24/10/2022
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Title: K-Pop Idol Diaries, Vol. 2
Genre: YA, K-Pop
Rating: 4 ⭐/5
Recommendation: YES ✅
K-Pop Idol Diaries (Vol. 2) by .author continues the Diary of Gigi, a 16-year-old girl aspiring to become an idol rapper. After being suddenly moved from a girl group to a boy group 2 weeks before debut, Gigi tells the story of how she finds herself thrown into the boy group SKS-7, which stands for South Korea Squad 7. In that short time, she has to catch up on practice, choreography, recording… and has to find a way to get along with the members and fit in the group.
The diary goes through the pre-debut preparation weeks, the debut, and the following weeks of SKS-7 as Gigi and her bandmates figure things out in the best way possible… Until a scandal hits and Shine, the leader, has to… leave the group?
What is this scandal that hit SKS-7 right after their debut? How will the bandmates handle it? And will Shine actually leave?
Answers to all these questions is what Gigi tells us in her “Dear Diary”.
Review:
As I enjoyed Vol 1 of K-Pop Idol Diaries, I purchased Vol 2 the moment it got released. I liked the character of Gigi and her bandmates, so this kept me interested and I finished the book in 2 sittings, 1 if you don’t consider that I just slept in between haha. I liked how the struggles of idols pre-debut are presented, I liked that even though it’s fiction, the story seems more or less realistic (which is not always the case with K-Pop books. It’s a personal preference, though. I just like it when they are realistic to some extent.)
My favorite chapter was the debut itself and the interview. It was a lot of fun to read. I could totally imagine the scene as described.
The only small thing that I kept wondering about is why all the idols have English names.
Also, is Solar (another briefly mentioned rookie group) inspired by EXO? :D
This book was a fun read, and I recommend it. The end was a bit like WHAT?? WHYY?” to me so I am truly hoping Vol. 3 is coming!