Week 24 Review: I'll Be the One

From Goodreads:

The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. Debut author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity—perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Julie Murphy.

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn't dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn't call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she's about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She'll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she'll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she's immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn't count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world's first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

My Review:
This was such a fantastic read! I love music, and while I haven't dipped my ears into K-pop music, books, fair game! I loved Skye's story, and I'm half certain that she was mentioned in Lyla Lee's book Flip the Scrip. Might need to do a reread! 

Skye is plus sized, which doesn't go well with the music industry for the singer. I can think of only two female singers (I don't listen to a lot of male, so I don't know) who culture would put in this category, and one of them lost the weight. It's not common. And the pressure of Asian and Western culture to be thin, it's a tough road for Skye.

There were so many moments that I was infuriated on Skye's behalf. That she was put down, belittled, and singled out because of her weight...not cool. And the behaviour of the one judge, it was just awful. But Skye is a role model, to pave the way, and I really enjoyed her story. Plus the competition was pretty intense! 

Oh, and her relationship with Henry? Yeah, that was just adorable! He really doesn't know how the average person lives, between his family and the fame that he has as a social media influencer. They just worked so well together and were so cute! I just loved the pair of them together! 

This was such a wonderful read and I can't wait to read more by Lyla Lee! 

Author: Lyla Lee 
Read: June 10th, 2023
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it's a RR Book and a SAC 2023 Book! 
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Published: June 16th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars