Shine is the debut young adult novel by Jessica Jung. It was released on September 29th, 2020 and debuted at #5 on the New York Times BestSeller Young Adult Hardcover List.[1]
Official Description[]
An instant New York Times bestseller!
Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls’ Generation.
What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?
For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?
Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.
Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls’ Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE.[2]
Background[]
On October 10th, 2019, it was announced Jessica had signed a 2-book deal with the publisher Simon & Schuster with the first book being titled Shine. The book would be released as a young adult fiction novel with a possible film adaptation in discussion to be directed by Matt Kaplan, who worked on To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
Shine was set to be released in several different languages, with unique covers for many of the books. These covers would be made by fans and hand-picked by Jessica.
Release[]
On September 18th, 2020, the covers of Shine were revealed, with the Portuguese and Thai covers receiving backlash for references to Girls' Generation. The Portuguese version featured imagery of Oh! and Sailing (0805) with the Thai cover showing a lightstick similar to Girls' Generation's. On the Korean version of the book the phrase "Jessica's autobiography" was visible.[3]
The publication company RH Korea, who was working on distributing the book to countries outside of the United States, released a statement about the situation on September 24th "The covers and the press releases that have been distributed to online bookstores were not the final data. The novel is not the author's autobiographical novel, but it is a fiction that is created by the author's imagination. The movie production has not been confirmed but at a stage of discussion about the production. The author wishes to promote as a writer not as a former member of Girls' Generation." they also planned to delay the novel from its September 29th release date.[4] The Portuguese cover would later be changed and the phrase "Jessica's autobiography" was changed to "Jessica's debut novel" on the Korean cover.[5]
Versions[]
The novel was released in 13 different languages, with many having unique covers and photocards.
The English version featured three random covers, each featuring a different spine and picture of Jessica on the back. An Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) was released to certain retailers and an "ARC Box" was given out for promotions. A limited first-press paperback was released as well, with a pink cover instead of the normal white cover. Some retailers offered "signed copies" containing a signed book plate that was given out to the first few hundred buyers.
The Korean version came with 2 transparent photocards and the Portuguese version came with three exclusive preorder photocards.[6] The Thai version featured 1 out of 3 random postcards.
Release Dates[]
| Title | Language | Country | Release Date | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shine | English (hardcover, ebook, audio) | United States | September 29th, 2020 | Simon & Schuster |
| 샤인 | Korean | Korea | RH Korea | |
| Tỏa Sáng | Vietnamese | Vietnam | September 30th, 2020 | Hoa Học Trò |
| Shine | Indonesian | Indonesia | Gramedia | |
| Thai | Thailand | JUM | ||
| Chinese | China | Gao Bao | ||
| Dutch | Netherlands | October 6th, 2020 | Best of YA Books | |
| シャイン | Japanese | Japan | October 7th, 2020 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha |
| Shine | English (paperback) | United States | October 15th, 2020 | Simon & Schuster |
| English (UK) | United Kingdom | Electric Monkey | ||
| Lśnić | Polish | Poland | October 20th, 2020 | Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka |
| Shine | Portuguese | Brazil | October 29th, 2020 | Intrínseca |
| Brilla | Spanish | N/A | November 19th, 2020 | RBA |
| I will Shine | French | France | June 5th, 2021 | Nathan |
| Блясък | Bulgarian | Bulgaria | January 1st, 2021 | Егмонт |
| Zazářit | Czech | Czech Republic | February 1st, 2021 | YOLi |
| Shine | German | Germany | March 24th, 2021 | FJB |
Sequel[]
On February 14th, 2021, Simon and Schuster added Bright to their website, listed as the sequel to Shine. Along with a synopsis of the book they revealed the release date to be September 28th, 2021. Shortly after its reveal the book was available for preorder on major online shopping sites.[7]
A revised cover for Shine along with the official cover for Bright was released on December 15th, 2021.[8]
Gallery[]
| To view the Shine gallery, click here. |