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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Let me say this: I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE was one of the first books I read after a years long reading slump. I went through high school and a year-and-a-half without reading, and this book helped me regain my love for reading.
There are really so many things I loved!
Desi in all her fun, organized chaos. I love how, despite being at the top of her class and a total nerd, Desi's still a bit of a mess. It adds so much dimension to her character and complicates everything she does, which sort of made me scream at times, because I wanted her to just fix things, but it definitely added drama and made all the resolutions more satisfying. She was a very well-rounded character with a healthy dose of ambition and sentiment.
Desi's dad! If he isn't the most adorable thing ever. I love how well he was characterized. He loves watching K-dramas, clearly loves Desi a lot, and is probably the most caring dad in the world. I loved seeing Desi set the scene in showing his healing from her mother's death, and I really just love him as a whole. He's clearly a really special person to Desi, and I appreciated seeing familial relationship share the spotlight.
Casual diversity (POC and queer rep!) Desi herself is Korean-American, and her best friends are POC and/or queer. I love how Maurene didn't make this an issue for at all. Desi accepts it for what it is, because they're both natural aspects of life.
The cute, K-drama aspects! I was actually really new to K-dramas when I started reading this, but looking back at it, it encompassed the ideas of K-dramas so much, but also in a more realistic way. It showcased Desi's personal interpretation of dramas and what did/didn't work. I loved seeing that from her perspective instead of seeing an actual formula without that personal touch. While reading, I loved how Desi came up with the formula and stuck to it to the very end in a way, despite her many setbacks.
There were many other things I enjoyed; I loved the sweet romance, Luca's secrets, and consequences to Desi's actions. I also love how she It showed a lot of development on her part.
Overall, it was just a really enjoyable read, and I think this more or less guaranteed that I'll be reading all of Maurene Goo's works in the future. I'm looking forward to reading THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL soon!
There are really so many things I loved!
Desi in all her fun, organized chaos. I love how, despite being at the top of her class and a total nerd, Desi's still a bit of a mess. It adds so much dimension to her character and complicates everything she does, which sort of made me scream at times, because I wanted her to just fix things, but it definitely added drama and made all the resolutions more satisfying. She was a very well-rounded character with a healthy dose of ambition and sentiment.
Desi's dad! If he isn't the most adorable thing ever. I love how well he was characterized. He loves watching K-dramas, clearly loves Desi a lot, and is probably the most caring dad in the world. I loved seeing Desi set the scene in showing his healing from her mother's death, and I really just love him as a whole. He's clearly a really special person to Desi, and I appreciated seeing familial relationship share the spotlight.
Casual diversity (POC and queer rep!) Desi herself is Korean-American, and her best friends are POC and/or queer. I love how Maurene didn't make this an issue for at all. Desi accepts it for what it is, because they're both natural aspects of life.
The cute, K-drama aspects! I was actually really new to K-dramas when I started reading this, but looking back at it, it encompassed the ideas of K-dramas so much, but also in a more realistic way. It showcased Desi's personal interpretation of dramas and what did/didn't work. I loved seeing that from her perspective instead of seeing an actual formula without that personal touch. While reading, I loved how Desi came up with the formula and stuck to it to the very end in a way, despite her many setbacks.
There were many other things I enjoyed; I loved the sweet romance, Luca's secrets, and consequences to Desi's actions. I also love how she
Spoiler
ended up moving past Stanford and learned about what is more important.Overall, it was just a really enjoyable read, and I think this more or less guaranteed that I'll be reading all of Maurene Goo's works in the future. I'm looking forward to reading THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL soon!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My Review: OMG This book was just adorable. I have been a fan of telenovelas for a while now and this one based on K Dramas was just as good if not better. This reminded me of the TV show Jane the Virgin and I would love this to hit the tv screens as a movie or short series. If you are looking for a great read to enjoy at the pool side or beach look no further than this one right here.
I just loved how strong a character Desi was she knew what she wanted to do when she got done with high school and went after it head on. I also enjoyed how she grew as a character in the last few chapters. I do wished that the story would have covered her being just a tad to obsessed a little more but what we got really fit with the story.
I think that they only thing that would have made this story even better could have been maybe if it would have been dual POV but I fear that it might have slowed the story down. I would love to have a novella book or something in Luca's POV just so we could fall in love with him even more. I could see a collector's edition of this being full of art that Luca did.
The story itself was so beyond adorable. It had some of the funniest and cuties quotes (you can see those here) that I have ever found. It was well paced and I enjoyed every page. I also really enjoyed how the chapter names changed from chapters to steps and then back to chapters. It was just a little addition that made this story even cuter.
Go Into This One Knowing: K Dramas, Korean Culture, No Love Triangle
I just loved how strong a character Desi was she knew what she wanted to do when she got done with high school and went after it head on. I also enjoyed how she grew as a character in the last few chapters. I do wished that the story would have covered her being just a tad to obsessed a little more but what we got really fit with the story.
I think that they only thing that would have made this story even better could have been maybe if it would have been dual POV but I fear that it might have slowed the story down. I would love to have a novella book or something in Luca's POV just so we could fall in love with him even more. I could see a collector's edition of this being full of art that Luca did.
The story itself was so beyond adorable. It had some of the funniest and cuties quotes (you can see those here) that I have ever found. It was well paced and I enjoyed every page. I also really enjoyed how the chapter names changed from chapters to steps and then back to chapters. It was just a little addition that made this story even cuter.
Go Into This One Knowing: K Dramas, Korean Culture, No Love Triangle
Totally ADORABLE! So. So. Cute. ... But also a bit realistic, I think. I could see a lot of my insecure and yet wildly driven teenage self in Desi. Desi is a Korean-American high school senior who is good at everything, driven to succeed in all that she sets out to do. But when it comes to boys she is a bit of a klutz. However, when artist extraordinaire Luca shows up at her school Desi decides that it is time to stop failing/flailing at relationships and put her proven skills at succeeding in life to work as she attempts to win his attention. For her plan, Desi decides to employ the proven methods for finding love that she sees in her father's beloved Korean dramas ... basically soap opera style dating practices. What ensues is super fun, but also a bit touching at times. I loved it. I loved Desi. I loved Luca. I loved Desi's dad and Luca's dad and stepmom. I loved the small cast of high school friends surrounding Desi. I loved the goofy setups that led to the Happily Ever Afters. Favorite quote:
Hahahahaha. That about sums the whole story up. And now I have a driving need to sit down and binge watch some Korean dramas, I think. Four stars for this one. I really liked it.
"I fully know how completely bonkers it all was, and I"m really, really sorry. Especially about endangering your life. Three times."
Hahahahaha. That about sums the whole story up. And now I have a driving need to sit down and binge watch some Korean dramas, I think. Four stars for this one. I really liked it.
It was meh.
Check out my full review: https://youtu.be/vzm0078OVbg
Check out my full review: https://youtu.be/vzm0078OVbg
This was a winner...I had to read it after seeing the blurb on the NPR Book Concierge's Best Books of 2017; "If you find yourself incapable of resisting goofily premised, made-for-TV romantic comedies but wish they had a bit more emotional depth and fewer white people, Maurene Goo's sweet and hilarious YA romance may be just your cup of tea." Sold, especially during this time of Hallmark Christmas movies. :)
Fans of K Drama will seriously find this book delightfully funny!
I loved this book!!! This is the second book I’ve read by Maurene Goo and she is simply awesome! This book was funny, full of romance and hilarious Korean drama antics. She includes a list of must see Korean dramas that I will be starting to watch, thanks to this book!!!
This book had one of the most deranged plots I have ever read. At the halfway mark, I was already so over it. Desi was literally insane. Luca wasn’t a compelling enough love interest to keep me hooked. And that plot. The storyline was genuinely deranged. Maybe if I knew a lot about K-dramas, I would feel differently, but I just couldn’t suspend disbelief enough for the plot to seem endearing rather than crazy. I hate being so negative because I liked Desi’s relationship with her father, and I loved the representation, but I know there are better books out there that still have diversity and strong family dynamics. 2 stars.