Made in Korea

In the above “Excerpt”, high school senior Valerie Kwon finds out for the first time in three years that she has competition for her “made in Korea” cosmetics. She is determined to earn enough money to take her beloved grandmother (halmeoni) to Paris. Her business of selling Korean cosmetics out of her locker as part of an entrepreneurial school sanctioned activity is threatened and has the potential to derail her plans for her profits.

Wes Jung (the handsome new kid at school) who initially had no intention of selling the lip balm given to him by his mother, a advertising executive for the K-pop band Crown Tiger, finds himself in competition with the indomitable business woman Valerie Kwon, the chief entrepreneur for V&C K-Beauty. At the time of his first sale, Wes is not planning on continuing with sales, but he realizes the money raised from his business could help him with his dreams of attending music school after graduation and having his saxophone repaired, neither undertaking being supported by his parents.

The story is told in alternating chapters in Valerie’s and Wes’s voice. Over the course of the school year, the two battle back and forth. Valerie is aided by her cousin Charlie who supplies the beauty products sent monthly from his father in Korea, and Wes is aided by Pauline whose father supports her being involved in Korean cultural ventures. The competition comes to a boiling point when Wes decides to suggest a wager.

“I was thinking something a little bigger than that. An all-or-nothing bet. We keep track of how much we made throughout the school year, and whoever makes the most wins.”

“Wins what?” she asked, looking intrigued.

I swallowed hard. No going back now. “All the other person’s earnings from the year, starting now.”

This bet launches them on a path that involves spying (enter Taemin who ultimately becomes a double spy), hijinks and yes, romance.

Ultimately, their supply chains are interrupted, Charlie’s father, the V&C K-Beauty supplier, returns from Korea, and Wes’s mother discovers he is stealing products from her office thereby jeopardizing the marketing of Crown Tiger.

On the home front, both Valerie and Wes ache to be acknowledged for who they are and to be able to follow a path unique to them. This puts Wes in conflict with his father who wants him to go to medical school. Central to the plot is Wes’s raising enough money for the application fee to the music school of his choice. When Wes’s acceptance for the music school arrives at his home, his parents are disapproving of Wes’s choices. The plot breaks down at this point as Wes’s parents would have been aware he had not applied to any other schools as the application fee would have been supplied by his parents.

For me, the story had a couple of other inconsistencies. In my experience, entrance to a high-ranking music school does not come based on talent alone; a dedicated teacher is part of the equation, and seven is very young to start playing the saxophone. Also, the reference to Frank Sinatra’s version of “Fly Me to the Moon” is likely to be lost on the book’s intended audience.

These glitches are not likely to spoil the storyline nor the readers’ enjoyment of this contemporary tale. The voices of Wes and Valerie are not distinguishable one from the other in the alternating chapter format. Unique voices would take this book from good to great.

A personal disappointment comes from reading books by Canadian authors set in the United States.

Middle schools, high schools and YA departments of public libraries looking for a wholesome romance will be delighted with this addition to their collections.