Scan barcode
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Jasmine Yap is getting ready for graduation and planning a move to a new apartment with her boyfriend, Paul. But her friends and family dislike Paul and feel Jasmine can do better. So, when Paul suggests they take some time apart over the summer the family hatches a plan to introduce Jasmine to boys who are more worthy of her and to help her find a sense of self worth.
This was a cute rom-com with the family engineering a sort of Bachelorette competition for Jasmine’s affections. They identify three likely candidates and watch carefully to see which one she will pick. But …
Of course, the road to HEA is never without obstacles. But Ireland gives us reasonable (and interesting) responses from Jasmine, the “bachelors” and her family.
I really did like the dates Jasmine went on with these young men - beach picnics, batting practice, go-kart racing, movies, hanging out with friends, etc. And I also liked that Ireland gave several characters the moral fortitude to say, “Wait a minute … this isn’t right.” Finally, I liked that Ireland showed real growth in Jasmine’s character.
This was a cute rom-com with the family engineering a sort of Bachelorette competition for Jasmine’s affections. They identify three likely candidates and watch carefully to see which one she will pick. But …
Of course, the road to HEA is never without obstacles. But Ireland gives us reasonable (and interesting) responses from Jasmine, the “bachelors” and her family.
I really did like the dates Jasmine went on with these young men - beach picnics, batting practice, go-kart racing, movies, hanging out with friends, etc. And I also liked that Ireland gave several characters the moral fortitude to say, “Wait a minute … this isn’t right.” Finally, I liked that Ireland showed real growth in Jasmine’s character.
chip4201's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
3.5
mirareadsbooksforfun's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun and heartwarming story and group of characters, I really liked it! I hope to read more from this author in the future.
emmie1507's review against another edition
4.0
I. FREAKING. LOVE. THIS. BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS A MASTERPIECE *chef's kiss*!!!!!
I found the main character, Jasmine, extremely relatable (except the whole bachelorette thing). AND I EVEN NOTICED HER PERSONAL GROWTH!!!! I don't usually notice character's personal growth because I'm just that oblivious, BUT I noticed in this book! I feel like it was subtle...buy not, I don't know how to describe it, but it was great. I would HIGHLY recommend this book, especially for those that love love and love chick lits :)!!!!!
Content warning: small amount of language
Age recommendation: 14+
I found the main character, Jasmine, extremely relatable (except the whole bachelorette thing). AND I EVEN NOTICED HER PERSONAL GROWTH!!!! I don't usually notice character's personal growth because I'm just that oblivious, BUT I noticed in this book! I feel like it was subtle...buy not, I don't know how to describe it, but it was great. I would HIGHLY recommend this book, especially for those that love love and love chick lits :)!!!!!
Content warning: small amount of language
Age recommendation: 14+
fluffypancakes101's review against another edition
3.0
It was very good. A bit of a slow start in my opinion. I started the book in September and have been reading on and off. The lesson in this book is that jasmine finds her true worth. I really liked that. I recommend this book for people who don’t know what to read next.
esmewasreading's review against another edition
5.0
This book was nothing that I expected. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
HUGE TW for abusive relationships
This was the cutest tale of self discovery frosted in romance and cute family dynamics. I will say the main character was frustrating at some points but that was the point. It was just such a cute feel good book!
HUGE TW for abusive relationships
This was the cutest tale of self discovery frosted in romance and cute family dynamics. I will say the main character was frustrating at some points but that was the point. It was just such a cute feel good book!
gggina13's review against another edition
4.0
Probably more of a 3.5 stars
People are comparing this to 10 Blind Dates which I find sorta unfair? 10 Blind Dates is about a girl who ~somewhat~ willingly agrees to date guys that her family picks out for her
This decidedly.... is not that
Jasmine is dating a TOTAL scumbag, the kind of guy who tells you you ought to try the diet option, who orders without you if you're 5 minutes late, just a real POS. She's been with him for basically her entire high school career and is even planning on moving in with him after college. So when they end up in a one-sided open relationship, her family finally decides for her that she's had enough.
And when I say her family, I mean her entire family. There's aunts and uncles and grandmas and cousins.... probably anywhere from 30-50 mofos genuinely. One awesome thing off the bat is that her family is so diverse. She's adopted, and is Korean, her brother is also adopted and is Dominican (I think) and her adoptive family is half Italian and half Filipino. She has cousins of all races and has gay uncles and a bi cousin and that's just on page, so it's nice to see how diverse and modern their family is.
