By: Maggie Hong

‘Made in Korea’ is a romance novel by Sarah Suk. It follows the stories of Valerie Kwon and Wes Jung, high school seniors who run competing K-beauty brands at their school.

Valerie has been running her business since sophomore year, and it’s the most successful student run business at the school so far. Together with her cousin/business partner Charlie, she carefully stocks face masks, toners, and lip balms to cater to her customers.

When Wes Jung moves to town and begins selling limited edition k-pop merch, Valerie’s business is threatened. Not only that, but she needs the profits to pay for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris with her grandmother, whose health is declining by the day. She immediately goes into overdrive, advertising on Instagram and giving special deals to loyal customers.

Wes didn’t intend to start selling k-pop merch, but when his mom, a PR rep for a popular group, has some lip balms left over, he can’t turn down the opportunity to make some money. He needs the money to repair his broken saxophone, and to pay application fees to music schools across the country. So, even as Valerie tries to intimidate him and warn him off her customers, Wes keeps going.

Valerie and Wes are bitter rivals. But as they compete so closely together, they start to realize one another’s situation. This book was both fun and heartwarming to read, and I felt connected to my culture and represented in a genre I don’t usually read. The characters are loveable and nuanced, and the story is engaging and fast paced. This is a great read if you like romance, or if you’re looking for a lighter read and a change of scenery from more serious books.

I would give this book a 9/10.