Underneath the pristine perfect image of KPop stars is a trove of secrets that could end the careers of these idols who have climbed all their way to the top.
Rachel Kim is a KPop trainee for a company called DB and longs to one day debut in a girl group. When a rumour goes around that DB wants to form a new girl group, Rachel does everything she can to work hard and to be noticed by the company executives. When everyone is vying for a place at the top, it can be difficult to shine.
After reading Shine, if there is anything that I will take away from this book, is that the life of a KPop star (and trainee) is super difficult. It’s not a life I would want to have. Jessica Jung, author of Shine, is a former KPop idol from Girls Generation (one of the biggest girl groups of all-time). Her perspective of the industry was very insightful for a work of fiction. I really liked how Jessica Jung included that female KPop stars are not treated the same as male KPop stars. There’s a severe double standard. If a male KPop star gets caught dating, there isn’t much of a scandal, and it could even help him boost his career. But if a female KPop star is caught dating, it could end her career forever and have her bullied by “fans” in person and on the Internet. Of course, this is nothing new, but this book was a good reminder that we all need to remind ourselves that beneath the image of a picture-perfect star is just a regular human being with feelings.
I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed Jessica Jung’s writing. It flowed effortlessly without trying too hard. I was immediately engaged in the book, and I am so excited to read the sequel when it comes out. I can’t wait to see how Rachel’s career in KPop will turn out.
I would recommend Shine by Jessica Jung to all KPop fans. This book is a must-read for all those who wondered what it is really like in the KPop industry.

I received an e-galley from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to be able to review this novel without being influenced by what I knew about the author’s kpop past but then I realized that that would actually not do it justice. I was more drawn in by Jessica Jung, former member of Girls Generation, than the synopsis of the book itself. I was wondering - probably like many Kpop fans - how much of this novel reflects her own experience as a Kpop singer. And this thought persisted as I read the novel. And so my reading of the novel cannot be separated by the author - and I’m sure that may also be the intention of Jessica choosing to write on this matter, having been part of the industry as one of the golden members at one point.

The novel follow a Korean American teenager, Rachel, who is training at one of the biggest entertainment companies in Seoul. Here we already have a connection between Rachel and Jessica - even the way they were discovered is similar. Though a lot of petty drama and unfortunate situations, the novel details Rachel’s struggle to find her place in this industry and to eventually debut as a girl group member. There is a love connection that is tainted by hidden intentions and an entertainment company’s interference. There are members with rich connections that can influence and change their lives. All in all, it makes for a captivating YA debut. For those who may not be familiar with Jessica - the dramatic events will be quite alluring. For those who have been part of the kpop world since over a decade, you can’t help but be captivated by constantly wondering just how much is based on real life. How much of this drama is playing out behind the scenes of the kpop world?

Shine is definitely set up as a duology and there are a lot of situations to be resolved and to play out in the next book, which I will definitely be keeping an eye out for.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the e-galley.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to receive an e-arc to read and review. A kpop book written by an actual kpop idol, now I am not familiar with Girls Generation but that did not lessen my excitement. I am sad to say I was very disappointed in this book.

Shine follows the story of Rachel Kim, she is a trainee at DB one of Korea’s top kpop companies. Rachel is from New York, so a lot of the other girls often call her “Princess Rachel” as her mother laid down some ground rules such as she lives at home and not at the trainee house. Rachel is incredibly talented and is working hard to be able to debut, then she meets Jason Lee, DB hottest male idol. Rachel must choose between her career in kpop or to follow her heart.

As a huge fan of kpop I understand just how hard the industry can be especially for female idols. The strict rules about appearance, what they eat, who they can date or be friends with. The sexism in the industry was also talked about a lot through the book. How there are double standards for female and male idols. The things the boys can do in there everyday life is praised yet if s girl were to do it they are punished.

I thought a book about a girl group would be about friendship but what I got was a lot of snarky dialogue, mean pranks and bullying.
All the characters felt as if they had the same voice, none of them really stood out. Rachel being the MV did not have me rooting for her as she came across as any girl with talent. And Mina was just the Korean version of mean girls, even then get insults were repetitive. Other than Rachel’s father the adults in this book were all creeps and sexiest. The interactions with the executives had me angry and frustrated.

The plot moves along quickly and the writing was well done. The romance was sweet, that was my favourite part of the book. Honestly the only reason I’m giving it a three instead of a two.

