I'll Be the One

I’ll Be the One
by Lyla Lee
Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. Young Adult

Skye Shinn wants to be a K-pop star, singing and dancing her way into fame. She has the moves. She has the high notes. She has the sassy personality. The only thing she doesn’t have is the size 00 of a K-Pop star. Her entire life, her mother has told her the fat girls shouldn’t dance, or wear bright clothes, or be on television. But Skye wants to prove her and all the other haters wrong, so she auditions for an American K-pop competition called “You’re My Shining Star.” Everyone is surprised at her talent, but one judge is explicit that fat girls can’t make it in K-pop. But Skye only needs the votes of the two other judges and she is in! Skye soon becomes immersed in the auditions and meets amazing new friends and bumps into Mr. Henry Cho, himself. But, huge surprise, the glitzy Korean American star can actually dance and ends up becoming Skye’s dance partner. As the pressure of the competition builds, so do the sparks between Skye and Henry. But will Skye lose herself in the K-Pop culture and forget all the things she is fighting to prove?

This book was a hoot and a half. It’s charming. This feel good novel will have you rooting for Skye and her friends. There was one point I actually gasped out loud in. I flew through this book. The characters are relatable and everyone loves an underdog story. The book is also an #Ownvoices story, with culturally diverse characters and LGTBQIA diverse characters. But mostly it is RomCom that will melt your heart into a gooey pool of love. This book is for fans of Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ and fans of reality shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “American Idol.”

AGP