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daumari's review against another edition
3.0
Cute- though the fantasy of a K-Pop idol falling for her teenaged paparazzo is definitely a farfetched fantasy.
helmiz_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Recommendation from Epic Reads 2019 TBR.
Pre-ordered this December 1st, 2018, and read it in-between the soon to be DNF'ed [b:You|36430011|You|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549463282s/36430011.jpg|39913517].
Earnest YA-romance with two teens growing up on a special day in Hongkong.
Swoon-worthy! Listened to K-Pop during reading (sometimes, mostly Blackpink / Red Velvet, as I am not so much into Boygroups).
Lots of eating in the book, which made it feel very real - one of my pet-peeves, when people during a story don't eat or sleep without an obvious reason ([a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg], I'm looking at you!).
Also very inspiring and uplifting book about how to realise your dreams.
Highly recommended fast read. Would like to see this filmed as a limited TV-series (1 Season).
Pre-ordered this December 1st, 2018, and read it in-between the soon to be DNF'ed [b:You|36430011|You|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549463282s/36430011.jpg|39913517].
Earnest YA-romance with two teens growing up on a special day in Hongkong.
Swoon-worthy! Listened to K-Pop during reading (sometimes, mostly Blackpink / Red Velvet, as I am not so much into Boygroups).
Lots of eating in the book, which made it feel very real - one of my pet-peeves, when people during a story don't eat or sleep without an obvious reason ([a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg], I'm looking at you!).
Also very inspiring and uplifting book about how to realise your dreams.
Highly recommended fast read. Would like to see this filmed as a limited TV-series (1 Season).
joyanna_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rsnoreads's review against another edition
4.0
*3.5 rounded to 4
I want to start with the positives so this review doesn’t sound like too much a rant. Obviously I enjoyed this book enough to round to 4 stars, and here are the main reasons why:
I loved the adventure-style of the date between Jack and Lucky. This book is like a rush and it flies by. Following the leads on their date feels like a fun adventure. The banter and conversations are fun, they experience fun activities, and even though I’m a slow reader, I can imagine fast readers devour this book in a sitting or two because of how well paced it is. If I had to choose the deciding factor on why I went with four stars instead of three, it would be due to the ending. I absolutely loved the ending, and no spoilers here, but it was relatively surprising while staying realistic.
Now why did I say this might feel like a rant…
So I found this book because it comes up on a lot of lists of “good books for k-pop fans.” I actually hadn’t read a book in years and wanted to get back into reading with one of my favorite interests - k-pop, Korean culture, k-dramas, etc. The main female lead, Lucky, is a fictional k-pop star. That’s all I needed to be hooked on the idea of the book. HOWEVER, I want to make this very clear - I feel like this book is almost an anti-k-pop story. While I understand there are certainly dark sides to every industry, I was looking for a fun, playful romcom and what I found was a book that failed to celebrate k-pop, and did quite the opposite. Now, this could have been the author’s intention, and I get it, I’m not naive to what the author is trying to say with Lucky’s character, but I would disagree this is a book for k-pop fans. I have no issues with Lucky, she’s actually great and I loved her personality, but every conversation about k-pop had a dark undertone and was more about how the industry wasn’t letting her be her true self. Again, could totally have been the point, but it’s not what I was looking for when I picked out this book to read. I also feel like the book didn’t get into real k-pop culture enough. Lucky could have been a singer of any genre really. I was hoping for more specific references or things that are a part of k-pop fandoms, but I found the book lacking in this aspect unfortunately. Also, notice how I haven’t said anything about Jack.. basically, he’s fine. I like that Lucky and Jack have commonalities and struggles to bond over, but that’s about it. Nothing too amazing with his character. Lastly, the setting - the entire book takes place in Hong Kong. Not a problem in of itself, in fact, Hong Kong is an awesome setting, but if you’re truly looking for that k-pop/ k-drama experience, I would expect the story to take place in Seoul or any other location in South Korea. Again, I understand that k-pop stars travel the globe on tour, but having the story set in Hong Kong does take some of the Korean culture I was looking for out of this book.
My dislikes seem to be greater than my likes, but I really just wanted to explain my main issues with the book. I think it’s a really fun romcom, it has a ‘Little Women’ reference in it, Lucky has a great personality, it has a great ending… but it is NOT for k-pop fans, IMO.
