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roglows's review against another edition
4.0
This book was like a breath of fresh air: the diversity of its characters, the vivid setting (LA itself was an character!) and the authenticity of the Clara's sassy, teenaged voice. Everything felt legit, relevant and honest - I loved that. Initially, I worried that the constant detailing of everything little thing would feel tedious (and kind of like telling vs showing), but as the story progressed, it helped suck me into each scene. I feel like I got to know the heartbeat of Los Angeles - the colors of its skies, the many flavors of its food scene, and the various neighborhoods these kids traverse.
Clara's a Korean-American high-school student, daughter of a single dad who owns a food truck. Her mom, with whom she initially seems somewhat enamored, is a wandering Instagram celebrity - we all know the kind. Lovely, glamorous...and a little shallow seeming.
This story is about finding new friends and the pain of outgrowing new ones, falling for a different kind of guy (Hamlet! whatta cutie!) and the warmth of family and how good it feels to come home.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Clara's a Korean-American high-school student, daughter of a single dad who owns a food truck. Her mom, with whom she initially seems somewhat enamored, is a wandering Instagram celebrity - we all know the kind. Lovely, glamorous...and a little shallow seeming.
This story is about finding new friends and the pain of outgrowing new ones, falling for a different kind of guy (Hamlet! whatta cutie!) and the warmth of family and how good it feels to come home.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
leafblade's review
4.0
I got an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
At its core, an ode to diversity.
While it is a light, feel-good contemporary summer story, it got to so many topics. Single-parent families, divorced parents, teenage pregnancy, friendship, getting to know people you think you don't like, real and non-toxic relationships, tradition, belonging, superficiality. If any of these things speak to you, I highly recommend you preorder The way you make me feel.
The main character was a jock at first, but then she grew into herself and worked on making sense of her feelings and fears. I wish we would've gotten the jock Clara all the way through the end, but it didn't feel wrong for her to develop in this way.
This was my first Maurene Goo book, but I'll definitely pick up something else by her in the future.
At its core, an ode to diversity.
While it is a light, feel-good contemporary summer story, it got to so many topics. Single-parent families, divorced parents, teenage pregnancy, friendship, getting to know people you think you don't like, real and non-toxic relationships, tradition, belonging, superficiality. If any of these things speak to you, I highly recommend you preorder The way you make me feel.
The main character was a jock at first, but then she grew into herself and worked on making sense of her feelings and fears. I wish we would've gotten the jock Clara all the way through the end, but it didn't feel wrong for her to develop in this way.
This was my first Maurene Goo book, but I'll definitely pick up something else by her in the future.
powderysweetgirly's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't finish the whole book, but I read most of it+ the ending and here's some of my thoughts as pros and cons.
Pros:
• The dynamic between Clara and her dad was really cute and felt pretty realistic! I really enjoyed some of their little banters!
•The dad felt really realistic and I he was really great character! Made this book a bit easier to sit through.
•This book is pretty short, so if you want a short book that you can read and enjoy without thinking much, then this book is great!
Cons:
•Clara. I know she changes into a more tolerable person, but I just couldn't STAND her. I think Maurene wanted Clara to be an enjoyable kinda snarky character, but she just misses her mark. Clara just comes off as a rude, spoiled brat. She blames everyone else for her problems and hates Rose for no reason, except that Rose caught her smoking (or trying to smoke) and told. I could go into all the reasons Clara is insufferable, but I don't want this review to be too long.
•The romance was 'meh' at best. Was kinda disappointed with how fast it developed and how shallow it felt, especially from a romance centred book. Hamlet fell way too fast and so did Clara! Also Hamlet's character was so 1-dimensional (I mean he was cute, but Maurene could flesh out his character a bit more). I might've liked this book more if it just didn't have romance
• This book's humour just didn't land with me, I understand that humour is subjective, but none of the jokes stuck. They all felt really childish and like a 30-yr old person would think teen girls would joke about. I have this con at the bottom because, again, humour is subjective
•Maurene Gol doesn't seem to know how to write high school students without generalizing them and making them fall into a clique. It's a problem most older authors fall into when writing a book about teenagers and it's annoying. The characters feel a bit too over exaggerated at some points and I boil it down to bad characterization. Maurene needs to take more care in making sure her characters are more enjoyable.
Overall: Came in with pretty low expectations (mostly wanted a quick and cute read and wasn't expecting a complicated plot) and was somehow disappointed. I think this book would've been better if Rose was the main character and I would've related to her more. She also, probably, been a more enjoyable character to follow. I also wish there was no/less romance and this book focused more on the friendship between Clara and Rose as we watch it go from enemies to friends (maybe something more and a potential SAPPHIC book...jkjk)
Pros:
• The dynamic between Clara and her dad was really cute and felt pretty realistic! I really enjoyed some of their little banters!
•The dad felt really realistic and I he was really great character! Made this book a bit easier to sit through.
•This book is pretty short, so if you want a short book that you can read and enjoy without thinking much, then this book is great!
Cons:
•Clara. I know she changes into a more tolerable person, but I just couldn't STAND her. I think Maurene wanted Clara to be an enjoyable kinda snarky character, but she just misses her mark. Clara just comes off as a rude, spoiled brat. She blames everyone else for her problems and hates Rose for no reason, except that Rose caught her smoking (or trying to smoke) and told. I could go into all the reasons Clara is insufferable, but I don't want this review to be too long.
