#readshine

✧ G I V E A W A Y ✧ . 💬 Happy Saturday! How are you spending your day? . Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation. . Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE. It will be released on September 29th from @simonteen. . Thank you to @glasstownent for sending me a copy of the book and teaming up with me for a great giveaway! Enter to win a copy of Shine! . TO ENTER: ✩ follow me, @simonteen, @glasstownent, @jessica.syj and @storygramtours ✩ tag a friend you think will be interested . For EXTRA entry: ✩ visit @loriimagination tomorrow and repeat these steps . RULES: ✩ Giveaway will end Sept 7th at midnight EST ✩ US ONLY ✩ not affiliated with Instagram ✩ must be 18 or have parents permission ✩ must be a public account so entries can be verified . . . h a s h t a g s ⇣ #ShineArctour #Shine #JessicaJung #readshine #glasstownent #Simonteen #storygramtours #aquietmoment #livelifebeautifully #morningslikethis #cornerofmyhome #momentsofmine #bookaholic #bookstagramit #blissfulday #stillography #lovelysquares #nestandflourish #yabooks #bibliofeature #booknerdigan #bookster #bookcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CEwyanOHiZD/?igshid=x96ohcdqm740

I'm looking forward to read this. This is literally the first book I'll read after 4 years.. 😍😍😍 #ReadSHINE #shineeveryday #fullybookedph #JessicaJung https://www.instagram.com/p/CGZveHol_YK/?igshid=12oqx6lnksqrq

My reaction to SHINE + a giveaway!

Finally done with @jessica.syj's Shine and I definitely have honest thoughts to share as she is my forever bias. Jessica's debut novel gives us a glimpse of how trainees live, regardless of which agency they are in. From the long hours to the grueling training, all in an effort to achieve nothing less than perfection. Think of Shine as a K-pop version of Black Swan where it's a battle between man, himself, and society. Was initially motivated to read this because it was supposed to be overflowing with tea. However, instead of a tell-all exposé, it came off as a somewhat annoying and whiney to say the least. While it does cater to younger audiences, I honestly think I've read better fanfics than this one. Written in first person, it tried to make Rachel Kim a relatable character who when reduced to her simplest form, is just a girl with a dream. But she's not and with her are all these complexities. So there's a certain disconnect. Though, I must say, that there were moments when I was breezing through pages because of the different interesting conflicts, but it wasn't sustained. This was what made it problematic for me. It was rising and falling, rather than just rising steadily with occasional dull moments. Frankly, I feel a bit lost as to what the objective of this book is because it focused too much on Rachel's personal life. Drawing all these minor characters as plot devices when we could've focused on Choo Mina and their dynamics. To be perfectly honest, Mina was more interesting than sweet goody two shoes Rachel. Rachel was a very confusing MC. Is she an underdog? After six years of training? I think not. She was confident, yet pretentious. She "cares" for the people around her, but it doesn't feel genuine at all when it all boils down to her and her dream/ambition. So where's the tea? It's in the next book, Bright. Here are the girls who are poised to be Korea's biggest girl group Girls Forever: Rachel Kim, Choo Mina, Shin Eunji, Ryu Sumin, Yoon Youngeun, Lee Jiyoon, Shim Ari, Im Lizzie, and Choi Sunhee -- many of whom haven't had any role to play in Shine yet. LOL Shine's rating? 6/10. Give it a try and try to crack who's who. #readSHINE https://www.instagram.com/p/CGP7Iuqlk3m/?igshid=9dkuakjle770