Minnie is a truly intriguing character. She is from the only Asian family in Colorado Springs but then at college is struggling to find her place. She is a pretty typical talented but insecure teenager and she licks in on the new boy band HOURglass. They are a k-pop inspired band who shoots to stardom and inspires a message board culture and community of fans.
Alternating POE chapters go to Eason, whose stage name is Halo. Similarly insecure, he isn’t a good dancer he’s running from a difficult family situation. Many chapters were by far better, and I found Eason‘s chapters to be a little bit lacking. It all comes together in a dramatic moment when many finally is able to meet the band. It’s definitely a book that explores fandoms and obsession with celebrity. The content is mildly dark, and definitely intriguing in terms of setting. I would’ve liked a little bit more character building on the part of the band members. That said, it was definitely well written and worth reading if you like YA and books about celebrity culture.
Audiobook review- there are some parts of the narrative that are messages and message board material. This has a lot of depth and can be difficult to follow on audio. The performance for Minnie is great and really captures her voice. I was fortune to have a digital copy as well and I enjoyed reading along with audio in an immersive read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan audio for the ALC and Flatiron Books for the ARC.
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