Scan barcode
A review by lostwing
Shine by Jessica Jung
5.0
This book was GRIPPING! The romance is addicting, the imagery in each unique setting is immersive, and the discussion of gendered double standards in the industry is something I think everyone should acknowledge. I also think the pacing of this story was really masterful--just when you think things are turning out to be okay, there's new problems, or rather what you think was true was false all along. It reminds me of reading/watching a palace intrigue book/drama in that within this tight-knit group of people, bound together for one reason or another, there are multiple layers to the relationships and nothing is really so simple.
One of my favorite scenes was towards the end where Rachel's mom tells her she's sorry for not being more supportive. Then Rachel asks her younger sister Leah if she's been okay with everything that's happened and Leah - excuse my tears - says "you're my sister. your dreams are my dreams." yeah i pretty much teared up.
Another one of my favorite parts of the book was the section about the haenyo / mermaid divers in Jeju Island. I had never heard of this group of amazing women and I thought it showed a beautiful side of the main character, Rachel, that those women were so inspiring to her. "When we think we cannot go on, we remember that we have done this before, and we will do it again." Damn if those aren't some of the most inspiring words I've ever heard.
But personally to me the most amazing thing about this book was the discussion of what K-pop could mean to a Korean-American teen who grew up facing a lot of racism, both microaggressions and overt aggressions. In this world, Rachel saw a place for her to be celebrated and to be proud. I think that's the reason a lot of Asian-American kids turned to it when I was growing up, even if we didn't realize it. It was heartbreaking that Rachel wasn't as accepted as she hoped, but inspiring that she insisted she deserved her place anyways.
One of my favorite scenes was towards the end where Rachel's mom tells her she's sorry for not being more supportive. Then Rachel asks her younger sister Leah if she's been okay with everything that's happened and Leah - excuse my tears - says "you're my sister. your dreams are my dreams." yeah i pretty much teared up.
Another one of my favorite parts of the book was the section about the haenyo / mermaid divers in Jeju Island. I had never heard of this group of amazing women and I thought it showed a beautiful side of the main character, Rachel, that those women were so inspiring to her. "When we think we cannot go on, we remember that we have done this before, and we will do it again." Damn if those aren't some of the most inspiring words I've ever heard.
But personally to me the most amazing thing about this book was the discussion of what K-pop could mean to a Korean-American teen who grew up facing a lot of racism, both microaggressions and overt aggressions. In this world, Rachel saw a place for her to be celebrated and to be proud. I think that's the reason a lot of Asian-American kids turned to it when I was growing up, even if we didn't realize it. It was heartbreaking that Rachel wasn't as accepted as she hoped, but inspiring that she insisted she deserved her place anyways.