"Shine" was such a wonderful debut for Jessica Jung. With the perfect writing style for YA, breezy and easy-to-follow, "Shine" follows Rachel, an Asian-American who is in training to become the next K-pop star. Rachel isn't totally relatable because but what she goes through with mean girls and relationships is definitely what can be relatable. I loved the love story, the journey that we go through with Rachel as she really does work her tail off, and battling nerves in front of a camera. This was cute, light, and the perfect read to escape the harsh realities of the world.

When reviewing YA one of the first things I’m looking at is voice. If the voice is realistic and approachable I go to the next requirement. Sadly this book did not pass my first test. The voice is trying to hard to appeal to teens and shows the author doesn’t know how to do that. I was hoping this would be a solid purchase as I have several students who love kpop.

I loved this book! I’m all about Kpop and it was so exciting to get a behind the scenes look from an actual former Kpop star. There was drama, tension, love and so much more. I would reeeally love a sequel!

Shine should have been a novel that dove into the make-or-break, misogynistic world of fabricated girl- and boy-bands popular in Asia, but instead it offered little focus and a lot of food descriptions. Is it a love story? A success story? A tell-all by an author who is/was part of the K-Pop scene? Is it a mirror to the author’s experiences? In the end, it is a pinch of all of the aforementioned with no lasting purpose. Characters aren’t distinct enough, it’s improbable (to me) that the protagonist would be allowed to live at home while all the other K-Pop trainees are required to live together, and the more interesting story line is the brief one about the K-Pop singer who climbed to the top and fell hard. It’s a fast, cutesy read with its only saving grace being a story featuring Korean and Korean-American characters. Maurene Goo’s books are far better offerings for characters of Korean heritage.

This fast-paced and engaging YA offers insight into the world of k-pop that the author is especially equipped to give. This title will appeal to both fans of k-pop and those new to the genre as it still addresses many of the universal theme of adolescence. Given the recent activism of the k-pop community, I anticipate there will be increased interest in titles such as this. Highly recommended!

What an absolutely unputdownable read this was! With a sympathetic protagonist, swoon-worthy romance (or is it...?), twist after twist, and a rare look inside the K-pop industry that's as disturbing as it is compelling, "Shine" is easily one of my favorite YA releases of 2020. I've read dozens of books in quarantine but have devoured few so quickly or with as much enjoyment as I did "Shine." Its conversational writing style was definitely part of that (it actually reminds me a lot of my own writing, weirdly), but it was really the drama, glamor, and constant suspense of the K-pop world that kept me turning the pages. Superbly enjoyable - can we PLEASE get a sequel?