to give readers more glimpses of Korean culture and an interest in the language, but its lack of consistency was off-putting and was ultimately, poorly executed. Oddly enough, these inclusions of the language did not feel very authentic, despite having been written by a Korean-American who has lived in South Korea for most of her life. Likewise, the swearing of the characters seemed very out of place and mature with the overall simplicity of the writing style. It was almost like the novel couldn't decide to whom it was geared towards.
However, these are just small issues I had in an enlightening and entertaining read that I couldn't put down. After reading Shine, I feel it's more important than ever for us all to support our K-pop favorites. They've been through so much. I’m looking forward to the sequel to ,i>Shine, as it will focus on Rachel’s success in the K-pop industry, and I’m curious how closely it will follow author Jessica Jung’s own career.
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dandymandyreads's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story; great, quick escapist read; fits the YA genre well. Not too much special about this book other than I'm sure Jessica pulled from her own experiences to tell Rachel's story and it's interesting to get more insight into the trainer experience