The Weekend Aesthetic is a feature where I post book aesthetics on the weekend. They might be of a book I’m currently reading, recently read, or read a long time ago.
Made in Korea is a perfect contemporary read as we head into fall and winter! It’s a fun, rivals-to-lovers romcom that takes place during the school year. Valerie and her cousin, Charlie, run a Korean beauty business at their school. There’s been no competition for them . . . until new kid, Wes, shows up and starts selling K-pop branded beauty products. While Wes didn’t mean to start a war, he’s not going to let the opportunity pass up for a chance to pay for music school that he knows his parents won’t support.
I loved how driven Valerie is and the competition between her business and Wes’ as they both fought to achieve their dreams. It was fun seeing them grow closer to each other and how their relationship changed. One of my very favorite parts of the book was Valerie’s relationship with her halmeoni (grandmother). Their relationship was so special and I loved seeing this explored in a YA novel!
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Find it: Goodreads, Bookshop, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon
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.
What’s your favorite beauty product?
Ohh this is stunning!! absolutely adding it to my wanting to real list!!
I don’t wear makeup often.. but I’m a sucker for lipsticks especially purple & deep colors!! I’m so pissed covid & the masks now make me unable to wear them xp (although I do have a few that are so long lasting I need to really SCRAPE at them with makeup remover.. so I could make it work undr my mask ..)
Thank you! And I hope you enjoy it! I love a good lipstick too, but rarely wear them (even pre-covid).
Love this. I’ll bump this one up on my TBR. I love putting together a photo collage of a book I’ve read and what you put together is great. As for beauty products I always love getting a good nourishing facial mask.
Yay! Excited to hear your thoughts. Face masks are my favorite too!