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Writer's pictureKayla Isabel

Shine by Jessica Jung (Book Review)

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A Korean American teen is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Girls Generation. What would you give for a chance to live your dreams? For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right? Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise. (taken from goodreads.com)

There is nothing Rachel Kim has wanted more in her life than to be a K-pop star. Her family moved from New York City to Seoul when she was eleven years old to help her pursue her dreams. But here she is, six years later, and starting to realize it’s not as glamorous as she was hoping it would. Are the sacrifices truly worth it?

I loved this book so much! I was sucked in from the very first page! Rachel and her friends are sweet, determined, passionate and good people.

This was one of my favorite books I have read in a long time. Rachel is sweet, passionate and smart. She is hardworking, a good friend and close with her family. Her younger sister, Leah, looks up to her more than anything and her parents are very proud of her. Since this book is written by a former k-pop star, the world is so well developed. The scenes in Seoul and every other location are so well written that you feel like you can see the scenes. I loved this so much. Rachel and her friends are loyal and they support Rachel every step of the way. Since Rachel’s mother is a bit more over protective than some of the other trainees parents, Rachel spends more time at school and at home than the others. So we get to see more of who Rachel is outside of the k-pop world. This was just an amazing novel about hard work, friendship, first love, family, sacrifice and so much more. I highly recommend this one and I can NOT wait for the next one!!

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