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The Idol Effect: A Friends To Lovers K-Pop Romance
KATAYI SITALI you know the name, daughter of the biggest record producer in the world— yet she can’t stand the music industry. For her, she’s always looked up. Her Youtube channel Konstellations with Kat is an escape into the stars alongside her dreams of studying astronomy. Summers at the beachhouse on Kkum island were always just a family affair, until the day that the enigmatic and captivating Park twins arrived and changed everything.
SAILOR PARK is South Korea’s golden boy, known for his flawless image and mesmerising voice. But he’s been on hiatus since a tragic scandal. Idol life has left him jaded and weary, though he keeps his struggles hidden behind a practiced smile. A master in the art of performing. But from the moment he meets Katayi, her unfiltered authenticity shatters the mask of the facade he’s built.
Katayi and Sailor have to spend the entirety of the holiday together, but everyone knows that things get uglier up close. Sailor has a secret and Katayi isn't telling the whole truth, and the matter of the fact is that things haven't been the same since that summer. They aren't the same people they used to be. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, we have to go back to where it began, somewhere off the coast where two worlds collided.
SAILOR PARK is South Korea’s golden boy, known for his flawless image and mesmerising voice. But he’s been on hiatus since a tragic scandal. Idol life has left him jaded and weary, though he keeps his struggles hidden behind a practiced smile. A master in the art of performing. But from the moment he meets Katayi, her unfiltered authenticity shatters the mask of the facade he’s built.
Katayi and Sailor have to spend the entirety of the holiday together, but everyone knows that things get uglier up close. Sailor has a secret and Katayi isn't telling the whole truth, and the matter of the fact is that things haven't been the same since that summer. They aren't the same people they used to be. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, we have to go back to where it began, somewhere off the coast where two worlds collided.
- GenresRomance
567 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2024
175 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2025
i never had a book where i was in a reading slump for that book specifically, but here i am! i seen this on Instagram and i only realized seconds later that the author was promoting her book. i came into this book with a lot of excitement, but came out w/ me having to dnf it @ 71%! 😬 kat was such a debby downer that i didn't have the motivation or strength to finish this anymore! i wished she was a little more positive while narrating this, but i guess that's sailor's job. 🫤 and i hate how she talked about sailor's secret and she didn't explain more. JUST SPIT OUT THE SECRET ALREADY, SAILOR!! WHAT IN THE DAMN WORLD ARE YOU HIDING THAT THIS BOOK HAS TO BE 500+ PAGES LONG?!?!? 🤬 and I'm gonna say this once in and for all cuz the secret is PROBABLY IN THE TITLE!
(**SPOILER BELOW**)
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HE'S A FAMOUS K-POP IDOL-BOOM SHAKALAKA! 💥
(plz comment if im actually right lol)
(**SPOILER BELOW**)
🡳
🡳
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🡳
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HE'S A FAMOUS K-POP IDOL-BOOM SHAKALAKA! 💥
(plz comment if im actually right lol)
Read
February 1, 2025DNF after 15 pages😅😅 went into this book and all the others i’ve been recently the past week based off of one liners from insta reels promoting the book and i really wanted to like it but there’s a few reason i couldn’t get into it 1. this takes place in the FUTURE!! sorry but not interested in reading about people born in 2020 and their lives in 2038 that’s just weird to me 2. i couldn’t pronounce their names which to be fair really doesn’t matter but since i couldn’t pronounce the names i was having a hard remembering who was who 3. not a big fan of kpop or anything in that region…
so no hate to the book but just not for me
so no hate to the book but just not for me
April 21, 2025
DNF - 16%
I wanted to LOVE this book, and I was sure I would have, but..I didn't. After waiting almost a year, keeping up with teasers, commenting on posts and waiting on every word I was given, best believe the first thing I did on boxing day was order this book when I could. However I soon realised that maybe it wasn't going to be all I hoped for. And yes, while I am aware that the author is 17 (having released not just one but two books at such an age is a very very impressive feat I will say), I am providing my own unbiased review of the book in front of me, and I am doing so as fairly as I see myself capable.
