Name: K-POP Confidential
ISBN: 9783646933246

Stephan Lee

Große Träume, erbitterte Konkurrenzkämpfe und herzerobernde Romantik treffen auf die pulsierende Welt von Seoul. Ein Must-Read für alle K-Pop-Fans! Candace kann singen – und zwar richtig gut. Nur weiߠkaum jemand davon. Genauso wenig wie von ihrer Begeisterung für K-Pop. Heimlich nimmt die 15-Jährige an einem Casting teil – und ergattert prompt einen Trainee-Platz bei der weltgrößten K-Pop-Schmiede in Seoul. Eine Riesenchance! Doch die Ausbildung ist hart, mit strengen Regeln und unerbittlichen Trainern, die Candace an ihre Grenzen bringen. Und als sie YoungBae kennenlernt, den sie wegen des strikten Dating-Verbots eigentlich nicht treffen darf, beginnt sie zu zweifeln: Kann sie sich selbst treu bleiben und gleichzeitig ein K-Pop-Star werden? "Mir ist immer noch ganz schwindelig von diesem elektrisierenden Hammer-Debüt. Ich konnte es nicht mehr aus der Hand legen." Becky Albertalli, Autorin von "Nur drei Worte" (verfilmt als "Love, Simon")

K-POP Confidential

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 in this romantic coming-of-age novel about chasing big dreams, 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 love of K-Pop and her obsession with SLK to herself. But she has a secret that she's been keeping from the world: She can sing. Like, really sing. So when Candace enters a global audition held by the biggest K-Pop label in the world, the last thing she expects is to actually win. And convincing her parents to go against everything they believe in is nothing compared to what's next. Soon she's forced to ask herself: Does being one in a million necessarily mean that you can handle the grueling life of an idol trainee? Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must hone her performance skills, learn to fluently speak Korean, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her teammates to within an inch of her life. 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 can't do it, 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 relationships, and everything she holds most dear?

K-Pop Confidential

Bria

I’ve been a kpop fan since 2010, and I’ve also known about about how horrible idols are treated, especially during training. I always feel bad for being so into kpop for this reason, but this book allowed me to consume some kpop media without the guilt.

I looooove this book. I love Candace, her story, her friends, the relationships with her team. I love almost everything about this book. The one thing I didn’t like was the whole one.j thing because it didn’t seem like she actually had interest in him. That could’ve really been left out.

Maui S.

** spoiler alert **
           As an avid fan of k-pop, I didn't waste any time reading this book. I'm glad that this book didn't focus on the love story instead they focused on the overall growth of the character.

It also has an introductory look on what the k-pop industry could be. It had a slow start but it was a fun read in the end.

This was very cute and incredibly readable. I have read a couple similar novels now and this is definitely one of the more competent ones (though the ending sure is something, but it foreshadows it well so I cannot even be mad). It is fun and if you are a K-Pop fan, it would be pretty clear where it borrows its ideas from.

(I received this as a Secret Santa present. Yes.)

This was very cute and incredibly readable. I have read a couple similar novels now and this is definitely one of the more competent ones (though the ending sure is something, but it foreshadows it well so I cannot even be mad). It is fun and if you are a K-Pop fan, it would be pretty clear where it borrows its ideas from.

(I received this as a Secret Santa present. Yes.)

"I'm still giddy over this electrifying, big-hearted, all-kill smash of a debut. I couldn't put it down." -- Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 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.

K-pop Confidential

April

ok what the heck i enjoyed this much more than i thought i would. And im so down for the whole “bring down the patriarchy” trope—and seeing it set in kpop terms was a ride! However, some major downsides i saw in this was the overtly stereotypical characters and playing too much into it. For a book that aims to be in the sphere of feminism, it fell a bit short. Also writing-style wise, it seemed too juvenile. Not so much my cup of tea but i could flow with it. 

This book, if anything, is incredibly informative. If you’ve ever wondered what your kpop bias may have suffered(maybe not even in the past tense) to get to where they are, i’d check this book out for a fictionalized(but is it really? Lol) version of kpop reality

Overall a very good book, which portrays the bitter-sweet K-pop industry and the trainee life really well. A must-read for every k-pop fan. Also, Candace is really relatable and you can feel with her.

Vicky

Kimi 

Rated 4-Stars

Awesome book for Stephan's debut novel. I love K-pop for a long time now and it definitely has evolved in the past decade. Candance is an easy-to-love character and seeing her growth in confidence as a K-Pop trainee makes you want to root for her. Her love interest YoungBae is sweet and the chemistry between the two of them is heartwarming. Candance's music and songwriting were cute and fun, much like her personality. Overall, it was a fun and quick read, especially for K-pop fans.

Kate

I know absolutely nothing about the world of K-pop other than what I've read in one other K-pop YA but this was such a fun and addictive read. I loved being immersed in this entirely new world and I thought Stephan did such a brilliant job on filling the book with enough information to educate the informed on K-pop culture without becoming info dumping. 

I don't know how factual the training/behind the scene elements were surrounding K-pop culture and its values (although I know the author did a lot of research) but I left this reading experience somehow wanting to both learn everything there is to know about K-pop culture, whilst also not wanting to come near it ever again. So much of it absolutely horrified me, especially when it came to diets and the dangerous fixation on weight loss and I'm not sure how I felt about that not really being condemned (but I also realise that just might be me being entirely ignorant on K-pop culture). 

With that being said, I really enjoyed this book. I was fully invested in Candace's journey from page one and loved being sucked into a world entirely new to both of us. Overall, this was heart warming, frustrating, fast paced read that was filled to the brim with drama that's perfect for a K-pop newbie like me.

TW: body shaming/fatphobia, extreme dieting

K-POP Confidential

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