empressbrooke
Written on Sep 23, 2018
Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and has never had a B in her entire life. She's for sure going to Stanford. But-- she's a disaster in romance, and her botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she's applied to everything else in her life.
- ISBN10 0374308195
- ISBN13 9780374308193
- Publish Date 30 May 2017
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Out of Print 24 February 2022
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Language English
Reviews
Bianca
Written on May 22, 2018
Chelsea
Written on Oct 27, 2017
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would considering I don't normally like contemporaries.
I've always been interested in Korea and Korean culture so it was especially great for me to read a little bit about it in this book. Our main character is Korean-American so there's little things she does that reflect her Korean background and the author was kind enough to give us just enough of an explanation that we understood but not too many details so that we could research what we were interested in. Or maybe that was just me.
My favourite character was easily Desi's dad. He made the book 100x better. I loved his obsession with k-dramas (I can relate to that) and he brought some great humour into the book. His relationship with Desi was also really nice to see. We don't often see such loving and respectful relationships between parents and children in YA books. It was a really nice change.
Plot-wise the book was only ok. I found some things that happen were a little too much. I tend to enjoy the over dramatic silliness in k-dramas but I didn't enjoy it as much in a book for whatever reason. Desi could be a little over the top sometimes which made me not connect with her at all. She was written to be that kind of character though and while it worked in this book it didn't work for me. The plot was also pretty typical if you've seen any k-dramas at all. Nothing overly spectacular.
I also thought Luca didn't have enough character development at all. We never really found out much about him and he was always just there. Usually the love interests are a little more active in the story than Luca was.
I did enjoy reading this story. It was fun and silly which is always a nice change from some of the more serious YA books that are popular right now. If you enjoy silly characters and over the top plot lines then you might like I Believe in a Thing Called Love!
Joséphine
Written on Jul 15, 2017
Full book review is up on Word Revel.
____________
July 15, 2017
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Initial thoughts: For the most part, I enjoyed I Believe in a Thing Called Love. The relationship Desi shared with her father was on point. Though, I must admit, I'm not into K-dramas, I still loved the cultural aspects. There are a lot of similarities between East and Southeast Asian cultures, so a lot of Desi's way of life felt familiar. However, her levels of being a control freak far exceeded that of anyone I know or have met. That's exactly where hilarity ensued.
Part of me felt uncomfortable about what that meant in terms of manipulating others. Since that's the whole premise of the book, it was expected, though, so I let my discomfort slide. Besides, you've got to admire that amount of dedication to achieving a goal.
As much as I Believe in a Thing Called Love made me laugh, the characters weren't particularly memorable. Desi was Miss Perfect, and Luca was a generic brooding, misunderstood love interest. Since the story was premised on clichés, I expected the characters to rise above that. Sadly, they didn't.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Apr 22, 2017
"MOTHER OF DRAGONS, THIS IS MY FIRST REAL KISS."
Desi was such a fun character. I loved her focus and drive, but I also loved what a hot mess she was when it came to romance. Some of her "flailures" were hilarious. Although I had my reservations with many of these 24 steps, I was still rooting for Desi to get the boy, because she was so sweet and endearing. This was a girl, who strived for perfection, because she never wanted to make her father worry, and at times, put his needs above her own.
"I was literally having a K drama romance-montage moment."
Speaking of Desi's dad, he was fabulous! Desi recounts those first years after her mother's death and how difficult they were, but it only made her and her father grow closer, and they had the type of relationship that would make anyone jealous. Her dad was so precious. His love for both Korean dramas and his daughter were unparalleled, and the interactions between these two were so sweet. I adored every second they spent together on the page.
"You cannot control who you love, Desi, but you can always control how hard you fight, okay?"
I also loved Desi's two best friends, Wes and Fiona. Each brought a little something special to the story, but mostly, they were Desi's biggest supporters and fans. This K-drama plan involved some real scheming, and only the best sort of friends would support that kind of crazy.
"You know that feeling when it's been a crappy overcast day and then suddenly the sun peeks out, right into your face? That's what Luca's smile was like. Like it was beaming straight from outer space and onto my face specifically."
And that leaves Luca and the romance. This was so cute, sweet, adorable, and swoony. Once the K-drama steps were out of the way, we really got to see Luca and Desi honestly interact, and it was wonderful. He was an artist, who was very deep and empathetic. He was the calm to her storm and grounded her. I really enjoyed these two together. But, this was a symbiotic relationship, and both saw improvements in different areas of their life due to the other.
"Finding your self fitting into the negative space of someone else's body perfectly."
And other contemporaries, please take note: this is how you do an epilogue. Lately, my contemporary reads have left me a little wanting at the end, due to the lack of a definitive ending. The stories ended, but the authors did not commit to any solid resolution, however Goo did. So, thank you Maurene Goo for the lovely epilogue. It gave me the closure I needed and wanted.
Overall: This book has a lot to offer. It's a fun rom-com with a lot of heart, made richer by a diverse cast and enough k-drama to serve as a homage to the k-drama fans or an introduction to those k-drama newbie.
**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
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