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annsbibliotherapy's review
3.0
I had a really hard time getting into this book, there were several times I thought about putting it down and just being done with it but I'm so glad I didn't do that. The story was a bit predictable, maybe that's just because I've read so many ya books, but this one was cute and once I got into it I couldn't put it down.
Imagine being a senior in high school, trying as hard as you can and feeling like it's just not enough, never knowing which side of your parents you're going to get or if they'll be supportive, having anxiety because you get a 79 on a test, being expected to pick the perfect friends, and the perfect boyfriend (with a little help from Miss Moon), That was Jisus' life, and as stressful as that was it was about to get worse.
Finding out she was being shipped across the world "literally" for her senior year came as a shock, she didn't even have time to say goodbye to her best friends, and to a teenager that is everything, I know, I've asked a few lol.
She manages to find a space to fit in in San Francisco, even making friends, some good, some not so good, she meets boys, joins clubs and seems to be having a normal high school experience, well as normal as it can be when she's also trying to juggle an matchmaker and the possibility of needing to find a new "home" hanging over her. Ohh and did I mention she's trying to get into IVY LEAGUE colleges?
I seriously wish the ending had been a little clearer, I'd like to know which college she ultimately chose, and if she and Dave made it or not but all in all it's a fun easy read once you get into it, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Melissa de la Cruz after this one.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, and 4 if the ending had been clearer on the life choices of the main characters.
Imagine being a senior in high school, trying as hard as you can and feeling like it's just not enough, never knowing which side of your parents you're going to get or if they'll be supportive, having anxiety because you get a 79 on a test, being expected to pick the perfect friends, and the perfect boyfriend (with a little help from Miss Moon), That was Jisus' life, and as stressful as that was it was about to get worse.
Finding out she was being shipped across the world "literally" for her senior year came as a shock, she didn't even have time to say goodbye to her best friends, and to a teenager that is everything, I know, I've asked a few lol.
She manages to find a space to fit in in San Francisco, even making friends, some good, some not so good, she meets boys, joins clubs and seems to be having a normal high school experience, well as normal as it can be when she's also trying to juggle an matchmaker and the possibility of needing to find a new "home" hanging over her. Ohh and did I mention she's trying to get into IVY LEAGUE colleges?
I seriously wish the ending had been a little clearer, I'd like to know which college she ultimately chose, and if she and Dave made it or not but all in all it's a fun easy read once you get into it, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Melissa de la Cruz after this one.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, and 4 if the ending had been clearer on the life choices of the main characters.
ferslibrary's review
4.0
Such a cute story! perfect for a quick read, i felt like i was starting to get into a reading slump and this was the perfect book to get me out of it, before it even started.
lizzy2111's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kkaste's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cupcates's review against another edition
2.0
life advice: if you're not part of a certain culture, trying to insert yourself into it via your main character and criticize it as if you were some kind of expert isn't a good idea.
missprint_'s review
4.0
Ji-Su is an average student in her prestigious school in Seoul filled with overachievers. Hoping to help her stand out in college applications both in South Korea and abroad, Ji-Su's parents decide to send her overseas to San Francisco.
There isn't even enough time to say goodbye to her two best friends before Ji-Su is on a plane to California. Being so far from home doesn't that mean Ji-Su is completely free to focus on her photography and having fun though. Instead Ji-Su is expected to focus on her schoolwork (which she would do anyway) and continue going on the seons (blind dates) that her parents have set up for her through a matchmaker.
Usually adults go on seons when they're ready to settle down. But as far as Ji-Su's mother is concerned it's never to early to find your perfect match. Ji-Su doesn't put much stock in the seons but it seems like an easy way to keep her parents happy and maybe even make some friends.
Just when Ji-Su starts to think she is getting the hang of being at a new school in a new city (and maybe even seons) she realizes that all of that is easy compared to falling in love for the first time in 29 Dates (2018) by Melissa de la Cruz.
De la Cruz's latest contemporary has a unique perspective in Ji-Su's first person narration. Each of Ji-Su's twenty-nine seons are detailed between chapters. These are fun exchanges though their structure as dialogue only is jarring compared to the traditional prose in the rest of the novel.
The blend of romance and humor is tempered well with Ji-Su's focus on school as she works on college applications and has to decide what to do as she ends up waitlisted at some of her schools.
29 Dates is a super cute romantic comedy perfect for fans of the genre. Recommended.
Possible Pairings: I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, Lucky in Love by Kasie West, The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
There isn't even enough time to say goodbye to her two best friends before Ji-Su is on a plane to California. Being so far from home doesn't that mean Ji-Su is completely free to focus on her photography and having fun though. Instead Ji-Su is expected to focus on her schoolwork (which she would do anyway) and continue going on the seons (blind dates) that her parents have set up for her through a matchmaker.
Usually adults go on seons when they're ready to settle down. But as far as Ji-Su's mother is concerned it's never to early to find your perfect match. Ji-Su doesn't put much stock in the seons but it seems like an easy way to keep her parents happy and maybe even make some friends.
Just when Ji-Su starts to think she is getting the hang of being at a new school in a new city (and maybe even seons) she realizes that all of that is easy compared to falling in love for the first time in 29 Dates (2018) by Melissa de la Cruz.
De la Cruz's latest contemporary has a unique perspective in Ji-Su's first person narration. Each of Ji-Su's twenty-nine seons are detailed between chapters. These are fun exchanges though their structure as dialogue only is jarring compared to the traditional prose in the rest of the novel.
The blend of romance and humor is tempered well with Ji-Su's focus on school as she works on college applications and has to decide what to do as she ends up waitlisted at some of her schools.
29 Dates is a super cute romantic comedy perfect for fans of the genre. Recommended.
Possible Pairings: I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, Lucky in Love by Kasie West, The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
cnstamper's review against another edition
2.0
I really WANTED to like this book--diverse representation! interesting premise! normalization of culturally specific events! feminism! But, it was very meh. I found it super predicable (and not in a fun way), the writing a bit stilted, and the social justice bits annoyingly in-your-face.
lovingrose_'s review
3.0
This book was light and easy to read. A decent story that has a cliché and simple romantic story. Some parts were funny to me. For me, it is a pass to me.