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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
4/5 stars
This was SO CUTE.
If you want a ridiculously fluffy, adorable, a bit over-the-top summery contemporary books to read at the beach pick up this one! This book follows a girl who has always sort of failed at love, but when a new boy comes to her school she decides to stop being a failure at love and follow the steps of K-Dramas to get the boy.
Anyone who has watched and enjoyed kdrama romantic comedies NEEDS TO READ THIS BECAUSE YOU WILL LOVE IT. It's absolutely HILARIOUS how accurate this book is with its Kdrama portrayal, and the main character even quotes specific scenes from popular dramas and the whole scenario had me DYING - legit though, I was constantly snapchatting out paragraphs for my friends to read and laugh at with me, I loved it, it was so funny.
The characters were great - we have Desi the valedictorian, perfect little Korea schoolgirl with her awesome kdrama-addict dad; Luca the boy love interest that I ACTUALLY LIKED LIKE WOW I never like YA contemporary love interests and Luca was a BIT cliche with his "mysterious artist bad boy" image at first but he was seriously adorable; Wes the best friend flirt boy; Fiona the kickass lesbian and a bunch of other great supporting cast members.
The plot was so entertaining. If you're picking up a contemporary, you already know its going to follow a certain pattern and that it's going to be ridiculous - so, you might as well pick one up that ACKNOWLEDGES how ridiculous it is (legit though, Desi's friends are all like "you do know you're insane" "you do know normal people aren't like this" "what the fuck is wrong with you oh my god"). The added thing of the "kdrama steps" just makes a jab at the whole contemporary romance thing and makes fun of itself and its SO FUN.
Basically this book is just oodles of fun and I seriously recommend it.
This was SO CUTE.
If you want a ridiculously fluffy, adorable, a bit over-the-top summery contemporary books to read at the beach pick up this one! This book follows a girl who has always sort of failed at love, but when a new boy comes to her school she decides to stop being a failure at love and follow the steps of K-Dramas to get the boy.
Anyone who has watched and enjoyed kdrama romantic comedies NEEDS TO READ THIS BECAUSE YOU WILL LOVE IT. It's absolutely HILARIOUS how accurate this book is with its Kdrama portrayal, and the main character even quotes specific scenes from popular dramas and the whole scenario had me DYING - legit though, I was constantly snapchatting out paragraphs for my friends to read and laugh at with me, I loved it, it was so funny.
The characters were great - we have Desi the valedictorian, perfect little Korea schoolgirl with her awesome kdrama-addict dad; Luca the boy love interest that I ACTUALLY LIKED LIKE WOW I never like YA contemporary love interests and Luca was a BIT cliche with his "mysterious artist bad boy" image at first but he was seriously adorable; Wes the best friend flirt boy; Fiona the kickass lesbian and a bunch of other great supporting cast members.
The plot was so entertaining. If you're picking up a contemporary, you already know its going to follow a certain pattern and that it's going to be ridiculous - so, you might as well pick one up that ACKNOWLEDGES how ridiculous it is (legit though, Desi's friends are all like "you do know you're insane" "you do know normal people aren't like this" "what the fuck is wrong with you oh my god"). The added thing of the "kdrama steps" just makes a jab at the whole contemporary romance thing and makes fun of itself and its SO FUN.
Basically this book is just oodles of fun and I seriously recommend it.
Slightly underwhelmed by the last few chapters but still a fun, lighthearted read. The main character is a likeable teenager whose inner dialogue is pretty darn funny. I picked up two more Maurene Goo books at the library today and will give one of them a go soon.
I say this a lot, but that cover is incredible and adorable and just, ugh. I love it. The premise itself is a lot of fun too. Desi Lee is an over-achiever in every way but one – namely, romance. After encountering the hot and mysterious Luca Drakos, Desi formulates a plan to enter the dating game… by taking inspiration from a Korean drama.
Now, as anyone who has watched a kdrama knows, there’s plenty of beloved tropes and classic scenarios that make up a standard storyline. Inspired by her single father’s love for kdramas, Desi creates her own guide to true love and follows those steps to a T. Of course, chaos (and romance) ensues.
The book is adorable and hilarious to read. There’s no getting around that. Desi Lee is a wonderful character – successful and driven but totally incapable of flirting or getting the guy. I honestly cried reading the first chapter that establishes exactly how motivated and driven Desi is, along with her bond with her widower father. And while we’re at it – hands down, my favorite character was Desi’s father. He reminded me so much of my own mother and her notes to me that are a mix of Chinese and English. Desi’s friends are awesome as well.
The one thing that did trip me up a bit was just how closely Desi followed the kdrama steps – some of which were more morally murky than others. I’m still not sure what to make of the ending, to be honest.
All in all, this was a fun and refreshing read. Not to be cliche, but it’ll put a smile on your face. If you love kdramas, this is absolutely a must-read. (Loved the shoutout to such dramas as Oh My Ghostess!) Check it out when you get the chance!
