Made In Korea is a quirky contemporary YA novel about young love and family with it following two very ambitious and competitive Korean-American teenagers who dispute over who will have the best beauty business at their high school.
Valerie Kwon is not a girl to mess with, especially when it comes to her business, V&C K-Beauty. With the help of her cousin, Charlie, they run the most successful business at their school and no one has been able to surpass their success. Every Monday of the week, customers line up by her school locker and are eager to know what products are in stock, and she sells out every time. Every sale week is a win, bringing Valerie closer to fulfilling her goal of bringing her loving and young-at-heart Halmeoni to Paris.
On the other hand, Wes Jung is the new kid in town. He wishes to pursue his passion of music after graduating, regardless of his parents’ disapproval. However, it just so happens that Wes’ mother works for one of the world’s trendiest K-Pop bands and is given some of their branded beauty products to “make friends” in this new place he is now supposed to call home. Opportunity arises when Wes sees this to make a quick buck, one that will fund his musical endeavours his parents would never support. But little does Wes know that he is about to become V&C K-Beauty’s biggest competitor for both customers and profits.
Valerie and Wes, now heated competitors, are willing to do whatever it takes to make the most profits and be the best, all while trying to resist the growing spark that attracts them to each other. Hi-Chews, spies, and nail biting bets are just the beginning of this brewing rivalry, but it should not be forgotten that only one business can rule the school.
The approach that the storyline took throughout this novel was so unique! It’s often that you see kids trying to make a quick buck in school by selling food and drinks, but you rarely see beauty products being sold, particularly ones that are Korean K-Pop branded. Korean beauty and music are becoming immensely popular in this day and age and I think this novel will definitely hook fanatics of both! You also get a better insight into how Asian-American teens struggle to meet the desires and wants of their parents and must go against the grain to achieve their goals in life. This aspect is important because of its cultural significance to the characters and how it affects their motives through the duration of the story. The only issue that arose for me was a confusion in whose POV I was reading. The book only specified certain days of the week and the month and day it was, and at times it was hard to differentiate who was who. As you continue to read, this may become less of an issue as you get to know who Valerie and Wes are.
The setting and worldbuilding of this book was so much fun to read about! Suk was so good at writing food descriptions, from Bingsoo to Kimbap and Hi-Chews, my mouth was near watering by the end of this. Although this setting is quite modern, you very much feel the traditional values of Korean culture shining in this, and how Valerie and Wes navigate through them. As for the worldbuilding, it was realistic enough for the readers to step into the character’s shoes and imagine what a particular person, place, or thing looks like. Since this centres around two high-schoolers, getting a glimpse of their home life, families, and the places they visit make it easier to visualise what exactly the author is trying to portray to readers.
The characters were enjoyable! Valerie and Wes shined in this book mostly because of their opposing personalities. Valerie is very determined, sales-driven, and is quite stubborn in her own right, while Wes is more tame, laidback, and is motivated by self-interests rather competition. Although they different from each other, they understand each other through similar cultural ideals. Their relationship took a nice pace, and it didn’t feel rushed at all given their initial rivalry. Halmeoni, Valerie’s grandmother, shined because of her quirky, upbeat, and somewhat rebellious personality, and her ability to be young-at-heart was what made her one of my favourite characters to read about! Charlie, Valerie’s cousin and the “C” in their business partnership, was one of those characters who makes you feel all soft and fluffy on the inside because of his down to earth and wholesome demeanour to every character that appears in the story! He was another one of my favourites because of his realness and his ability to make you feel present in the reading.
Made In Korea is much more than a competition of profits and business deals. It’s a book of understanding culture and familial dynamics from the perspective of emerging adults. The themes of family, friendship, and loneliness are important to the main characters and their own backstories, and I think readers will be able to see themselves within these. You also witness the development of characters from beginning to end and the hurdles and hardships they must take to fulfil their goals. In no way is this novel just about the beauty and glamour, and for that reason alone I would recommend it. Overall, this was such a fun book to read concept and character wise! This is definitely a book you wouldn’t want to miss!
Made In Korea is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
