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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
5/10. This book was super cute and great for asian representation. Mirrored a K-pop drama and the main character was dramatic and insane at times, but the novel was relatable and fun to read.
very cute, i liked it a lot! a little corny and very obviously written by an adult trying to see from the perspective of a teen but it was still a fun read!
i am obsessed with the kdrama themes in this book. it was so accurate that I was laughing. of course i also related to desi a lot especially with her need to be perfect and to do it all. but i will say it’s really weird that she had a step by step plan to get this guy and i do think that luca had a right to be upset about it. i also think he caved to early. she literally almost killed him, he called her a manipulator, ran off, she followed him and literally just said “i love you” and suddenly all is right in the world. i’m sorry but she is a manipulator and also crazy. she caused accidents for this.
Absolute cuteness! I loved/laughed everything in this book!
2.5 stars
I Believe in a Thing Called Love fell somewhere between ok and good for me. I did enjoy aspects of the story, but I just couldn't get behind how creepy the entire premise of the book was. It bordered on stalker-ish to me. And careless. How someone apparently as smart as Desi would think it was ok to leave nails all over a road as a love tactic... beyond ridiculous.
I also had difficulty with how completely awkward she was. I get it. Boys make her nervous. It happens. But to be that accident prone. I mean, whose pants just randomly fall down when you're standing still -- and you don't feel them coming loose? C'mon.
But beyond that, it was a quick, light-hearted YA book and I enjoyed portions.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love fell somewhere between ok and good for me. I did enjoy aspects of the story, but I just couldn't get behind how creepy the entire premise of the book was. It bordered on stalker-ish to me. And careless. How someone apparently as smart as Desi would think it was ok to leave nails all over a road as a love tactic... beyond ridiculous.
I also had difficulty with how completely awkward she was. I get it. Boys make her nervous. It happens. But to be that accident prone. I mean, whose pants just randomly fall down when you're standing still -- and you don't feel them coming loose? C'mon.
But beyond that, it was a quick, light-hearted YA book and I enjoyed portions.
lighthearted
I love Asian-American protags, but I don't love how Desi doubled down on "fighting for him" instead of, you know, accepting that the guy she was into wanted to break up. Jfc, stalking is not romantic and consent matters. Boundary-crossing is not cute.
4.5? I was lowkey screaming throughout the book bc of the classic kdrama tropes unfolding. Desi was Relatable for being a super nerd who knows the weirdest, most obscure facts and a control freak who plans everything (well, that was me in high school, anyway) and is awkward af. I was valedictorian of my graduating class and won a bunch of awards and stuff so it felt like I was seeing an alternate me on the page. I am not good at soccer though! Or quite as accomplished. But yeah, it was fun reading about someone who had a lot in common with me ^o^
the ship was super cute and I wasn't expecting to ship it as much as I did? And I lovelovelove Desi's relationship with her dad. Reminds me somewhat of my own relationship with my dad, who's a total dork as well (my mom was the one who was obsessed with dramas though, lol).
Warning to ppl planning to read the book: there is a lot of casual ableist language used: cr*zy, ins*ne, n*ts l*me, etc. That was the one thing that put a damper on my enjoyment of the book. :/
the ship was super cute and I wasn't expecting to ship it as much as I did? And I lovelovelove Desi's relationship with her dad. Reminds me somewhat of my own relationship with my dad, who's a total dork as well (my mom was the one who was obsessed with dramas though, lol).
Warning to ppl planning to read the book: there is a lot of casual ableist language used: cr*zy, ins*ne, n*ts l*me, etc. That was the one thing that put a damper on my enjoyment of the book. :/
Interesting premise, and it seemed promising for k-drama fans to follow. I wanted to like the protagonist but found her pretty irritating while only halfway through the book. The pacing was so structured and the ending was way too predictable. ALL the characters (MC, the guy, the friends, the "enemy") were so one-dimensional and flat. Everything in this book seems to revolve around the MC and supporting her, rather than having any real lives or personalities of their own. Most of the dialogue was downright cringey. Desi's thoughts and actions were not just annoying and ridiculous, but also super creepy at times and her friends just go along with it? Okay? I felt like there was no real conflict or even meaningful story; I only forced myself to finish this so I could reach my monthly book quota.
I had been pretty excited for this book, but I felt the way Desi "reconnected" was oversimplified and threw away a lot of nuance of what it means to explore one's identity as a 2nd-gen Asian-American. Then again, she's just a high schooler, even if a fictional one, and I suppose that wasn't /really/ the focus of the story anyway.
It was a somewhat fun read, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else waste their time on this.
I had been pretty excited for this book, but I felt the way Desi "reconnected" was oversimplified and threw away a lot of nuance of what it means to explore one's identity as a 2nd-gen Asian-American. Then again, she's just a high schooler, even if a fictional one, and I suppose that wasn't /really/ the focus of the story anyway.
It was a somewhat fun read, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else waste their time on this.