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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
ADORABLE AND WONDERFUL AND SPOKE TO MY KDRAMA LOVING HEART
Terribly dramatic, but that makes it true to its premise - K dramas and teenage love. I appreciate the character work tho. A fun light hearted read. I do watch K Dramas, tho I swing between liking them and being exasperated by the stretched out drama. This even has a fun guide to K drama recommendation at the back.
I thought this book was adorable! I love that is was something different too for a contemporary! Basing you own love life on K dramas! I feel like I need to find out how to go about watching K dramas and see if any in the book are real!
I love how awkward Desi is! And I mean like an insane overachiever, like I wasn't that insane in high school, but I also held myself to this high standard. I also loved the dynamic between her and her dad! It was so sweet!
I definitely recommend as a summer read, or if you're looking for something on the lighter funnier side. Also it was a bit on the dramatic side, but would it really be based off of a K drama if it wasn't?
I love how awkward Desi is! And I mean like an insane overachiever, like I wasn't that insane in high school, but I also held myself to this high standard. I also loved the dynamic between her and her dad! It was so sweet!
I definitely recommend as a summer read, or if you're looking for something on the lighter funnier side. Also it was a bit on the dramatic side, but would it really be based off of a K drama if it wasn't?
To someone who has geographically felt very alone when it comes to liking kdramas (Korean TV shows) and kpop (Korean pop) for nearly a decade, this book was life! The first thing which caught my attention about this book was the cover because I am actively selecting more diverse books for myself to read. I was intrigued, but when I read the description, I was entirely, 100% sold. I requested it through a contact of mine about five minutes after the cover initially caught my eye! And I am so, so glad that I was sent this book for review!
Our heroine, Desi Lee, is instantaneously likeable. From the very first page I found her to be cute and endearing, and I found myself caring for her and wishing all the good things to happen to her, very quickly. Due to the book being written in the first person from Desi's perspective, we are not exposed to the thoughts of other characters, but I was entirely fine with this because Desi was a very cute and funny narrator! It definitely helped that I could also see parts of myself in her, particularly in the unlucky-but-later-funny-moments department!
The other characters were also quite diverse, easily distinguishable, and memorable! I also won't like that the hero, Luca Drakos, definitely melted my heart a little! He definitely reminded me of some of my favourite broody kdrama heroes, and this was a very good thing. By the time I was getting close to finishing this book, I was actually thinking that I hope a Korean TV network will buy the rights to this book and make it into a kdrama! Due to this story taking place in the United States, however, I'm not sure how the story would translate from the page to the small screen...but one can dream, right?
Goo's writing is engaging and easy to follow in I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and as I mentioned above, I really enjoyed Desi's narrative style. The tone was that of someone telling a friend of theirs about their antics, and it therefore felt very friendly and approachable. I also really enjoyed how the plot was mapped out, as it provided just the right amount of roller coaster ups and downs necessary to keep me entertained, happy, and sad (just like my favourite kdramas)! Goo is definitely a gifted storyteller, and I really hope to see more books like these from her in the future! I also really hope that this book has convinced some of those who have never heard of kdramas, or who have been thinking about watching kdramas but haven't quite gotten to it yet, to go watch kdramas because they are just great!
Our heroine, Desi Lee, is instantaneously likeable. From the very first page I found her to be cute and endearing, and I found myself caring for her and wishing all the good things to happen to her, very quickly. Due to the book being written in the first person from Desi's perspective, we are not exposed to the thoughts of other characters, but I was entirely fine with this because Desi was a very cute and funny narrator! It definitely helped that I could also see parts of myself in her, particularly in the unlucky-but-later-funny-moments department!
The other characters were also quite diverse, easily distinguishable, and memorable! I also won't like that the hero, Luca Drakos, definitely melted my heart a little! He definitely reminded me of some of my favourite broody kdrama heroes, and this was a very good thing. By the time I was getting close to finishing this book, I was actually thinking that I hope a Korean TV network will buy the rights to this book and make it into a kdrama! Due to this story taking place in the United States, however, I'm not sure how the story would translate from the page to the small screen...but one can dream, right?
