K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee | Quick Hit Review

Asian American Girl Power – You Love to See It

You don’t have to be a K-Pop fan to get Stephan Lee’s K-Pop Confidential. You do have to be up for a YA story that centers a Korean-American girl from Fort Lee, New Jersey following her dreams all the way to Seoul. I loved that Candice isn’t just an AP student forced to play viola (yep, we’ve all been there, well, except for getting 5s on the tests), she’s also talented and fierce and funny.

Going inside the world of K-Pop trainee programs, Lee doesn’t shy away from the uglier parts: a system that chews up and spits out talent without giving it a second thought, that prioritizes boys over girls, that imposes crazy diets on young people who are busting their butts all day in dance rehearsal. What’s different is Candace has opinions on all of it, and I love her for it.

The best part is, what K-Pop Confidential wraps around that is a story about a teenager realizing her own value, her own power. Even as she has to fit in and iron out differences with others on her team, Candace never loses herself as she climbs to the top. Even when it’s debut or die trying.

Bonus points for a nuanced portrayal of immigrant parents. Yes, Candace is encouraged toward academic excellence and forced to play viola, while her real passions are tamped down (sort of). But there are extra dimensions to Umma and to a lesser extent, Abba. And it’s good to see it. I’m staying out of spoiler territory, so that’s all I’ll say.

With glamour, romance, and sometimes a sharp dose of reality, K-Pop Confidential is an irresistible debut, and so flipping fun. I can’t wait to read more from Stephan Lee. 

P.S. Now for the squee: my 16-year-old self is losing her sh…er, mind over seeing someone who looks like her get to be glamorous and important and opinionated. I love that Candace’s American-ness is what sets her apart and that in this story, Candace is not the sidekick, the support staff. She’s the star. You’re damn right, she is. It’s about effing time.

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Get K-Pop Confidential from The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org | IndieBound | Amazon | Apple Books

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Stephan Lee has set a high bar for K-Pop related fiction. We’ve got two others on our TBR: Lyla Lee’s I’ll Be the One, out now. And Shine by Jessica Jung, out September 29, 2020.

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