Shine by Jessica Jung is the first of a duology about a Korean American girl who is training to become a K pop star. This story features Rachel Kim who is a trainee at DB Entertainment in Seoul. She hopes to debut with a K-Pop girl group. The only issue is that she's terrible with media interviews. Also, her fellow trainees don't like her. The story features lots of mess and drama. Also, some strict rules from the company including no dating and adhering to a strict diet to make weight. Rachel must do what it takes to rise to the top and make her debut.

Well, the cover is so pretty. However, this book was just not good. It is okay. The writing is somewhat bland. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters because there's constant back biting and scheming. Everyone is so surface level. The villain Mina never gets a shot at redemption and just evil. We see some motivation for that, but, what could have been made more interesting was a dropped plot thread. The romance is kind of boring too. Jason Lee is in a K Pop boy band and just doesn't get why Rachel adheres so strictly to the rules. He can't understand the double standard. With my adult wisdom, I say kick him to the curb. Rachel makes body shaming type comments, so I couldn't even root for her. At least this was fast paced. However, I will not be returning for the sequel. This was nowhere near as good as Maurene Goo's Somewhere Only We Know.

Shine is amazing. I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this, because again: usually, contemporaries don’t get me. But this was such a clever combination of excellently executed elements, I couldn’t help but be in love.

I DNF'd this book, couldn't connect with the characters, especially the main character and after multiple attempts - I gave up. Sorry!

I personally did not get into this one but. do think others might connect to this one more. Overall giving it three stars.

Thank you for the review copy. I really loved the audiobook as it was a fun read. I am mentioning this book in a future podcast episode as an audiobook to pick up.

Shine by Jessica Jung: For six years Korean American Rachel Kim has been training with DB Entertainment in the hopes of becoming the next big K-pop star. Her family even moved from America to Korea just so she could train. As long as she trains hard, is perfect, and doesn't date anyone, she has a chance at making her dreams come true and making her family's sacrifice worth it. But, of course, that's not so easy, especially when there's a lot of drama within the K-pop world and especially when there's hottie Jason Lee in the picture. Admittedly, this young adult novel by Korean American K-pop star Jessica Jung was better than I originally thought it would be. Jung touched on some of the drama, rules, and stress that K-pop trainees experience, but I wish she would have gone more into how negative those rules are. For example, weigh-ins and forced plastic surgery. But I believe Jung is still part of that industry so maybe she couldn't really be too critical of the hand that feeds her (and possibly controls her?). But I don't know much about the K-pop world, so what do I know? Overall this was an entertaining book that had more depth than I expected (although my expectations were low). Teens (and adults) interested in K-pop will enjoy it. Check it out at your local library and/or purchase it from your favorite independent bookstore.

A novel about K-Pop by idol Jessica Jung? I was so excited to read this one. However, it fell flat for me. This was more focused on the drama more than anything. The characters fell flat and the romance just felt forced. After a while, I kept getting so annoyed by all the cattiness here. While I am a K-Pop fan, that doesn’t override my thoughts on the book. While there are a lot of people who like this, I'm going to say this wasn't for me.

The book is written by an #OwnVoices author Jessica Jung who was a member of the K-Pop girl group Girl’s Generation. K-pop idols go through a rigorous training period and if they are deemed good enough, the label will let them debut. This means actually performing on stage, being promoted, and earning money.

I liked reading about the fierce competition, lessons, and level of stress and anxiety trainees face. Not to mention, incredibly misogynistic expectations put on female trainees. The romance was okay. It took way too long for Jason to see how sexist the industry is towards women and he doesn’t really redeem himself for other things.

However, I don’t like that the only rivalry shown in the story is between Rachel and another girl. It feels more like a Mean Girls type situation unique to Rachel rather than the author trying to shine light on the competitiveness and rivalry in the industry. I think if we could have seen other side characters experiencing that similar rivalry and struggles it would have made Rachel less of a “woe-is-me” character. And there’s never really a reconciliation, which I get doesn’t always happen in real life. In the end, idol groups are working colleagues and you don’t always get along with your coworkers. However, as a YA novel, I felt it needed to have some kind of resolution. When I got to the end, I was left feeling underwhelmed. Like yeah, I see that training life was incredibly difficult and it made Rachel a stronger person but not necessarily a better person.

Overall, I can’t say Shine is a great book but it’s fun and messy like a teen tv drama.

I listened to this book on audio and found the narrator frustratingly old-sounding. The secondhand embarrassment in this book is HIGH. I was also incredibly disappointed that in Rachel's father's storyline. He just lies for 3 years about going to law school and it's cool? NAH.

I think Jung attempted to shed some light on the negative aspects of the KPOP industry: cattiness behind the scenes, sexism, and valuing looks over talent, HOWEVER Shine spends a lot of time talking about weight, body image, disordered eating etc. As this is a YA novel, I think it's important to remember how incredibly vulnerable young people are to disordered eating and body image issues. Jung could have presented her critiques in a stronger manner, but I understand where's she's coming from, having lived through them.

CW:
Body talk, weight talk, disordered eating, negative self talk, vomit, racial microagressions, internalized racism, drugging, profanity, teen drinking, slut shaming.

Alexa, play “Into the New World” by Girl’s Generation. Let me begin this review by stating that Girl’s Generation (also known as SNSD or Sonyeo Sidae) was the first K-Pop group that I ever loved. I started listening to their music in 2009 when I was still in primary school, and when Jessica left the group in 2014, I was stunned.

While Shine is technically a fictional story, there’s no doubt that the characters and events are largely inspired by Jessica’s life. If this book were written by anyone else other than Jessica, I don’t think it would have been as well-received or as entertaining of a read simply because Jessica’s background offers an inside look into the Korean music industry.

Shine follows Rachel Kim, a 17-year-old Korean American trainee under Seoul’s largest K-Pop label, DB Entertainment. Just from the synopsis, you can find immediate parallels between Rachel and Jessica who was one of the Korean American members of Girl’s Generation under SM entertainment.

I went into this book with fairly low expectations mainly because I’m always wary of books written by celebrities, but the discussions of K-Pop’s darker side were really interesting to read, mainly because I’m a K-Pop fan myself but also because I was trying to find ties between Rachel’s life and Jessica’s.

Through Rachel, we’re exposed to the unforgiving life of a K-pop trainee from strict diet expectations where gaining 1kg could have you publicly shamed, competition among trainees looking to debut, sponsorships AKA sexual relations between trainees and company executives, double standards between female and male idols, and more.

The writing itself was very easy to read which I wasn’t too surprised by since the book had been edited by Kat Cho, author of Wicked Fox. However, I will admit that this is a very frustrating book from the immense girl-on-girl hate and bullying with Mina, another trainee, and whirlwind romance with Jason, Rachel’s love-interest.

It’s easy to forget how K-Pop artists’ images, music, everything?? are carefully curated by the label executives, and this book ~shines~ a light on how toxic the environment can be. With Mina, I kept speculating whether Jessica was bullied like Rachel, similar to how Mina in AOA was bullied by the leader Jimin.
The romance between Rachel and Jason wasn’t my favorite mainly because he was such an irresponsible and flakey love interest to read about but that was a major plotpoint to show the double standards between expectations of male idols in the industry to their female counterparts.

Truthfully, I mainly picked up this book to see whether Jessica revealed anything interesting about her experience (and eventual departure) from Girl’s Generation, and Rachel’s story revealed the brutal nature of achieving success in the industry. There are several scenes in this book that feel very over-the-top, but as a whole, this was an entertaining read that I would recommend to other K-Pop fans.

BOOK REPORT for Shine (Book 1) by Jessica Jung

Cover Story: Instagrammable
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Gossip Sonyeo
Bonus Factors: K-pop, South Korea
Anti-Bonus Factors: Mean Girls
Relationship Status: Slumber Party Pal

Trigger Warnings: A character gets drugged, although they do not sustain any physical harm. Characters' weights are also micromanaged; while eating disorders are never explicitly mentioned, there's at least constant explicit pressure to stay thin.

Cover Story: Instagrammable

It's not quite millennial pink, but this totally reminds me of the Instagram aesthetic back when there were places to go to and infographics hadn't taken over. It's also reminiscent of Lauren Conrad's YA novel, except with origami stars. But if this cover didn't say K-pop on it twice, there'd be zero indication that's what the book is about.

The Deal:

Singing, dancing, media training, and, of course, no dating: that's the life of a K-pop trainee. After six long years of it, Rachel Kim's dream of becoming a K-pop idol is finally within her grasp -- as long as she can fend off the fierce competition and be the picture of perfection 24/7. (Oh, is that all?) Although nowhere in that plan does it include catching feelings for K-pop's hottest rising star, Jason Lee, which could jeopardize everything that Rachel has worked towards.

BFF Charm: Let Me Love You



Rachel's admirable in so many ways; who among us can say that we've been on the cusp of achieving our dreams at sixteen?!?! (Or maybe you can. I don't know your life!) But getting here hasn't been easy, especially her entire family was uprooted from New York City to Seoul. Not only does she put immense pressure on herself to succeed, but her label's trainee system is DEMANDING AF.

Despite the hardships, I totally understand Rachel's motivation to share her culture and connect with people through music, because K-pop is what made her feel less alone during her childhood. Thank goodness that she has good friends in her corner like fellow trainee Akari and glamourous twin classmates Hyeri and Juhyun, who provide welcome relief from her otherwise cutthroat and duplicitous surroundings.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

What adolescent experience is more ubiquitous than having a celebrity crush? Only Rachel doesn't crush on Jason Lee from afar; he's her labelmate and they actually know each other like real people! Except their record label has a STRICT rule against dating. But Jason's the rare person who knows what it's like to be in Rachel's shoes as a foreigner* in K-pop (he's Canadian) -- although less so as a girl in the industry, since he's unfortunately oblivious to the double standards.

Still, there are mega perks to being romanced by the golden boy of K-pop -- like, international jetsetting perks! But what's most endearing about Jason is his Peter Kavinsky-esque affection for Rachel's little sister, Leah (YEAH I WENT THERE).

*I do wish the book explored Rachel and Jason's bilingual connection more. Like, do they speak English with each other? Konglish? (It's only explicitly described once that they were speaking English.) Moreover, does she speak English at home? These are the things I wonder about fictional characters all the time.

Talky Talk: Gossip Sonyeo

Cheongdam-dong might be halfway across the globe from the Upper East Side, but the antics of the privileged and powerful are universal and universally compelling. Jung's casual use of Hangul also reminds me of Hasan Minhaj's short-lived Patriot Act, in that she doesn't necessarily feel the need to explain every little cultural detail -- because the real Rachel Kims reading this book wouldn't need them. Sometimes context clues make it obvious, but if something's unfamiliar to you, that's because you're a visitor in this world, not the other way around. Other than the names of K-pop groups and celebs, everything seems to exist IRL. Google is your friend!

Some of the American references, however, fall under the umbrella of 'Gen Z teen conveniently loves older pop culture'. I can forgive one instance of it, but the likelihood of a teenager stanning Say Anything, Savage Garden, and Mean Girls from when they were -15, -7, and 0 is a bit of a stretch for my suspension of disbelief. My other extremely niche nitpick is that this book contains a deep inaccuracy about Canada. There's a mention of Tim Hortons' Roll Up the Rim promotion happening in the summer, but in reality, it only takes place from around February to April!

One thing that I've literally never seen in another YA novel yet is the stylistic choice of capitalizing white when it pertains to race. It certainly is A Choice, and one that I do understand better after seeking out opinions in support of it, but I'm ultimately not adopting it myself.

Bonus Factor: K-pop



Inspired by her own journey to superstardom with Girls' Generation*, Jung provides probably the closest thing we'll ever get to a K-pop tell-all.If you're craving juicy details, this book DELIVERS. I don't know enough about Second Generation K-pop to connect the dots with any IRL references, but I'm so curious to know what industry insiders (esp. those who may have been alluded to) think of this.

Although in slight defense of the K-pop system, even it has to evolve with the times, albeit very slowly. Artists have become more outspoken about mental health and more involved with producing their own music, and even dating has become less of a taboo (at least for those who are already superstars, anyway).

*In the video above, she's the one with a blunt bob and wearing a blue hat in the clothing store scenes.

Bonus Factor: South Korea



Most of the novel takes place in Seoul, but I was delighted when it took a short detour to Jeju Island* and even featured haenyo, the centuries-old tradition of women divers who have been -- and are still! -- harvesting seafood without any breathing equipment. (Seriously, they're amazing, and I've been obsessed ever since I learned about them.)

*Aka one of the last places I travelled to in the Before Times, where I came across a wild horse (pictured above) like Rachel did.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Mean Girls



The actual movie might be a fave of both Rachel's and FYA's, but it's much less fun to vicariously experience flat-out bullying. Trainee ringleader Mina is nowhere as sympathetic as Regina George, and she's just cruel without at least being entertaining. (In other words, she really puts the 'mean' in Mina. *rim shot*)

Relationship Status: Slumber Party Pal

Like a good sleepover companion, this book does not hold back on spilling its secrets. (It's why its hair's so big!) It had me flying through the pages and hanging onto its every word, and I can't wait to find out what happens in the sequel. (Yes, this isn't a standalone, but there's plentyyyyy of material left to mine for Book 2 (emphasis on the tea).)

Literary Matchmaking:



• For a love letter to Korean pop culture (although TV shows instead of music), try Maurene Goo's I Believe in a Thing Called Love.

