K-Pop Confidential

 My Thoughts:

If this is your genre - bubblegum fiction, K-drama, K-pop culture, YA romance, easy reading, girl idols. . .then this book is for you. It is saccharine sweet, mean girl mean and it pushes back against the K-pop system. As I was facing deadlines for work, this was a great no think read and exactly what I needed to stop my mind from churning.  The publishers do a very thorough job of describing the story, so I will leave it here. 

This is not a book to buy as a classroom set, but it is definitely a book to have on your classroom shelf, from middle school up. The cover and the title will bring the girls in, so put it in a prominent shelf or give it some space during AAPI awareness month.  Ladders: XOXO and ASAP by Axie Oh, and Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho. 

From the Publisher:

In this romantic coming-of-age novel about chasing big dreams, a Korean-American girl travels to Seoul in hopes of debuting in a girl group at the same K-pop company behind the most popular boy band on the planet. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Jenny Han.

Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she's been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom-and her obsession with SLK, K-pop's top boyband-to herself. She doesn't see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing.So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK's music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her to go is all but impossible ... although it's nothing compared to what comes next. Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world.If she doesn't have what it takes to become a perfect, hair-flipping K-pop idol, what will that mean for her family, who have sacrificed everything to give her the chance? And is a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time really worth risking her friendships, her future, and everything she believes in?

Publication information

Author: Stephan Lee

Publisher: Point (September 15, 2020)

ISBN 13: 978-1338639933

Grades 7-9

ASAP (An XOXO novel)

 

My Thoughts:

From Axie Oh comes another feel good bubblegum romance with another member of the XOXO K-pop band falling in love and taking himself off the market. This time, the story centers around Korean American member Nathaniel and model, and up and coming K-pop idol Sori, the daughter of their entertainment company CEO. 

Sori and Nathaniel were in a relationship a few years ago, but that was squashed by her mother, the CEO and her father, a rising politician. However, she was happiest with Nathaniel. When she realizes that she does not want to be an idol, and when Nathaniel is caught in a scandal, Sori offers to hide him. There is no need to guess with this one. Of course they will get together, but that is why readers like this kind of K-drama/romance. In addition, Jenny and Jaewoo, as well as other members of the band XOXO show up. In addition, when Sori realizes that she is good at helping to coach and manage a new member of the girl group ASAP, she also finds her solution for fulfilling her own dreams and ambitions over her mother's dreams and ambitions for her. This is a fast read and it will not disappoint. I hope Ms. Oh will tackle another XOXO member for her next book. 

From the Publisher:

Sori has worked her whole life to become a K-pop idol, until she realizes she doesn’t want a life forever in the spotlight. But that’s not actually up to Sori—she’s caught between her exacting mother’s entertainment company and her father’s presidential aspirations. And as the pressure to keep her flawless public image grows, the last person she should be thinking about is her ex-boyfriend.

Nathaniel is off limits—she knows this. A member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world and forbidden from dating, he isn’t any more of an option now than he was two years ago. Still, she can’t forget that their whirlwind romance was the last time she remembers being really happy. Or that his family welcomed her into their home when she needed it most. . . .

So when Nathaniel finds himself rocked by scandal, Sori offers him a hideaway with her. And back in close quarters, it’s hard to deny their old feelings. But when Sori gets an opportunity to break free from her parent’s expectations, she will have to decide: Is her future worth sacrificing for a second chance at love?

Publication Information:

Author: Axie Oh

Publisher: Harper Teen (February 6, 2024)

Hardcover length: 352 pages

Fireworks

 

My Thoughts:

If you liked Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho or XOXO  by Axie Oh, you are going to devour Fireworks by Alice Lin. 

The protagonist, Lulu Li has her whole summer planned out before she and her friends go away to college, but her plans are disrupted when her neighbor, Kai, now a K-Pop star with the group Karnaval secretly comes home to "rest and recover."  Kai and Lulu were best friends but when he was whisked away in 8th grade to South Korea to become a singer and songwriter in the K-Pop factory, he has not tried to contact Lulu in four years, so their relationship is awkward and non existent.

Except that there is a neighborhood cat that plays his own version of Shakespeare's Puck, both narrator and trickster at the same time. 

What I appreciated in this romcom is that the characters are Chinese American, even if Kai or Kite is a K-Pop star. In other words, not all Asians are the same and many Asian Americans keep their food traditions alive but not their langugage.

What I am lukewarm about is that Ms. Lin inserted an LGBTQ+ main character because Lulu is bi. Now if there were a love triangle, that would be one thing, but without it, the fact that Lulu is bi just feels like a way to check off another diversity box. It does not add to the story or make it more interesting because it seems like a throwaway fact.

The mental health and extreme fan behavior are much more interesting so I like that Lin included that. Either way, read it. 

From the Publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Lulu Li has her last summer before college all planned out. But her plans go awry when she learns that Kite Xu, her old next-door neighbor and childhood friend, will be returning home from South Korea.
 
Lulu hasn’t seen Kite since eighth grade, after he left the country to pursue a career in K-pop, eventually debuting in the boy group Karnival. When Karnival announces that Kite will be taking a break from K-pop activities for mysterious reasons, the opportunity to rekindle their friendship arises.
 
Star-struck and nostalgic, Lulu tries to reconnect with Kite. As they continue to bond and reminisce over the past, Kite’s sister, Connie, warns Lulu not to get too close to her brother. The harder Lulu tries to deny her feelings, the stronger they get. But how could a K-pop star ever fall for a nobody from home? And even if he did, is there any way for their relationship to end but badly?

Publication Information:

Author: Alice Lin

Publisher: Underlined

Publication date: June 7, 2022

Once Upon a K-Prom

 

Publication date: May 17, 2022 by Kat Cho

My Thoughts:

If students enjoyed any of the following rom com teen novels, this is the next great read on the ladder:

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

This is a story of childhood friend Elena Soo and Robbie Choi. When they were 10, they separated as Robbieʻs family moved back to Korea but they did make a promise that he would take her to prom. Well it is prom time and Elena seems to be overshadowed by her more popular twin brother and the high school expectations set forth by her high achieving sisters. Elena finds herself ostracized and labeled as the prom hating weirdo because she wants everyone to spend less on prom and donate money to keep her community center alive.

Robbie in the meantime has hit it huge, BTS style in the K-Pop world and although he is highly managed as part of the most popular boy band, he wants to fulfill his promise to take Elena "Lani" to prom even if the two have not spoken in seven years. 

Miscommunication, cluelessness, secrets, misunderstandings and enough heart warming side stories to keep readers invested in multiple characters helps to round out this story and make it a devour worthy pick for a long weekend.

I read this over Valentines weekend, but it does not come out until May so put this on your TBR list for memorial day or the 4th of July.

From the Publisher:

What would you do if the world's biggest K-pop star asked you to prom? Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon, this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school.

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing - she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that's always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants - even if she can't stop thinking about Robbie's smile...right?