More than I ever expected!!
I started this book casually aiming to learn one or two things about kpop culture, but what I gained was much more interesting and important. About the continuous pressure of having to pretend to be perfect; the hard work idols put in training their bodies and their minds to fit specific beauty standards, sometimes only to be discarded like they worth nothing; the mental breakdowns that can be predicted from miles away when someone is cornered due to the worst consequences of their failures, and still the fall cannot be avoided. All these trials a young mind can be put on and not only survive them, but also rise victorious.
This book was certainly a ride.
The author knows very well how to describe the ethics/thoughts/inner demons of the protagonist, so that you're feeling her agony on every step of the way.
I was tired and angry during many parts of this book. I felt what Candace felt, and maybe even more. I could never stand this lack of freedom, the continuous judgement on my person, the control on how I eat, how I move...it already feels like being a living puppet, even only having seen it from someone else's eyes.

The message this book sends is important. Businesses are by definition all about financial gain. Failure in business, failure to comply with some beauty standards and failure in general shouldn't and won't define our worth as human beings. Mental and physical health are important.


And omagod, even if half of these things I read about the kpop industry actually happen irl, I have to admit for the thousandth time to myself that people are crazy. I haven't searched for information outside of a couple of books so I can't be sure. But people are crazy, that's for sure. ( )

Three and a half stars. I had hoped for something similar to this when I read "I'll Be The One." The book has a similar premise: A Korean-American girl is talented in a performance area (dancing or singing); does well at auditions; has trouble with her mom; and navigates her identity through the book, with a subplot romance that develops with a famous hottie. This book actually has the girl train in Korea, and is a much more interesting novel. I was surprised at how quickly the pages flew by, and I was so curious to learn what each chapter would hold! The love triangle in the book was actually interesting since there was so much about trainees not being able to date at all, and why. The subplot with Candace's grandfather was a great way to break up the nonstop, increasing tension due to competition. The author did a fantastic job of writing the tension and continually raising the stakes. That's tricky to do. Helen was a great antagonist until the author felt the need to redeem her. At first, I thought this was to set up a sequel to the book, but kept reading and realized it was for something else. (EDIT: I was right; there will be a sequel. There's still multiple reasons Helen was needlessly redeemed, though.) The last twenty percent of the book was basically a HEA. I'm not saying there's no place for one; it just seemed like a wildly huge departure from the story from that point. I'm glad I read this. ( )

I was not expecting to enjoy this nearly as much as I did, it's light and not too complicated. There's drama, some romance. Some things do seem to come a bit too easily to our MC but it wasn't too bad. Fun book to loose myself in for a bit. ( )

❤❤❤ ( )

Booktalk: "Candace Park is just your average Korean-American high-schooler living in New Jersey. Until her best friends Imani and Ethan urge her to audition for the next big K-pop girl group. Unexpectedly, Candace passes the audition. Suddenly she is spending the summer in Seoul, Korea, as a K-pop trainee. The training is brutal: 10 hours of practice and six hours of Korean class. The rules are strict: No dating, a restrictive diet, and no less than perfection in looks, talent and etiquette. Candace struggles to keep up with the training, determined to debut with the new group, maybe even be part of a perfect all-kill song. But the training regimen, harsh managers, mean girls, and the major expectations of K-pop fans worldwide is starting to wear on Candace. Is all this stress worth the hyped-up dream of international stardom on the world's biggest musical stage?" A juicy fun read with plenty of reality-show suspense and backstabbing, but the theme comes back to what really matters in life. ( )