I want to start with the positives so this review doesn’t sound like too much a rant. Obviously I enjoyed this book enough to round to 4 stars, and here are the main reasons why:
I loved the adventure-style of the date between Jack and Lucky. This book is like a rush and it flies by. Following the leads on their date feels like a fun adventure. The banter and conversations are fun, they experience fun activities, and even though I’m a slow reader, I can imagine fast readers devour this book in a sitting or two because of how well paced it is. If I had to choose the deciding factor on why I went with four stars instead of three, it would be due to the ending. I absolutely loved the ending, and no spoilers here, but it was relatively surprising while staying realistic.
Now why did I say this might feel like a rant…
So I found this book because it comes up on a lot of lists of “good books for k-pop fans.” I actually hadn’t read a book in years and wanted to get back into reading with one of my favorite interests - k-pop, Korean culture, k-dramas, etc. The main female lead, Lucky, is a fictional k-pop star. That’s all I needed to be hooked on the idea of the book. HOWEVER, I want to make this very clear - I feel like this book is almost an anti-k-pop story. While I understand there are certainly dark sides to every industry, I was looking for a fun, playful romcom and what I found was a book that failed to celebrate k-pop, and did quite the opposite. Now, this could have been the author’s intention, and I get it, I’m not naive to what the author is trying to say with Lucky’s character, but I would disagree this is a book for k-pop fans. I have no issues with Lucky, she’s actually great and I loved her personality, but every conversation about k-pop had a dark undertone and was more about how the industry wasn’t letting her be her true self. Again, could totally have been the point, but it’s not what I was looking for when I picked out this book to read. I also feel like the book didn’t get into real k-pop culture enough. Lucky could have been a singer of any genre really. I was hoping for more specific references or things that are a part of k-pop fandoms, but I found the book lacking in this aspect unfortunately. Also, notice how I haven’t said anything about Jack.. basically, he’s fine. I like that Lucky and Jack have commonalities and struggles to bond over, but that’s about it. Nothing too amazing with his character. Lastly, the setting - the entire book takes place in Hong Kong. Not a problem in of itself, in fact, Hong Kong is an awesome setting, but if you’re truly looking for that k-pop/ k-drama experience, I would expect the story to take place in Seoul or any other location in South Korea. Again, I understand that k-pop stars travel the globe on tour, but having the story set in Hong Kong does take some of the Korean culture I was looking for out of this book.
My dislikes seem to be greater than my likes, but I really just wanted to explain my main issues with the book. I think it’s a really fun romcom, it has a ‘Little Women’ reference in it, Lucky has a great personality, it has a great ending… but it is NOT for k-pop fans, IMO.
hollyplayer's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.75
I found the characters loveable but I didn't feel like their connection. The book took place over the course of 24 hours and they were admitting they loved each other. I'm not opposed to an insta love but it just felt off to me.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
I'm starting to think suspended belief is needed with Maurene Goo's books. This is cute, but absolutely too convenient of a plot and ending.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
4.0
This book follows two points of view. We follow Lucky who is a Korean Pop-idol and is has just finished her world tour and is in Hong Kong. She is about to debut on American Television and the last thing she needs is drama or scandal. She is well-loved and her agency wants her to keep it that way. However one night in Hongkong, unable to sleep and hungry, she slips out of her hotel room and into the bustling night of Hongkong. This is when she meets Jack who is a photographer and he doesn't know who she is.
She introduces herself as Fern and they have one of the craziest nights together. But the problem begins when she is asleep in his bed and he comes across a picture of her online. He freaks out having a superstar in his bed that he shares with his best friend. When she wakes up she panics but he calms her and maintains the pretense of not knowing her. They get to spend a day together and little does she know that he is also a paparazzi and he takes pictures for a tabloid. With her begins to take her pictures with her knowledge.
The majority of this book takes place over the course of 24 hours and we really get to know each of them, their fears, and dreams of the future. I thought it was cute and easy to read.
She introduces herself as Fern and they have one of the craziest nights together. But the problem begins when she is asleep in his bed and he comes across a picture of her online. He freaks out having a superstar in his bed that he shares with his best friend. When she wakes up she panics but he calms her and maintains the pretense of not knowing her. They get to spend a day together and little does she know that he is also a paparazzi and he takes pictures for a tabloid. With her begins to take her pictures with her knowledge.
The majority of this book takes place over the course of 24 hours and we really get to know each of them, their fears, and dreams of the future. I thought it was cute and easy to read.