I wish Rachel would have had more character development, maybe then I would have felt an emotional connection to the story. Overall, it was an easy and quick read and don’t take my review as a reason not to read it. These were just my thoughts and feelings.

Jung paints the world of KPOP in bright, feverish colour for the whole world to see. This book is a fast-paced, twisting rollercoaster through a KPOP trainee’s highest highs and lowest lows. Jung’s debut is a poignant smash hit that flows as though written by someone who’s been working on their craft for years. Shine exposes some of the darkness in the KPOP industry, while also shining a light one why we love it so much.

Rachel is a young trainee who is desperate to debut even though the whole world is against her. DB, her label, is hard on their trainees, especially the girls. Her co-trainee, Mina, is also her biggest nemesis. Even the absolutely dreamy Jason Lee can’t entirely be trusted. Jung spins a web where everyone is willing to use anyone to climb higher.

I adored all the twists and turns that this book took. Shine is not a story about how hard work and a plucky attitude will make your dreams come true. It’s a story about how sometimes making your dreams come true means ripping out pieces of yourself and throwing them away to get what you want. Rachel is, for the most part, a sweet protagonist but as we reach the conclusion of the story we find a girl who can hold her own with the worst of them.

Jason Lee was at once a dreamy romantic lead and a complete disappointment. I loved that look on him. Despite his being the perfect, handsome, sweet KPOP star with a tragic backstory he’s also deeply problematic. The way this is handled is really refreshing for a YA story and I liked that the ending didn’t try to completely redeem him. In this story, everyone is at least partially guilty. Rachel may have a good heart but she is not above using other people to propel herself to the top.

Jung expertly weaves between Rachel’s family conflicts, her budding romance with Jason, and her friendships at school. Everything in Rachel’s life comes together to create a story that’s constantly tense and never slows down. My stomach twisted in stress with all Rachel’s troubles. My heart leapt with joy at her successes and my eyes watered at her failures. Shine demanded complete emotional investment from me.

For KPOP stans this will be a shattering look into the industry that we all know isn’t exactly squeaky clean. Even for non-fans, Rachel’s story of struggling for success in a high stress industry is a universal tale set in the flashy, new KPOP setting. I wonder how much of Jessica Jung’s own experiences have bled into this book, or if it’s cut and dry fiction from start to finish. At any rate Jung flashes us both sides of a coin. Ugly and beautiful all at once. A palace of fantastical dreams, and the corpses of what it’s built upon.

I appreciated the bittersweetness of the ending. I didn’t want a gumdrops and sugar closing line after what the story had built towards. It’s the perfect combination of successes and failures. I want to know more about what happened with Akari. What Jason did. What Mina did, I have some sympathy for that girl. I want to know what will happen to Rachel’s family as she soars further into the ever-darkening clouds of her KPOP career.

I was so disappointed when I closed this book that Rachel’s story was over, only to find out Jung is penning a sequel: Bright. I deeply look forward to following this stronger, more ruthless Rachel as she continues into KPOP stardom. I want to see her shine…and maybe crash and burn too.

I was given a copy of the ebook for a honest review by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster.

I felt this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting more drama and the inside of the kpop world that fans never seen. I found it okay but what was interesting about the book is the issues that Korean that are born in South Korea hate people born in other countries that are Korean.

I really enjoyed this book! As someone who has no idea about anything K-Pop, I was kind of surprised how much I found it didn’t matter. The story stands on its own with or without any prior knowledge.

If you enjoy DRAMA to the max, this book is for you. It kind of gave me Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars feels and I loved it!

I really wanted to read this book, but the file formatting made the book illegible. I'll have to wait until the release. As this is no fault of the book's content, I'll rate a neutral 3 stars.

Shine follows a seventeen-year-old k-pop trainee named Rachel Kim. Rachel's goal is to become a k-pop star, and a few years prior to the novel she and her family uproot their lives in the States and move to Korea in order for Rachel to pursue her dream. We follow Rachel on her journey towards debuting and the romance she develops with one of her agency's top stars, Jason Lee.

Shine reminds me very much of a k-drama, with its likeable characters, and dramatic and entertaining plot. It's a very well paced story and the plot is compelling enough, and the stakes high enough, that I easily became invested in the novel. It provided a nice change of pace in terms of what I read, as I've never read a novel about a k-pop trainee experience before. While I'm not sure just how realistic the portrayal is, from what I’ve read and seen from interviews with former k-pop trainees, and given that this is written by a k-pop star, I’m more inclined to believe the industry is as ruthless, invasive, and restrictive as portrayed in the novel. This is Jung's debut novel, and while I can't say that the writing particularly stands out to me, it isn’t bad either. I found it read a bit young, but I think this properly reflects Rachel's age and naivety.

Aside from the plot and pacing, I found one of the novel's strongest aspects to be the friendships and rivalries featured. Initially, I was pretty annoyed that one of the main conflicts Rachel has to deal with is girl hate, but given the situation Rachel is in, and the competitive nature of the industry, I was able to forgive the story for this, and I ultimately really enjoyed how the relationship between the two girls played out. There are no quick fixes here and it struck me as much more realistic than other mean girl portrayals I’ve seen in the past. I also think Rachel’s negative relationship with Mina was well balanced by her really sweet relationship with her younger sister and her friendships with her twin best friends. The one relationship I didn’t really like was Rachel’s relationship with her mother. I thought their conflict was resolved in a very unsatisfying manner and I wish it had been better developed.

While I enjoyed the friendships and rivalries, I can't say I was as fond of the romantic developments. I personally did not feel Rachel and Jason had much chemistry, and this could be more personal preference than anything else, but I thought Jason's over-the-top romantic gestures were more cheesy than romantic. I definitely preferred the aspects of the novel that did not focus on the romance, but I also don't fault the novel too harshly for its romance as I did not feel the romance overtook the overall plot and I ultimately liked how the relationship between Rachel and Jason played out. I also appreciate that gender inequality in the k-pop industry was addressed and that Rachel really stood up for herself in this regard. I’m invested enough in Rachel to wonder what is next in regards to her relationship with Jason.

As for Rachel’s character, she’s likeable enough, but I did have a few complaints. There were times when I found it hard to sympathize with her because of her hypocritical behaviour and Rachel’s stage-fright was also a relatively large hurdle in the beginning of the novel so I don’t like how that matter essentially got brushed under the rug later on.

As for the ending, I really liked how the novel ended, it made me want to continue with the story without feeling like a cliffhanger. I'm hoping Rachel is a boss in the next novel, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you for NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC copy of this.

Overall this was such a fun, drama filled book that lived up to the Gossip Girl – Crazy Rich Asians Vibe. I loved learning all about the K-pop scene and following along with Rachel Kim as she navigated the K-pop scene.

This book follows Rachel Kim, whose family moved from New York City to Seoul, Korea. She is working with DB Entertainment and training to be a K-pop star. Most of the other girls refer to her as “Princess Rachel” because she is from the USA and she is a natural. She then meets Jason Lee, the hottest K-pop star that is in a boy band; and the two hit it off so effortlessly. They get pushed into a situation with the two of them and Rachel’s enemy – Mina. This story follows Rachel as she goes through the trails of K-pop training, enemies, and her secret crush.

I am typically not into YA books so that may be why I rated this a 3.5. I don’t want that to reflect the book itself; it was very well written and had a great story line. I learned so much about K-pop and then learned that the author was a K-pop star! So that was super cool!! This book made me laugh-out-loud one minute and to be concerned with the relationships with Rachel and her family and friends. Overall I believe this to be a really good, well written YA book.

Shine is a Young Adult contemporary read. It was written by international K-pop star Jessica Jung.

The narrator is 17 year old Rachel (1st person POV).

Rachel is a K-pop trainee at DB Entertainment. She was born and raised in New York City. But now lives in Korea.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about K-pop (which I know little about).

I also really liked the cultural aspect. Rachel was American. But the story takes place in Korea. So there were a lot of challenges.

I think that my favorite part of the book was that the story was authentic. I like reading about topics that I know less about when the author has lived it.

I liked everything about the lives of the girls trying to become stars. It was quite fascinating.

I really enjoyed Rachel's mentor Yujin. And I liked the male super star Jason Lee. I thought that he added a lot to the story.

There was some romance. And for the most part I really enjoyed it. However, I wanted more.

Rachel has a little sister and I really loved all of the scenes that she was in. And Rachel had a nemesis who was also a K-pop trainee causing trouble throughout the book.

