3.5/5 stars (rounded to 3)

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Lulu has her last summer at home planned out. Before she heads to college, she wants to spend as much time with her friends as possible. But those plans go slightly awry when her childhood best friend returns home for the summer. Kai, now the kpop idol known as Kite, hasn't spoken to Lulu since his debut. The two start to spend more time together, leaving Lulu wondering what to do about her new feelings for him. After all, he's famous and she's just his old childhood friend. Not to mention, he'll return to Korea soon enough...

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book! Unfortunately, there were a few things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me.

The first half of this book was my favorite. I loved Lulu and her friends! They felt authentic, and I enjoyed their scenes together. Kite was also a likable character from the get-go, and his dynamic with Lulu was so cute!

The second half of this book was not quite as enjoyable for me. This book started out light-hearted, but the second part got heavier. While I appreciated the author's portrayal of the kpop industry, including its flaws, I wish we had more positive scenes before the rather abrupt ending. I also disagreed with the actions of a certain character towards the end, and it seemed somewhat out of character for them.

Overall, I loved the characters, all the kpop references, the friendships, and the romance. I do think this book could have definitely benefitted from an epilogue to better wrap things up, especially after the events of the last few chapters, but if you love YA kpop books and the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, you might really enjoy this!

Who doesn't live for best friends who lose each other but still find their way back? Add in a touch of Kpop Drama and some really amazing besties and you have yourself a five star read.

Light and fluffy Fireworks is the best way to end the summer holiday. The writing was fun and the characters even better

This was a cute romance!
Boy and girl next door neighbors and friends as children.
Boy goes to Korea to become a famous kpop star.
Boy comes home and romance sparks…

Anyways, a cute short read! Will I remember it in 4 years from now? Maybe. But it did the job.

This was an enjoyable and light-hearted read. I am not a fan of K-Pop, or else I would have definitely enjoyed this a lot, lot more. The representation of AAPI and LGTBQ+ was really well written, and those were definitely some of the highlights of reading this book for me. <3 Kite and Lulu were both likable characters. I liked how they reconnected after being apart from each other. One of my favorite parts was the portrayal of fame in the storyline - it was really intriguing to see the story take different turns because of that aspect.

I felt like the pacing of Fireworks was a bit off though. I am still kinda sad about that abrupt ending - I was wishing for a different outcome.

Many thanks to the publisher for approving me to read this one early. <3

This was such a fun YA! I loved the representation in this book; the AAPI representation of the main characters, Lulu was bi, and there were good discussions of mental health. I enjoyed Kite and Lulu’s romance, though I did find it weird that she called him Kite after he got back and not Kai. I liked the knew each other when they were young, moved apart, and suddenly back in each other’s lives and romance trope that was in this book but liked the twist of Kite being a K-Pop star. Kite’s sudden withdrawal in the book after the social media storm seemed unnecessary to me, especially for how long it lasted. I feel like it would have made sense to withdraw for a few days. I did like the discussion of unrealistic expectations fans have for their idols and the pressure they face on a daily basis. I also enjoyed the social media or text messages that ended each chapter. The author included the perfect amount and made the endings of the chapters more fun.

My biggest issue with this book was the ending. I felt like it ended very abruptly. If there isn’t going to be a sequel to this I feel like an epilogue should have been included. I would have liked to see how Kite and Lulu’s long distance relationship went.

Overall, I did really like this and look forward to reading future work from Alice Lin. This was a strong 3.75 for me.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Underline and NetGalley for an copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

While I adore K-pop and consider myself a hard stan, I didn’t really enjoy my time reading Fireworks. I found the ending to be rushed and unfulfilling. To keep it short, I enjoyed the culture shown and all of the K-pop terms and references. However, that’s where it ends. The characters were one dimensional and their communication led to problems that they didn’t even need. I know I'm not the target audience, but this wasn’t for me.

Oh boy, where do I start? This was a pure, sweet as candy treat that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are vibrant and relatable (even with Kite's K-pop heartthrob status). I enjoyed that this book didn't center on the K-pop industry itself, but more on Lulu and Kite's friendship. This book has big Once Upon a K-Prom vibes, but Fireworks edges it out because there are no over the top, crazy situations. Just two old friends catching up after years apart, each working through their own personal problems.

If you're a fan of K-pop and cotton candy sweet romances, this is the book for you.

Lulu has a whole itinerary planned for her last summer before college, a summer of endless sunny days spent traveling and hanging out with her best friends. But, when she learns that Kite, the boy-next-door and former friend, is returning home from South Korea, all her plans are thrown into disarray. Kite has been away for four years training to be a K-pop idol and ghosting Lulu and their friendship, so Lulu’s not sure what to expect from his sudden return.

