This will be my first review in English, so I am feeling a little nervous about it. Usually , my English is quite good, but in stressful situations (like, writing a review about an amazing book) I tend to make mistakes and forget every vocabulary I have ever learned. Hopefully, I will write an understandable review with the help of a good friend and google translator ;-).
About the book:
Candace is your average Korean-American teen – who can’t believe her luck when she’s picked from thousands of auditionees to travel to Seoul and train to become a K-pop star. There’s only one problem: she’s really not cut out for it. The language is hard, the girls are mean, and the number-one rule is NO DATING – which proves impossible after she meets superstar idol One.J and fellow trainee YoungBae. In the battle to debut, Candace must decide whether a spot in the most hyped K-pop girl group of all time is really worth risking everything …
First of all, the style of writing is soooo good. It is so easy to read and it feels like flying through the pages. I love how humerous it is written and meaningful at the same time. Later I will come back to the deepness of this book.
Also, the chapters have got a perfect length and at the end of the book is an ‚K-Pop K-Dictionary‘, which explains terms like ‚aegyo‘, ‚finger hearts‘, ‚maknae‘ or ‚visual‘ and many more, for everyone who is not that much into the K-Pop world.
So this book is not only a must have for every K-Pop fan, it also can be read by anyone else, who is attracted by the blurb of the book.
Candace is an average Teenage Girl, so it is quite easy to sympathize with her. She is very funny, a little bit impulsive and sometimes a bit careless, but she is 15-years old, so it is perfectly fine. I have been the same in my younger years (younger years = four years ago) and it has not changed yet.
I love how every girl in her trainee-group is very different to each other, which make them individual and memorable.
I really enjoyed reading this book, because it seemed to be so easy and lighthearted, but while reading I was suprised about the deepness written between the pages. As a K-Pop fan I have heard about the strictness and the effort it takes to become a K-Pop superstar, but it hits me really hard, while reading this book. As Candace, I was completely shocked by the life of a K-Pop trainee. I felt weith her in every second. Also I started watching music videos of K-Pop artists with an extra portion of respect, not that I haven’t respected it before, but after reading this book I feel even more admiration for every artist.
The ending has been totally unexspected! I don’t want to spoiler anything but the ending has been the reason for me to take ‚K-Pop Confidential‘ as another highlight of the year. It was impacking and I also cried some tears, because of how emotionally it was.
To come to an end, „K-Pop Confidential“ is (in my humble opinion) a must read for every K-Pop fan and so much more than just a YA book!
I can’t wait to read „K-Pop Revolution“, which is going to be published on the fifth of April 2022.
Price: 7,89 €
Pages: 359
ISBN: 978-1913322298