Goo's writing is engaging and easy to follow in I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and as I mentioned above, I really enjoyed Desi's narrative style. The tone was that of someone telling a friend of theirs about their antics, and it therefore felt very friendly and approachable. I also really enjoyed how the plot was mapped out, as it provided just the right amount of roller coaster ups and downs necessary to keep me entertained, happy, and sad (just like my favourite kdramas)! Goo is definitely a gifted storyteller, and I really hope to see more books like these from her in the future! I also really hope that this book has convinced some of those who have never heard of kdramas, or who have been thinking about watching kdramas but haven't quite gotten to it yet, to go watch kdramas because they are just great!
Very cute, very sweet, and I adored the relationship between Desi and her dad.
Keywords: K-dramas, first love, father/daughter relationships
Keywords: K-dramas, first love, father/daughter relationships
Wavered a little on how to rate this, because I did love so much of it!! Desi is a true blue Amy Santiago type, and her voice is one of a kind. I laughed out loud a few times and was definitely grinning through a lot of the book. I also adore her relationship with her dad, and the way K Dramas help bring the two of them even closer together.
I wish I felt more deeply about the main ship (was even wondering for a moment if the story would reveal Luca as the red herring love interest and go the Best Friends Who Become More route instead), but I do think the central conceit is generally well executed, managing that tricky balance between absurd and believable. I also like how the relationship gradually becomes more real as Luca became more real to Desi, and the way it coincides with Desi easing off of using the list as a means of connecting with him. A fun read overall, though, especially since I just started watching K Dramas myself!
I wish I felt more deeply about the main ship (was even wondering for a moment if the story would reveal Luca as the red herring love interest and go the Best Friends Who Become More route instead), but I do think the central conceit is generally well executed, managing that tricky balance between absurd and believable. I also like how the relationship gradually becomes more real as Luca became more real to Desi, and the way it coincides with Desi easing off of using the list as a means of connecting with him.
Spoiler
The ending felt rushed and I'm still not entirely convinced that Desi properly grasps how to show Luca in a non-K Drama way that their connection is real. I'm also not too sure about the implication that being with Desi kind of magically healed Luca's relationship with his dad, as well as the very one-note portrayal of his mom that pointedly made his dad seem more sympathetic by comparison.
This was super cute! I loved Desi! She had such a great attitude about life and just never giving up. Her flairures (flirting failures) were hilarious I actually laughed out loud several times while reading this. Luca was a pretentious artist and I get that he was supposed to be hot but I didn't always buy into him being the dream guy.
wow consider me a ride or die Maureen Goo S T A N
I am a relatively fearless person.
In fact, it borders on unsafe. Although I am a physically weak and indoors-y young woman, I feel no fright when I walk outside at night. (Relatedly, I’m a poet and I didn’t know it.) I capture bugs in mason jars and take them outside like a romcom character played by Zooey Deschanel. Heights, death, snakes, loneliness: All of these phobias quiver before me.
Only one thing scares me, and it’s books like this one.
I F*CKING HATE THIS KIND OF BOOK.
I HATE picking up a YA contemporary and expecting a good swoony time and being confronted with the fact that no, I will not be blissfully watching from the sidelines as a sixteen year old with fairytale princess levels of beauty who is totally unaware of them falls in love with a boy she never noticed before even though he goes to her high school which for all intents and purposes seems to have 22 students max.
Not only will I not be getting that experience, but I’ll be getting this one. One where the protagonist is being totally goddamn cringey and embarrasing and you KNOW that it’s going to blow up in their stupid cringey face on page 276 but you can’t stop it and you just have to deal, like you’re watching a slow motion car crash for hundreds of pages, or worse, someone trip and spill a full iced coffee.
See, I contain multitudes. I am a debilitatingly empathetic person, whose day can be obliterated by seeing someone who looks kinda-sorta sad eating alone in public, but I am also profoundly judgmental.
So plotlines like these cause me unrelenting suffering on multiple levels.
Anyway.
Introducing a new segment of my reviews entitled SO RELATABLE TEEN MOMENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY NOT RELATABLE AT ALL, BECAUSE THESE CHARACTERS ARE MONSTERS :)
(Note: These things actually happened.)