It was a quick read. It was a cute YA story. And I really liked seeing a new interesting concept for a YA book. But the end made it 4 stars for me. I don't feel like the romance aspect was complete.

There is a book two listed and I am curious to know if it will have the same characters. Or maybe it will be about someone else from this story that we already know? Maybe her sister?

I chose to read this young adult novel because it features K-pop – music which often plays in our home. My daughter often shares the new music with me – and shows me the amazing dance videos. The storyline of Shine also intrigued me and I was curious to read some background to this popular music.

I loved this story: the K-pop references, the hint of romance, the family connection, and especially the growth of a young girl into a confident young woman who learns to take what she wants in the world she has chosen.

Yung paints a realistic picture of the K-pop world. She shows us what it takes to succeed; and she shows us the inequality that exists between the sexes. Her well written story grabbed my interest from the first few pages and kept it until the end.

This novel is the perfect read for those who love Korean music. It is also a suitable read for for young girls looking for a read that embraces a young woman coming into her own.

<I>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</I>

<u>Shine</u> is a no-holds-barred drama about life as a trainee in the K-pop industry. The protagonist, Rachel Kim, sacrifices family, friends and school to earn her debut, but struggles with the conditions she needs to meet in order to become a Korean (and international!) sensation. Of course along the way she battles her arch nemesis in the industry, Mina Choo, and seemingly finds the love of her life, K-pop's biggest star, Jason Lee, but the trials and tribulations she meets along the way are nail-biting and cringeworthy.

If you suffer from secondhand embarrassment like I do, then <u>Shine</u> may not be the novel for you. I was wavering between giving it an overall 2.5 or 3 star rating because moments of this were physically painful for me to read. The girls are catty, everyone has an ulterior motive, and this is not a feel-good romcom - so if that is your motivation, then do not pick this one up. I will say that I 100% believe the authenticity of the competitive relationship between characters and blatant sexism and misogyny outlined in Rachel's journey as this novel was written by none other than Jessica Jung - a woman who spent her youth as part of a K-pop girlband. She <I>gets it</I> on a different level than you or I ever will.

My main issue was not with how Jung portrayed the industry, but with Rachel herself. Her character is problematic to me as she is purported to live a different lifestyle than most of the girls in training and is touted as being the favourite and most talented, but she is SO CLUMSY and makes HUGE mistakes at almost every turn for the first 2/3rds of the book. Maybe the intent was to make her more relatable and endearing to the reader, but it just made absolutely no sense to me. I did see remnants of popular K-drama storylines in it, so perhaps that played a part as well? Regardless, I don't think her character has much development or growth besides becoming more hardened and jaded. She does not really learn any lessons besides distrust everyone and tear down whomever is in the way of achieving your goal. I abhor the lack of support between the female characters even though I know it is realistic. I just wish it had more positive representations of female relationships, but I guess in K-pop everyone has to lookout for themselves.

TL;DR 5 stars for authenticity, 2 stars for how uncomfortable the drama made me. I think I will stick to SkipBeat! and other similar manga for J-Pop and K-Pop drama. I personally need something more lighthearted and fun.