I will say that this isn't an awful book, and I am definitely open to trying again with it, but there were some aspects I simply don't see myself moving on from. One of these, probably the biggest one, is the inconsistent and unnecessary use of Scottish colloquialism that, quite frankly, had no need to be in there. From the border of Scotland myself, I've grown up with hearing words such as "Aye" or "Cannae" in every day scenarios, but never quite as forced as it was with Sailor. At first, I thought I would be able to get past it, but due to the randomness of its popping up, it seemed way too unnecessary of an add in that just brought me out of the story, like a jump-scare shocking me back into real life. I love Sailor, and I think it awesome that he had spent so much time somewhere so close to where I am from, but...there wasn't really a need to include the phonetical spelling of each word, when describing that he had an accent would have been more than enough to prove the point without overexplaining it.
Onto my opposite problem..I did not like Kat at ALL. I'm all for a grumpy character, but not when they're down right unlikable. Not only did she carry consistent negativity into the plot, her "I'm the only one who can know about some pretty basic astronomy facts" attitude was just not it at all. Given that I stopped reading one fifth into the book, I really hope this is something that is remedied as I can acknowledge how much room for character growth she had - a lot. Her and Sailor are made to compliment each other, and I have hope that when I pick this up again, whenever that is, I see sailor help transform her into a character with a more enjoyable perspective to share, because as it is in the start of the book, her perspective is a pain to get through.
Following along, the pop culture references were an abundance. This is something I would not have minded and honestly enjoyed, being that I'm 19 myself, had the story not be set in 2038, meaning the characters were born in and around 2020. Referencing something that would NOT be popular, or even known about, in 2038 to people from GENERATION ALPHA just does not work. I couldn't help myself but feel taken out of the story when I found this out, as every time something like friends (while I don't doubt will still be popular, but definitely not to this generation) or DVDS were brought up, I had to do a double take. Sailor and Kit are certified iPad kids and that is so unsettling for some reason. It is, however, creative, considering I thought this to be a regular romance, but given the situational factors, it creates an almost SI-FI aspect to the story - one that isn't exactly non-enjoyable, but is totally out of left field. And while I am one for YA writing, this feels like a book I would have eaten up back when It was lock down and all I did was sit inside and read Wattpad all day.
Something I noticed M.C.Sakala do well was inclusion. This book is diverse, its cast drawing on different difficulties' in terms of mental health especially. I enjoy reading things on such topics, not just from someone who has suffered in the past, but someone who is doing a degree in psychology, and it is especially refreshing when they are done well. I believe that while I don't agree too well with 'the Idol effect', M.C. Sakala has what it takes to be a talented writer who will write stories that I will enjoy, and I look forward to reading them.
I wanted to LOVE this book, and I was sure I would have, but..I didn't. After waiting almost a year, keeping up with teasers, commenting on posts and waiting on every word I was given, best believe the first thing I did on boxing day was order this book when I could. However I soon realised that maybe it wasn't going to be all I hoped for. And yes, while I am aware that the author is 17 (having released not just one but two books at such an age is a very very impressive feat I will say), I am providing my own unbiased review of the book in front of me, and I am doing so as fairly as I see myself capable.
I will say that this isn't an awful book, and I am definitely open to trying again with it, but there were some aspects I simply don't see myself moving on from. One of these, probably the biggest one, is the inconsistent and unnecessary use of Scottish colloquialism that, quite frankly, had no need to be in there. From the border of Scotland myself, I've grown up with hearing words such as "Aye" or "Cannae" in every day scenarios, but never quite as forced as it was with Sailor. At first, I thought I would be able to get past it, but due to the randomness of its popping up, it seemed way too unnecessary of an add in that just brought me out of the story, like a jump-scare shocking me back into real life. I love Sailor, and I think it awesome that he had spent so much time somewhere so close to where I am from, but...there wasn't really a need to include the phonetical spelling of each word, when describing that he had an accent would have been more than enough to prove the point without overexplaining it.
