This was such a interesting read, I enjoyed the idea of a cancelled K-pop idol and following him through this book. Christine Ma-Kellams wrote this perfectly and I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this world. The cover is what drew me in and I enjoyed what I read.

I don’t think I’m the right person for this book. I’ve read some K-Pop books before but they were romance, reverse harem books which is completely different from this. The writing style was interesting but didn’t keep my attention for too long and I ended up dnf ing at 60% because the story hadn’t made me care about any of the characters. Flipping back and forth between groups to try to show the different dynamics in the media and fans between male and female pop groups was interesting.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Interesting and complex. The writing was stellar, and it opened my eyes to the toxicity of the music industry that I never would have imagined it being. We hear it all - but we are not deeply intertwined, all we see is the black and white. You don’t have to be a fan of K Pop to fall into this dark, sultry and heartbreaking book.

I am not a K-Pop fan but I enjoy books about bands and the relationships among the singers and dancers. This had some of those things! I just didn't love how it was written. I struggled to get through it. Perhaps it's just me? I do want thank NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF at 10%: This book is just not for me, unfortunately. The prose and the dialogue in particular were rough to get through. I do think fans of Esther Yi's Y/N would enjoy the book though, since its style and themes surrounding fandom and obsession are similar.

I wasn’t sure I was the target audience for this, not being a K-pop fan. The synopsis sounded interesting though so I thought it was worth a shot. It was definitely a good choice.

I liked the characters, even though if you ask me, no one was particularly likable. There’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have understood if it wasn’t for the footnotes, kind of like Crazy Rich Asians had. There’s an entire culture in K-pop that is very strict and has to be just impossible to thrive in. This book digs into it in a way that shows just how hard it is. No one is perfect, but in K-pop, you need to be.

The American angle wasn’t particularly good. So much psychology and so little depth or humanity in that part. I wanted to feel like that part was a lot more of a character based than psych file.

I’d recommend this, but it’s better to go in blind. Enjoy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

I was pre approved for this book and its SO good. Like I read horror and thrillers. If it wasn't pre approved for me I may have never picked it up. But I was and I love this. If you are on the fence then let this be what makes your decision. Read it.