"There isn’t always a price tag or a black-and-white answer for why people do what they do."
~Made In Korea, Sarah Suk~
Today's my turn in the blog tour for this lovely book. I would like to thank TBR&BEYOND TOURS and Sarah Suk for making me a part of the tour for Made In Korea. I completely enjoyed it and below will be honest, spoiler-free review.
BOOK COVER
Check out my bookstagram post for the tour too!
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Frankly in Love meets Shark Tank in this feel-good romantic comedy about two entrepreneurial Korean American teens who butt heads—and maybe fall in love—while running competing Korean beauty businesses at their high school.
There’s nothing Valerie Kwon loves more than making a good sale. Together with her cousin Charlie, they run V&C K-BEAUTY, their school’s most successful student-run enterprise. With each sale, Valerie gets closer to taking her beloved and adventurous halmeoni to her dream city, Paris.
Enter the new kid in class, Wes Jung, who is determined to pursue music after graduation despite his parents’ major disapproval. When his classmates clamor to buy the K-pop branded beauty products his mom gave him to “make new friends,” he sees an opportunity—one that may be the key to help him pay for the music school tuition he knows his parents won’t cover…
What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he is now V&C K-BEAUTY’s biggest competitor.
Stakes are high as Valerie and Wes try to outsell each other, make the most money, and take the throne for the best business in school—all while trying to resist the undeniable spark that’s crackling between them. From hiring spies to all-or-nothing bets, the competition is much more than either of them bargained for.
But one thing is clear: only one Korean business can come out on top.
REVIEW
"At that moment, I truly understood what Halmeoni meant when she said there was a world inside all of us. A world that grew as we let people in, allowing them to shape us in ways we could never do alone."
Made In Korea, Sarah Suk
At a time when K-Dramas and K-Pop are my only coping mechanisms from this hellish pandemic, this book was a real blessing. Amazingly enough, I had won a copy through a giveaway before I signed up for this tour (awesome, innit?). The story follows the life Valerie and Wes, their business rivalry and a cheesy little romance on the rise. The story also addressed topics of identity and the problems of lack communication within a family. It also does highlight the issue of Asian parents absolutely denying Arts subjects as career choices. But it isn’t as toxic or a fight for a living situation, as shown in many contemporary YA fictions. The book touches realistic experiences of teens with mixed ethnicities. And although I’m not Asian-American, I can vouch as an Asian for the problems the MCs faced with their parents.
The story progresses using dual perspectives of Valerie and Wes. Valerie Kwon is the high school business magnate who sells K-beauty products with her cousin Charlie. V&C Beauty is running smoothly and Valerie is utter ruthless in her execution. She’s portrayed as this head strong, zero nonsense policy girl who wants to prove her abilities to her parents. Enter Wes Jung, the shy yet hot boy who joins Valerie’s school in their senior year. Wes wants to pursue a musical career, much to his mother’s dislike. But when he sells some K-pop boy band merchandise at school, he realizes the opportunity to pay for his music dreams. However, this threatened Valerie’s business and thus began their chaotic rivalry. Attempting anything at hand, they both try to outshine each other’s business.
What made this book heart-warming was the author’s approach to teenage issues. Valerie loved her grandmother, her precious Halmeoni, and she wanted to take her to Paris from her business profits. On the other hand, her relationship with her parents was failing. They idealised her elder sister and looked down on her. The same case was with Wes. His mother disapproved of his career choice. Watching them both develop feelings for each other and standing as the other’s support was so cute!
But, but, but, for a story that covers their whole senior year, it was insanely short. Many parts felt rushed, the growth of MCs at the end was almost negligible and many potential side characters like Charlie were left out. It wasn’t hugely disappointing, but the romance starting between Valerie and Wes felt lacking. There was not enough attention to their budding emotions. It just like, happened because it was necessary.
Overall, ignoring the flaws and the fact that this was a bit too short, this is easily a good example of YA high-school romance. And well, since it has K-drama and K-pop involved, I’m ready to overlook everything. A cute, fluffy and cheesy romance with good bits of chaotic rivalry and an insight to teenage issues.
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
SOME LINES FROM THE STORY COMPLETELY TOUCHED MY HEART. I'M SHARING SOME OF MY FAVORITES HERE.
HERE'S A MOODBOARD THAT GIVES THE VIBES OF THE STORY
BOOK LINKS FOR 'MADE IN KOREA' BELOW!
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53141483-made-in-korea
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Made-Korea-Sarah- Suk/dp/1534474374/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Made+in+Korea+by+Sarah+Suk&qid=1615752 839&sr=8-1
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/made-in-korea-sarah-suk/1137941907
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Made-Korea-Sarah- Suk/9781534474376?ref=grid-view&qid=1615752846689&sr=1-1
Indigo:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/made-in-korea/9781534474376- item.html?ikwid=Made+in+Korea+by+Sarah+Suk&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=7bde4a0 4f6ad4431d17461508ad58dd0
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534474376
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada where she writes stories and admires mountains. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film
photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu. You can visit her on Twitter and Instagram @sarahaelisuk.
Sarah is represented by Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency.
CONNECT WITH SARAH HERE:
Website: https://www.sarahsuk.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahaelisuk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahaelisuk/
GIVEAWAY
A giveaway is ongoing and one lucky winner will get a chance to win the finished copy of Made In Korea. The giveaway ends on May 24th. Follow the link to participate:
TOUR SCHEDULE
There are many other amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers who are part of the tour. Check out their blog posts and bookstagram posts too!