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Holy Boy: A Novel
Four obsessed women kidnap a K-Pop idol with unexpected and devastating results in this chilling, thought-provoking literary thriller that blends the dark impulsions of Butter with the ratcheting tension of Misery.
Four wildly different women are consumed by Yosep, a dreamy twenty-one-year-old K-pop idol known as “the boy.”
Ahna, a woman in her forties, first sought the company of younger men to quell the loneliness she experienced accompanying her husband on his trips abroad. When an affluent friend introduces her to the boy and she sees him on television, Ahna joins his cultish fandom. She soon bonds with Mihee, a beautiful, socially isolated woman in her twenties, who also worships the boy, and they eventually meet two other Nami, a young shaman, and Heeae, who worked as a maid for Ahna’s family and is Yosep’s birth mother. Heeae gave her son up for adoption to ensure him a better life but yearns to be reunited.
Fierce and unapologetic, each woman has her own reason for wanting Yosep—a yawning desperation that spawns a dangerous plan. After taking the young singer hostage at a mansion in the mountains of South Korea’s Gangwon Province, Ahna, Yosep, Mihee, Nami, and Heeae will go to extreme lengths to keep him there, no matter how coercive—or murderous—the means. But the fervency that united this formidable team begins to fracture them, igniting a holy war over that sets each woman against the other. Who will emerge the victor? And just how far will she go to win the boy for herself?
A probing, page-turning psychological novel as thrilling as a rollercoaster ride, told in exquisite, breathtaking prose, Holy Boy is a subversive, intricately plotted novel that explores the perils of objectification, the dark undercurrents of female desire, and the precarity of love.
Translated from the Korean by Joheun Lee
Four wildly different women are consumed by Yosep, a dreamy twenty-one-year-old K-pop idol known as “the boy.”
Ahna, a woman in her forties, first sought the company of younger men to quell the loneliness she experienced accompanying her husband on his trips abroad. When an affluent friend introduces her to the boy and she sees him on television, Ahna joins his cultish fandom. She soon bonds with Mihee, a beautiful, socially isolated woman in her twenties, who also worships the boy, and they eventually meet two other Nami, a young shaman, and Heeae, who worked as a maid for Ahna’s family and is Yosep’s birth mother. Heeae gave her son up for adoption to ensure him a better life but yearns to be reunited.
Fierce and unapologetic, each woman has her own reason for wanting Yosep—a yawning desperation that spawns a dangerous plan. After taking the young singer hostage at a mansion in the mountains of South Korea’s Gangwon Province, Ahna, Yosep, Mihee, Nami, and Heeae will go to extreme lengths to keep him there, no matter how coercive—or murderous—the means. But the fervency that united this formidable team begins to fracture them, igniting a holy war over that sets each woman against the other. Who will emerge the victor? And just how far will she go to win the boy for herself?
A probing, page-turning psychological novel as thrilling as a rollercoaster ride, told in exquisite, breathtaking prose, Holy Boy is a subversive, intricately plotted novel that explores the perils of objectification, the dark undercurrents of female desire, and the precarity of love.
Translated from the Korean by Joheun Lee
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
March 11, 2026
Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Ok. Let’s get something straight from the start. This was absolutely not “K-Pop Misery.” If you’re going to invoke Stephen King in your blurb, you better be prepared for readers to sharpen their pitchforks when they don’t get the bill of goods that was promised. That comparison was… ambitious. Misguided. A choice.
What this actually is? Disjointed. Nonlinear. With brief nods to Korean myth and symbolic folk parables and flashes of the geopolitical tension between North and South Korea. A rotating carousel of POVs that sometimes feel like interconnected short stories and sometimes like the author tossed a handful of narrative threads into the air just to see where they’d land. There are a lot of what ifs. Not a lot of answers. Closure is not the point. Your discomfort is.
And underneath all that chaos? A pointed look at idol life. The story circles four women obsessed with pop star, Yosep or “The Boy”, all orbiting the same manufactured sun. But it doesn’t stop there. Even inside the machine, he isn’t safe. K-Pop idols are infantilized to seem pure, sexualized to drive engagement, micromanaged into something consumable. Performers, sure. But also products. Commodities. The industry demands perfection. Fans demand access. Ownership. Devotion. And what makes it sting is the kind of need he becomes a magnet for. Loneliness curdled into fixation. Trauma looking for something pure to cling to. Faith morphing into destiny. Guilt dressed up as sacrifice. Even his handler, who presents himself as measured and altruistic, can’t stand working in the shadow of someone so perfect without feeling diminished.
The boy becomes a screen for projection. Savior. Fantasy. Obsession. Redemption arc. Rival. That’s the real horror simmering underneath it all. Not just the machine, but the way a carefully manufactured boy becomes a vessel for everyone else’s grief, lust, regret, and delusion. He doesn’t even have to do anything. He just has to exist. He’s rarely even there. One chapter. A few flashbacks. A sleeping body in the background. And still, everything bends toward him.
This book is BONKERS. Capital letters earned. And I had a blast.
But let’s manage expectations. First, if you’re new to Asian thrillers and horror, there are a few unspoken rules. Things are going to get icky. Not cute spooky. Icky. Whether it’s sex icky or gore icky, there will be ICK. There will be fluids. You’ll feel… a way. If you’re someone who scans trigger warnings like it’s your part time job, maybe pick a different weekend read.
Next, the prose is deceptively simple. Clean. Matter of fact. Delicate. You’ll either find that restraint unsettling and effective, or you’ll think it feels emotionally stunted. That’s kind of the gamble.
Last, ambiguity is baked in. You may be asked to suspend your disbelief in ways Western writers rarely demand. You may not get tidy explanations. You may not even get moral framing. You just get dropped into the mess and told to sit with it.
Was it cohesive? Not really. Did it fully land every swing? Nope. Who was the lady in the wedding dress? Hell if I know. Did I enjoy the ride? Absolutely.
I noticed some differences between my ARC and the Amazon Kindle sample, and now I’m almost impatient to see the finalized edition in print. This isn’t just a book I enjoyed. It’s one I want on my shelf. To revisit. To sit with again once the dust settles. I have a feeling it’s going to hit differently on a reread.
Ok. Let’s get something straight from the start. This was absolutely not “K-Pop Misery.” If you’re going to invoke Stephen King in your blurb, you better be prepared for readers to sharpen their pitchforks when they don’t get the bill of goods that was promised. That comparison was… ambitious. Misguided. A choice.
What this actually is? Disjointed. Nonlinear. With brief nods to Korean myth and symbolic folk parables and flashes of the geopolitical tension between North and South Korea. A rotating carousel of POVs that sometimes feel like interconnected short stories and sometimes like the author tossed a handful of narrative threads into the air just to see where they’d land. There are a lot of what ifs. Not a lot of answers. Closure is not the point. Your discomfort is.
And underneath all that chaos? A pointed look at idol life. The story circles four women obsessed with pop star, Yosep or “The Boy”, all orbiting the same manufactured sun. But it doesn’t stop there. Even inside the machine, he isn’t safe. K-Pop idols are infantilized to seem pure, sexualized to drive engagement, micromanaged into something consumable. Performers, sure. But also products. Commodities. The industry demands perfection. Fans demand access. Ownership. Devotion. And what makes it sting is the kind of need he becomes a magnet for. Loneliness curdled into fixation. Trauma looking for something pure to cling to. Faith morphing into destiny. Guilt dressed up as sacrifice. Even his handler, who presents himself as measured and altruistic, can’t stand working in the shadow of someone so perfect without feeling diminished.
The boy becomes a screen for projection. Savior. Fantasy. Obsession. Redemption arc. Rival. That’s the real horror simmering underneath it all. Not just the machine, but the way a carefully manufactured boy becomes a vessel for everyone else’s grief, lust, regret, and delusion. He doesn’t even have to do anything. He just has to exist. He’s rarely even there. One chapter. A few flashbacks. A sleeping body in the background. And still, everything bends toward him.
This book is BONKERS. Capital letters earned. And I had a blast.
But let’s manage expectations. First, if you’re new to Asian thrillers and horror, there are a few unspoken rules. Things are going to get icky. Not cute spooky. Icky. Whether it’s sex icky or gore icky, there will be ICK. There will be fluids. You’ll feel… a way. If you’re someone who scans trigger warnings like it’s your part time job, maybe pick a different weekend read.
Next, the prose is deceptively simple. Clean. Matter of fact. Delicate. You’ll either find that restraint unsettling and effective, or you’ll think it feels emotionally stunted. That’s kind of the gamble.
Last, ambiguity is baked in. You may be asked to suspend your disbelief in ways Western writers rarely demand. You may not get tidy explanations. You may not even get moral framing. You just get dropped into the mess and told to sit with it.
