I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

by Maurene Goo

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.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

3 of 5 stars

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July 27, 2017

Full book review is up on Word Revel.

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 July, 2017: Finished reading
  • 15 July, 2017: Reviewed