Made in Korea by Sarah Suk Book Review

Title: Made in Korea
Author: Sarah Suk
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Pages: 352

There’s nothing Valerie Kwon loves more than making a good sale. Together with her cousin Charlie, they run V&C K-BEAUTY, their school’s most successful student-run enterprise. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved and adventurous halmeoni to her dream city, Paris.

Enter the new kid in class, Wes Jung, who is determined to pursue music after graduation despite his parents’ major disapproval. When his classmates clamor to buy the K-pop branded beauty products his mom gave him to “make new friends,” he sees an opportunity—one that may be the key to help him pay for the music school tuition he knows his parents won’t cover…

What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he is now V&C K-BEAUTY’s biggest competitor.

Stakes are high as Valerie and Wes try to outsell each other, make the most money, and take the throne for the best business in school—all while trying to resist the undeniable spark that’s crackling between them. From hiring spies to all-or-nothing bets, the competition is much more than either of them bargained for.

But one thing is clear: only one Korean business can come out on top.

Pre-order it on Barnes & Noble or Amazon  

My Thoughts

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!**

Valerie Kwon runs the best student business, V&C K-Beauty, at school along with her cousin, Charlie. Even though her family thinks V&C K-Beauty is just a hobby, it is so much more to Valerie.

We'd survived between school years once before; we would survive again. But that was then and this was now, and I could never quite shake the feeling that something would swoop in and topple everything we'd built.

Wes Jung is the new kid at school who secretly wants to pursue a career in music. His mom gives him some k-beauty products as a way to make some new friends at his new school. Turns out, everyone wants them and he soon has a business running. 

There isn't always a price tag or a black-and-white answer for why people do what they do.

Soon, the two become top competitors and have to outsell each other. Although they are rivals, what happens when they start to fall in love?

Star Rating: ★★★★★ (5)

I loved all the characters but I especially loved Valerie's halmeoni and Wes's uncle. Both of them provided support for the MCs and had great advice whenever the parents weren't paying so much attention to them.

I also loved the Korean words the author added to the book as well as Korean culture. From K-pop and K-dramas to delicious food, all of it made me very invested in the book.

Overall, Made in Korea was a super cute and funny book about Wes and Valerie's business competition during their senior year. I enjoyed every second of the rivals to lovers plot and was rooting for them the entire book.

About the Author

Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes stories and admires mountains. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu. Made in Korea is her first novel. You can visit Sarah online at SarahSuk.com and on Twitter and Instagram @SarahAeliSuk.