The Perfect Escape

by Suzanne Park

Nate Jae-Woo Kim wants to be rich. When one of his classmates offers Nate a ridiculous amount of money to commit grade fraud, he knows that taking the windfall would help support his prideful Korean family, but is compromising his integrity worth it?

Kate Anderson wants a fresh start away from her controlling father. She fantasizes about escaping to New York where she can pursue her dreams. But how can Kate get there when she can't even buy dinner without his approval?

Worlds collide when Nate and Kate meet at the zombie-themed escape room where they both work. As sparks fly, fate steps in: a local tech company is hosting a weekend-long survivalist competition with a huge cash prize that could solve all their problems. The real challenge? Making it through the weekend with their hearts intact...

• ISBN13: 9781690594192
• Publish Date: 7 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Dreamscape Media
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 7 hours and 18 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Quick and entertaining read. Could really relate to how strict yet protective Nate's parents were. Thought it was creepy to see how Kate's dad pushed the envelope of surveillance technology but it also offers a kind of cautionary tale in terms of how that can impact trust in relationships. Oh and Nate's younger sister and their brother-sister relationship was so precious!

[mrs_mander_reads]

Super cute! Zombies and YA girly romance makes a perfect combo.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

3.5*

Okay, if this isn't the cutest, quirkiest premise for a rom-com ever, then I don't know what is. Nate and Kate (yep, gets even cuter) meet in an escape room they both work at, and then decide to enter a contest for a zombie survival weekend, both of them desperately needing the money for their own personal reasons. But also, they clearly like each other. So let's break down what I enjoyed and what I didn't!

The Stuff I Liked:

• • Such a fun and fresh premise! I mean, come on. Zombie survival weekend!? Yes please! I know that some readers didn't love the survival part of it, but I did. Because I am a sucker for that sort of thing.



• • Huge focus on family dynamics. Okay, Kate's family dynamics were not positive, but I didn't say positive. Because look, some families are toxic, and Kate's dad is toxic, full stop. But there's at least very solid commentary about that! And Nate's family was far more loving and functional. I loved all the Korean cultural bits too. I especially liked how money is so not a factor in happiness in this book, as Kate's family has tons, and Nate's doesn't, but it's very clear whose is healthier.



• • Both main characters had strong friendships outside of their relationship with each other. While we don't get to know the friends well, we do at least know that both characters had great support from their friends. Frankly, I want to see more of that. Lots more.



• • The relationship was definitely adorable! Granted, I'd probably have liked to see a bit more of it, but what we did get was very sweet, and I enjoyed them together. They just worked well.

The Stuff I Didn't:

• • Lack of Communication trope. Ugh, I just don't like this one! Like had they just been honest with each other, huge chunks of trouble could have been avoided. This, however, is a "me" thing.



• • A few bits toward the end were a bit... absurd. Had to suspend some disbelief at a few parts during the Zombie Survival thing (and no, I am not talking about the zombies, hah) and I am kind of crap at suspension of disbelief. But I mean, it wasn't a dealbreaker, it just was kind of farfetched.



• • I wanted more from the ending. Apparently, this is going to be a series? I am not sure if the subsequent book will be a direct sequel or a companion, but I really wish that I new a bit more about the end. I assume we will know more about how the story shakes out regardless, but at the time I read it, I didn't know this and was a bit bummed.

Bottom Line: Super cute and full of zombie adventure, I could have used with a little more info and believability , but it was certainly worth reading.

[Sam@WLABB]

Both Nate and Kate were looking to escape. Nate was weighed down by his economic circumstances. While Kate, needed to break free from the prison her emotionally unavailable and controlling father had created for her. A zombie survival competition might have been just the solution they were looking for.

• Pro: Nate was a character, who was easy to root for. I admired his drive and ambition, and though at first, he seemed obsessed with money, I learned that he had good intentions as more was revealed.

• Pro: Nate's family was struggling, but they had a lot of love, and were there for each other. Whereas, Kate's situation was heartbreaking. Still grieving her mother's death, she was left on her own for long periods of time, and longed for normal human contact. I thought this was a great way to show that money could not replace human connection.

• Pro: Nate and Kate were adorable together. They came from vastly different backgrounds, but were able to connect despite that. There was a push and pull thing going on for a while, but I had no trouble shipping them.

• Pro: Park's humor worked well for me. I found myself laughing out loud and often. I loved the mom jokes and all the snarky banter, as well as many of the situations Nate and Kate encountered.

• Con: I wanted more of the romance. I really did adore these two together, but the romance felt secondary for most of the book. The ending, however, held a promise of things to come, which placated me a bit.

• Pro: Zombies, zombies, everywhere! As if the escape room didn't provide enough amusement, Park brought us to a weekend zombie survival competition. The action really ramped up there, and it was a great way to drive the plot forward.

Overall: A fun, funny, and touching story of two teens trying to take control of their destinies, while falling in love and fighting off zombies.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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