Shine (Jessica Jung)
Rachel Kim is a seventeen-year-old Korean-American who has spent six years in the trainee system at DB Entertainment, an agency that Rachel describes as perfect and sparkling as the Kpop idols it produces. Spotted by a talent agent on a trip to Korea to visit her grandmother, Rachel’s family uproots themselves and moves from New York to Seoul. Rachel’s mother is a tough task-master, insisting that Rachel live at home instead of in the agency dormatories like other trainees, that she go to school and work on her training outside of school hours. It’s a challenging situation for Rachel, who dreams of a Kpop career, but recognizes the limitations of how much she can train compared to the others who devote themselves to it full time. But for Rachel, as one of only two Asian girls at her New York school, Kpop was the first thing that gave her a sense of identity and belonging, and she’s willing to do what it takes to be part of that world.
That sense of identity and belonging are put to the test in Shine, the first book from Jessica Jung. Jung knows this world intimately, being a former member of legendary idol pop group Girls’ Generation. Like her protagonist, American-born Jung was scouted by an employee of SM entertainment while visiting Korea. Like Rachel, Jung spent many years as a trainee, and is more than familiar with that world and its challenges, whether it’s the (blah blah), or the competitive atmosphere amongst trainees who are all trying to stand out and make a debut – who are, in essence, all trying to shine.
Rachel knows she is talented, but she also knows that she’s part of a competitive machinery that demands much of its trainees. She must not only be able to sing, she must dance, she must learn how to act and react in interviews, and most of all, she must not do anything to cause a scandal – something that gets put to the test when she meets DB entertainment’s highly popular Kpop star, the Korean-Canadian Jason Lee. Her budding relationship with Jason highlights one of the double standards that exists for idols. When Rachel and her rival trainee Mina (the daughter of a chaebol family with interests in DB Entertainment) are paired with Jason, she sees how cruel fandom can be, and how it all feeds into a kind of mysogynistic view where male idols are seen as the ultimate boyfriends, where Jason is worshipped, and Rachel and Mina are dumped on. Rachel sees the example of Kpop star Jina, who ends up dumped by her idol boyfriend and turned out of her group because of their relationship. Jina warns Rachel that there is one set of rules for male idols and another one for female ones, and it’s always the female idols who get the short end of the stick. Rachel and Jason end up at odds with each other because Rachel realizes that Jason is completely oblivious to the industry’s double standard. If their relationship were to become public, Rachel realizes that she would be the only one with something to lose.
Ultimately, Rachel’s love of Kpop, the feeling of warmth and belonging it gives her to be able to share the Korean language and culture, is what gives her the strength to carry on working hard towards her dream. Rachel is determined to follow her heart and find some kind of happiness in a highly competitive industry that constantly requires its performers to be judged and assessed. To her credit, Jung’s characters have more depth than I expected – Rachel’s rival, Mina, could easily have been a sterotypical villain, but Jung gives her shades of grey, allowing both Rachel (and the reader) to have sympathy for Mina and understand where her ruthlessness comes from. Jason comes to realize that Rachel is right about the industry’s double standards, causing him to worry that he’s been a terrible friend to her. Jung’s insider experience and her attention to detail (her descriptions of food are mouth-watering, and hey, bonus points for a Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim mention!), coupled with a light, sometimes breezy writing style, makes Shine an engaging read.

***ARC Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Ok, I have to be honest. I quite enjoyed this book. Keep in mind, though, it is a YA book so if you are a reader who likes your books filled with poetic prose and paragraphs dedicated to describing the landscape, then sorry, this book is not for you.

This book is very fast paced and you can probably consume it in one sitting if it were a physical book (reading an e-book tired my eyes out). It is action packed with a lot of uh-oh situations, cringy one liners, and ooo-scandalous K-pop “secret” romances (you’ll know why I put quotations around that word when you read the book). The story arc plays out like a typical K-drama: our conflicted and confused heroine going up against three mean girls; finding solace with the three best friends; conflict with (a) disapproving parent; cameo from the cutesy younger sibling (I swear the little sister sometimes behaves like the family pup. *cringe*); googly eyes over a love interest; and confronting lots of manipulations and conspiracies from the higher ups. The only element from a Korean drama that’s missing here is someone either getting hit by a car and dying or getting cancer and dying.....well, I guess this element may only be prevalent in earlier K-dramas from the late 90s to early 2000s. Yes, I use to watch a lot of K-dramas.....

Anyways, if you want an escape or just be entertained, check out this book!

Very quick read about a girl going through the soul-sucking process of becoming a k-pop star. The target audience will lap this up, and while I'm not the target audience, I did enjoy it. The fact that it's written by Jessica Jung gives it authenticity but it also makes me sad to realize that there are so many mean girls out there.
A dark confection of a novel that makes for good pandemic reading.

Wow this book really surprised me! I honestly wasn't expecting to like it so much. I don't know much or even listen to K-Pop, but I found this book so entertaining.

The drama, competitiveness, and the confidence kept me so engaged. I liked how it showed what I assumed how the industry is (not full of rainbows, love, and fluffiness). It makes me curious to know the author's experience.

Plus, I really loved them coming to Toronto and a character being from Toronto. That doesn't happen much in books, so I felt right at home in my neck of the woods for a few parts of the book. I am so ready for the second book!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy!

What do I say about this book? It took my hand, lead me towards the glitzy and glamorous K-pop world and made me understand what and how much it takes to make a debut there. It is an adorable story of a young american korean who dreams to become a pop star when she was 11 years old and her whole family jumps in support her dream, gets ready to move countries, change professions to give their little girl a chance at her dreams and even then, the journey is no smooth ride. Read this book to know her story, her struggles to manage her school, her training, struggles to fit in new country, make friends, find allies, meet the boy and make her mark in the world of her choice while being a sweet sister to younger sibling.
What a great read!!

