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This book was adorable! I was a bit skeptical about the concept going in and was concerned it would be a bit cheesy but it was so well-written and with such great characters that it totally worked. I definitely recommend it!
I just started watching K Drama's at the beginning of this month, so when I saw that this book was based on them I knew I wanted to read it. It was so freaking funny you guys! I laughed so much while reading this and I'm still laughing to myself while going back over some of the moments in this book. I don't think you have to watch K Dramas to like it, but if you do, then you will definitely fall under its charm!
"K dramas bottled up swoony true love in addictive ten-to-twenty-hour packages. My reactions to chaste first kisses were akin to heart attacks."
Our main character is what you would expect as the female lead in a K Drama!! Desi was hilarious and was so completely over the top that I couldn't help but love her.
"And apparently whenever Luca walked toward me, the world moved in slow-motion. By the time he finally reached me, we had already dated, married, and sent our two daughters off to college cheerfully."
She created this list of steps to help her get her crush Luca to fall for her based on kdramas. I can't fault her, she was so determined the get this to work! The scenarios she found herself in were nothing short of funny and embarrassing. I couldn't stop reading because I had to know what she would do next.
If your looking for a cute and funny YA read for summer, then pick this one up!
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"K dramas bottled up swoony true love in addictive ten-to-twenty-hour packages. My reactions to chaste first kisses were akin to heart attacks."
Our main character is what you would expect as the female lead in a K Drama!! Desi was hilarious and was so completely over the top that I couldn't help but love her.
"And apparently whenever Luca walked toward me, the world moved in slow-motion. By the time he finally reached me, we had already dated, married, and sent our two daughters off to college cheerfully."
She created this list of steps to help her get her crush Luca to fall for her based on kdramas. I can't fault her, she was so determined the get this to work! The scenarios she found herself in were nothing short of funny and embarrassing. I couldn't stop reading because I had to know what she would do next.
If your looking for a cute and funny YA read for summer, then pick this one up!
Follow Books and Blends on:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter
3.5 stars rounded up. Adorable, but so much second hand embarrassment! Ack! I really loved Desi though, and her father and Luca. And the fact that it was set in Orange County. I laughed a lot even if so much of it was implausible situations.
EDITED: Actual review time below!!
A book about a girl who uses k-dramas as a guide to flirting and romance????
I NEED.

So, here's the thing: this book read like a k-drama. I love-love-loved the parallels. Desi creates this list of steps based on k-dramas for how to get her man, but in reality, she's basically a k-drama star herself.
Desi is this super smart, super capable, super spunky girl who flails at romance and has a sad family story.
Luca is this supposedly unattainable perfect guy who's amazing at his chosen hobby/profession.
Cue family tragedy, cue great parent-child relationship, cue annoying/probably-conniving-and-evil-if-she-showed-up-for-longer mother-in-law (Luca's actual mom, not Lillian). I enjoyed every moment in this book. Desi, you cray.
Also, YAAAS.

A book about a girl who uses k-dramas as a guide to flirting and romance????
I NEED.


So, here's the thing: this book read like a k-drama. I love-love-loved the parallels. Desi creates this list of steps based on k-dramas for how to get her man, but in reality, she's basically a k-drama star herself.
Desi is this super smart, super capable, super spunky girl who flails at romance and has a sad family story.
Luca is this supposedly unattainable perfect guy who's amazing at his chosen hobby/profession.
Cue family tragedy, cue great parent-child relationship, cue annoying/probably-conniving-and-evil-if-she-showed-up-for-longer mother-in-law (Luca's actual mom, not Lillian). I enjoyed every moment in this book. Desi, you cray.
Also, YAAAS.


Read in anticipation of the announced Netflix adaptation - I can see it working on screen very well as the MC attempts to follow the plots of K dramas to land her first boyfriend. The cringe could be extreme with this one though I fully bought into Desi's good heart, which carried me through.
Thought I wrote a review for this and didn't. I really enjoyed this because of all the Korean dramas I've watched. The author completely embodies the, well, drama of a k-drama, throughout the entire book. K-dramas provided the structure, yes, but also during moments when I was like, "No, this is going too far..." I reminded myself that said moments totally would have happened in a k-drama. I guess my one quibble is
It's been a while since I've found a k-drama I've enjoyed, but this did remind me of why I love them.
Spoiler
I didn't really think that her love interest was truly her love interest, so I was waiting for someone else to become her true love.It's been a while since I've found a k-drama I've enjoyed, but this did remind me of why I love them.
But the more I stared at the list with all its ridiculous rules and steps, the more I began to register why I loved those dramas. Not because they were helpful, or because they were a useful tool for my own purposes. It was because they were unapologetic love stories. Yes, all the antics were fun, the clichés exhausting, and the drama dramatic. But in the end, they were about people sticking together through thick and thin, not knowing if it would work out. Real love: It was all about risk and having faith. There were no guarantees.
This book was so sweet! Desi believes that if she follows a KDrama romance formula she might be able to turn her bad luck in love around. The story and cast of characters are engaging and wonderful, and the references are delightful.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is so much fun. The characters were great, and, as an avid K-drama viewer myself, I liked that this book referenced a lot of K-dramas, no matter how cringey they now seemed since there’s no smoldering hot Korean actor to muffle the cheese. I especially liked Desi’s dad; he’s adorable and I really liked their family dynamics. However, I’m not too big on the list thing. Sure, use it as a guide, but I really didn’t like it when Desi started to manipulate things to, in a way, control Luca’s emotions. So not cool. Sure, I could excuse it as Desi’s way of finding love (while I, as a fellow frequent flailure-r, wouldn’t even think of putting me and my crush on dangerous situations just to move him to liking me). Moreover, my feminist heart cringed so hard at some of the things on the list, e.g convincing Luca that she’s ‘not like other girls’. I get that some were overblown and exaggerated, but dear Lord.
But.
That was all before Luca found out about the list. I cringed so hard when Desi’s back up plan involved more trickery and manipulation. Did she not learn from her past mistakes? The lack of character development bummed me out, since I was really rooting for her to throw those antics out a window and be real, or something. But hey, this book was like a K-drama in itself, and the dumb act mixed with some honestly worked for the guy in the end, right?
Some cringe-worthy moments like Desi’s flailures were so endearing and hilarious and relatable that made this book really fun to read, but other cringe-worthy moments? Eh.
3.99 stars, I guess (lol wtf is this a supermarket price tag), because I’m conflicted. Some of the actions in the book made me question Desi’s sanity, but I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I liked this book enough to give it 4 stars, but I don’t really wanna give it a stone-cold 4, you get me? But haha nope 3.5 stars bc Desi’s lack of sanity (but i still liked it aaaahhh)
But.
That was all before Luca found out about the list. I cringed so hard when Desi’s back up plan involved more trickery and manipulation. Did she not learn from her past mistakes? The lack of character development bummed me out, since I was really rooting for her to throw those antics out a window and be real, or something. But hey, this book was like a K-drama in itself, and the dumb act mixed with some honestly worked for the guy in the end, right?
Some cringe-worthy moments like Desi’s flailures were so endearing and hilarious and relatable that made this book really fun to read, but other cringe-worthy moments? Eh.
3.99 stars, I guess (lol wtf is this a supermarket price tag), because I’m conflicted. Some of the actions in the book made me question Desi’s sanity, but I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I liked this book enough to give it 4 stars, but I don’t really wanna give it a stone-cold 4, you get me? But haha nope 3.5 stars bc Desi’s lack of sanity (but i still liked it aaaahhh)