Was it cohesive? Not really. Did it fully land every swing? Nope. Who was the lady in the wedding dress? Hell if I know. Did I enjoy the ride? Absolutely.
I noticed some differences between my ARC and the Amazon Kindle sample, and now I’m almost impatient to see the finalized edition in print. This isn’t just a book I enjoyed. It’s one I want on my shelf. To revisit. To sit with again once the dust settles. I have a feeling it’s going to hit differently on a reread.
February 5, 2026
This book was going to be a 2star read up until the epilogue in which the daughter of the victim who was kidnapped basically calls her father a succubus and that he wanted to be raped because he was bored with his life??? What in gods name makes someone write that? I understand that it may be to show the depravity of these women's mental states but the daughter who was conceived during her father's kidnapping saying that feels insane.
The book also for being a thriller, has the same chapter lengths as Donna Tartt's the Secret History, why was every chapter 100pages long?
Not to mention that this book is premised around the kidnapping of an Idol and yet he has less time in the book than the random police officers and side characters?
Normally with a translated book there is debate about who messed up, the author or the translator. I this case I think its both. The writing in English felt incredibly dull and half hearted, there was no tension, no passion, no nothing in a book about literal obsession? The pacing was insane, I think we saw the main women go shopping about 3 times for absolutely no reason. The book seemed to focus more on the women's lives outside of their obsession rather than on what lead them to commit such a crime or how obsession changed them over time, nope nothing.
I actually feel like watching those videos of Idols get swarmed at the airports are scarier than this. While some depraved things do happen in this book it felt like the editor said to the author 'hey maybe we should actually mention the victim once in a while, you know? Have the kidnappers actually do something with their hostage', but it came across like begrudgingly bad hospice care workers who would rather be anywhere else.
I fully believe this book was written to capitalise of the global success of the Idol industry, and instead of showing how genuinely scary it can be in the world of stalkers, dieting, creeps so on and so forth. This book does very little in the way of actually highlighting any real issue and if anything downplays alot of the current fears surrounding fan culture.
Please do not read this absolute drivel.
The book also for being a thriller, has the same chapter lengths as Donna Tartt's the Secret History, why was every chapter 100pages long?
Not to mention that this book is premised around the kidnapping of an Idol and yet he has less time in the book than the random police officers and side characters?
Normally with a translated book there is debate about who messed up, the author or the translator. I this case I think its both. The writing in English felt incredibly dull and half hearted, there was no tension, no passion, no nothing in a book about literal obsession? The pacing was insane, I think we saw the main women go shopping about 3 times for absolutely no reason. The book seemed to focus more on the women's lives outside of their obsession rather than on what lead them to commit such a crime or how obsession changed them over time, nope nothing.
I actually feel like watching those videos of Idols get swarmed at the airports are scarier than this. While some depraved things do happen in this book it felt like the editor said to the author 'hey maybe we should actually mention the victim once in a while, you know? Have the kidnappers actually do something with their hostage', but it came across like begrudgingly bad hospice care workers who would rather be anywhere else.
I fully believe this book was written to capitalise of the global success of the Idol industry, and instead of showing how genuinely scary it can be in the world of stalkers, dieting, creeps so on and so forth. This book does very little in the way of actually highlighting any real issue and if anything downplays alot of the current fears surrounding fan culture.
Please do not read this absolute drivel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2026
Lee Heejoo’s intense novel explicitly builds on aspects of Stephen King’s Misery but another key influence is Yumiko Kurahashi’s transgressive, early work with its focus on gender and perversity particularly incestuous desires. Here Lee returns to her earlier preoccupation with fan culture training her gaze on sasaengs, unhinged stalker fans whose actions can blight their idols’ lives. By chance three women discover a mutual fascination with up-and-coming, K-pop star Yosep. They form an unlikely trio spearheaded by Ahnna. Ahnna’s a bored, wealthy woman in her forties. Her overbearing husband makes everyday existence challenging plus she’s struggling with an increasing sense of invisibility. The only thing sustaining her is a fetish for much younger men which grew from a series of liaisons with a boyish sex worker. Yosep’s now all she lives for. She’s joined by Mihee who dreams of an all-consuming love affair, and introverted Nami who just wants someone to share her pain. Later another woman becomes part of their group although her link to Yosep is of a very different nature.
The trio effectively abduct Yosep, imprisoning him in an isolated, seaside mansion. They subdue him with bandages, telling him he’s been in an accident but a storm has left them cut off from outside help. At first the women’s plan to have Yosep to themselves seems to be working but then things slowly go awry. The trio’s activities unfold against the backdrop of a Korea in crisis, it’s the late nineties, despite the promise held out by the advent of democracy the economy’s in freefall. Women are widely treated as inferior to men who routinely harass or abuse them. For the trio their obsession with Yosep allows them to channel repressed rage, enabling an escape into fantasies of radical change and taking control of their destinies. Although for Ahnna possessing Yosep is akin to obtaining a rare trophy like the stuffed animal heads adorning the mansion’s walls. A wish made more complicated by the secret of her actual connection to Yosep.
Lee’s story straddles the boundaries of crime and horror sometimes resembling the grimmest of grim fairy tales underlined by flashes of gothic imagery. In addition, an array of macabre subplots increase the atmosphere of unease not least the mutilated bodies washing up on the nearby shores – possibly originating in North Korea just across the sea. Lee makes it clear the women’s actions are doomed to failure through references to real-life, hostage situations including the infamous Ji Hang Kun incident fictionalised by Lee Byeong-cheon in “Holiday” (홀리데이). The opening sections of Lee’s narrative are taut and gripping. But as the women become embroiled in violence and murder the plot starts to unravel - descending into the realms of grand guignol or nihilistic, splatter horror. Blood, viscera and bodily fluids abound. It’s still a page-turner but increasingly far-fetched and Lee’s attempt at searing, social critique simply fades away. The story’s recounted in flashback by a woman in her twenties claiming to be Yosep’s daughter, it’s twenty years since he vanished and his whereabouts remain unknown. This possibly unreliable narrator casts doubt on the events she’s chronicling which provides additional intrigue but I’m not sure it does much more than that. Uneven but curiously compulsive. Translated by Joheun Lee.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Picador for an ARC
The trio effectively abduct Yosep, imprisoning him in an isolated, seaside mansion. They subdue him with bandages, telling him he’s been in an accident but a storm has left them cut off from outside help. At first the women’s plan to have Yosep to themselves seems to be working but then things slowly go awry. The trio’s activities unfold against the backdrop of a Korea in crisis, it’s the late nineties, despite the promise held out by the advent of democracy the economy’s in freefall. Women are widely treated as inferior to men who routinely harass or abuse them. For the trio their obsession with Yosep allows them to channel repressed rage, enabling an escape into fantasies of radical change and taking control of their destinies. Although for Ahnna possessing Yosep is akin to obtaining a rare trophy like the stuffed animal heads adorning the mansion’s walls. A wish made more complicated by the secret of her actual connection to Yosep.
Lee’s story straddles the boundaries of crime and horror sometimes resembling the grimmest of grim fairy tales underlined by flashes of gothic imagery. In addition, an array of macabre subplots increase the atmosphere of unease not least the mutilated bodies washing up on the nearby shores – possibly originating in North Korea just across the sea. Lee makes it clear the women’s actions are doomed to failure through references to real-life, hostage situations including the infamous Ji Hang Kun incident fictionalised by Lee Byeong-cheon in “Holiday” (홀리데이). The opening sections of Lee’s narrative are taut and gripping. But as the women become embroiled in violence and murder the plot starts to unravel - descending into the realms of grand guignol or nihilistic, splatter horror. Blood, viscera and bodily fluids abound. It’s still a page-turner but increasingly far-fetched and Lee’s attempt at searing, social critique simply fades away. The story’s recounted in flashback by a woman in her twenties claiming to be Yosep’s daughter, it’s twenty years since he vanished and his whereabouts remain unknown. This possibly unreliable narrator casts doubt on the events she’s chronicling which provides additional intrigue but I’m not sure it does much more than that. Uneven but curiously compulsive. Translated by Joheun Lee.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Picador for an ARC
March 18, 2026
DNF
Pas pour moi du tout
Pas pour moi du tout
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I like nothing more than a strange and wonderful novel. However this had me entirely baffled after the first quarter and I had my head in my hands by the end, trying to work out what I'd just read. It is an interesting premise but I feel like the author simply tried to put too much into it.
Yosep is a member of a K-pop band. However he has had some personal problems which lead him into a dangerous situation whereby he is "kidnapped" by four women who all purport to adore him.
Ahnna has a penchant for young men, Nami believes that if Yosep sees her he will fall in love, Mihee who also worships the pop star and Heeae, who gave up the infant Yosep for adoption.
The women hole up with the unconscious Yosep in a mansion but after this their plans for his future begin to diverge and rivalries emerge with terrible consequences.
This is the basic story - I think - there are parts of the novel that are completely incomprehensible as the women begin to contemplate what they've done. There is also another thread narrated by a bodyguard (possibly) which explains why Yosep is found in his car on the night of the kidnap.
Unfortunately, the more I tried to unravel what promised to be an interesting look at stalking/fandom/hero worship, the more confused I became. Contemporaneous notes did not help.
Not for me.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Picador for the digital review copy.
Yosep is a member of a K-pop band. However he has had some personal problems which lead him into a dangerous situation whereby he is "kidnapped" by four women who all purport to adore him.
Ahnna has a penchant for young men, Nami believes that if Yosep sees her he will fall in love, Mihee who also worships the pop star and Heeae, who gave up the infant Yosep for adoption.
The women hole up with the unconscious Yosep in a mansion but after this their plans for his future begin to diverge and rivalries emerge with terrible consequences.
This is the basic story - I think - there are parts of the novel that are completely incomprehensible as the women begin to contemplate what they've done. There is also another thread narrated by a bodyguard (possibly) which explains why Yosep is found in his car on the night of the kidnap.
Unfortunately, the more I tried to unravel what promised to be an interesting look at stalking/fandom/hero worship, the more confused I became. Contemporaneous notes did not help.
Not for me.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Picador for the digital review copy.
tried-it
February 4, 2026This is weird & sinister & makes you feel a little uncomfortable (which I think is the point). The writing style is interesting and took a bit for me to get used to, but I think it’s very effective for increasing that uncomfortable feeling.
I think this will work for those who like weird lit. Something different. something uncomfortable and can handle the subject and content.
I was quite enjoying this, it’s not my usual genre, but I like to sprinkle in something different to break up the fantasy and romance and this was definitely that.
Unfortunately it is a DNF for me at 28% due to the nature of the content. I wish there had been a content warning or author’s note available for this. There are a number of heavier topics, please read with care.
Audio Narration: 4/5. Solid performance. Pacing and inflection were good. Pausing at the end of sentences was a bit exaggerated.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you HarperVia for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
I think this will work for those who like weird lit. Something different. something uncomfortable and can handle the subject and content.
I was quite enjoying this, it’s not my usual genre, but I like to sprinkle in something different to break up the fantasy and romance and this was definitely that.
Unfortunately it is a DNF for me at 28% due to the nature of the content. I wish there had been a content warning or author’s note available for this. There are a number of heavier topics, please read with care.
Audio Narration: 4/5. Solid performance. Pacing and inflection were good. Pausing at the end of sentences was a bit exaggerated.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you HarperVia for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
February 21, 2026
I am still processing my feelings on this one. I went in expecting a "weird girl" story centered on parasocial relationships and the dark side of fan culture; however, it didn't quite deliver the commentary I was hoping for.
Our four main leads are compellingly unhinged and we get decent backstories for each character as well as a POV of a bodyguard but the overall story takes a dip during all of this. The victim, Yosep, essentially fades into the background, and the narrative shifts its focus to the internal friction between the women and their plans to ensure they aren't caught. While I enjoyed the story for what it was, it didn't fully scratch that itch for a critique of fandom. That said, the narrator was excellent, and I’ll definitely be seeking out more of their work.
Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ALC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Our four main leads are compellingly unhinged and we get decent backstories for each character as well as a POV of a bodyguard but the overall story takes a dip during all of this. The victim, Yosep, essentially fades into the background, and the narrative shifts its focus to the internal friction between the women and their plans to ensure they aren't caught. While I enjoyed the story for what it was, it didn't fully scratch that itch for a critique of fandom. That said, the narrator was excellent, and I’ll definitely be seeking out more of their work.
Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ALC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
February 19, 2026
I honestly thought I was having a stroke until I realised it was just the writing style. Once I got past that, I then had to endure not one, not two, and nope not three either, but FOUR 2-dimensional women and their obsession with this young idol who you would think, as the victim, would have a lot more of a role to play in this, but nope, I'm wondering if he existed at all (and SPOILER - yes, as a last minute little twist they really tried to go there before taking it back- ridiculous).
The premise was great and a LOT more could have been done using multiple narrators which could have really fleshed out the plot and build on the 4 women's descent into madness and murder. But I feel like the author crammed as much as they could in as little pages as they could and so the execution, like the women's plan, was terrible.
The premise was great and a LOT more could have been done using multiple narrators which could have really fleshed out the plot and build on the 4 women's descent into madness and murder. But I feel like the author crammed as much as they could in as little pages as they could and so the execution, like the women's plan, was terrible.
Read
February 24, 2026“Holy Boy” is a Misery-esque tale following four women and their obsession with a K-Pop idol. The four women, all infatuated with the idol, Yosep, for varying reasons, unite in their shared love and abduct the young man, taking him to a semi-abandoned mansion in the mountains near the North Korean border.
I’m having a hard time coming up with a rating for this book, so I’m thinking, for now, of leaving it unrated. BUT I’ve had so many thoughts about it since finishing it, and I’d like to think that counts for something. I’ll start with the things I did like. I liked that each of the four women had a distinct reason for obsessing over Yosep.
Mihee: A young woman with a rough childhood and difficult family history. Mihee’s mother was ambivalent toward her; a woman who cared more about her own happiness and consistently engaged in toxic relationships with men, rather than caring for her daughter. Thus Mihee was forced to fend for herself, ultimately ending up on the streets. Mihee finds Yosep while at her lowest, and views Yosep as a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to keep going.
Nami: Another young woman with a traumatic past, Nami tragically witnessed both of her parents’ deaths in front of her. Following the accident which claimed their lives, Nami is raised by her aunt, a shaman, and follows in her aunt’s footsteps. Nami believes that her and Yosep are destined to be together due to their shared childhood trauma, and are bound together—not by love, but by their pain.
Ahnna: A middle-aged woman with a perverted attraction to younger men, she harbors, possibly, the largest—and most sickening—attraction to Yosep, and knew the idol when he was a child, acting as a tutor for him when he was a boy. Ahnna is debatably the most twisted character in this book, but her delusions did lead to some interesting scenes.
Heeae: Yosep’s birth mother, who gave him up for adoption when he was a baby because she couldn’t provide the life for him he deserved. Propelled by her desire to reunite with her son, she is pulled into the orbit of the other women, primarily Ahnna, as a last-ditch effort to be the mother she never had the chance to be.
Ahnna acts as the ring leader, orchestrating the kidnapping and selecting each of the other women after seeing first-hand their equal obsessions with Yosep. I liked the exploration of fan culture here, and the different ways idolization can come to fruition. Despite the shared desire surrounding Yosep, the four women’s obsessions all have unique roots.
That being said, I don’t think we had as much depth or exploration to their backstories as I would have liked. And one of the glaring issues I have with the book is that there are so many—in my opinion—unnecessary characters. I think the narrative would have worked better had we followed the four women, their backstories, and how that all culminated in the abduction of Yosep, but we follow other side characters, too: Yosep’s manager, who secretly hates the idol; the grandson of the mansion owner and his three friends; a police officer whose father used to visit the mansion the women are holed up in. Ultimately, there are so many characters on the periphery who are explored when they don’t need to be, and this detracts from the story pitched to us. It leads to a jumpy, fractured narrative, which could have been stylistically intended to reflect the mental states of the women, but just felt too messy in its execution for me to even give it points for that.
Additionally, there were some glaringly problematic sentiments expressed here. Now, basically all of these characters are bad people—that’s obvious—and I don’t think that, inherently, an unlikeable character’s opinions should fully sway the way a reader feels about a book as a whole; but ending the book with a character commenting that Yosep probably allowed himself to be sexually assaulted because he was bored during his abduction…I just don’t see any reason for including this at all? It contributes nothing to the plot and only serves to leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth.
I think there was potential here, and I found myself actually semi-enjoying most of my time reading this. Like I said before, there was room for so much commentary on fanaticism and fan culture, especially in the realm of K-Pop, that just felt half-baked. For instance: the involvement of K-Pop companies in manufacturing idol’s personalities and overall image for the sole purpose of impressionable fans obsessing over them. For instance: the dating scandals idols find themselves in, and how this leads to the idol losing support from their “fans” or retaliation / public ridicule. For instance: the psychology behind fan culture and how different experiences can lead to a person becoming overly obsessive / possessive over an idol. Even the theme of motherhood in relation to Heeae and her desperation to reunite with her son. There were touches of these ideas throughout the novel, but none of them went deep enough for me that I felt it redeemed the less favorable parts of the novel.
Had this been structured differently and tackled a bit more thoroughly, I think this could have been a great exploration of the K-Pop industry and the nature of fans, commenting on the purposeful design of these idols as vessels for people to project themselves onto and fall in love with. However, with a lackluster dive into each of these women, and with the titular “Holy Boy” gracing the novel for maybe about 35 pages of the book, the novel fell flat in its desired execution.
I also think it’s noteworthy that, in the ~K-Pop x obsession~ books I’ve read so far, it’s always a crazed female fan (or fans) obsessing over a male idol. I think it could be worth exploring why these types of narratives use ~crazy~ women and girls as vessels for their commentary on idolization. I feel like this ties back to the generalization that more women inhabit “fan” spaces and overall are more likely to let their emotions control their actions. I can’t help but feel like there’s a twinge of misogyny there, and none of the books I’ve read have delved into that aspect yet. I’d like to see an obsessed idol story including a male character being the lust-er rather than the lusted for (preferably in an MLM situation). But that’s for another day…
I’m having a hard time coming up with a rating for this book, so I’m thinking, for now, of leaving it unrated. BUT I’ve had so many thoughts about it since finishing it, and I’d like to think that counts for something. I’ll start with the things I did like. I liked that each of the four women had a distinct reason for obsessing over Yosep.
Mihee: A young woman with a rough childhood and difficult family history. Mihee’s mother was ambivalent toward her; a woman who cared more about her own happiness and consistently engaged in toxic relationships with men, rather than caring for her daughter. Thus Mihee was forced to fend for herself, ultimately ending up on the streets. Mihee finds Yosep while at her lowest, and views Yosep as a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to keep going.
Nami: Another young woman with a traumatic past, Nami tragically witnessed both of her parents’ deaths in front of her. Following the accident which claimed their lives, Nami is raised by her aunt, a shaman, and follows in her aunt’s footsteps. Nami believes that her and Yosep are destined to be together due to their shared childhood trauma, and are bound together—not by love, but by their pain.
Ahnna: A middle-aged woman with a perverted attraction to younger men, she harbors, possibly, the largest—and most sickening—attraction to Yosep, and knew the idol when he was a child, acting as a tutor for him when he was a boy. Ahnna is debatably the most twisted character in this book, but her delusions did lead to some interesting scenes.
Heeae: Yosep’s birth mother, who gave him up for adoption when he was a baby because she couldn’t provide the life for him he deserved. Propelled by her desire to reunite with her son, she is pulled into the orbit of the other women, primarily Ahnna, as a last-ditch effort to be the mother she never had the chance to be.
Ahnna acts as the ring leader, orchestrating the kidnapping and selecting each of the other women after seeing first-hand their equal obsessions with Yosep. I liked the exploration of fan culture here, and the different ways idolization can come to fruition. Despite the shared desire surrounding Yosep, the four women’s obsessions all have unique roots.
That being said, I don’t think we had as much depth or exploration to their backstories as I would have liked. And one of the glaring issues I have with the book is that there are so many—in my opinion—unnecessary characters. I think the narrative would have worked better had we followed the four women, their backstories, and how that all culminated in the abduction of Yosep, but we follow other side characters, too: Yosep’s manager, who secretly hates the idol; the grandson of the mansion owner and his three friends; a police officer whose father used to visit the mansion the women are holed up in. Ultimately, there are so many characters on the periphery who are explored when they don’t need to be, and this detracts from the story pitched to us. It leads to a jumpy, fractured narrative, which could have been stylistically intended to reflect the mental states of the women, but just felt too messy in its execution for me to even give it points for that.
Additionally, there were some glaringly problematic sentiments expressed here. Now, basically all of these characters are bad people—that’s obvious—and I don’t think that, inherently, an unlikeable character’s opinions should fully sway the way a reader feels about a book as a whole; but ending the book with a character commenting that Yosep probably allowed himself to be sexually assaulted because he was bored during his abduction…I just don’t see any reason for including this at all? It contributes nothing to the plot and only serves to leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth.
I think there was potential here, and I found myself actually semi-enjoying most of my time reading this. Like I said before, there was room for so much commentary on fanaticism and fan culture, especially in the realm of K-Pop, that just felt half-baked. For instance: the involvement of K-Pop companies in manufacturing idol’s personalities and overall image for the sole purpose of impressionable fans obsessing over them. For instance: the dating scandals idols find themselves in, and how this leads to the idol losing support from their “fans” or retaliation / public ridicule. For instance: the psychology behind fan culture and how different experiences can lead to a person becoming overly obsessive / possessive over an idol. Even the theme of motherhood in relation to Heeae and her desperation to reunite with her son. There were touches of these ideas throughout the novel, but none of them went deep enough for me that I felt it redeemed the less favorable parts of the novel.
Had this been structured differently and tackled a bit more thoroughly, I think this could have been a great exploration of the K-Pop industry and the nature of fans, commenting on the purposeful design of these idols as vessels for people to project themselves onto and fall in love with. However, with a lackluster dive into each of these women, and with the titular “Holy Boy” gracing the novel for maybe about 35 pages of the book, the novel fell flat in its desired execution.
I also think it’s noteworthy that, in the ~K-Pop x obsession~ books I’ve read so far, it’s always a crazed female fan (or fans) obsessing over a male idol. I think it could be worth exploring why these types of narratives use ~crazy~ women and girls as vessels for their commentary on idolization. I feel like this ties back to the generalization that more women inhabit “fan” spaces and overall are more likely to let their emotions control their actions. I can’t help but feel like there’s a twinge of misogyny there, and none of the books I’ve read have delved into that aspect yet. I’d like to see an obsessed idol story including a male character being the lust-er rather than the lusted for (preferably in an MLM situation). But that’s for another day…
October 22, 2025
Some people fall in love with a figure in an old painting while strolling through an art gallery . . . Compared to them, I would say I’m lucky. I dipped my feet in the same water as him, if only for a moment.
미술관을 걷다 불현듯 오래된 그림 속 인물과 사랑에 빠지는…… 그에 비하면 나는 운이 좋은 셈이지요. 적어도 한순간은 그애와 같은 강물에 발을 담갔으니까요.
Holy Boy (2025) is the translation by Joheun Lee of 성소년 (2021) by 이희주.
The figure, or perhaps the void, at the centre of the novel is Josep, a K-pop idol. The narrator, whose identity is clearer at the novel's end, opens by telling us that, as per the quote above, she was fortunate that her life overlapped with his, if only briefly, and, writing after his death, tells us that she is imagining more details of the story that 'that remains untold between those women and him'.
The story, which comprises much of the novel, has four women obsessed with Josep, some as pure fans, others for deeper reasons (their connection to Josep becoming clearer as the novel progresses): Ahnna, Nami, Mihee, and Heeae. Saju of the four women was under the strong influence of metal, earth, fire, and wood, respectively. Since Yosep’s had water, the five of them were destined to help each other.
Ahnna decides that the only logical outcome of her obsession is to kidnap Josep, concealing him in a remote and abandoned mansion, on the north-east coast close to the Korean border, and recruits the others to help her: After wandering the streets for a while, Ahnna went to the river. On an excessively wide and long bridge, she had only one thought. That she wanted to die. That she wanted to throw herself into the gray, gloomy water. She felt like she could be reborn if she could immerse herself in the rolling stream. She might become milky-white again like a lamb pulled out of a boiling cauldron. But she didn’t let herself fall to the river bottom. Yosep held her back at the last moment. Even if she were to go, she had to embrace him, Yosep, one last time. When she reached that thought, Ahnna scoffed at herself. Embrace Yosep? There was no way she could achieve that unless she kidnapped him or something. Yes, unless she kidnapped him ...
Much of the novel is the story of them holding Josep captive - he has lost his memory, and is convinced by the women that he has also lost the use of his legs in a car accident. Even as someone who has neither read the book, nor seen the movie, it's hard not to think of Stephen King's Misery, but the book acknowledges that by having one of his captors draw the same parallel:
Yosep might have lost his memory, but he hadn’t gone deaf. He might grow suspicious if he learned that the women were driving around when he believed they were marooned in the mansion. What if his memory came back? They wouldn’t be able to keep scaring him and bandaging him up like they were now. They might have to resort to breaking his leg, like in Misery. “That can’t happen. He needs to dance,” Nami said to herself loudly.
As the story progresses, the rivalries between the women come to the surface, each believing Josep's true fate is to be with them and the others are merely helping this destiny, and the level of violence, both to those who might interfere with their plan and between each other, cranks up to somewhat extreme levels, with the K-pop idol himself almost incidental to their machinations.
And the narrator concludes the story by revealing her identity, telling us the aftermath of the incident but perhaps also calling the story she's told us into question.
An effective, and rather different (the Misery link notwithstanding) K-novel. 3.5 stars rounded to 4
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.
Some selected quotes:
A nod to a real-life hostage situation from Korean in 1988 that mirrors that in the novel (the song referred to The Bees Gees's Holiday, which the hostage-taker was playing as the siege ended)
When Mihee turned on the system and set the radio station, a familiar pop song started to play. “I haven’t heard this in a while,” she said. In a gleeful voice unbecoming of the tragic melody, Ahnna asked, “How do you know this song?” “I heard it on TV.” “Weren’t you only in grade school back when the incident happened? You remember all sorts of things, don’t you?” Ahnna started to hum excitedly. Filthy, unkempt heads began to barge into Mihee’s mind. The criminals who broke into a family’s home and took them hostage in a standoff against the police.
The real-life hostage situation is also famous for the phrase 유전무죄 무전유죄 - “If you have money, innocent. If you don't have money, guilty.” - shouted by the lead hostage-taker. The novel also draws on the Asama-Sansō hostage situation at a remote mountain lodge in Japan in 1972.
The CEO of Josep's talent agency, who is both horrified and impressed by the obsessive K-pop bands, comparing their efforts to those of the generation that rebuilt the country after the Korean War:
“How did we make it all this way from the devastated battlefield using only our bare hands? That’s all our people’s doing. That’s how relentless we are. Smart, diligent, persevering. Where do you think all that blood went to?” The CEO heaved a deep sigh, his admiration and disgust blending together.
“In my opinion, those girls are talented. It takes a special kind of patience to live on the street, stay up all night stalking, and use your brain to send things like these. If they’d been born under the Japanese occupation, they would have fought for independence. If they’d been born just a decade earlier, they would have made their name in pro-democracy protests. The problem is, why are these girls wasting their talent doing this? It’s just amazing. Amazing, but gross.”
“걔들은 말이다. 내가 봤을 때 보통 인재가 아니다. 웬만한 인내심으로는 밤새우면서 쫓아다니고, 길에서 살고, 머리 굴려서 이런 거 보내는 짓 못한다. 일제강점기 같은 때 태어났으면 독립운동했을 거다. 십 년만 일찍 태어났어도 운동으로 날렸을 거다. 문제는 인재들이 왜 이딴 짓을 하고 있느냐 이거다. 하여간 정말 대단하다. 대단한데 징그럽다.”
Ahnna's obsessive view of the need to preserve Yosep's beauty:
The shape of his head deserved to be preserved for generations to come. Along with the Happy Prince’s sapphire eyes, a green emerald plucked from a lion’s heart, and a blood-stained red ruby and a fist-sized white diamond that once sat on top of the mightiest tyrant on earth, Yosep’s smooth chin and cheekbones needed to be displayed under subdued indirect lighting, shrouded in the sweet dust of a museum. And one day, they would get shot by bullets, pouring down like rain at the heart of war, and crumble away along with the glittering blue beetles a model of an evolving human. Such sorrow was the pinnacle of Yosep’s beauty. But all of that was to happen after Ahnna died. She couldn’t let anyone else have Yosep before then.
The quote from the narrator that gives rise to the title, the author herself inspired by Yumiko Kurahashi’s Holy Girl(聖少女/Seisho-jo)
The moment I saw Father’s face—tinged with pity, loneliness, slight affection, and a peculiar sadness for mortal beings—I realized that, unlike those women, his body had meant nothing to him. Father had resigned himself to distributing his meaningless, bound-to-decay body to wretched women who could only satisfy their hunger with his flesh and their thirst with his blood. After this epiphany, I felt at peace, as if enveloped in a massive body of light. My father was a saint. A Holy Boy, who resolved to love no one yet loved everyone.
미술관을 걷다 불현듯 오래된 그림 속 인물과 사랑에 빠지는…… 그에 비하면 나는 운이 좋은 셈이지요. 적어도 한순간은 그애와 같은 강물에 발을 담갔으니까요.
Holy Boy (2025) is the translation by Joheun Lee of 성소년 (2021) by 이희주.
The figure, or perhaps the void, at the centre of the novel is Josep, a K-pop idol. The narrator, whose identity is clearer at the novel's end, opens by telling us that, as per the quote above, she was fortunate that her life overlapped with his, if only briefly, and, writing after his death, tells us that she is imagining more details of the story that 'that remains untold between those women and him'.
The story, which comprises much of the novel, has four women obsessed with Josep, some as pure fans, others for deeper reasons (their connection to Josep becoming clearer as the novel progresses): Ahnna, Nami, Mihee, and Heeae. Saju of the four women was under the strong influence of metal, earth, fire, and wood, respectively. Since Yosep’s had water, the five of them were destined to help each other.
Ahnna decides that the only logical outcome of her obsession is to kidnap Josep, concealing him in a remote and abandoned mansion, on the north-east coast close to the Korean border, and recruits the others to help her: After wandering the streets for a while, Ahnna went to the river. On an excessively wide and long bridge, she had only one thought. That she wanted to die. That she wanted to throw herself into the gray, gloomy water. She felt like she could be reborn if she could immerse herself in the rolling stream. She might become milky-white again like a lamb pulled out of a boiling cauldron. But she didn’t let herself fall to the river bottom. Yosep held her back at the last moment. Even if she were to go, she had to embrace him, Yosep, one last time. When she reached that thought, Ahnna scoffed at herself. Embrace Yosep? There was no way she could achieve that unless she kidnapped him or something. Yes, unless she kidnapped him ...
Much of the novel is the story of them holding Josep captive - he has lost his memory, and is convinced by the women that he has also lost the use of his legs in a car accident. Even as someone who has neither read the book, nor seen the movie, it's hard not to think of Stephen King's Misery, but the book acknowledges that by having one of his captors draw the same parallel:
Yosep might have lost his memory, but he hadn’t gone deaf. He might grow suspicious if he learned that the women were driving around when he believed they were marooned in the mansion. What if his memory came back? They wouldn’t be able to keep scaring him and bandaging him up like they were now. They might have to resort to breaking his leg, like in Misery. “That can’t happen. He needs to dance,” Nami said to herself loudly.
As the story progresses, the rivalries between the women come to the surface, each believing Josep's true fate is to be with them and the others are merely helping this destiny, and the level of violence, both to those who might interfere with their plan and between each other, cranks up to somewhat extreme levels, with the K-pop idol himself almost incidental to their machinations.
And the narrator concludes the story by revealing her identity, telling us the aftermath of the incident but perhaps also calling the story she's told us into question.
An effective, and rather different (the Misery link notwithstanding) K-novel. 3.5 stars rounded to 4
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.
Some selected quotes:
A nod to a real-life hostage situation from Korean in 1988 that mirrors that in the novel (the song referred to The Bees Gees's Holiday, which the hostage-taker was playing as the siege ended)
When Mihee turned on the system and set the radio station, a familiar pop song started to play. “I haven’t heard this in a while,” she said. In a gleeful voice unbecoming of the tragic melody, Ahnna asked, “How do you know this song?” “I heard it on TV.” “Weren’t you only in grade school back when the incident happened? You remember all sorts of things, don’t you?” Ahnna started to hum excitedly. Filthy, unkempt heads began to barge into Mihee’s mind. The criminals who broke into a family’s home and took them hostage in a standoff against the police.
The real-life hostage situation is also famous for the phrase 유전무죄 무전유죄 - “If you have money, innocent. If you don't have money, guilty.” - shouted by the lead hostage-taker. The novel also draws on the Asama-Sansō hostage situation at a remote mountain lodge in Japan in 1972.
The CEO of Josep's talent agency, who is both horrified and impressed by the obsessive K-pop bands, comparing their efforts to those of the generation that rebuilt the country after the Korean War:
“How did we make it all this way from the devastated battlefield using only our bare hands? That’s all our people’s doing. That’s how relentless we are. Smart, diligent, persevering. Where do you think all that blood went to?” The CEO heaved a deep sigh, his admiration and disgust blending together.
“In my opinion, those girls are talented. It takes a special kind of patience to live on the street, stay up all night stalking, and use your brain to send things like these. If they’d been born under the Japanese occupation, they would have fought for independence. If they’d been born just a decade earlier, they would have made their name in pro-democracy protests. The problem is, why are these girls wasting their talent doing this? It’s just amazing. Amazing, but gross.”
“걔들은 말이다. 내가 봤을 때 보통 인재가 아니다. 웬만한 인내심으로는 밤새우면서 쫓아다니고, 길에서 살고, 머리 굴려서 이런 거 보내는 짓 못한다. 일제강점기 같은 때 태어났으면 독립운동했을 거다. 십 년만 일찍 태어났어도 운동으로 날렸을 거다. 문제는 인재들이 왜 이딴 짓을 하고 있느냐 이거다. 하여간 정말 대단하다. 대단한데 징그럽다.”
Ahnna's obsessive view of the need to preserve Yosep's beauty:
The shape of his head deserved to be preserved for generations to come. Along with the Happy Prince’s sapphire eyes, a green emerald plucked from a lion’s heart, and a blood-stained red ruby and a fist-sized white diamond that once sat on top of the mightiest tyrant on earth, Yosep’s smooth chin and cheekbones needed to be displayed under subdued indirect lighting, shrouded in the sweet dust of a museum. And one day, they would get shot by bullets, pouring down like rain at the heart of war, and crumble away along with the glittering blue beetles a model of an evolving human. Such sorrow was the pinnacle of Yosep’s beauty. But all of that was to happen after Ahnna died. She couldn’t let anyone else have Yosep before then.
The quote from the narrator that gives rise to the title, the author herself inspired by Yumiko Kurahashi’s Holy Girl(聖少女/Seisho-jo)
The moment I saw Father’s face—tinged with pity, loneliness, slight affection, and a peculiar sadness for mortal beings—I realized that, unlike those women, his body had meant nothing to him. Father had resigned himself to distributing his meaningless, bound-to-decay body to wretched women who could only satisfy their hunger with his flesh and their thirst with his blood. After this epiphany, I felt at peace, as if enveloped in a massive body of light. My father was a saint. A Holy Boy, who resolved to love no one yet loved everyone.
Did Not Finish
November 14, 2025DNF’d @ 60%
The writing was honestly impossible to get through. This book should have been an edgy thriller, delving into parasocial relationships, but instead I was bored out of my mind. The four women were severely underwritten and Yosep himself was as stiff as cardboard. There were also abrupt parts of the book that were overtly sexual and misogynistic for no reason. A let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #HolyBoy #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The writing was honestly impossible to get through. This book should have been an edgy thriller, delving into parasocial relationships, but instead I was bored out of my mind. The four women were severely underwritten and Yosep himself was as stiff as cardboard. There were also abrupt parts of the book that were overtly sexual and misogynistic for no reason. A let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #HolyBoy #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
February 14, 2026
If you’re expecting a modern day Misery by Stephen King, you will finish this book feeling rather miserable.
Unsure whether it is that maybe some things were lost in translation, but I am still not entirely sure what happened in this book.
Unsure whether it is that maybe some things were lost in translation, but I am still not entirely sure what happened in this book.
March 13, 2026
A bit like Misery if it was about K-pop stans. But devolves into something entirely different at the end. Lots of loose threads at the end but I don’t really mind. I could never tell where the plot was headed which was quite fun and the writing was quite beautiful at times.
February 17, 2026
“Those in love plunge to their lowest place.”
Happy pub day to the English translation of HOLY BOY by Lee Heejoo (translated by Joheun Lee). Thank you to HarperVia and Netgalley for this ARC. I was so thrilled about this release and it did not disappoint!
Set at the very end of the 20th century, Holy Boy tells the story of four very different women banding together to kidnap k-pop idol Yosep and hide him away in a mansion in the mountains of Eungrang (fictional town in real life Gangwon-do).
Other than being a psychological tilt-a-whirl, this book depicts parasocial fandom in a way that’s horrifying and at times uncomfortably familiar. As someone who follows k-pop news pretty closely, I see real headlines about crazed fans breaking into idols’ homes or showing up to their bias’s apartments with luggage, ready to move in (yep). And of course there’s the countless fans that dedicate their entire lives to following their idol’s every move, desperately trying to get close.
And as a k-pop fan, I’m well aware of the parasocial nature of this genre and the way “Holy Boys” tend to take up space in our brain in a very unique way. Lee Heejoo excellently depicts how this phenomenon can go wrong with just enough distance to make the reader shudder and a touch of familiarity that forces us to really sit with these characters.
I’ve seen some commentary that entirely missed the point of this book, but I personally thought it was brilliant. Unsettling, disturbing, fascinating, and rife with interesting historical context (please don’t skip the translator’s note!!).
Whether you love or hate this story and whether you love or hate k-pop, I can guarantee you will NEVER forget this book.
“Everyone needed a star in their hearts, an unreachable flower on the cliff to watch for the rest of their lives.”
Happy pub day to the English translation of HOLY BOY by Lee Heejoo (translated by Joheun Lee). Thank you to HarperVia and Netgalley for this ARC. I was so thrilled about this release and it did not disappoint!
Set at the very end of the 20th century, Holy Boy tells the story of four very different women banding together to kidnap k-pop idol Yosep and hide him away in a mansion in the mountains of Eungrang (fictional town in real life Gangwon-do).
Other than being a psychological tilt-a-whirl, this book depicts parasocial fandom in a way that’s horrifying and at times uncomfortably familiar. As someone who follows k-pop news pretty closely, I see real headlines about crazed fans breaking into idols’ homes or showing up to their bias’s apartments with luggage, ready to move in (yep). And of course there’s the countless fans that dedicate their entire lives to following their idol’s every move, desperately trying to get close.
And as a k-pop fan, I’m well aware of the parasocial nature of this genre and the way “Holy Boys” tend to take up space in our brain in a very unique way. Lee Heejoo excellently depicts how this phenomenon can go wrong with just enough distance to make the reader shudder and a touch of familiarity that forces us to really sit with these characters.
I’ve seen some commentary that entirely missed the point of this book, but I personally thought it was brilliant. Unsettling, disturbing, fascinating, and rife with interesting historical context (please don’t skip the translator’s note!!).
Whether you love or hate this story and whether you love or hate k-pop, I can guarantee you will NEVER forget this book.
“Everyone needed a star in their hearts, an unreachable flower on the cliff to watch for the rest of their lives.”
December 12, 2025
2.5 Sad to say this was hard to get through. I appreciate the eARC from NetGalley and HarperVia though, so I felt I needed to finish it. I thought this was going to be a wild and fun ride where four women team up to kidnap a K-pop idol, who they’re all obsessed with and obviously have parasocial relationships with. But there was nearly no action or character development. We hardly hear from the Holy Boy himself. And I was bored for most of the book. The very ending picked up, and I wish that ending had been expanded as the crux of the book instead of what it is. I read that this book started as a story published with weekly installments. Maybe that’s why it seems disjointed with overlapping parts, and having difficulty to get to its point. I think the description and cover don’t set the right tone. Pub date Feb 17, 2026.
March 30, 2026
Akurat nie, nie podpiszę się pod opiniami, że czyta się tę książkę, jakby się miało wylew (XD), ale miałam spory problem, żeby połączyć niektóre wątki i dużo rzeczy nie miało tam absolutnie żadnego sensu. Ale chyba największym problemem jest epilog, który podsuwa - bez spoilerów, ale z trigger warningiem - dość obrzydliwą interpretację wydarzeń.
March 19, 2026
This is such an interesting one because I feel like this book is being completely mis-sold, and that’s probably why it’s sitting so low on Goodreads.
So I picked up Holy Boy purely because it stood out, bright red cover, sprayed edges, “worship has never been bloodier” on the back… I was expecting something really dark, violent, maybe even a bit Misery-esque with the whole “K-pop star kidnapped by obsessed fans” premise.
That is not the book you get.
For me, this was a solid 4 stars, but I think you have to go into it expecting a psychological thriller rather than a gory, shocking horror. It’s not particularly bloody, and it’s not constantly high drama in the way the blurb makes you think. It’s actually quite slow, quite sad in places, and much more about obsession, control, and the weird dynamics between fans and idols.
The story follows a K-pop star who’s kidnapped by four women, all unhinged in their own ways. And honestly… “unhinged” is the best word for them. None of them feel stable, and the main instigator especially is deeply unsettling. She has this obsession with youth and young men that’s just uncomfortable. Not in a shocking, graphic way, but in a “this is psychologically not right” kind of way.
What stood out to me the most though wasn’t even the kidnapping plot, it was the commentary on the K-pop industry itself. There’s an early moment where the company basically chooses not to go to the police about threats because it might damage the idol’s image, and I just sat there like… what? But then the more I thought about it (and, yes, did a bit of Googling), the more it made sense within that context. It really leans into the idea of idols being products rather than people, which is honestly quite unsettling in itself.
I also think being a translated novel plays into the experience. It reads well, but there are moments where you can feel that cultural gap a bit, where things don’t land quite how you expect them to, or you’re left going “hang on… what exactly does that mean?” But I didn’t mind that too much, if anything, it added to the slightly off, disorienting feel of the whole book.
In terms of the actual shock factor, I wouldn’t say it’s shocking. There’s death, there are dark themes, but it’s not extreme or graphic. Even the K-pop star himself isn’t what I expected. If anything, he comes across quite gentle for most of the book, and then right at the end there’s a bit of a shift that makes you question things, which I actually liked.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s not what it says on the tin at all, but if you go in expecting a darker, slightly strange, psychological look at obsession and the K-pop industry, it’s a really solid read. Just don’t go in expecting bloodbath horror, because you’ll be disappointed.
So I picked up Holy Boy purely because it stood out, bright red cover, sprayed edges, “worship has never been bloodier” on the back… I was expecting something really dark, violent, maybe even a bit Misery-esque with the whole “K-pop star kidnapped by obsessed fans” premise.
That is not the book you get.
For me, this was a solid 4 stars, but I think you have to go into it expecting a psychological thriller rather than a gory, shocking horror. It’s not particularly bloody, and it’s not constantly high drama in the way the blurb makes you think. It’s actually quite slow, quite sad in places, and much more about obsession, control, and the weird dynamics between fans and idols.
The story follows a K-pop star who’s kidnapped by four women, all unhinged in their own ways. And honestly… “unhinged” is the best word for them. None of them feel stable, and the main instigator especially is deeply unsettling. She has this obsession with youth and young men that’s just uncomfortable. Not in a shocking, graphic way, but in a “this is psychologically not right” kind of way.
What stood out to me the most though wasn’t even the kidnapping plot, it was the commentary on the K-pop industry itself. There’s an early moment where the company basically chooses not to go to the police about threats because it might damage the idol’s image, and I just sat there like… what? But then the more I thought about it (and, yes, did a bit of Googling), the more it made sense within that context. It really leans into the idea of idols being products rather than people, which is honestly quite unsettling in itself.
I also think being a translated novel plays into the experience. It reads well, but there are moments where you can feel that cultural gap a bit, where things don’t land quite how you expect them to, or you’re left going “hang on… what exactly does that mean?” But I didn’t mind that too much, if anything, it added to the slightly off, disorienting feel of the whole book.
In terms of the actual shock factor, I wouldn’t say it’s shocking. There’s death, there are dark themes, but it’s not extreme or graphic. Even the K-pop star himself isn’t what I expected. If anything, he comes across quite gentle for most of the book, and then right at the end there’s a bit of a shift that makes you question things, which I actually liked.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s not what it says on the tin at all, but if you go in expecting a darker, slightly strange, psychological look at obsession and the K-pop industry, it’s a really solid read. Just don’t go in expecting bloodbath horror, because you’ll be disappointed.
March 14, 2026
This definitely goes into the ‘not for the faint of heart’ category 🫢
A little side note: like Butter by Asako Yuzuki, this is NOT a thriller. It’s a commentary on many historical, sociological and psychological issues - if you’re looking for a fun, crime-y story (which I feel is the way it has been marketed), this is not the book for you.
A little side note: like Butter by Asako Yuzuki, this is NOT a thriller. It’s a commentary on many historical, sociological and psychological issues - if you’re looking for a fun, crime-y story (which I feel is the way it has been marketed), this is not the book for you.
April 11, 2026
Rating: 3.25 stars
Yosep was a popular idol who went missing under mysterious circumstances. In the mansion where he was found were a few other dead bodies, and the narrator speculates what might have led to this outcome, based on the identification of those bodies. What she imagines is a story of obsessive/possessive fanaticism and the implosion of a group of accomplices due to their isolation with an individual each of them sees as her own.
HOLY BOY isn’t exactly what I’d call a thriller—it isn’t fast-paced and it doesn’t keep me worrying in the way I’d expect of a thriller, but it did have me worrying about both Yosep and any individual who came by the mansion after the first murder. Instead, the novel feels something like a character study, imagining the backstory of every character who gets pulled into this web of fanaticism-turned-crime, as well as an attempt at analysing each perpetrator involved with Yosep. Companies market their idols as products, and certain fans end up buying into it and seeing their idols as their possessions rather than as individuals with wills of their own. HOLY BOY draws up an extreme picture: the women try to possess their idol and keep him cooped up, to be theirs, but the real world comes knocking and they are backed into a corner—what next? It was a daring book, kind of disgusting in a lot of scenes, but with the continued move of the entertainment industry into pushing for parasocialism, perhaps this kind of commentary is necessary.
Yosep was a popular idol who went missing under mysterious circumstances. In the mansion where he was found were a few other dead bodies, and the narrator speculates what might have led to this outcome, based on the identification of those bodies. What she imagines is a story of obsessive/possessive fanaticism and the implosion of a group of accomplices due to their isolation with an individual each of them sees as her own.
HOLY BOY isn’t exactly what I’d call a thriller—it isn’t fast-paced and it doesn’t keep me worrying in the way I’d expect of a thriller, but it did have me worrying about both Yosep and any individual who came by the mansion after the first murder. Instead, the novel feels something like a character study, imagining the backstory of every character who gets pulled into this web of fanaticism-turned-crime, as well as an attempt at analysing each perpetrator involved with Yosep. Companies market their idols as products, and certain fans end up buying into it and seeing their idols as their possessions rather than as individuals with wills of their own. HOLY BOY draws up an extreme picture: the women try to possess their idol and keep him cooped up, to be theirs, but the real world comes knocking and they are backed into a corner—what next? It was a daring book, kind of disgusting in a lot of scenes, but with the continued move of the entertainment industry into pushing for parasocialism, perhaps this kind of commentary is necessary.
February 21, 2026
“I’m your number one fan.”
Holy Boy follows the story of four women who kidnap a K-pop idol.
This was really hard to put down. I love that the story plays into Stephen King’s Misery a bit, going as far as even referencing the book. I found it interesting to learn about the main characters’ backstories and how they ended up in this situation.
However the story jumps around a lot which made it super confusing to read at times, but other than that I recommend checking out this “I want to look away, but can’t” type novel.
Holy Boy follows the story of four women who kidnap a K-pop idol.
This was really hard to put down. I love that the story plays into Stephen King’s Misery a bit, going as far as even referencing the book. I found it interesting to learn about the main characters’ backstories and how they ended up in this situation.
However the story jumps around a lot which made it super confusing to read at times, but other than that I recommend checking out this “I want to look away, but can’t” type novel.
Did Not Finish
March 29, 2026DNF at 50 pages.
My toxic trait is that I picked this book up despite the reviews and thought to myself "I can change him (my perception.)"
Believe the girls. An intriguing concept about women kidnapping a Kpop star but the writing/translation is so mid, it's taken away any excitement there could be. Can someone write this concept better please? (not Misery, thanks. I want it to be Kpop.)
My toxic trait is that I picked this book up despite the reviews and thought to myself "I can change him (my perception.)"
Believe the girls. An intriguing concept about women kidnapping a Kpop star but the writing/translation is so mid, it's taken away any excitement there could be. Can someone write this concept better please? (not Misery, thanks. I want it to be Kpop.)
March 6, 2026
The story just jumped all over the place, I was so confused and it became hard to follow. Was so close to dnf-ing but somehow managed to pushed through.
March 23, 2026
A weird and unsettling read. Holy Boy felt both disturbing and muddled, leaving me unsure of what the story was even trying to say.
The story follows a group of women whose collective obsession with a beautiful young man spirals into something dark and voyeuristic, exploring the unsettling boundary between admiration and a disturbing fixation.
I usually love 'unhinged' stories about people who aren't exactly someone who fits into a standard mold, so the plot should have been a perfect fit for me. I’m a fan of messy, unconventional characters, but this particular story felt too muddled to enjoy. It was disturbing and confusing, and unfortunately, that was about it. I really struggled to grasp the story’s intent or keep track of what was actually happening.
It seems like a case of a book being overambitious—it tried to tackle too much at once and became far too confusing along the way. I definitely understand the criticism on this one.
The story follows a group of women whose collective obsession with a beautiful young man spirals into something dark and voyeuristic, exploring the unsettling boundary between admiration and a disturbing fixation.
I usually love 'unhinged' stories about people who aren't exactly someone who fits into a standard mold, so the plot should have been a perfect fit for me. I’m a fan of messy, unconventional characters, but this particular story felt too muddled to enjoy. It was disturbing and confusing, and unfortunately, that was about it. I really struggled to grasp the story’s intent or keep track of what was actually happening.
It seems like a case of a book being overambitious—it tried to tackle too much at once and became far too confusing along the way. I definitely understand the criticism on this one.
March 14, 2026
Mihee found it hard to believe that he, too, was melting under the fire that was time, but if she were to slit his stomach, only fat would smear the blade. Even an angel would smell like grilled meat when burnt in the fire.
pure cinema. the perfect blue girlies will get it.
pure cinema. the perfect blue girlies will get it.
March 9, 2026
had a great time reading this .loved the multiple angles of perspective it takes u through and the disjointed timeline keeps u on edge throughout the novel. only thing im not so much a fan of is the big ass chapters and when i say big i mean colossal. theres about 4 chapters in this whole book. other than that tho was a fun read.
February 26, 2026
4.25 rating
Literally insane. Like, actually.
This takes an experimental and critical approach to the K-pop industry and how idolizing someone can lead to the demise of sanity and the loss of reality. I can see why some people would find it crass and off putting but I think that’s the point. It’s not supposed to be easy to digest but rather make one rethink and evaluate the dangers of idolization.
