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elemenoreed 's review for:
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
by Maurene Goo
Adult me loves this book and everything about this book. Teenage me would be squealing and flipping back to the beginning of the book instead of writing this review right now. It's always so hard to write about a book you love rather than a book that didn't quite work for you. When I love a book, I feel a little like when Desi and her dad made ramen for Luca: all of the ingredients are there, they are put in at the right time, and at the end, everything comes together so that you have this simple yet beautifully fragrant food for the soul. Why do I love this book? Let me count the ways:
Desi is an amazing leading lady. I would have identified so strongly with her when I was in high school and she made me feel nostalgic. And hopeful. Like maybe love and chivalry aren't dead. I love Desi for being unabashedly interested in everything. She's very smart, but she makes it clear that she works for everything. She isn't just naturally good at academia and sports; she says she had to practice to become good. But the one area of life in which Desi has very little practice and subsequently fails at is love. The girl can't flirt to save her life. She is a senior in high school and she has never had a boyfriend. And then one day she meets new student Luca and her feelings overwhelm her with a determination to get it right. Her answer to this conundrum? Well, she turns to her father's beloved Korean dramas for assistance. She watches a lot of them and then compiles a list of steps that should ensure success. Hilarity ensues.
Of course, there are some things that happen that are especially over the top. Desi actually plans a minor car accident. And she untethers the boat she is on with Luca so they will drift out to sea without his noticing. There was even some dialogue that seemed a bit far fetched for a seventeen year old boy (Luca calls Desi "missy" a lot, in a manner not unlike my nana...), but all of these things just reinforce the influence of the Korean dramas. And, thankfully, there was a guide to Korean dramas for beginners in the back of the book. After reading this, I am really looking forward to diving into this genre.
Quite honestly, this was the sweetest and most real romance/romantic comedy I have read in quite some time. The romance struck just the right note and Desi wasn't pretentious or clumsy or daft or only completely focused on her crush like so many other heroines. I highly recommend this book!
Desi is an amazing leading lady. I would have identified so strongly with her when I was in high school and she made me feel nostalgic. And hopeful. Like maybe love and chivalry aren't dead. I love Desi for being unabashedly interested in everything. She's very smart, but she makes it clear that she works for everything. She isn't just naturally good at academia and sports; she says she had to practice to become good. But the one area of life in which Desi has very little practice and subsequently fails at is love. The girl can't flirt to save her life. She is a senior in high school and she has never had a boyfriend. And then one day she meets new student Luca and her feelings overwhelm her with a determination to get it right. Her answer to this conundrum? Well, she turns to her father's beloved Korean dramas for assistance. She watches a lot of them and then compiles a list of steps that should ensure success. Hilarity ensues.
Of course, there are some things that happen that are especially over the top. Desi actually plans a minor car accident. And she untethers the boat she is on with Luca so they will drift out to sea without his noticing. There was even some dialogue that seemed a bit far fetched for a seventeen year old boy (Luca calls Desi "missy" a lot, in a manner not unlike my nana...), but all of these things just reinforce the influence of the Korean dramas. And, thankfully, there was a guide to Korean dramas for beginners in the back of the book. After reading this, I am really looking forward to diving into this genre.
Quite honestly, this was the sweetest and most real romance/romantic comedy I have read in quite some time. The romance struck just the right note and Desi wasn't pretentious or clumsy or daft or only completely focused on her crush like so many other heroines. I highly recommend this book!