Romance, mystery, murder, and more.
Koreaboo
This Young Adult novel follows a Korean American girl who travels to Seoul in hopes of debuting in a girl group at the same K-pop company behind the world’s most popular boy group. She makes the cut, but there’s a problem–the company’s dating ban. She struggles to follow this rule after meeting a gorgeous male trainee.
2. Her UIt
If you’re looking for a romance series, we’ve got you covered! Book 1 of The Idolized follows Kat, a woman who signs up for the supposedly easy job of ‘Seat Filler’ to fund her travel plans. The rules say she’s not allowed to talk to the talent…but what if the talent, her ultimate bias, won’t take his eyes off her?
3. Death Of An Idol
If romance isn’t your thing, how about some murder? In this thriller, an idol leaves his group after his member’s tragic death. His quiet life as a PhD student in Pittsburgh is shattered by a second death. He knows what the police don’t; neither death was an accident.
4. Across the K-pop Universe
When a boy group–and their private plane–mysteriously vanish, three fans are transported to a strange, fictional world that’s falling apart. They must rewrite VXV’s deadly music videos to solve the mystery before time runs out….and a vicious sasaeng catches up.
5. XOXO
This teen romance follows Jenny, who dreams of becoming a professional cellist and finds herself falling for a K-Pop idol. This forbidden romance jeopardizes Jenny’s place at her dream music school, but also Jaewoo’s idol career. Will love conquer all, or will it cost them their dreams?
6. When The Moon Shines Brightest
This deeply emotional coming-of-age story explores mental health struggles in the world of K-pop, which can be as dark as it is dazzling. When tragedy strikes the industry, an idol’s carefully crafted persona begins to crumble. Hyeonwol’s agency forces him to work with a “mental health buddy,” Nova, whose quiet presence begins to unravel the wall he’s built around himself.
7. Shine
Shine was written by Girls’ Generation‘s Jessica Jung. It tells the story of a Korean American teen who was recruited by one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels. Will she survive the industry’s exacting standards and cutthroat competition? Things get complicated when she starts falling for the agency’s golden boy.
8. A World Apart
In this romance, Kaiya falls for a K-pop idol, Jihoon, while chasing her dreams in Los Angeles. Like Shine, it explores what happens when love is subjected to public scrutiny.
9. Idol Gossip
This Young Adult novel follows Alice Choy, who gets her chance at stardom after she gets scouted at karaoke. Unfortunately, a certain influential blogger and anti-fans might stop her from making her dream of becoming a professional singer come true.
10. Wish Upon a K-Star
In this Young Adult romance book, Moon Minseok is forced to take charge of his group’s image after a slew of dating scandals. Meanwhile, his childhood enemy, Shin Hyeri, is having her own career struggles; she’s a K-Drama actress who has been slapped with the labels “nepo baby” and “bully”. They end up on one of Korea’s most popular variety shows, Our Celebrity Marriage, to solve their problems…but fall in love along the way?
