Summary: In this novel about chasing big dreams, a Korean-American girl travels to Seoul in hopes of debuting in a girl group at the same K-pop company behind the most popular boy band on the planet.
Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she's been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom-and her obsession with SLK, K-pop's top boyband-to herself. She doesn't see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing.
So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK's music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her to go is all but impossible ... although it's nothing compared to what comes next.
Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world.
If she doesn't have what it takes to become a perfect, hair-flipping K-pop idol, what will that mean for her family, who have sacrificed everything to give her the chance? And is a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time really worth risking her friendships, her future, and everything she believes in?
This was both super enjoyable to read and really really important! I haven't read any other books that talk about how the K-pop industry treats their trainees and idols and this book did a great job of it! It didn't shy away from the way the trainees have to train, the inhumanely small diets they have to eat, or the super strict rules they have to follow and instead spoke about it freely. And though I love K-pop(especially Blackpink!) there are definitely a lot of things that could change in the industry, so I think it's great that this wasn't just a fun K-pop book but also one filled with truth and activism.
The second reason I loved this was the characters!! Candance was a great main character from the way she fangirls to the way she speaks her mind no matter what. She was the perfect narrator for this book mostly because she was so complex. She could be fangirly, funny, smart, brave, hopeful but also nervous, mean, and sad. I also really enjoyed reading about Binna, Helena, Aram, JinJoo! They were each really great in their own way(even Helena!) and I loved reading about how they worked together and how they brought out the best in each other. Aside from the trainees, I liked Candance's relationship with her mother, and how it changed throughout the book, and it made me so happy to see how her mom supported her in following her dream.
This book was filled with ups and downs but Candance stayed strong through it and the emotions, hype, and thrill of her performances filled me up and left me feeling like I was right there with her. A lot of people think only fantasies, sci-fis, and mysteries can be thrilling but this book proves that realistic fiction contemporaries can be too!
The main reason I liked it though, was that it was just really really fun to read. And lately, I've been reading old-fashioned classics and high-level fantasies, but none have them gave me the same joy as this light but deep YA contemporary.
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