Series: standalone
Author: Maurene Goo
Publisher: FSG
Release Date: May 30, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Told: First Person (Desi), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (some language, sensuality, innuendo, teen partying and mention of drugs)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:
Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose 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. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.
* * *
Confession: I've never seen a Korean drama. Never even been intrigued by them. What little snippets I've caught on social media were too over-the-top for my tastes, and without an easy way to watch them (I'm old-school, no streaming) I decided not to even try.
After reading this book: I'll be trying even less.
Because if K-dramas are anything remotely like this story, I couldn't handle all the cringing. An opening scene involving vomiting and phlegm-hawking, followed a few chapters later by the main character accidentally dropping her pants at school in front of her new crush? *shudder* But despite all the cringing this book produced, I couldn't not see it to the end. Why?
I wish I knew.
This is a hard book for me to review, just as it was a hard book for me to read. The writing and story were just engaging enough to keep me interested, but I almost gave up half a dozen times after one too many cringes and had to force myself to continue. The light voice and playful plot reminded me so much of favorite author Kasie West, but the non-Kasie older content (language, sensuality/innuendo, teen partying, etc.) put me off. Despite the negatives outweighing the positives though, I still had to see how it ended. But again, why?
I think it was because I was hoping the romance would fail. I wanted this to be the story I've been craving for years: a contemporary romance that ends with the girl not getting the boy. After Desi's dangerous manipulation (she almost killed him 3 times!), I wanted her to lose and learn from her mistakes, to realize she didn't have to go to such extreme lengths to get the guy and be better prepared for the next time.
Did this happen? No. Was I disappointed with the happy ending, despite being a romantic? Yes. Does that make sense? Probably not to most, so apologies.
Despite my disappointment, I must admit it was a rather adorable romance. And I understood Desi's desperate need for structure after her seriously epic flailures (flirting failures) in the past. But she went way overboard and crossed some dangerous lines, and I think it would've been better for both of them if they hadn't ended up together. But that's the power of love, right? It surpasses all understanding, most especially mine in this particular case.
Conclusion: A sweet if ridiculous teen romance that just wasn't for me, but I would easily recommend it to those who enjoy their romances over-the-top. Definitely recommend for K-drama junkies.
A Note about Future Maurene Goo Novels: After struggling with this book and DNFing the author's latest novel, Somewhere Only We Know, I sadly think I'll be passing on any other novels by Ms. Goo.
Scribble Rating:
2.5 of 5 Scribbles
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