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miyawakiss's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very enjoyable. I grew up knee-deep in Kpop culture but being on a plus-size side, I always felt discouraged and frustrated about my appearance. Being in an Asian environment didn't help either. This book called out to my 15 year old self who was beating herself up for her weight. Skye is someone any teenager can aspire to be, true to themselves and unapologetic about it. I love her. The romance is a bit cliché but that's what I loved about it. Henry is supportive and a gentleman throughout and I loved how Skye never once questioned her worth to be with him, because I feel that's an issue my young self had. Overall a very easy read that made me smile.
sunshine_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
I had such a good time reading this book! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but Lyla Lee created a story that made me want to DANCE and SING.
Skye Shin has always been plus-sized, and her mother has always given her a hard time about it. Skye has heard it all: fat girls shouldn't dance or wear bright colors or stand out in any way. But Sky dreams of being a K-pop star, so she challenges all the rules that society has placed on plus-sized girls by auditioning for an internationally televised competition to find the next K-pop star.
Skye enters the world of reality tv and all the drama that goes along with it. She has to defend her "right" to be there to a fat-phobic judge and challenges the beauty standards of Korean pop stars. Skye has to balance intense rehearsals, clashes with fellow competitors, her mother's disapproval, her rising social media presence, and her feelings for another competitor, Henry Cho, all while staying true to herself.
Lee does a fantastic job describing the joy Skye feels when she is performing. The author also finds a way for Skye to explore her feelings about her own sexuality, being an inspiration to others, standing up for herself, body positivity, friendships, and facing her mother once and for all.
I 100% recommend this book and will be adding it to my school's library asap.
Skye Shin has always been plus-sized, and her mother has always given her a hard time about it. Skye has heard it all: fat girls shouldn't dance or wear bright colors or stand out in any way. But Sky dreams of being a K-pop star, so she challenges all the rules that society has placed on plus-sized girls by auditioning for an internationally televised competition to find the next K-pop star.
Skye enters the world of reality tv and all the drama that goes along with it. She has to defend her "right" to be there to a fat-phobic judge and challenges the beauty standards of Korean pop stars. Skye has to balance intense rehearsals, clashes with fellow competitors, her mother's disapproval, her rising social media presence, and her feelings for another competitor, Henry Cho, all while staying true to herself.
Lee does a fantastic job describing the joy Skye feels when she is performing. The author also finds a way for Skye to explore her feelings about her own sexuality, being an inspiration to others, standing up for herself, body positivity, friendships, and facing her mother once and for all.
I 100% recommend this book and will be adding it to my school's library asap.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.25
Finished reading: September 5th 2024
“I'm fat and I take up space, but that's okay... I'm allowed to take up space just as much as anyone else.”
WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!
I confess that I only picked up this title because I needed a book about K-pop for the POPSUGAR challenge. I hardly know anything about K-pop, although I read XOXO earlier this year which gave me some insight... I did like the sound of the premise of I'll Be The One with the plus-sized main character joining the K-pop star reality TV contest, and I was hoping for a fun and empowering read. Sadly, I ended up struggling considerably with this story instead. This mainly had to do with the main character and the overpowering focus on the fact that she is plus-size. It seems to be her main and just about only character trait apart from her singing and dancing talent... Don't get me wrong, I love a story focusing on body positivity, but why does Skye have to almost feel like a martyr instead of a strong but relatable human being?! Seriously, the bodyshaming, fatphobia and abuse is CONSTANT and coming in from all angles, and it overshadowed the rest of the plot for me. I felt like I never got to know Skye beyond this abuse, her talent and the fact that she is bi, and she just felt way too one-dimensional for me. I actually liked the side characters a lot better! The romance itself felt quite cliche though and I never felt the connection was there. This might just have to do with the fact that Skye's personality lacked fleshing out... Either way, I'll Be The One was most definitely a miss for me, and not the fun and engaging YA contemporary I thought it was going to be. I seem to be in the minority though, so it might just be my fickle reading mood acting up again?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
labueclarissa89's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
5.0
'I'll Be the One' is everything a good teen book should be and more. It's fun, romantic, positive, diverse, and empowering. Not a moment on the book overstays it's welcome.
