Shine by Jessica Jung (ARC Review)

Title: Shine
Author: Jessica Jung
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)
Date published: September 29, 2020

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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.

⤖ My Review ⬻

The moment I found about Shine and that it was about kpop, I knew that I had to read it. Then I realized that Jessica Jung (former of Girls Generation) was the author and I might have freaked out a little bit (in a good way)! I don’t talk about this a lot, but while I’m a bit out of the loop with the kpop world now, I got into kpop around 2008. Like, I remember the release of Mirotic. Yes, when DBSK still had 5 members! According to the internet I’m a tier 2 kpop veteran? In either case, my love for kpop and Korean culture as a whole runs deep! (Check out my travel series if you want to read about my adventures in Seoul!) Back to my review for Shine though…If I haven’t made it clear through my rambles already, I was very passionate about reading this book!

Once I started reading Shine, I was immediately hooked. Having been very involved in kpop and the lives of my favourite stars for many years, I was always fascinated about what happened behind the scenes. There was so much speculation and secrecy. The fact that Jessica Jung gave us more than a glimpse into what happens behind the curtain, where the fans can’t see, was very fascinating to me. I was immediately invested in the main character, Rachel’s, wellbeing and success. I do wish that the book would have let us explore Seoul a little bit more, but that’s probably just me whining because I miss Seoul a lot. I can’t really say much else without spoiling things, but I can say that this was initially a 3-star read for me until I realized that it wasn’t a standalone but a series! Looking forward to where Rachel’s journey will take her next!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Jessica Jung, known mononymously as Jessica, is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer known for her work as a former member of South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation.