Wish Upon a K-Star

February 1, 2025
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)

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Starred review from March 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 *Starred 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.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 11, 2025

Gr 7 Up-The door into the world of K-pop is wide open for readers in this spin-off to Once Upon a K-Prom; it is a complicated, scripted, and drama-filled world both on and off stage and screen. Hyeri, 19, is on-again, off-again herself-always in competition for music and screen roles. In the insulated world of K-pop that confines the stars to their own interior world while requiring them to interface with the world of their fans, it is hard to know which feelings are real and which are to be kept hidden so that the two worlds never collide. But collide they do when Hyeri is accused of bullying and being cold, unfeeling, and two-faced, when all she wants to do is make sense of herself and identify her own true feelings. Her feelings for childhood crush Minesok are confusing and cause rom-com complexities that intertwine with K-pop expectations of being perfect in all ways. For fans of K-pop, this world will ring a familiar tune, while those just dipping a toe in will have to pay attention to the writer's introductions to each character. The story is deeply embedded in K-pop culture, and also in the universal confusion of young adulthood. Love, hate, wanting to please others, wanting to just be themselves; this romance, mystery, and coming-of-age story will resonate with young people interested in the world of K-pop stardom. VERDICT A readable, charming, drama-filled story with relatable characters, this book will appeal to readers who like romance and K-pop combined into one fun tale.-Connie Williams

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