Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee. Unabridged audiobook. ~8 hours. Read by Greta Jung. HarperAudio, June, 2020. 9780063019225. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee. This breezy romance is Ms. Lee's debut. Sixteen-year-old Skye Shin has been singing and dancing all her life. It's her passion and she has stuck with it despite her mother's constant discouragement, well, abuse really. Skye has always been plus-size, a fact that her mother never lets her forget. But she's fit and healthy and a fantastic dancer.

When Skye decides to audition for a K-Pop singing and dancing competition, her mother doubles down on her insults, claiming she's only trying to protect Skye from public humiliation. She nails her audition securing a spot in both categories despite the lone female judge's attempt to fat-shame her. Skye is comfortable in her skin despite societal prejudice against fat people. Ms. Lee deftly weaves in issues over weight and appearance without bogging down the narrative. 

The audio performance by new-to-me narrator Greta Jung was perfectly paced. She brought Skye's spunk as well as vulnerability to life. 

I'll Be the One is the perfect read for romance fans grade 7 & up, especially if you are a fan of Julie Murphy's Dumplin' or of K-Pop. This was a perfect way to spend a lovely summer afternoon. I am looking forward to Lyla Lee's next book.