Su-mi's dreams of becoming a K-pop star are finally coming true, but her passion is met with the challenge of conforming to society's beauty standards. As she searches for true meaning and purpose in life, a journey of self-discovery leads her and her long-term boyfriend Woo-jin to open a rescue cat sanctuary. With every step of their mission, they discover a profound love for these beautiful creatures, changing lives, finding purpose, and igniting compassion in the hearts of all who witness their devotion. Will Su-mi choose fame or love and purpose? Join Su-mi as she discovers the power of love and compassion within the bustling streets of Seoul.
An ambitious girl from Seoul loves entertaining more than anything. Her passions drive her to do whatever it takes to ascend to K-Pop stardom. With the love and support of her family and future husband Woo-jin, she seemingly has the world in the palm of her hands. As with most things in life, there are ups and downs. Su-mi finds that the industry is creating self-doubt and insecurities brought upon by perfectionism. Then one fateful experience brings everything to a crescendo which has her questioning her priorities in life. Leaning on Woo-Jin for love and understanding, can she find her path through the darkness?
In reading this I kept thinking of P Diddy's show "Making the Band". The desire to be a star was everything for those people auditioning to make the cut. Anything to be in front of thousands of people and feel the rush and electricity of giving an entertaining concert. Nicole Simon has done a fabulous job of painting a main protagonist with that perfectionist personality trait. Weaving that fine line between feeling successful and being overly critical of one's self is like sailing in a beautiful catamaran in rough ocean waters. How is it possible to feel like you are good enough? The lesson I took from this book was how being vulnerable and allowing yourself to be compassionate, particularly with our individual feelings is ok.
As I finished the book I also realized it is a beautiful love story between two individuals willing to support each other through thick and thin. Finding the strength in others when we have a tremendous amount of self-doubt. It read as if taking a nice warm bath or a quick meditation interlude and I found myself conjuring up ideas of how I might be less self-critical. I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars ⭐ For people who love an excellent love story, and for some like me who can be reminded to be kind to themselves. Recommended!
This story is quite different from the usual romance novels. It emphasizes on relationships and kindness, and explains how a couple can find a greater meaning by showing compassion and helping others. It was a wonderful read.