Recommendation: Get it soon!
Now, as anyone who has watched a kdrama knows, there’s plenty of beloved tropes and classic scenarios that make up a standard storyline. Inspired by her single father’s love for kdramas, Desi creates her own guide to true love and follows those steps to a T. Of course, chaos (and romance) ensues.
The book is adorable and hilarious to read. There’s no getting around that. Desi Lee is a wonderful character – successful and driven but totally incapable of flirting or getting the guy. I honestly cried reading the first chapter that establishes exactly how motivated and driven Desi is, along with her bond with her widower father. And while we’re at it – hands down, my favorite character was Desi’s father. He reminded me so much of my own mother and her notes to me that are a mix of Chinese and English. Desi’s friends are awesome as well.
The one thing that did trip me up a bit was just how closely Desi followed the kdrama steps – some of which were more morally murky than others. I’m still not sure what to make of the ending, to be honest.
All in all, this was a fun and refreshing read. Not to be cliche, but it’ll put a smile on your face. If you love kdramas, this is absolutely a must-read. (Loved the shoutout to such dramas as Oh My Ghostess!) Check it out when you get the chance!
Recommendation: Get it soon!
Here's what I liked: Asian-American protagonist, the evolution and weaving in of K-dramas (I'm a super fan; I've watched all the suggested series at the end of the book), and the relationship between Desi and her appa. I liked how the story took a familiar storyline of how to get a guy by using k-dramas even though k-dramas can be pretty crazy. It was interesting to see how the author interpreted the steps of achieving love via the k-dramas.
That all being said above, here's what I disliked: k-dramas are crazy, and Desi found herself doing the stupidest things just to get a guy to like her (and when I say stupid, they're stupid because she put herself and the guy in danger... multiple times). I actually didn't quite get why Desi liked Luca and vice versa, but their romance played out fine in a teenage short of way. As an adult looking on a fictional YA relationship, I just wish Desi didn't do so many stupid things, but alas, I know I did stupid things when I was their age too. Desi's friends didn't help either. They weren't very likable, but they were loyal. At some point, one of them really needed to slap her (not literally) to tell her she's doing severely emotionally damaging things when all she needed was to be herself.
The ending was also VERY rushed, and clearly Desi didn't learn her lesson and again, lied and did something life threatening to get Luca back. Again, I ask why Luca liked her AND then forgave her? This all happened within 5 pages of the book too... so rushed. But there was a happy ending. I'm just not sure Desi deserved it.
That all being said above, here's what I disliked: k-dramas are crazy, and Desi found herself doing the stupidest things just to get a guy to like her (and when I say stupid, they're stupid because she put herself and the guy in danger... multiple times). I actually didn't quite get why Desi liked Luca and vice versa, but their romance played out fine in a teenage short of way. As an adult looking on a fictional YA relationship, I just wish Desi didn't do so many stupid things, but alas, I know I did stupid things when I was their age too. Desi's friends didn't help either. They weren't very likable, but they were loyal. At some point, one of them really needed to slap her (not literally) to tell her she's doing severely emotionally damaging things when all she needed was to be herself.
The ending was also VERY rushed, and clearly Desi didn't learn her lesson and again, lied and did something life threatening to get Luca back. Again, I ask why Luca liked her AND then forgave her? This all happened within 5 pages of the book too... so rushed. But there was a happy ending. I'm just not sure Desi deserved it.
I loved it! So so much fun and I learned some cool stuff about K Dramas, art, and even cars. I enjoyed the non-traditional roles the characters played, too. And I was surprised to be surprised by Desi’s reactions to Luca’s parents...all 3 of them. It was very cool. Looking forward to reading Goo’s other stuff.
This is a very cute read. I flew through this. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't put it down. It's a romantic comedy and embodies everything I love about kdramas. It was a fun read filled with hilarious, adorable and romantic moments. Some crazy things happen but if you're a kdrama lover it will seem like typical occurrences. This feels like your reading a drama instead of watching it. A lot of my favourite kdramas are referenced. If you're not into kdramas you'll probably want to start watching them after reading this book.
I feel like if I finished this book yesterday it would’ve gotten 5 stars from me. Unfortunately I finished it today and after today’s turn of events, the ending did not get me all happy as it would’ve because I was waiting for it and I’m happy how it ended but I just feel detached today.
Ok so weird moodyness aside, this book was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Desi was so relatable and I loved her cute ocd nerdy side. I loved how this book was able to joke around with the characters and I felt close and part of the friend group.
Highly recommend this book to everyone.
Ok so weird moodyness aside, this book was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Desi was so relatable and I loved her cute ocd nerdy side. I loved how this book was able to joke around with the characters and I felt close and part of the friend group.
Highly recommend this book to everyone.