Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
Genre: Realistic Fiction; Romance
Reviewed by Julia W., 9th Grade
Rating: 10/10
Once Upon a K-Prom follows Korean-American high schooler Elena Soo. Elena is someone who doesn't yet know who she really is. One of the only things Elena knows for sure is that she isn't going to prom. However, when her childhood best friend, and now number one K-pop star, comes back into her life, prom may be worth a visit. But is Robbie Choi still the same guy Elena once knew? Elena doesn't think so. She hasn’t seen Robbie in seven years and it seems like over that time he has become a different person. The two have had an ambivalent relationship so Elena doesn’t still see the same things in him that she once did. How far is Robbie willing to go to convince Elena that he is the same person she used to know and love?
It is so much fun to read this novel and see Elena's character development. Elena's character development is quite subtle, just how I think it would be in real life. This novel shows how sometimes all it takes is one special person standing by your side to bring out the best version of yourself. We have all seen characters develop a new version of themselves in movies, tv shows and of course books. Sometimes, however, it isn’t really questioned why the character has changed. We all know the story of The Lion King and how Simba lives his life in the jungle thinking he is responsible for his father’s death. He is far too scared to return back to his home of the pridelands. However, Simba returns at the end of the movie with confidence and claims what is rightfully his. Simba’s character development is widely known but it is kind of ignored how Timon, Pumba and Nala are the ones who give Simba his confidence and change his character. Once Upon a K-Prom did an excellent job of not skipping over that aspect and showed me who led to the changes in Elena’s character. I really appreciate how the author did that in a subtle way but at the same time it was still noticeable.
Perhaps the best thing about this book, in my opinion, is the variety of problems that the characters face. Oftentimes, when you read anything from a short story to a novel, there is one main problem. However, I don't really see that in Once Upon a K-Prom. There isn’t really one problem that sticks out as being the most important one to resolve. When the local community center needs funding, the serious issue of how to get that money occurs. When dating is brought up between secondary characters it becomes a big problem. They are public figures and it could ruin their careers if they are caught. There are many more issues that occur and greatly range from one and other. Throughout all of these problems the author uses a certain rawness. The author seems to have a very good understanding of the topics she is writing about so her content is very accurate and well developed. There doesn't seem to be any sugar coating, only the real deal, which is something I love and value in writing.
There is honestly nothing about this book that I didn't like. From the characters to the storyline everything seemed to be very well thought out and arranged. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Once Upon a K-Prom and even read some parts several times. I hope you will give it a try too!