Onto my opposite problem..I did not like Kat at ALL. I'm all for a grumpy character, but not when they're down right unlikable. Not only did she carry consistent negativity into the plot, her "I'm the only one who can know about some pretty basic astronomy facts" attitude was just not it at all. Given that I stopped reading one fifth into the book, I really hope this is something that is remedied as I can acknowledge how much room for character growth she had - a lot. Her and Sailor are made to compliment each other, and I have hope that when I pick this up again, whenever that is, I see sailor help transform her into a character with a more enjoyable perspective to share, because as it is in the start of the book, her perspective is a pain to get through.
Following along, the pop culture references were an abundance. This is something I would not have minded and honestly enjoyed, being that I'm 19 myself, had the story not be set in 2038, meaning the characters were born in and around 2020. Referencing something that would NOT be popular, or even known about, in 2038 to people from GENERATION ALPHA just does not work. I couldn't help myself but feel taken out of the story when I found this out, as every time something like friends (while I don't doubt will still be popular, but definitely not to this generation) or DVDS were brought up, I had to do a double take. Sailor and Kit are certified iPad kids and that is so unsettling for some reason. It is, however, creative, considering I thought this to be a regular romance, but given the situational factors, it creates an almost SI-FI aspect to the story - one that isn't exactly non-enjoyable, but is totally out of left field. And while I am one for YA writing, this feels like a book I would have eaten up back when It was lock down and all I did was sit inside and read Wattpad all day.
Something I noticed M.C.Sakala do well was inclusion. This book is diverse, its cast drawing on different difficulties' in terms of mental health especially. I enjoy reading things on such topics, not just from someone who has suffered in the past, but someone who is doing a degree in psychology, and it is especially refreshing when they are done well. I believe that while I don't agree too well with 'the Idol effect', M.C. Sakala has what it takes to be a talented writer who will write stories that I will enjoy, and I look forward to reading them.
February 10, 2025
for a 17 year old writer, it was actually rlly good! there was moments of just like description of characters or scenes that felt irrelevant, but other than that i thought it was rlly good. only thing is, i kept reading like cute moments between kat and sailor and then a random “aye” would be thrown in and i remembered the scottish accent😭idk if that’s just me just it was throwing me off sm, i couldn’t take them seriously knowing that they were speaking in scottish accents😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2025
Complements
4 ⭐️ This was a beautiful read, I loved the discussions on idol culture as well as just human emotions it was a bit of a journey but the payoff was worth it!
10/10 on diversity the futuristic aspects were fun
All of the characters were really likable even the side characters that interesting and thought-out stories.
One of the couples that we meet felt like they had their own story already planned out so I hope to see more of them in the future!
The first few chapters were a bit difficult but once you reach chapter ten (I think) the story really picks up.
Complains
The writing style of this book was a bit of a turn off but it lead to some very beautiful insights and quotes.
The down side is that the narrator is a bit of a Debbie downer so you go into the story thinking that the relationship is going to fail and there’s gonna be a break up, and it’s repeated often throughout the story.
This led to me distancing myself from the characters so that when the breakup did eventually happen, it didn’t hit me in the way that it would’ve if it was unexpected.
Towards the third portion of the book I almost didn’t want to finish because I didn’t want the relationship to end.
This still ended up being a good book it gave me something to think about and made me giggle. I have my complaints as well as compliments. There were just a few little things that could’ve really pushed this to being a five star, but it was still an enjoyable read that I would recommend!
4 ⭐️ This was a beautiful read, I loved the discussions on idol culture as well as just human emotions it was a bit of a journey but the payoff was worth it!
10/10 on diversity the futuristic aspects were fun
All of the characters were really likable even the side characters that interesting and thought-out stories.
One of the couples that we meet felt like they had their own story already planned out so I hope to see more of them in the future!
The first few chapters were a bit difficult but once you reach chapter ten (I think) the story really picks up.
Complains
The writing style of this book was a bit of a turn off but it lead to some very beautiful insights and quotes.
The down side is that the narrator is a bit of a Debbie downer so you go into the story thinking that the relationship is going to fail and there’s gonna be a break up, and it’s repeated often throughout the story.
