ratatouilllie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Bullying, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
itsreyz's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Reads a lot like fanfiction, only Jackson didn't throw the party in this one, lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Classism and Fatphobia
Minor: Alcohol
kadtide's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Classism, Racism, and Xenophobia
gingercheddar's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Fatphobia
blqsrg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
At first, I thought it would too cliché and predictable, but I was pleasantly surprised at the plot twist and really enjoyed it towards the end. Only there is some untied end to some characters like the love interest and her friend, but I'm hoping that's a sign that maybe we can expect a sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Bullying
boob's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Not my can of jam. When I first came across the book, the cover threw me off. It's not what you would expect from a YA novel, it's very garish and cheesy/'plastic', which pretty much describes the book.
Writing Style
There is a lot of 'show not tell.' I feel like all the scenes in the story were told to me, the writing felt chunky and corny. The story and way of words didn't flow together very well, and it seemed to be written (style wise and story wise) for maybe a young-middle schooler/elementary schooler to read. Reading it did not feel like an experience fit for the YA section.
Story and Characters
I could not connect with the characters for the life of me. Jason (the love interest) seemed like an irritant to me, he's dense and not very likable straight off the first meeting. I couldn't feel any real friction between the MC and Jason, except for maybe when they sung together and even then the 'friction and energy' was described and told to the reader, not shown. What may have been smooth flirting felt forced and I could not see through him at all, he was a bit 'too perfect' a character. His flaws felt forced and not natural.
Rachel was... as the main character, she was very 'plastic.' Any moment you may have thought for some character development... nope. I don't see anything that I particularly like in her as a character, as well as her sister and her friends. Though this is the first book in the series, so maybe there is hope for redemption further down the way.
The story address some issues like sexism/misogyny, issues with the corporates behind the k-pop industry and xenophobia, but it's a scrap on the surface and could've gone deeper, and felt like these things were used as a plot device.
I am not a k-pop fan, but I do know the author went through some sort of k-pop training/was in the industry and is a celebrity. A lot of times when celebrities write books they turn out subpar, however. Since this is the first book in a series, there is possible hope in the future these characters pack their shit together and we actually see something, because the sheer (almost ridiculous, but perhaps accurate) amount of drama was the one thing fun to read. Also, it makes me feel better maybe that someone with real experience within the industry wrote this novel.
Would I recommend? Not exactly. But maybe if we get a few books out in the future and return to this series, and see some character improvement I'll come back. Keep moving forward Jessica!
Writing Style
There is a lot of 'show not tell.' I feel like all the scenes in the story were told to me, the writing felt chunky and corny. The story and way of words didn't flow together very well, and it seemed to be written (style wise and story wise) for maybe a young-middle schooler/elementary schooler to read. Reading it did not feel like an experience fit for the YA section.
Story and Characters
I could not connect with the characters for the life of me. Jason (the love interest) seemed like an irritant to me, he's dense and not very likable straight off the first meeting. I couldn't feel any real friction between the MC and Jason, except for maybe when they sung together and even then the 'friction and energy' was described and told to the reader, not shown. What may have been smooth flirting felt forced and I could not see through him at all, he was a bit 'too perfect' a character. His flaws felt forced and not natural.
Rachel was... as the main character, she was very 'plastic.' Any moment you may have thought for some character development... nope. I don't see anything that I particularly like in her as a character, as well as her sister and her friends. Though this is the first book in the series, so maybe there is hope for redemption further down the way.
The story address some issues like sexism/misogyny, issues with the corporates behind the k-pop industry and xenophobia, but it's a scrap on the surface and could've gone deeper, and felt like these things were used as a plot device.
I am not a k-pop fan, but I do know the author went through some sort of k-pop training/was in the industry and is a celebrity. A lot of times when celebrities write books they turn out subpar, however. Since this is the first book in a series, there is possible hope in the future these characters pack their shit together and we actually see something, because the sheer (almost ridiculous, but perhaps accurate) amount of drama was the one thing fun to read. Also, it makes me feel better maybe that someone with real experience within the industry wrote this novel.
Would I recommend? Not exactly. But maybe if we get a few books out in the future and return to this series, and see some character improvement I'll come back. Keep moving forward Jessica!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Fatphobia
Minor: Alcohol
a_h__'s review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
blakethebookeater's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexism, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Drug use, and Alcohol
katiemack's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is written like a bad K-drama, but I happen to like K-dramas (and so do many teenagers and young adults--the primary audience for this book).
