Title: Shine
Author: Jessica Jung
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Pages: 352
What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?
For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?
Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.
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When I heard that former Girl's Generation member, Jessica Jung, was writing a book, I knew I had to read it. I'm a fan of k-pop so naturally I was interested in what she had to reveal about the k-pop world in her novel.
The books follows a seventeen-year-old Korean-American, Rachel Kim, and her life as a trainee before debuting under DB Entertainment. With debut coming up soon, Rachel thinks that all the hard work she's put in will finally pay off. Six years ago at the age of eleven, Rachel was scouted to be a trainee at DB Entertainment and now, after all the years of work, she finally has the chance to shine and show the world what she's got.
Because,” I say, “there’s no limit to how brightly I can shine. That video was just a taste. If you give me a second chance, I’ll work twice as hard and shine twice as bright. Give me three chances and it’ll triple. And I know there’s no one who can do this better than me.
The K-pop industry is brutal and competitive. I thought that the author showed showed some parts of it well in the book with all the scandals, rumors, and the double standard between female and male idols. Not only does it take away from their young childhood and teen years, but in the end, most trainees don't get the chance to debut. One mistake and it could cost them their whole career.
He smiles a small smile and shakes his head, his face growing serious. “About the double standard. You were right. After what Kang Jina said that night, I was so convinced that you were both being too careful, too paranoid. But... I was wrong. I should have listened to you. I should have paid attention. But I didn’t notice anything because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to see how differently people treat you and Mina and Jina.
I thought the first part of the book was a little slow for me but it was all good afterwards.
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3)
The ending kind of let me down because I thought it was a little cut off and I think it was because there's a second book coming after it. I think if it were just one book, the ending wouldn't have ended so short. Also, the characters, weren't as developed as I thought they would be so that kind of took away from the book.
What I loved about this book was the focus on family. They all know how important this dream is to Rachel, so they from NYC to Seoul for Rachel to train at DB Entertainment. Her father is studying law secretly on the side in order to have a better income, and her mom is working hard to get a tenure at the university she teaches at. At first, I thought her mom wasn't supportive of her but there's more to the story at the end and I liked it. What I liked most of all is Rachel's little sister, Leah. She is the biggest fangirl and supporter of Rachel. She's always there to cheer Rachel up after a hard day of practice and encourages her to continue.
Despite some flaws in the book, overall I still liked reading it. It was a fun read and I finished it quickly. I'm curious to see what the second book has in for Rachel and her career.
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