Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Farrar Straus Giroux | May 2019 | 336 pgs

Source: Library 

I didn't really enjoy Maurene Goo's previous book (I Believe in a Thing Called Love) as much as I'd anticipated. However, I do like the way how she manages to capture the emotions and thoughts of the teenagers' mind into words so I'm giving her latest book another try. 

Lucky (not her real name) is a successful K-pop star and she is touring around Asia for her performances. Hong Kong is her next destination and she has her eyes set on making her debut on The Tonight Show in America. But with her name and fame, she often find it a challenge to sneak out to do the things she loves. However, on one particular night she has a craving for a hamburger so she decides to sneak out secretly. But then she hasn't thought about the sleeping pills and the anxiety pills she'd taken earlier. 

Jack Lim is interning at his father's bank while waiting to get into college. But his passion is photography and to fuel his love for this, he took up a side job taking pictures for a tabloid magazine. No one knows about his side job except his roommate, Charlie. So Jack has received news that a certain male celebrity is staying at a fancy hotel and on his way out after the assignment, he runs into a girl wearing the hotel's slippers. Appearing dazed, he decided to help the girl, not knowing that he's spending some time with a bigger celebrity (well, he's not into K-pop so he has absolutely no idea who she is.) When Jack finally realises who she is towards the end of the evening, he wonders if he should fulfill his dreams or protect Lucky's privacy and miss his chance for the work he loves so much.

This is a cute and sweet story which I find is a great escapism from my usual reads. The story plot is simple and the reader get to read Lucky's and Jack's story over the span of one day in the city of Hong Kong. I'm not a fan of insta-love but I can see why Lucky and Jack are attracted to each other. And through Lucky's experiences, the reader also get a glimpse of the life of an idol and some of the sacrifices they've to make behind that glamorous image which I feel is a fact surrounding the K-pop industry today. Character-wise, I think the developments were great and although this was more of a character- than a plot-driven story, it was still an entertaining read. 

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