• Abigail Hing Wen's Loveboat Taipei is another 2020 debut set in Asia with rowdiness and romance abound.

• Craving another star-studded romance? Check out Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Simon Pulse. I received neither money nor gelato for writing this review (dammit!). Shine is available now.

This book was very interesting for me. I know absolutely nothing about K-pop except that BTS exists and that's about it. I had no idea it was such a competitive industry. I don't know if it's inspired by true events, since the author is an international K-pop star herself, but if it is... ouch. Girls are mean, the industry is sexist like you wouldn't think it would be in 2020, boys are clueless about it all, the fans are the worst.

Nevertheless, I admired Rachel. Despite all the bullying, the mean pranks and the name-calling, she is determined to shine, to earn her place in the industry. This is a story of perseverance, of believing in yourself and pursuing your dreams, no matter what other people (in her case, other trainees, execs, or fans) say about you. You are important. You matter.

"Shine" is a YA book by Jessica Jung, unique (as far as I know) for focusing on the world of K-Pop.**
(**I have since found out that there is a genre of K-Pop-set books out there, so this isn't as unique as I thought. Still, it was the first mass market YA set in the world of K-Pop that I've seen!)

Back story here: I love the worlds of dance, gymnastics, and figure skating. Because of that, I've ended up reading a lot of YA-type books on these subjects, as there is a lack of novels for adults on the name. What you end up seeing as you read these sorts of books is that there's a core plot that emerges, in varying ways, over and again. The basic elements are these:

--A heroine with some kind of special quality, but not perfect.
--Information regarding the specific world in which this is set/how it works behind the scenes (broadly speaking--obviously, these books are fiction).
--A love interest within the same world;
--A snobby mean girl rival.

"Shine" fits within this genre but instead of taking us into a world based on physical competition, it is based on singing. (To be fair, singing and dancing, too, although the focus here is mostly on the singing.) In this way, it is both original and not--original, because the world of K-Pop is newer to me in YA, and unoriginal, because it follows that basic outline I mentioned above.

So what's good?
--For the most part, the heroine's internal thoughts are pretty clear and realistic.
--It's fast reading and fun.
--It does introduce you to a new world, that of K-Pop.
--Even if you don't eat Korean food normally, the descriptions will make you salivate.

What's iffier:
--It's a bit high on the soap content, but the book is meant to be read for fun--so that might not bother you. (The cheese quotient is high.)
--Very early on, the repeated references to K-Pop started to grate on me. Not references to the world, to be clear, since that's where our characters are and it's absolutely realistic for the characters to refer to their jobs and goals, but the actual word "K-Pop." That's a style thing but I admit it did grate on me.

Overall, this book, clearly intended to be the start of a series, is an amusing journey through the world of international music and the rise of a teenage star within that world. For a relaxing but not too deep read, I'd recommend it.

I could not get enough of this book! This YA k-pop romcom was amazing, mainly because the author is a former k-pop star so it felt very authentic. I want more!

Rachel’s wanted nothing more than to live the bright life of a k-pop Star— but has to work her way past her camera fright. Amidst a cute co-singer, long-clawed girls, threats of viral videos, sexism and the industry, Rachel has a lot to face on her journey.

Bright moments arise in the form of whirlwind moments in Tokyo and NYC, alongside of reflection on the impact of the music industry on artist’s personal lives. I was left hoping for more substance within some of the superficial character interactions, but they spoke to the archetypes of pop star syndrome. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I'm not into K-pop but something about this book made me want to read it and I'm glad I did! Even though it's not a new favorite, it's entertaining and gave me an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a K-pop star. (Spoiler alert: it's grueling!) For the last six years, seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim has been training with DB Entertainment, one of Seoul's largest K-pop labels, in the hopes of one day becoming a star. It requires constant training on singing, dancing, and how to handle press. It leaves no room for imperfection or dating which works out, because neither is "allowed" anyway. Rachel genuinely loves music and singing but we watch her struggle with the pressures from her family, from herself, and of course, from the industry, especially when the darker side comes out. When she hits it off with K-pop star Jason Lee, he gets her love for what they do and I thought their interactions were really adorable and provided a much needed reprieve from pop star training stress. But that's what stood out to me the most about the book though. The author, Jessica Jung, was a K-pop star herself, and it shows in the writing. I kept getting the sense that the situations and feelings expressed through Rachel's character were coming from a very personal place. To me, that was the core of the story and provided more than enough drama and conflict for one book. There were a couple other side plots that I felt muddied up the main arc and could've been excluded. I definitely kept reading to see Rachel succeed and of course when I reached the end, that's when I realized this was a duology. So keep that in mind!

