I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Title: I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Publisher: BYR

Pages: 336

Received: Bought

Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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 love is about way more than just drama.

 [goodreads]

My Thoughts

The premise of this novel was MADE for me. I love summer contemporaries AND kdramas. I know kdramas seem repetitive when meets the eye, but I agree with the main character Desi, how the build up and intimacy make the moments worth it. This novel picked me up into the perfect summer mood. I suggest this to anyone in need of a smack of summer in one punch.

Obviously, the novel follows a young Korean American in high school, who like most teenagers worry about, boys. Other than being the valedictorian and perfect SAT scorer, she can’t seem to handle herself when it comes to guys. She’s clumsy and awkward at heart, and I love how relatable and authentic her personality is.

Desi follows the common steps every kdrama couple goes through for their happily ever after. So of course, a new guy, Luca, steps into her narrative. The plan seems foolproof right?

I loved how the writer plays on not only kdrama cliches, but common cliches in American culture. It’s poignant and messy, but these dramatic events work. Also, I treasure the family dynamics and culture because searching for diverse books in a sea is difficult, but the first step is to look. I enjoyed the storytelling and larger character realizations. This is one not to miss!