"Fireworks" by Alice Lin

Fireworks (June 7, 2022) by Alice Lin.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Newly minted high school graduate Lulu Li has her summer all planned out before she and her best friends, Stephanie Nguyen (Vietnamese) and Ester Tan (Filipino), head to college. A culinary adventure in New York City and a day at Hersheypark are part of this plan. Avoiding her estranged father is also part of her summer plan. Not part of this plan? Kai Xu a.k.a. Kite. Lulu hasn’t seen Kite since junior high, when he left the U.S. for South Korea, eventually debuting with K-pop boy group Karnival. They’re now a major K-pop group, though they’re not at the megastardom level of BTS. Kite is supposedly home for health reasons, but there’s definitely more to it than that. Lulu is trying to find the easy friendship they once shared to balance the Firework (Karnival’s fandom) that she is but doesn’t claim to be. Lulu vehemently denies her feelings for Kite, which, naturally, only makes her feelings for him stronger. But how could a K-pop idol fall for an ordinary, everyday person like her?

            This YA romcom gives K-drama vibes and K-pop excitement with main characters who are Taiwanese American (Lulu) (or, more specifically, she identifies as Chinese by way of Taiwan, pp. 173-174) and Chinese American (Kite). The lighthearted moments balance the weightier themes present throughout: social media toxicity (including the very toxic fan behavior of sasaengs), mental health, and anger towards the divorced parent who cheated. The lack of privacy for K-pop idols is a topic, as is Korea’s workaholic culture for idol groups. For those who like to know, Lulu is bisexual. This standalone is engaging and contemporary, fast-paced and short enough for those with busy schedules (only 298 pages). I’d easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys K-pop. This teen romp has ups and downs and showcases the importance of connection and moving forward, because life often takes the squiggly path, not the straightforward one.