1. When your girl causes you to get in a car accident, leading to extensive damage to your car and minor injuries to you both :) and also she’s not your girl :)
2. That relatable feeling when you give up your life dreams to momentarily support your boyfriend of a week
3. That moment when you’re a genuinely bad friend, and it’s also not a moment, it’s just...a thing
4. When your friend Cassidy has a crush on the guy who will later become your boyfriend except it’s very funny to you, so that’s why it’s okay for you to make her ask him to prom even though it ruins her chance to have a date who actually wants to be there with her :)
5. When your boyfriend breaks up with you because the entire beginning to your relationship was fake and you staged it, including parts that put his life and your life in danger, so you win him back by...staging another fake dramatic thing that puts his life and your life in danger? Whoops.
These #SoMeMoments happen throughout the book. Page 1 to page 894. (What do you mean this book isn’t 900 pages long? I swear I read 900 pages.)
But it’s okay she did all that crazy stuff because she knew she loved him since he *check notes* drew something on her paper once?
Okay.
Bottom line: Character development? I don’t know the name. I only know pain.
-------------
nothing says I'M OUT OF MY READING SLUMP AND I'M GOING TO LIVE FOREVER like finishing four books in one day.
especially when one of those books sucks as hard as this one.
review to come / 1 star
-------------
you know that stage when you're finally out of a reading slump and you can't stop reading and you just pick up more and more books?
yeah. that.
In fact, it borders on unsafe. Although I am a physically weak and indoors-y young woman, I feel no fright when I walk outside at night. (Relatedly, I’m a poet and I didn’t know it.) I capture bugs in mason jars and take them outside like a romcom character played by Zooey Deschanel. Heights, death, snakes, loneliness: All of these phobias quiver before me.
Only one thing scares me, and it’s books like this one.
I F*CKING HATE THIS KIND OF BOOK.
I HATE picking up a YA contemporary and expecting a good swoony time and being confronted with the fact that no, I will not be blissfully watching from the sidelines as a sixteen year old with fairytale princess levels of beauty who is totally unaware of them falls in love with a boy she never noticed before even though he goes to her high school which for all intents and purposes seems to have 22 students max.
Not only will I not be getting that experience, but I’ll be getting this one. One where the protagonist is being totally goddamn cringey and embarrasing and you KNOW that it’s going to blow up in their stupid cringey face on page 276 but you can’t stop it and you just have to deal, like you’re watching a slow motion car crash for hundreds of pages, or worse, someone trip and spill a full iced coffee.
See, I contain multitudes. I am a debilitatingly empathetic person, whose day can be obliterated by seeing someone who looks kinda-sorta sad eating alone in public, but I am also profoundly judgmental.
So plotlines like these cause me unrelenting suffering on multiple levels.
Anyway.
Introducing a new segment of my reviews entitled SO RELATABLE TEEN MOMENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY NOT RELATABLE AT ALL, BECAUSE THESE CHARACTERS ARE MONSTERS :)
(Note: These things actually happened.)
1. When your girl causes you to get in a car accident, leading to extensive damage to your car and minor injuries to you both :) and also she’s not your girl :)
2. That relatable feeling when you give up your life dreams to momentarily support your boyfriend of a week
3. That moment when you’re a genuinely bad friend, and it’s also not a moment, it’s just...a thing
4. When your friend Cassidy has a crush on the guy who will later become your boyfriend except it’s very funny to you, so that’s why it’s okay for you to make her ask him to prom even though it ruins her chance to have a date who actually wants to be there with her :)
5. When your boyfriend breaks up with you because the entire beginning to your relationship was fake and you staged it, including parts that put his life and your life in danger, so you win him back by...staging another fake dramatic thing that puts his life and your life in danger? Whoops.
These #SoMeMoments happen throughout the book. Page 1 to page 894. (What do you mean this book isn’t 900 pages long? I swear I read 900 pages.)
But it’s okay she did all that crazy stuff because she knew she loved him since he *check notes* drew something on her paper once?
Okay.
Bottom line: Character development? I don’t know the name. I only know pain.
-------------
nothing says I'M OUT OF MY READING SLUMP AND I'M GOING TO LIVE FOREVER like finishing four books in one day.
especially when one of those books sucks as hard as this one.
review to come / 1 star
-------------
you know that stage when you're finally out of a reading slump and you can't stop reading and you just pick up more and more books?
yeah. that.