Fireworks is a fun K-drama featuring a friends-to-lovers romance that’s sure to delight K-pop fans. The first half of the book is so well-written with awkward first meetings and the rekindling of old feelings. The book moves at a decent pace and keeps readers interested in the drama developing between Lulu and Kite and questioning the reason for Kite’s sudden trip home. The second half of the book sees the pacing speed up with a sudden social media outbreak of why Kite is back in the States and the discord that’s developed between him and his bandmates.

While I definitely enjoyed Lulu and Kite’s developing friendship/romance, Kite’s sudden withdrawal from Lulu in the wake of his social media outing and his cold shoulder attitude seemed unjustified to me — though I did appreciate the discussion on the unreasonable expectations fans have for their idols and the pressure idols face on a daily basis. The book also ends abruptly. I would have liked to see a glimpse of Kite and Lulu’s long distance relationship.

Overall, I did enjoy Fireworks! It’s definitely going on my list of K-pop/K-drama YA books that I recommend to teens.

Thank you so much to the author, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC!
This review contains my honest and unbiased thoughts and opinions. 🌸

I have recently discovered k-dramas and even a little k-pop so this book definitely caught my attention and sounded interesting.

The book is a super cute romance, I always enjoy the whole "knew each other when young, moved apart and suddenly back in each other's lives and romance blooms" plus adding in the k-pop fandom was fun. The social media/message board posts were a fun addition, I love when little things like that are included sporadically. It can be overdone but the author had just the right amount mixed in.

The MC, Lulu, is just finishing up school, getting ready for prom and has her entire summer planned out. She did anyways, until her boyfriend broke things off and her mom surprises her with news of inviting friends to stay for the summer.... including Lulu's childhood guy friend who is now part of a k-pop group.
Let the fun begin!
The book starts with the typical guy breaks up with girl, girl and guy are total opposites and girl decides she absolutely must win him back and the best way to do that is completely change who she is and like everything he likes and she doesn't. There's a girl crush moment added to the mix and of course the childhood guy friend that's now going to spend summer with her.

The romance was cute and loved the inclusion of the chaotic side of fame and being part of a boy band and what's behind the scenes.

The book was cute and kept my attention even if slightly predictable and rushed towards the end. The ending definitely left things a bit wide open and left me wanting... more? a slightly more wrapped up ending? I'm not sure.

As her senior year draws to a close, Lulu learns that her childhood best friend, and current K-pop star, Kite (Kai) will be returning home for the summer. She hasn't seen him in four years, but growing up, these neighbors were inseparable. What will things be like? Will they spend time together again?

This childhood friends-to-lovers, celebrity romance captures the feelings of reconnecting with someone who used to be integral to your day-to-day experience and the sense of things shifting and changing as one leaves high school and prepares for college.

I appreciated how the author addressed the mental health aspects and stress of celebrity, not just the pressure put on Kai as part of a K-pop group, but also the obsession of and invasion of privacy by some of the super fans.

Read this one for the supportive friendships, the stray neighborhood cat, and the feelings of first love.

Representation: AAPI, LGBTQ+ (Bi MC), mental health

Heat level: Kissing only

CW: divorced parents, infidelity, strained familial relationships, invasion of privacy, underage drinking

I received an advance copy from Random House Children's, Underlined, and NetGalley. Review opinions are my own.

This is definitely on the higher end of 3 stars.

It's very similar to ‘Once Upon a K-Prom,’ which I adored, so this had me fangirling all over again. And honestly, I'm not a fan of k-pop, but I LOVE reading about it. So I wish there was a little more of the band/other boys in this, but I did enjoy reading about the “normal” side of things. And I also thought the childhood friends to sweethearts was done really well.

And the only reason I'm not rounding up is because of the ending. It's just wayyy too abrupt and open-ended for my personal liking. Honestly, if a sequel isn't the plan, then an epilogue definitely should have been included.

But overall, this is a quick and fun read. For sure one to pick up if you want to scratch that k-pop itch.

Initially, I expected a romance set over 4th of July because of the title. It quickly became apparent this was not the case, which made the book even better for me as a reader and librarian purchasing titles! Holiday books are great, but it tends to limit the timeframe a book is appealing to readers. I hope there is a sequel, because the story ended way too quickly!