But yeah so her entire huge family comes to an agreement on 3 different boys who are eligible choices for Jasmine, and set her up The Bachelorette style. This comes in part due to Jasmine's older sister already having a successful The Bachelor commentary podcast. Jasmine has no clue that this is all orchestrated and is quite surprised when she meets 3 different cute guys the night of her graduation party who all seem relatively interested in her. (One of them is someone she already knew, who moved away a few years ago but is back for the summer) They all set up different run-ins with her and then they start to schedule dates and so she's really kind of casually seeing all these guys at once. Her sister, excited by the concept, makes a new podcast about Jasmine's love life, and it is going to lead up to their grandma's birthday part, the day the family decided their "competition" would end. Whichever guy Jasmine liked enough to invite as her plus one would officially be the winner. Of course, things go differently than expected, but that's the initial idea of their project, at least.
The boys are all sweet and they show Jasmine how normal and dateable boys should actually act. We know this because every single thing any of them does is compared to what Paul would do in that scenario..... it gets tiring after a while but it's good that she's learning her worth.
During the whole dating thing, we also have the issue of Jasmine and her chef aunt and their falling out a few years prior. Her aunt told her she wasn't good enough to be a cook, and that combined with Jasmine's generally fearful nature is enough to keep Jasmine simply dreaming about going to cook in Paris instead of ever pursuing it. Their relationship and Jasmine's future goals are both examined along with the expectations she has in romantic relationships.
The ending was pretty satisfying and the story was just compelling because you want to know what guy she ends up with (I really didn't know who she would like best for a while there) and what will happen if she finds out that her family is really behind this whole summer.
I think this is a good pick for teens in your life, especially ones drawn to toxic relationships or seem to be fearful of leaving their comfort zone.
People are comparing this to 10 Blind Dates which I find sorta unfair? 10 Blind Dates is about a girl who ~somewhat~ willingly agrees to date guys that her family picks out for her
This decidedly.... is not that
Jasmine is dating a TOTAL scumbag, the kind of guy who tells you you ought to try the diet option, who orders without you if you're 5 minutes late, just a real POS. She's been with him for basically her entire high school career and is even planning on moving in with him after college. So when they end up in a one-sided open relationship, her family finally decides for her that she's had enough.
And when I say her family, I mean her entire family. There's aunts and uncles and grandmas and cousins.... probably anywhere from 30-50 mofos genuinely. One awesome thing off the bat is that her family is so diverse. She's adopted, and is Korean, her brother is also adopted and is Dominican (I think) and her adoptive family is half Italian and half Filipino. She has cousins of all races and has gay uncles and a bi cousin and that's just on page, so it's nice to see how diverse and modern their family is.
But yeah so her entire huge family comes to an agreement on 3 different boys who are eligible choices for Jasmine, and set her up The Bachelorette style. This comes in part due to Jasmine's older sister already having a successful The Bachelor commentary podcast. Jasmine has no clue that this is all orchestrated and is quite surprised when she meets 3 different cute guys the night of her graduation party who all seem relatively interested in her. (One of them is someone she already knew, who moved away a few years ago but is back for the summer) They all set up different run-ins with her and then they start to schedule dates and so she's really kind of casually seeing all these guys at once. Her sister, excited by the concept, makes a new podcast about Jasmine's love life, and it is going to lead up to their grandma's birthday part, the day the family decided their "competition" would end. Whichever guy Jasmine liked enough to invite as her plus one would officially be the winner. Of course, things go differently than expected, but that's the initial idea of their project, at least.
The boys are all sweet and they show Jasmine how normal and dateable boys should actually act. We know this because every single thing any of them does is compared to what Paul would do in that scenario..... it gets tiring after a while but it's good that she's learning her worth.
During the whole dating thing, we also have the issue of Jasmine and her chef aunt and their falling out a few years prior. Her aunt told her she wasn't good enough to be a cook, and that combined with Jasmine's generally fearful nature is enough to keep Jasmine simply dreaming about going to cook in Paris instead of ever pursuing it. Their relationship and Jasmine's future goals are both examined along with the expectations she has in romantic relationships.
The ending was pretty satisfying and the story was just compelling because you want to know what guy she ends up with (I really didn't know who she would like best for a while there) and what will happen if she finds out that her family is really behind this whole summer.
I think this is a good pick for teens in your life, especially ones drawn to toxic relationships or seem to be fearful of leaving their comfort zone.
kidneysbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5