While it's not winning any awards for its writing, it's a fun, juicy look into the dark inner world of K-pop. Jung calls out the more problematic aspects of the industry, including sexism and fatphobia (though some of the scenes about counting calories aren't critical enough of the practice), while also creating enough drama to be compelling (again, compelling for fans of K-dramas and readers in their teens).
While it's not winning any awards for its writing, it's a fun, juicy look into the dark inner world of K-pop. Jung calls out the more problematic aspects of the industry, including sexism and fatphobia (though some of the scenes about counting calories aren't critical enough of the practice), while also creating enough drama to be compelling (again, compelling for fans of K-dramas and readers in their teens).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Sexism
elskabee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A fun read overall, but it was a pretty mediocre book.
The good:
- The actual writing was pretty decent, not standout, but not bad for a cheesy teen novel
- Not as childish as I was worried. there's teen drinking, swearing, and real-world problems among all the over the top k-pop drama
- Much of the 'over the top' drama was pretty entertaining despite being unrealistic at times
- The main characters weren't entirely one dimensional throughout
(notice how the praise is very measured?)
The not so good:
- With all the over the top drama, it felt like it would've worked better as a k-drama (which based on the acknowledgments at the end seems to be the goal). It couldn't decide how realistic it wanted to be and made for a bit of a confused tone. It could have been an entertaining melodramatic story OR it could have been a more realistic story of a girl struggling to achieve her dreams depending entirely on the chapter. I don't mind a mix, but I wish this novel had a clearer identity.
- VERY fan-ficcy. By which I mean there were many tropes that were distractingly cliche. For example: describing outfits constantly, random insertions of Korean language that seemed out of place, describing luxury experiences without having any real meaning behind them. All three of those things at the very least could have been worked into the story better or even just left out 50% of the time.
- Although the main three characters (Rachel, Jason, and Mina) were not 1D they weren't exactly 3D either. The other background characters suffer more, almost all of them being very 1D throughout. This book subscribes to the notion that in teen media every character is the best friend or worst enemy and it gets tired pretty quickly.
- Short. I don't think I would want it longer, but some things felt rushed, especially the ending. I know there's a sequel planned for next year and some of the stuff at the end could have been pushed into the sequel rather than being tacked on in the last chapter.
Overall:
I didn't hate reading this book and at times could be entertaining, but it has a confused identity and some tropes that stop it from being a more unique and interesting story. I'd probably read the sequel when it comes out out of curiosity, but I wouldn't be rushing to recommend this to anyone. I think the target audience of teen girls interested in kpop may find it more enjoyable than I did though.
The good:
- The actual writing was pretty decent, not standout, but not bad for a cheesy teen novel
- Not as childish as I was worried. there's teen drinking, swearing, and real-world problems among all the over the top k-pop drama
- Much of the 'over the top' drama was pretty entertaining despite being unrealistic at times
- The main characters weren't entirely one dimensional throughout
(notice how the praise is very measured?)
The not so good:
- With all the over the top drama, it felt like it would've worked better as a k-drama (which based on the acknowledgments at the end seems to be the goal). It couldn't decide how realistic it wanted to be and made for a bit of a confused tone. It could have been an entertaining melodramatic story OR it could have been a more realistic story of a girl struggling to achieve her dreams depending entirely on the chapter. I don't mind a mix, but I wish this novel had a clearer identity.
- VERY fan-ficcy. By which I mean there were many tropes that were distractingly cliche. For example: describing outfits constantly, random insertions of Korean language that seemed out of place, describing luxury experiences without having any real meaning behind them. All three of those things at the very least could have been worked into the story better or even just left out 50% of the time.
- Although the main three characters (Rachel, Jason, and Mina) were not 1D they weren't exactly 3D either. The other background characters suffer more, almost all of them being very 1D throughout. This book subscribes to the notion that in teen media every character is the best friend or worst enemy and it gets tired pretty quickly.
- Short. I don't think I would want it longer, but some things felt rushed, especially the ending. I know there's a sequel planned for next year and some of the stuff at the end could have been pushed into the sequel rather than being tacked on in the last chapter.
Overall:
I didn't hate reading this book and at times could be entertaining, but it has a confused identity and some tropes that stop it from being a more unique and interesting story. I'd probably read the sequel when it comes out out of curiosity, but I wouldn't be rushing to recommend this to anyone. I think the target audience of teen girls interested in kpop may find it more enjoyable than I did though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Racism