If you’re a Girls’ Generation fan wanting to know if this book tells Jessica Jung’s side of the story in regards to her departure from the group, well… There’s no way for me to know how much is fiction and how much is from her real experiences. I appreciated that the book mentioned how the characters feel split between two worlds, a feeling relatable for many diaspora and those of mixed heritage. The Kim’s are a flawed family who sometimes hurt each other, but ultimately love each other and I really liked how they were written.Īs the main character is Korean-American and her love interest is a mixed Korean-Canadian, the book also touches on identity. Rachel’s relationship with her younger sister is really sweet, her relationship with her father is adorable, and with her mother things are complicated. One of my favorite things in this book is the family dynamics.
Hopefully he’ll be more likable in the sequel. Though, I did feel like his annoying personality worked for the story. He’s supposed to be charming, but he was thoughtless and self-absorbed. Every time he started to grow on me, he would do something that made me want to smack him. Personally, I did not like the love interest. Seriously, the road is not easy for her and I would call it unrealistic if it hadn’t been written by an actual K-pop star who may have gone through some of the same things. Rachel is a character you root for because, despite her talent, she’s an underdog with a million obstacles in the way of her dreams. There’s backstabbing, a toxic obsession with weight, sexist double-standards, merciless training, and that’s all before a whole new set of problems arise if they manage to debut. Every fan of K-pop knows that the industry is ruthless, but this book provides insight to just how little mercy there is for trainees. This book is fictional, but it’s clearly inspired by Jung’s experience in the world of K-pop. I requested this novel from the publisher because one of the first K-pop groups I was ever introduced to was Girls’ Generation, of which Jessica Jung was a member from 2007 to 2014. That would put everything she’s worked for at risk and she has to debut. One of the biggest rules for trainees is no dating, which means she absolutely cannot fall for the handsome and internationally popular star Jason Lee. The industry is very strict and highly competitive. It has been her dream to be a K-pop star since she was a small child and now she’s working as hard as she can to achieve that dream, but it isn’t easy. She trains under DB Entertainment, a huge label known for hugely popular stars. Shine by Jessica Jung follows Rachel Kim, a 17-year-old Korean-American K-pop trainee.
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