Hmmm... mixed feelings on this.
I was a bit afraid because I thought it would be pretty shallow and sanitized, which is typically the norm for anything involving K-Pop and the idols' squeaky clean images. I do think there were bits that were sanitized. As an example of what I mean, the author talks a bit about Big Hit Entertainment's beginnings and explains that BTS' sister group, GLAM, disbanded simply because they couldn't maintain enough fanbase. Which like... kinda true, but they also had one of the biggest scandals in the K-Pop industry ever lol.

They didn't shy away from talking about issues that BTS had as a group especially as they gained popularity, but it still felt quite surface-level to me. I would have liked it to be a bit more honest about the grueling process of training and practicing; although they were straight-up about how many hours and how much hard work they put in, it was written almost like something to admire and something heartfelt and inspiring, but it's one of the parts of the idol industry that I find the most off-putting.

Although I really liked seeing the inner thoughts of the members, I didn't feel like their emotions went super in-depth. Like at one point V talks about how he spent basically 24 hours straight working because he was filming his drama as well as performing on tour at the same time, and the members talked about how they would have to sleep for 10 minutes at a time during filming and practicing, but the way it was written sort of felt like we as the reader were supposed to be in awe. Don't get me wrong, it is impressive and gave me a whole new admiration for BTS as a whole but... it felt a bit off to me.

I had to wonder how much of the members' personal anecdotes had to go through an approval process or something.  This might be because of my own biases and beliefs but those issues did make the memoir feel a bit less "real" to me personally. For being the only K-Pop memoir in existence, I have to give it some recognition, and I guess it's good in that sense. But comparing it to other memoirs I've read, I just don't think it has the emotional impact I look for from a memoir.

I will say, you will 100% love this if you are an ARMY. There are so many tidbits and quotes that are super fun to know as a fan. I consider myself a casual fan, having grown up during their debut and following them here and there throughout the years, but never really considering myself a huge fan, and I still found it quite fun. Also, if you are a 2nd/3rd gen K-Pop fan, I think you will really like this simply because it's nostalgic, and there are some fun facts about how the idol industry changed during this time. Like, Suga talks about how he wanted to work with Big Hit because he liked T-ARA's "Like the First Time" which was just a blast from the past (I'm so old kill me).

I also will admit that I came away from this admiring BTS a lot more for their contributions to K-Pop and I definitely can see how they influenced the current generation of idols and are still influencing the industry today. I especially liked to see the members' mindsets which helped to humanize them a lot despite my critiques of it being a bit shallow. I really came away feeling like I understood them and how their constant hard work and desire to be better as people affected their ability to be so successful. Especially RM, I was just consistently impressed with how he expressed himself, his ideals, and his mindset.

To me, it's good but not the best, and a lot of my enjoyment I think was influenced by nostalgia and the fact that it's like the only book about K-Pop in existence. I'm also aware of the societal/legal/cultural differences between America and Korea which would explain the difference which is why I say I have mixed feelings. I just can't rate it any higher, sorry!