'I'll Be the One' follows Skye, a size 16 teenager with aspirations to be a K-pop dancing and singing sensation. When a K-pop contest is being produced locally she enters with dreams of winning. Along the way she meets unique new friends, finds romance, learns to love herself, battles insecurity and deals with a parent that's less than they should be.
Skye, our heroine is one of my favorite females leads ever. 16 year old me would have loved her. She's got everything: talent, perseverance, confidence, and passion. When others, including her own mother try to discourage her she shows amazing tenacity and determination to continue working towards her goals with her sense of self-worth intact. As someone who struggles with my weight and confidence seeing a character like Skye was what I needed. Owning not only her size but who she is as a person was truly inspirational. It never occurred to me that a teen book could rouse such feelings in me.
This book is a must read for any teenage girl. Not only is the book itself positive but also our main characters’ supporters and love interest are positive too. I don't see enough healthy friendships and relationships in general in media geared towards women, teens in particular.
'I'll Be the One' follows Skye, a size 16 teenager with aspirations to be a K-pop dancing and singing sensation. When a K-pop contest is being produced locally she enters with dreams of winning. Along the way she meets unique new friends, finds romance, learns to love herself, battles insecurity and deals with a parent that's less than they should be.
Skye, our heroine is one of my favorite females leads ever. 16 year old me would have loved her. She's got everything: talent, perseverance, confidence, and passion. When others, including her own mother try to discourage her she shows amazing tenacity and determination to continue working towards her goals with her sense of self-worth intact. As someone who struggles with my weight and confidence seeing a character like Skye was what I needed. Owning not only her size but who she is as a person was truly inspirational. It never occurred to me that a teen book could rouse such feelings in me.
This book is a must read for any teenage girl. Not only is the book itself positive but also our main characters’ supporters and love interest are positive too. I don't see enough healthy friendships and relationships in general in media geared towards women, teens in particular.
adelevarley's review against another edition
3.0
I would be lying to you if I said I didn't read this on OverDrive from the library during my gov class. Oops. Anyway, this is such a sweet, quick read! While I think that the representation in this book is so important, I wanted more from the writing itself. Normally with romances I disregard the rest of the plot, but for this book I liked reading about the actual competition itself more than Henry and Skye's relationship. I liked Skye's character and her journey with body confidence and self-love, but the romance between her and Henry wasn't as appealing as I had hoped, especially because I got myself super hyped up for it in the first few chapters.
Anyway, I'm no K-pop critic, but overall this was light and fluffy and pretty fun. 3/5 stars!
Anyway, I'm no K-pop critic, but overall this was light and fluffy and pretty fun. 3/5 stars!
thisstoryaintover's review against another edition
This was the sweetest, most fun I've had with a book in a while! I LOVED our main girl Skye and how unapologetically herself she is. Skye is plus-size and bisexual and she lives her life the way she wants (and deserves!) to live it. The love interest was equally squishy and sweet and I just wanted the best for all the of side characters as well. Overall, a WONDERFUL contemporary with great diversity and compelling writing
beccaglasserbaker's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
neopetsfaerie's review against another edition
4.0
"i'll be the one" is a book with a lot of heart and passion. it's clear that the author, lyla lee, had a defined vision for the novel and although a bit predictable in some parts, it was heartwarming and fun until the end!