I picked up an advanced readers’ copy of Shine because it was likened to Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl and even though there were a few narrative snags, I absolutely devoured this book.

Seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim wants more than anything to be a K-Pop star. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB entertainment, one of the biggest K-Pop labels in Seoul. All she has to to is work 24/7, look flawless and don’t date. She’s talented and works hard, despite the fact that her mother disapproves of her dreams. When she catches feelings for DB star Jason Lee, things get even more complicated. Will Jessica have what it takes to SHINE?
A Wild Roller Coaster

I love a good book with lots of ups and downs. Call me crazy, but if a character isn’t suffering just a little bit, what’s the point? Luckily, every time Rachel manages to claw her way to some success on her quest to become DB’s next K-Pop sensation, some other obstacle appears. One of my favourite parts comes early on in the book, when Rachel finally gets to show all of the judges just how great a singer she is. And she gets to sing with Jason Lee! Just when we think that things might turn around…she barfs all over DB’s biggest K-Pop star.

Although the ending was a tad confusing (is Jason Lee a nice guy or not?), I still loved reading through all of the twists and turns, because I never quite knew where Rachel would end up next.
An Eye-Opening World

It was fascinating to read about the K-Pop world and all of its dirty little secrets. Reading about the daily weigh-ins, fierce competition and controlling producers was thrilling and totally satisfying. I can’t quite believe that I’d never discovered K-Pop before, because it is more than a little addictive!

I like to read books that reveal a part of the world I’d never considered before and it’s also super fun to follow Rachel along for the ride as she rises to stardom and gets to fly around on private jets and wear designer clothes. In a voyeuristic sort of way that does evoke Crazy Rich Asians and Gossip Girl, taking a peek at the K-Pop world was a fun trip.

Shine is a fun, quick read if you’re looking to escape into a glitzy, exciting world for a little while.

I received an ARC from Netgalley recently and picked this up for an easy read last night. I am not a K-Pop super fan, so I didn’t know who Ms. Jung was off-hand. I have followed a bit of Korean culture though so I’m not entirely new. I also did do a bit of research afterwards because I was so interested.

This was a quick, fun read. It’s a good story. Even without the google search after, it was easy to get into the story. I didn’t need any of the information I gathered after the fact. It was well written and I loved the characters. Need an entire book about the twins!

If you’re looking for a good story and a summer beach read, this is perfect.

If you’re into K-Pop, I feel like you’ll love this. It’s a behind the scenes look. I read an interview with Ms. Jung saying it was based on her experiences. It felt like that and it was not all positive. I would love to know who the characters are based on.

Definitely a new Girls’ Generation fan too.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster/NetGalley for providing this digital ARC of Shine in exchange for an honest review.

Like many other Girls' Generation fans, I was intrigued by the idea of tea in novel form from the controversially departed Jessica Jung. This book near skyrocketed to the top of my reading list as soon as it was announced. Yet to my surprise, Shine turned out to be so much more than a poorly veiled tell-all. In fact, to mistake it as such is a disservice to what Jung has actually pulled off here: a well-balanced exploration of the fantasy of following one's dream and staying true to one's self within a morally murky industry.

The twists and turns were abundant following Rachel Kim's journey from trainee to star. While its cover promised love and K-pop, Shine also deftly delved into ideas of cultural conflict, industry manipulation and systemic sexism. All the while, the growth Rachel went through as a person is what carried me to the end.

Yet, the focus on Rachel was almost a disservice to the rest of the cast who were often one-note and lacked unique voices. I would have loved to see more development of Mina beyond the villainous archetype she represented especially. Similarly, the seemingly catastrophic events that Rachel went through somehow always worked out. The continued lack of fallout (though the subplot with Kang Jina haunted these scenes) left a real disconnect. At points I felt myself finding the book leaning more into makjang drama antics than a cohesive novel.

Ultimately, the good outweighed the bad in Shine and I couldn't help reading it all in one sitting. I'd definitely suggest it for an introspective look at what the journey to becoming an idol is like. Don't expect to get all the deets on 9/30 here but squint and maybe the occasional parallel is here and there.