This book was 100% everything I expected it to be and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

Rachel Kim has always dreamed of being a K-Pop star, and as a trainee at DB in Seoul, she has a chance. She works really hard for this dream (unlike her fellow trainees, she attends high school during the week and trains at DB on the weekends). She deals with mean girls, and the world of K-Pop is not sugar coated...these girls are rigorously trained to be perfect in every way. When Rachel takes her chances into her own hands after a bombed audition by filming a viral video, she is launched from the world of trainee onto the stage with her crush (and biggest K-Pop star in the world, Jason Lee). Rachel must decide what is important to her as she perseveres through many trials and as she works hard to show the world and herself that she's got what it takes to truly shine.

I loved this book by the cover and description, and actually knowing nothing about K-Pop, really loved reading it and learning more about this world. I always look for stories that are set in places and have characters that are different from where I live/who I encounter on a daily basis, and I think Rachel is an excellent protagonist. Nothing is ever handed to her, and she does work really hard. Her family works really hard. She is pitted against girls that she might have been friends with in another life, and she has to constantly prove herself to executives who look for any reason to cut these girls from the program. I think Rachel is an excellent example of showing how hard it can be to work for what you truly want. (The only unrealistic aspect of all of this was the video she sings going viral so quickly, but sometimes things like that do happen.) She falls for a boy even though she isn't supposed to, and she exposes readers and Jason to the double standard within the entertainment industry. The book does this extremely well.

The book is also kind of fluffy and always fun, and was a thoroughly delightful read. I gobbled the whole thing in one sitting. I guess I wish the ending had been a little bit happier, but readers know that Rachel has got a lifetime of hard work ahead of her, no matter which life she chooses. Teens will love this book. I loved this book.

Content warning: There are a few instances of underage drinking and Rachel suspects she gets drugged at a party, but there is nothing graphic about it. There is some kissing, but it never goes farther than that. There's also bullying, but again, that's just the world these girls inhabit. I imagine there could be some great discussion about this between parents/teens or educators/teens.

The first time I picked up this book, I made it about 20-30% before I just found it a struggle to keep going. However, this story does have a happy ending because once I picked up the audiobook, I found myself quickly immersed back in Rachel's world and I finished the book in just about two days. Despite not being a fan of K-Pop, I found myself completely enthralled in the world Jung describes and creates around Rachel. However, the ending to this book felt rushed and like Rachel didn't think things through and just forgot about how the K-Pop world could be so cruel to her.

K-pop is not as glamorous as people think, and Rachel Kim learns this the hard way. As a K-pop (and Girls’ Generation) fan, I was so excited when I heard about Jessica Jung’s book. And it delivered!

After six years of training and sacrifices, Rachel starts to question whether she is cut out for the cutthroat industry of K-pop.

Going into Shine, I knew there were going to be some dark truths about the K-pop industry and the double standards they hold. What I didn’t expect was how far it went. From toxic bullying to crushing media gossip, Rachel faces many struggles on her way to stardom. Along the way, however, she grows into a more confident and fierce young woman who won’t back down.

I really like how the book was written in first-person. It was easy to imagine myself as Rachel as she pushed herself towards reaching her dream. This made certain scenes more emotional, especially when Rachel’s thoughts of herself came into play.

One of my favorite parts about the book is the portrayal of Rachel’s relationship with her younger sister, Leah. Although Rachel is busy with training, she still holds her sister as a high priority, which reminded me a little of my relationship with my own sister. It was very clear from the beginning that the two are close, and Leah shows her older sister as much support as she can.

Without giving away spoilers, I should warn you not to read this book if you are looking for a pretty “Happily Ever After” ending. Life is messy, and life in the K-pop industry is messier. I like how Rachel’s story captures this idea with certain questions left unanswered. But, who knows? Maybe some of these questions will be answered in the sequel…

Shine is entertaining as well as eye-opening. Once I picked it up, it was hard to put down. If you love K-pop or you’re looking for a read about chasing dreams, this is the YA contemporary for you!

Jessica Jung’s book Shine is an #ownvoices novel in which the author shares an identity with her protagonist in more ways than one. Not only are Jessica Jung and her protagonist Rachel both Korean-American, but both moved to Korea to pursue a career in entertainment. A successful actress, singer and fashion designer, Jessica Jung has now added the title of “author” to her list of achievements with the release of her debut novel Shine. Partly influenced by her own life, Jessica Jung draws from her 13 years of experience in the industry to peel back the curtain on all the hard work and strict rules that contribute to becoming successful as a K-pop star—rules like no dating, no social media, and strict dieting. . .