This led to me distancing myself from the characters so that when the breakup did eventually happen, it didn’t hit me in the way that it would’ve if it was unexpected.
Towards the third portion of the book I almost didn’t want to finish because I didn’t want the relationship to end.
This still ended up being a good book it gave me something to think about and made me giggle. I have my complaints as well as compliments. There were just a few little things that could’ve really pushed this to being a five star, but it was still an enjoyable read that I would recommend!
May 29, 2025
This book was definitely different than I thought it would be. I saw this book on Instagram and the cover immediately intrigued me. On the first page the author lets you know that the book was self-published (which is soo impressive) at 17 (even more impressive). So, I felt excited and nervous going into this book, but it pleasantly surprised me.
Kat, or formally Katayi, is our main character who is obsessed with astronomy. She has her own Youtube channel and is mainly a homebody. Sailor Park, on the other hand, is on a hiatus from his famous life as an Idol. He is spending the summer with Kat and her brother, Khondwani, at their beach house with his sister, Sora. Sailor and Kat start getting close, but Kat actually doesn't know that Sailor is a Kpop Idol *gasp*. You can assume how that's going to work out.
LOVED✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
•Kat's character development and how she was able to get out of her shell as a person and open up to those around her. You can tell how closed off she is with her brother and dad. Yet, over the course of the book, while she's with Sailor, she becomes more emotionally available.
•The found family in this book is very adorable. Sora, Sailor, Kat, and Khondwani become very close during the summer and found family will always be one of my favorite tropes. They become closer by relating to having moms who are gone and dads who try their best to give them everything but can be absent.
•The end of the book where Sailor reveals his secret to Kat is probably the most entertaining part of it because we finally get somewhere in the plot and it allowed Kat and Sailor to finally be their own person after being together for the majority of the summer.
NOT QUITE LOVED✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
•The length of this book is waaay to long. There are multiple filler chapters that honestly aren't needed. They were tedious and sometimes even boring. There were times in this book where I honestly debated DNF'ing it. It almost put me in a reading slump because it took me a whole week to finish it.
•This book is mainly vibes and barely any plot. For 75% of the book, all the reader gets is scenes of Kat and Sailor barely doing anything. There were many parts of the book that could've been removed that would've made it more pleasant.
Overall, I am impressed with the author's accomplishment's to release this book and how well it was written.
➷₊✧˚★★★꒱
Kat, or formally Katayi, is our main character who is obsessed with astronomy. She has her own Youtube channel and is mainly a homebody. Sailor Park, on the other hand, is on a hiatus from his famous life as an Idol. He is spending the summer with Kat and her brother, Khondwani, at their beach house with his sister, Sora. Sailor and Kat start getting close, but Kat actually doesn't know that Sailor is a Kpop Idol *gasp*. You can assume how that's going to work out.
LOVED✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
•Kat's character development and how she was able to get out of her shell as a person and open up to those around her. You can tell how closed off she is with her brother and dad. Yet, over the course of the book, while she's with Sailor, she becomes more emotionally available.
•The found family in this book is very adorable. Sora, Sailor, Kat, and Khondwani become very close during the summer and found family will always be one of my favorite tropes. They become closer by relating to having moms who are gone and dads who try their best to give them everything but can be absent.
•The end of the book where Sailor reveals his secret to Kat is probably the most entertaining part of it because we finally get somewhere in the plot and it allowed Kat and Sailor to finally be their own person after being together for the majority of the summer.
NOT QUITE LOVED✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
•The length of this book is waaay to long. There are multiple filler chapters that honestly aren't needed. They were tedious and sometimes even boring. There were times in this book where I honestly debated DNF'ing it. It almost put me in a reading slump because it took me a whole week to finish it.
•This book is mainly vibes and barely any plot. For 75% of the book, all the reader gets is scenes of Kat and Sailor barely doing anything. There were many parts of the book that could've been removed that would've made it more pleasant.
Overall, I am impressed with the author's accomplishment's to release this book and how well it was written.
➷₊✧˚★★★꒱
February 23, 2025
I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOOO MUCH
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews