SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW by Maurene Goo follows two unlikely lovers as they sneak around Hong Kong avoiding the paparazzi and feasting on street food. Along the way, the characters explore the challenges of being in the media and question the morality of lying.

Lucky is one of the hottest K-pop stars and she’s on the cusp of her big American debut. If she can wow the crowd during her performance on The Later Tonight Show, her career will be made. There’s just one catch – she’s tired of abiding by the rigorous rules set by her management label. Eat this, DON’T eat that, dance here, smile there – she’s only seventeen but Lucky has never been a real teenager.

Enter Jack, a young photojournalist who realizes he’s on a date with an undercover Lucky. As they explore Hong Kong, Lucky reveals how hard it is to abide by the strict outlines of being an international superstar. When she contracted with her label, she agreed to living the lifestyle they assigned to her. Lucky’s diet is calculated. Her dating life is non-existent. Her image is squeaky clean. Yet she’s willing to do it all just because she loves music.

In addition to shining a light on the not so glamorous side of being a K-pop star, this novel also explores the morality of lying. Lucky lies about being a K-pop star while Jack lies about knowing who she is. Even though the characters are dishonest with each other, they are also dishonest with themselves. Lucky thinks she’s happy living this structured life and Jack thinks he’s happy as a photojournalist. Readers can find themselves in this story because sometimes we lie to convince ourselves that we’re happy. But true happiness comes when we learn to accept the truth for what it is.