I love K-drama and my niece has introduced me to BTS so I thought I would read this advance copy of Fireworks. Lulu Li misses her best friend and neighbor, Kai. He left years ago to join a South Korean talent agency. The agency works with kids to educate and train them to be idols in the K-drama or K-pop industry. It had been a dream of Kai's. Lulu supported him following his dream but didn't know they wouldn't be able to keep in touch. The only way she has news of him is through fan sites and it hurts.

Kai wasn't their to help her through her parents divorce and so Lulu feels abandoned by her dad and Kai in a way. When Lulu hears the rumor Kai is coming home on a medical hiatus on a fan site, she doesn't know if she should believe it. Will Kai even want to talk to her or remember her? Has fame gone to his head, is he a different person now? Is he really sick, or hurt; or is he in hiding?

Lulu's two best friend's are excited at the possibility of meeting Kai, stage name Kite. They are fans of his idol group Karnival. Can Lulu be a good friend to Kai, Stephanie and Esther without betraying their trust? Why is Kai being so secretive about his time in Korea? How will things change now that Lulu and her friends have graduated high school and are going to different schools? Big changes are in store for the foursome and they only have the summer to figure things out.

Fireworks is an excellent debut novel. I love the story and adored Lulu and her friends and family. I can't wait to read more by Alice Lin.

4 Stars

This was a super sweet and quick YA romance!

I would start by saying that I think this does lean more towards early YA in terms of content and conflict, but as an adult who enjoys all levels of YA, I still found this refreshing and enjoyable!

This is a friends to lovers trope and boy/girl next door trope as well as famous/non-famous trope! The first half of the book was quick and totally had my attention as our main character struggled to come to terms with feelings for her now-famous childhood BFF, but once they got together, I felt like the story slowed and the conflicts that popped up were a bit jarring.

The main hero is a K-pop idol and the insights I to the stress and struggles for these idols was well done and I loved how it showed the non-glamorous side. Our Maine heroine was bi and that rep felt PERFECT and shown to be naturally her vs a random thing told to us as a diversity plug. And speaking of diversity, the main characters are Chinese American and I loved their family, food, and friendships all show and highlighted through a cultural lens. Warning YOU WILL BE HUNGRY READING THIS BOOK!

I found this book and story to be enjoyable and think it makes the perfect summer read!

This was a pretty cute but slightly generic rom-com. However, fans of K-Pop who are devouring everything related will definitely enjoy it regardless!

Fireworks was a sweet YA read - really enjoyed the friendships here as well as the K-Pop elements.

✔️ Childhood friends to lovers
✔️ Dating a K-Pop Star
✔️ LGBTQIA rep (FMC is bisexual)

I loved the premise of the book: a romance with a famous boy-next-door. I also loved that he's a K-Pop star trying to spend the summer as a normal teen and the adventures they had along with Lulu's BFFs - those were probably my favorite scenes in this book.

The friendship between Lulu and Kai was handled well - loved them trying to come back to each other and be close again. While I was happy it bloomed into a romance, it didn't feel very swoony - I think maybe not enough build or pining or either of their parts.

While I was appreciative of the bisexual rep, it was only present for a small part of the story (a female asked out the FMC and she declined). Aside from Kai, the only other date she went on in the book is with another male and her celeb crushes that were prominently mentioned were also males (could have mentioned a K-Pop girl group here).

The first half was stronger than the back half of the book. The storyline with her dad felt a little cliche and didn't work for me.

I did really like that it showed the downside of fame and fandom. Also loved Kai's sister the more I got to know her - she was a standout side character.

While not a perfect read, this was a fun one and worth checking out. Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

There's so much for kids to like about this book. There's a lot of information about K-Pop and K-Pop members. For Asian folx, there are a lot of mirrors about Asian identity, family, and culture. Of course there are two main characters, a girl and a boy, who clearly are going to get together. The lead female character is bisexual, so that's also an important identity to show for Asians.

The book is overall enjoyable, and not very dramatic. It is pretty predictable, actually, and I can see kids liking this as a quick read about some of the things they like to do in their spare time (listen to music, talk about pop culture, fashion, hang out with friends).

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

K-pop meets friends to lovers in Fireworks, so what's not to love right? Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. The main character's voice was so juvenile, and I know this is YA but she sounded way more middle grade. If that was Lin's intent then I think she did a good job, and this book would better for younger teens or middle grade readers. So while this was not for me, perhaps young students with a love of K-pop will enjoy it.

This YA novel is absolutely for both Kpop fans, and for those looking for a great summer read (or if you're like me, both!). Overall, I would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book melted my soul. I absolutely loved it. My only complaint is that I wasn't reading this while I was on vacation because it would've been the perfect book to curl up with.