•The romance was 'meh' at best. Was kinda disappointed with how fast it developed and how shallow it felt, especially from a romance centred book. Hamlet fell way too fast and so did Clara! Also Hamlet's character was so 1-dimensional (I mean he was cute, but Maurene could flesh out his character a bit more). I might've liked this book more if it just didn't have romance
• This book's humour just didn't land with me, I understand that humour is subjective, but none of the jokes stuck. They all felt really childish and like a 30-yr old person would think teen girls would joke about. I have this con at the bottom because, again, humour is subjective
•Maurene Gol doesn't seem to know how to write high school students without generalizing them and making them fall into a clique. It's a problem most older authors fall into when writing a book about teenagers and it's annoying. The characters feel a bit too over exaggerated at some points and I boil it down to bad characterization. Maurene needs to take more care in making sure her characters are more enjoyable.
Overall: Came in with pretty low expectations (mostly wanted a quick and cute read and wasn't expecting a complicated plot) and was somehow disappointed. I think this book would've been better if Rose was the main character and I would've related to her more. She also, probably, been a more enjoyable character to follow. I also wish there was no/less romance and this book focused more on the friendship between Clara and Rose as we watch it go from enemies to friends (maybe something more and a potential SAPPHIC book...jkjk)
powderysweetgirly's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2/5! Didn't have
SUPER high exceptions and it still disappointed me somehow
Maurene has disappointed me with this book. I was really looking forward to reading about Clara because she is about the same age as me, but Clara wasn't an enjoyable character. A big problem I've realized that authors have, when writing about teenagers, is that they always put the teenagers into a cliche and that make the character(s) come off as one-dimensional. That's the problem Clara has. Maurene, probably, wanted Clara to be a snarky bitch that everyone loves, but she just comes off as a snarky bitch because Maurene didn't take time to carefully craft her as a character
Aside from Clara being a very bad heroine, this book was also just lacking. The romance was meh, Hamlet is cute, but I honestly thought the romance could've been good, if the characters actually had CHARACTER! As cute as hamlet is, he falls into the same problem has and it's that he has no character! He is bland and he's just there to fall in love with Claral I would've enjoyed the book more, IF Maurene focused more on the friendship between Rose and Clara!
rballenger's review against another edition
4.0
Type of read: Commuter/Travel Read.
What made me pick it up: Saw it on a Goodreads list and the cover caught my eye.
Overall rating: A lighthearted but well thought out easy read. 'The Way You Make Me Feel' explores stepping out of your comfort zone and how you trust those around you. Clara was a relatable main character and I really enjoyed the background that was provided on her family and her relationships. I had zero expectations for this book and honestly, I really enjoyed it. The ending wasn't as predictable as I had anticipated, which I also really appreciated. I definitely feel like 'The Way You Make Me Feel' would appeal to a younger audience without feeling childish, there isn't any adult or explicit content. I do see multiple reviewers bringing up a situation in the book involving pork and food prep that also didn't leave the best taste in my mouth (no pun intended). And while I don't agree with how it was played out in the book, and absolutely do not think it is acceptable, that particular scene did not prevent me from finishing the book.
What made me pick it up: Saw it on a Goodreads list and the cover caught my eye.
Overall rating: A lighthearted but well thought out easy read. 'The Way You Make Me Feel' explores stepping out of your comfort zone and how you trust those around you. Clara was a relatable main character and I really enjoyed the background that was provided on her family and her relationships. I had zero expectations for this book and honestly, I really enjoyed it. The ending wasn't as predictable as I had anticipated, which I also really appreciated. I definitely feel like 'The Way You Make Me Feel' would appeal to a younger audience without feeling childish, there isn't any adult or explicit content. I do see multiple reviewers bringing up a situation in the book involving pork and food prep that also didn't leave the best taste in my mouth (no pun intended). And while I don't agree with how it was played out in the book, and absolutely do not think it is acceptable, that particular scene did not prevent me from finishing the book.
literaryleftie's review
4.0
If I'm being honest, this would have been a hard 3 star if they had won the food truck competition. Nothing could have convinced me to rate it any other way.
With that out of the way. I really enjoyed this book. This book took lots of turns that I wasn't expecting. It definitely kept me on my toes and was not super stereotypical. Great characters. Great growth. I loved this. I would definitely read it again. And that cover is beautiful. I love the colors.
With that out of the way. I really enjoyed this book. This book took lots of turns that I wasn't expecting. It definitely kept me on my toes and was not super stereotypical. Great characters. Great growth. I loved this. I would definitely read it again. And that cover is beautiful. I love the colors.
marieintheraw's review
4.0
Some suspended belief is necessary when coming to how Clara ends up working on the food truck. However, this story is wonderful and you become as invested in it as Clara does in her dad's food truck. Oh, and it made me hungry.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however all opinions are my own.
kvreadsandrecs's review
3.0
2.5. I wasn’t in love with any of the storylines. Some didn’t seem wrapped up, others weren’t fully fleshed out. I really thought it was going to be a queer romcom, but it wasn’t at all? I dunno. Not my favorite, but I won’t give up on the author.
starrysea98's review
3.0
I really didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown out of novels with high school girls as the protagonist or maybe because I don’t relate at all to American lifestyle. But I digress.
I really enjoyed Maureen’s previous book and I’m so glad that finally there’s some Asian representation in YA literature. I just couldn’t connect well to the main protagonist and really, I was just reading to get to the end. This book would be great for 15-16 year old me who was struggling hard to come to terms with my Asian roots though - and that’s why I’m glad I picked it up.
I really enjoyed Maureen’s previous book and I’m so glad that finally there’s some Asian representation in YA literature. I just couldn’t connect well to the main protagonist and really, I was just reading to get to the end. This book would be great for 15-16 year old me who was struggling hard to come to terms with my Asian roots though - and that’s why I’m glad I picked it up.