Idol Gossip: A K-Pop dream come true

This book kept my mind ticking over long after I should have been asleep last night.3 hours of sleep deprivation later I can say that I really enjoyed this book. Worth 3 hours I’d say. Idol gossip is a must for anyone who likes the word of K-pop.

I give it 3.5/4 out of 5Yes, set in the K-pop world, but it is a universal story.Being a pop star is the ultimate dream, and if I were not so afraid of singing in front of people, I would be one, too. Oh, and if I could sing, I forget that tiny detail! LolAnyway, we never truly see the negative side to fame, the hours, days, weeks, months and even years it takes to make it, the strict routines, diets, the never-ending search for perfection (a perfection that does not exist). It is gruelling and stressful to the point it can have a detrimental effect on your physical and mental health.But Alice's story shines a spotlight on the real downside to fame, especially in the modern world where one mistake, one slip up, is instantly uploaded and will forever be on the web. That there will always be people out there wanting to see you fail. And a particular blog post written by the infamous V is determined to bring down the K-pop empire and the idols.I enjoyed the story and loved how Alice develops. We, understandably, see it through her eyes, so it was not until the end that I got to see it from different perspectives and how things had impacted them and their lives.On that basis, I would have preferred two or three POV's.I like it centres around Alice, but it would have added a little more depth if we saw how the other members of the band were coping.The ending is cute but a little rushed.There is a minor trigger warning as it briefly touches on suicide, but like the mention of a bisexual character, it is quickly spoken about and then never approached again. Missed opportunity? I don't know.Again, I am torn with my rating. It is a great book and perfect for children and young adults. I would recommend it to everyone, but if you are over 18, remember it is for a younger audience, so a more light-hearted look into the pop world.

A story detailing a young girl joining a pop group and becoming famous, with all the pressures that come with it.

Okay so I may not be the intended audience here - I have never experienced K-Pop - but actually I don't think that matters. If you love K-Pop, I've no doubt this has everything you need because I felt like I was living my best K-Pop life whilst reading this book. But if you, like me, find yourself a K-Pop novice then you might find yourself falling down a YouTube hole, also like me, after you finish to get a little bit more exposure after finally seeing the light.This book is a not-so-subtle look at some of the pressing challenges of being in the spotlight, but also of the growing issues from almost everyone having a much larger social media footprint than they had 20 years ago. Can you imagine saying to people 20 years ago that one day there would be regular interactions online in which we share even the most private or personal moments of our lives online, subjecting ourselves to ridicule or searching for "likes" to prove our worth? No way. Those people would laugh you out the door and politely close it, turn to their spouse and say, "wow that guy was weird". This sort of exposure is absolutely at the heart of this book and I really liked how the author picked that apart in places.I didn't like so much the story, although I suspect that's a me-problem because the writing is lovely, just the characters felt too underdeveloped for my taste and the story a bit too one dimensional.Regardless, an interesting adventure through K-Pop with a feeling akin to Daisy Jones and The Six - when you're just hoping to feel like you're part of the band, and this book let's you have a nice flavour of that.