The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park

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...

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 March, 2020: Finished reading
  • 15 March, 2020: Reviewed