Review by Booklist Review
K-drama actress Shin Hyeri is a scandal magnet. Painted by the media as a bully, she lands in hot water after a video of an altercation with ultra-popular K-pop heartthrob Moon Minseok is leaked. Though the two idols have a thorny history, they're forced to film a celebrity faux-marriage show together to repair their public images. As they spend time together, Hyeri and Minseok allow the ice between them to thaw and their attraction to each other becomes impossible to ignore. Told primarily through Hyeri's present-day POV, the book occasionally dips into an omniscient POV to show readers Minseok's perspective or take a peek into their pasts. An element of mixed media is achieved through the inclusion of news articles and blogs chronicling Hyeri's fall and subsequent rise. Cho's follow-up to Once upon a K-Prom (2022) charts a course for success as it delves deep into the world of South Korean idol culture. While it is primarily a romance, a parallel storyline about antis (haters, essentially), entices readers with a bit of a mystery and high stakes. When the two stories eventually collide, the result propels the book to a resoundingly satisfying conclusion. Readers young and old will swoon for this love story and appreciate the timely focus on late teens and early twentysomethings facing intense pressure about their careers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