skye herself was a phenomenal main character who never lost herself in the rigorous, intense world of k-pop training and competition. naturally, she has her own insecurities about not being the best she can be. this makes sense given the nature of the competition she's in and her relationship with her mother. i found myself always rooting for skye and not wishing for her downfall. when she begins to develop a crush on the love interest of the novel, i had moments when i squealed and smiled out loud because i was excited for her, while "i'll be the one" is about the k-pop industry and skye's hopes to win a competition to become a trainee, i found it wasn't too centered on any of the more popular groups. in the beginning, admittedly, there was one chapter that mentioned bts five times but i appreciated the mention of groups like epik high, gfriend, and solo artist ailee (one of my personal favorites!) i found myself liking most of the characters, except for the ones the author sets up to be antagonists of course. i cheered, i smiled, and i had fun with the overall story.
this all being said, the main reason i didn't give "i'll be the one" five stars was because... well. the writing isn't the best and the story is a bit cliché. i knew what would happen in the end before i got to the second chapter. it reminds me much like a typical shoujo manga or a teenage tv drama. while it's very easy to tell the conflict and the rise and fall of the characters, there's a certain dreaminess that keeps you sucked in. the book is written in the first-person point of view from sixteen-year-old skye. obviously, it's not going to be filled with allegories, prose, and poetic metaphors. this makes the book a quick read (i finished this in one sitting) yet, because of this some of the writing was just so gen-z speak, it made me flatline at some points. i couldn't tell if i liked it or not. one notable moment of this was when skye described a character's facial expression like "the guy sipping tea" meme. i also enjoy fleshed-out characters and while skye, henry, lana, and tiffany were given some life, many characters fell to one flat characteristic. i wish skye's friends she went to school with and had known since middle school had more to them than just going out to eat korean shaved ice with her and squealing, but maybe this is just me being nit-picky.
overall, i really liked "i'll be the one!" though it has its faults, it was a fun and bright read. it didn't fall short on the type of book this was supposed to be. i'd recommend this to k-pop fans, those who enjoy a quick-read, and who enjoy poppy romances. (also: shout-out to the lgbt rep!)
skye herself was a phenomenal main character who never lost herself in the rigorous, intense world of k-pop training and competition. naturally, she has her own insecurities about not being the best she can be. this makes sense given the nature of the competition she's in and her relationship with her mother. i found myself always rooting for skye and not wishing for her downfall. when she begins to develop a crush on the love interest of the novel, i had moments when i squealed and smiled out loud because i was excited for her,
Spoiler
especially when the love interest, henry, begins to fall for her too and they define their relationship and share their first kiss.this all being said, the main reason i didn't give "i'll be the one" five stars was because... well. the writing isn't the best and the story is a bit cliché. i knew what would happen in the end before i got to the second chapter. it reminds me much like a typical shoujo manga or a teenage tv drama. while it's very easy to tell the conflict and the rise and fall of the characters, there's a certain dreaminess that keeps you sucked in. the book is written in the first-person point of view from sixteen-year-old skye. obviously, it's not going to be filled with allegories, prose, and poetic metaphors. this makes the book a quick read (i finished this in one sitting) yet, because of this some of the writing was just so gen-z speak, it made me flatline at some points. i couldn't tell if i liked it or not. one notable moment of this was when skye described a character's facial expression like "the guy sipping tea" meme. i also enjoy fleshed-out characters and while skye, henry, lana, and tiffany were given some life, many characters fell to one flat characteristic. i wish skye's friends she went to school with and had known since middle school had more to them than just going out to eat korean shaved ice with her and squealing, but maybe this is just me being nit-picky.
overall, i really liked "i'll be the one!" though it has its faults, it was a fun and bright read. it didn't fall short on the type of book this was supposed to be. i'd recommend this to k-pop fans, those who enjoy a quick-read, and who enjoy poppy romances. (also: shout-out to the lgbt rep!)
shema's review against another edition
5.0
I was already excited to read this because I love K-pop and doing K-pop dances, and I enjoyed this so much!
I love the main character and her confidance and drive throughout the story. I also love the bi representation. This book was so fun and delightful!
I love the main character and her confidance and drive throughout the story. I also love the bi representation. This book was so fun and delightful!
grrrbarkbark's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5