I think the writing style threw me off for a bit but then you get really used to it. You get a glimpse of how everyone knows and is affected by Yosep and what he means to them. Some were more civil than others and sometimes I was thinking ‘why is this needed?’ and then it clicks!!!! And it’s absolutely terrifying and crazy.
I think the ending is supposed to be incredibly uncomfortable. We see how the daughter is incredibly critical towards her father but because she doesn’t know him. She only knows information about him through her mother, who is a compete nut job - and the daughter obviously takes from her.
Overall, I think this can be applied with any famous individual within any culture. Fandoms are great, but it’s the extremity which makes it utterly dangerous and terrifying.
Literally insane. Like, actually.
This takes an experimental and critical approach to the K-pop industry and how idolizing someone can lead to the demise of sanity and the loss of reality. I can see why some people would find it crass and off putting but I think that’s the point. It’s not supposed to be easy to digest but rather make one rethink and evaluate the dangers of idolization.
I think the writing style threw me off for a bit but then you get really used to it. You get a glimpse of how everyone knows and is affected by Yosep and what he means to them. Some were more civil than others and sometimes I was thinking ‘why is this needed?’ and then it clicks!!!! And it’s absolutely terrifying and crazy.
I think the ending is supposed to be incredibly uncomfortable. We see how the daughter is incredibly critical towards her father but because she doesn’t know him. She only knows information about him through her mother, who is a compete nut job - and the daughter obviously takes from her.
Overall, I think this can be applied with any famous individual within any culture. Fandoms are great, but it’s the extremity which makes it utterly dangerous and terrifying.
February 19, 2026
February 2026
Paperback edition
I brought this book for my sister, I just got to read it first. Instant Misery vibes and that is mentioned in the story. Apparently the women have limits. No breaking bones.
It’s f’d up from the get go. Four women kidnapping an idol, each with their own reason to do so. It gets weird. The opening chapters are from the idol’s pov. It is weird how he was referred to as boy and at one point I felt the need to double check his age.
I think the saddest bit was the unnecessary deaths on the way. Add in the one that pushed him to ‘fake his death’ and yeah, a lot going on. 4 stars based on a game of Eenie meenie since I couldn’t decide between 3 or 4.
The more I think about this book the more ill I start to feel. I’m hoping she wasn’t the real mother.
Paperback edition
I brought this book for my sister, I just got to read it first. Instant Misery vibes and that is mentioned in the story. Apparently the women have limits. No breaking bones.
It’s f’d up from the get go. Four women kidnapping an idol, each with their own reason to do so. It gets weird. The opening chapters are from the idol’s pov. It is weird how he was referred to as boy and at one point I felt the need to double check his age.
I think the saddest bit was the unnecessary deaths on the way. Add in the one that pushed him to ‘fake his death’ and yeah, a lot going on. 4 stars based on a game of Eenie meenie since I couldn’t decide between 3 or 4.
The more I think about this book the more ill I start to feel. I’m hoping she wasn’t the real mother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2026
Butter meets You vibes.
April 20, 2026
I have mixed feelings about this one, which is a shame because I really wanted to like it. I suspect that it's the topic of Kpop fandom culture itself that is challenging to write about because most depictions of fans end up becoming a negotiation between the roles of victim and aggressor. Even for a really good story about it, like Rin Usami's 'Idol Burning,' it runs the risk of under-attributing agency to fans. Fans are either poor sheeple brainwashed into financial recklessness by greedy companies, or they are mentally unstable (and undesirable! don't forget that) women whose lust for pretty boys borders on violent lunacy. There are other ways to be a fan that don't approach either, but casual and calm fanhood is boring and no one wants to read about it. I believe most people can be objective and recognise extreme fiction for its, well, extremity, and the very narrow scope of fandom portrayed, but at the same time I felt wary. Of course there are fans out there who do things like stalk, send bomb threats, or harass the object of their obsessions, but already there are people who seize on any opportunity to denigrate female fans, and they are not doing it out of genuine concern for the idols but because they are misogynists whose hatred (and jealousy?) extends also to the effeminate, 'consumable' male idols themselves. Same coin.
Another issue I flagged was the absent critique of the idol industry itself, the money-making machine. Idols and fans don't pop out of nowhere, sustained by air alone. There is an entire economy behind it that aims to produce desire that can never be fulfilled entirely, only in piecemeal, and only through consumption. The focus here was largely on fans and their errant behaviours—their disproportionate response to dating rumours, breaking and entering, disregard for animal life—with no engagement with the systems fuelling, even allowing, their abandon. (cont)
Absent also is the personhood of the idol, Yosep, who we get to know only through the lens of women's desire for him, framing him as a victim of predatory paedophilia with just enough emotion to feel disgusted by ugly older women and attracted to his prettiest captor. But why did he train to become an idol? How does he feel about his fans? There's no interiority here, not unlike the creepy sex mannequin of him. As for his captors, their twisted mindsets/ tragic lore are more or less revealed to the reader, but the moment they fell, the first time they laid eyes on Yosef, there's no depth beyond a superficial attraction so overpowering that it rewires their brain. Towards the end, his captors become flattened into jealous delusional competitors for his affection, and still there is no reason given for what exactly is so attractive about him besides his face. Is a face enough to turn people into murderers?
Another issue I flagged was the absent critique of the idol industry itself, the money-making machine. Idols and fans don't pop out of nowhere, sustained by air alone. There is an entire economy behind it that aims to produce desire that can never be fulfilled entirely, only in piecemeal, and only through consumption. The focus here was largely on fans and their errant behaviours—their disproportionate response to dating rumours, breaking and entering, disregard for animal life—with no engagement with the systems fuelling, even allowing, their abandon. (cont)
Absent also is the personhood of the idol, Yosep, who we get to know only through the lens of women's desire for him, framing him as a victim of predatory paedophilia with just enough emotion to feel disgusted by ugly older women and attracted to his prettiest captor. But why did he train to become an idol? How does he feel about his fans? There's no interiority here, not unlike the creepy sex mannequin of him. As for his captors, their twisted mindsets/ tragic lore are more or less revealed to the reader, but the moment they fell, the first time they laid eyes on Yosef, there's no depth beyond a superficial attraction so overpowering that it rewires their brain. Towards the end, his captors become flattened into jealous delusional competitors for his affection, and still there is no reason given for what exactly is so attractive about him besides his face. Is a face enough to turn people into murderers?
April 8, 2026
Before actually picking this one up, i thought it would be an ode to K-pop idols and their fans, a fanfiction romance or something like that. A soft, aesthetic one. Boy, I was wrong. Holy Boy doesn’t merely turn dark. It plunges headfirst into obsession and moral ruin.
Yosep is a twenty-one-year-old K-pop idol whose beauty and fame have inspired near-religious fixation. He's a Holy Boy! Four women, each carrying her own emotional hunger, grief, loneliness, and history, become bound together by their obsession with him. Their shared devotion spirals into a dangerous fear when they kidnap Yosep and take him to a remote mansion in the mountains. There, the fantasy of protecting and possessing him turns sinister. Loyalties crack, buried truths surface, and their united act of fanaticism turns into a vicious internal war.
This is a gritty, gruesome, psychologically feral literary thriller. It takes fandom, desire, loneliness, and possession and drags them into bloodier, uglier territory. It is disturbing in a very deliberate way. It is dark in the truest sense because it stares directly at the ugliest corners of human actions.
Holy Boy feels dark, gory, disturbing, and emotionally unclean in the best possible way. A thriller that is brutal, psychologically intense, and willing to get ugly without flinching. It does not promise comfort and I can guarantee that is doesn't provide that. It promises obsession, blood, madness, and the collapse of anything resembling sanity.
Yosep is a twenty-one-year-old K-pop idol whose beauty and fame have inspired near-religious fixation. He's a Holy Boy! Four women, each carrying her own emotional hunger, grief, loneliness, and history, become bound together by their obsession with him. Their shared devotion spirals into a dangerous fear when they kidnap Yosep and take him to a remote mansion in the mountains. There, the fantasy of protecting and possessing him turns sinister. Loyalties crack, buried truths surface, and their united act of fanaticism turns into a vicious internal war.
This is a gritty, gruesome, psychologically feral literary thriller. It takes fandom, desire, loneliness, and possession and drags them into bloodier, uglier territory. It is disturbing in a very deliberate way. It is dark in the truest sense because it stares directly at the ugliest corners of human actions.
Holy Boy feels dark, gory, disturbing, and emotionally unclean in the best possible way. A thriller that is brutal, psychologically intense, and willing to get ugly without flinching. It does not promise comfort and I can guarantee that is doesn't provide that. It promises obsession, blood, madness, and the collapse of anything resembling sanity.
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