An entertaining peek behind the scenes of Korean pop culture.
A former K-pop star seeking a fresh start in the K-drama world gets involved in a fake relationship with a fellow celebrity in order to help both their careers.
Shin Hyeri is a Korean American actor living in Seoul whose star is on the rise, although online she’s been dubbed the “scandal princess” due to the rumors swirling around her (including that she bullied a fellow member of her former band, Hellowglow). Her relationship with her mother, who “loves having famous kids,” is difficult, adding to her stress. But a backstage encounter with K-pop boy-band sensation Moon “Moonster” Minseok ends up turning him and Hyeri into more tabloid fodder. To save her career, Hyeri must do what she hates most: lie. She enters a fake-dating scheme with Moonster, whose own band, WDB, is struggling with a dating scandal. Soon Hyeri finds their complicated history and feelings hard to ignore—and she wrestles with her attitude toward an industry that loves a good story, even if it’s false. This entertaining novel calls out gender double standards and the brutality of critical anti-fans, highlighting the less glamorous sides of the K-pop world. Interspersed amid the prose, readers will find celebrity profiles, news articles, and a transcript of video footage, all of which enrich the narrative. Even though the romance doesn’t deliver when it comes to chemistry, Hyeri is a charming and relatable lead, and her journey is thoroughly enjoyable.
An entertaining peek behind the scenes of Korean pop culture. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781368103015
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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