Well, this was a lot of fun! I Believe in a Thing Called Love features a bit of a ridiculous premise, but it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, and, of course, a pretty swoonworthy romance.

The plot of this one is simple: our main character, Desi, hatches a plan to win the heart of a hot new guy at her high school. She bases this “foolproof” plan on the formulaic plots of the Korean dramas she grew up watching with her dad. As you might imagine, sheer hilarity ensues.

Let’s start with the characters. Desi was a main character that I found really easy to root for. There were so many moments throughout the course of this book where I was just mortified for her because of the obstacles she ran into while implementing her K drama plan. I really love that her relationship with her dad played a big role in the story, too. Their relationship was wonderful! He just had that endearing dad quality. Plus, the nods to Korean culture, including food and K dramas, were wonderful additions to the book.

As for Desi’s friends, I do wish they had been a bit more three-dimensional. They really only served to further Desi’s quest for romance, offering her advice or helping her execute some of the steps of her plan. Luca as a love interest was okay, but he felt extremely cliched to me. I mean, how many times have I seen the tortured artist with family drama as the love interest in YA? There was nothing particularly wrong with him; he’s just not the type of guy I normally swoon over and I also kinda thought Desi could do better than him. All things considered, though, watching Desi and Luca’s relationship develop over the course of the novel was endlessly entertaining. And super duper adorable.

I loved the setup of I Believe in a Thing Called Love— each chapter was based on a step of Desi’s K drama plan. I loved seeing Desi try to orchestrate each step of the plan in a real-life context, and honestly, I was often pleasantly surprised at how well she was able to translate these cliche, made-for-TV moments into her own everyday life. I’ve never watched a K drama (though I have plenty of friends who have fallen down that rabbit hole), but after reading this book, I totally want to start one! Luckily, the book included a handy-dandy recommendations guide in the back! Such a cute addition. The author’s love for K dramas definitely shone through in this story! I Believe in a Thing Called Love largely reads like a love letter to this form of entertainment.

One negative thing I’d like to mention: characters in this book often throw around the words “crazy,” “insane,” and even “demented” to describe Desi’s actions and her plan. This is a constant throughout the story, and it’s never addressed. This language is pretty ableist, and can be really hurtful towards people (like myself) who live with mental illness. Our illnesses and behaviors are already stigmatized enough as it is, and I really don’t appreciate these stereotypes being perpetuated in YA novels targeted toward a teen audience. I read an ARC, so I sincerely hope some of this language is omitted from or changed in the finished copy. But, since I don’t know for sure, take care if you pick this book up and you struggle with any sort of mental illness.

Despite some problems I had with the story and the ableist language present, I think I Believe in a Thing Called Love will make a great summer read for many readers. Definitely look into this one if you love contemporary and/or K dramas!

Have you read I Believe in a Thing Called Love? If so, let’s discuss in the comments! If not, do you plan to pick it up?

Desi is the best protagonist! She is super fun, super smart and super clueless when it comes to love! We were all Desi at some point in our adolescence, I know I was! I loved her so much and I laughed and cried and loved with this book, it was so wonderful!

T and I just adopted a cat for the first time, so it seemed like perfect timing to review A Cat Named Swan.

In this charming tale, Holly Hobbie shares the story of Swan, a young kitten who has been left on the streets to fend for himself. He strives to survive, but a chance encounter lands him in an animal rescue that leads up to the rest of his life.

As someone who knows the background of our new cat pre-adoption, I deeply appreciated Hobbie's genuine honesty in introducing Swan's life pre-adoption. It's always hard to imagine kittens and cats struggling by themselves, but it's also a genuine reality.

With that being said, Hobbie's central focus on Swan's post-adoption life, is where the book really shines. With beautiful watercolors and thoughtful detailing, Hobbie details what it's like to gradually acclimate to a new household, and the love that comes with being accepted in said household. It's a thoughtful and thorough look for any readers, especially those who are adopting pets for the first time.

All in all, this is a heartwarming tale on the power of animals and adoption, and I highly recommend.

There was unfortunately a very romantic-phobic moment in this book, I cannot condone describing those who don't feel romantic attraction as emotionless machines. Other than that the book was enjoyable and I review it in great depth at 1:49 in the video linked in the review section.

This was super cute and unique. I could totally picture it as a movie, if rom-coms still existed. Desi was super relatable as a whip-smart overachiever and Luca was appropriately swoony. I did struggle a bit with how committed Desi was to her plan, but it made for a lot of interesting drama - in true K-drama fashion! This is a fantastic debut novel, and one you won't want to miss.

Desi Lee is a go-getting Type-A with her eye on the Ivy League prize. Class president, varsity soccer star, there's only one area Desi fails at, romance. Desi can't help herself and turns into an accident prone stumbling and bumbling fool whenever she is crushing on a boy. When Desi meets Luka, a moody artist, she is determined to come up with a plan to make him hers. Inspiration strikes when she marathons K Dramas with her single father dad. In these Korean dramas, Desi sees a pattern or a recipe for true love. She comes up with a plan that is sometimes a bit crazy but seems to be working. Doubting her true self, however, leads to a big misunderstanding and Desi will have to fight to find her way back. Really a cute and fun read!

I recently received an e-arc copy of I believe in a thing called love by Maureen Goo so that i could give you all my honest review. Going in to this story it sounded like it would be a cutesy contemporary romance which sometimes I’m just in the mood for. This story is about a Korean-American girl who thrives to be the best at everything. The one thing she has never been good at is being around boys she is crushing on…or dating in general. She decides to create a list of how to get a specific boy to like her using Korean dramas as influence. All in all, I liked this book but didn’t overly love it. I felt like some of the things that happened to the main character Desi when confronted with boys are just over the top. It seems impossible that that many embarrassing things can happen to one person. On top of it, the things she does to her crush (while following her set of rules) are sometimes downright mean…which ended with me not really liking her as a person in general. I can’t imagine doing some of these things all to gain the attention of a guy, but that’s just me. That being said, it was still a quick contemporary read with some cute romance in it and I overall enjoyed myself while reading it.

First of all, I want to say that you DON’T need to be an expert in Korean dramas to enjoy this book. I’ve never watched a full k-drama and I loved this book SO MUCH! Of course, since I’m no k-drama expert, I can’t talk about the accuracy of the way the steps are executed in the story.

Desi, our MC, gets straight A’s, she’s in every club you can imagine, she’s responsible, admirable, and has her mind set in going to a great university and being a successful doctor. So of course, the girl who has academic excellence, cannot find love. She needs to have a plan for everything, even for falling in love, otherwise she fails (and miserably may I add…) She finds inspiration in the K dramas her father watches (and soon she becomes addicted to them too!), where you see the same formula over and over, which always leads to a happy ending. Desi believes she can create a perfect plan, following all of the K drama steps, and win over Luca – the new artist hunk – of the school.

I loved the plan Desi develops, of course I did find it dumb to make a list following K dramas, like… that’s not how life and love works! BUT, who am I to judge? I’ve tried my fair share of ridiculous things in order to get a guy to like me (and have failed miserably too… LOL). I did hate how manipulative Desi got at times… I don’t want to spoil anything but she goes VERY far a couple of times and ugh… it really pissed me off. I get that as teenagers, we “play games” and don’t talk straightforward when it comes to liking someone… but to go as far as causing *spoiler alert* a car accident?! NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. But I’m only taking a star off from that, because putting that aside, the concept of the list makes for a hilarious contemporary read. I enjoyed how every chapter is a step, which makes the book format easy to follow and overall a fun reading experience!
Desi’s relationship with her father is an important piece of this book, which I love! I really enjoy it when parents are involved in a book, I mean, they’re part of your life… they’re important! So I do love that this book shows an amazing relationship between a father and a daughter, specially after losing a loved one.

This is probably the best contemporary book I’ve read in a looooong time. It’s fun, easy to read, and hilarious! If you’re looking for a book to lift up your mood, or just a cute and funny romance, then this is the book you need! As an amazing bonus, the characters are very diverse and well… LOOK AT THAT COVER! ♥♥♥

Desi's flailures, failing at flirting, had me loving her from the very first chapter. After chapter two was done I audibly guffawed and put my hand on my face realizing just how much of a disaster this girl is and loving it. I knew I was in for something special.

Desi is an awkward human being who is also a perfectionist. From the beginning who learn of her mother's passing and how she set out to fix her father's unhappiness. She did all the things her mother would do so that he wouldn't miss her. After a while he was fixed. Everything returned to normal. Desi's drive to be perfect has some levels to it as you can tell by her need to fix her father. Being that level of determination on the outside makes her seem like she's a know it all, someone who's perfect at everything, and someone who people couldn't stand to be around. I would feel that way. I would probably run away from her as soon as she started talking about all of her accomplishments. By comparison I would feel... inadequate which comes up in the story consequently.

I forgot about that first chapter where she "fixed" her dad's situation. But later on her need to be perfect comes into perspective in a way where I couldn't help but want to hug her. That need to be perfect also gets her into some crazy adventures and trouble that revolves around Luca Drakos.

Luca seems like this mythical creature she wants to capture and keep to herself throughout most of her plans. Her plans being.... well to make him love her.... Kind of. Desi gets the idea of setting a goal and planning out to get Luca Drakos to fall in love with her and her the same. It sounds like one of those horrible romance plots where the girl is obsessed with the guy, which she is, but it's in an adorable way. If you've seen any K Dramas you know what I mean. And I have seen a few thanks to Netflix, my love. She does get a list exactly what K Dramas plot points are when characters meet and eventually fall in love. In between falling in love there is a lot of betrayal, one person is usually more interested in the other at certain points, and there has to be someone rescuing the other's life at one point or another. I love watching dramas like this so reading it was so much fun. So don't think the worse of the plot unless you actually read it.

One of the best things about this story is the father and daughter bond. I loved how close Desi was to her father, Luca even noticed, as did I, that she was always doing things to protect her father. She didn't want to be put in a situation which made him afraid she would be hurt but she ended up doing it anyway with her quest. Otherwise, their relationship was very mushy and sweet.

Luca took a while for me to like. He was an alright character. I just felt weird at times with how Desi was acting to get him to be her boyfriend. The list started tiring me out towards the last part of the book. I think Desi took everything too far that I didn't understand where she was coming from. The relationship didn't make too much sense to me from just her standpoint. I also wish the best friends were around more. Those relationships were awesome because her best friends were awesome. I liked what happened when they were around and what happened with a former friend.

After everything is said and done, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, has some flaws but is a wonderful story. Desi, her relationship with her father, and her realty checks really brought a great story together. Not to mention the fact that Maurene Goo can write her pants off. I'd happily read anything else she writes.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my patrons. I loved the diversity of the story and learning about the culture. Some of the ideas in the book were a bit far-fetched and dangerous so I would caution a reader to not "try this at home"; Overall, it was a fun read.

I was really looking forward to read this book. Cute romance, PoC characters and K Drama? SIGN ME IN.

I never watched a single K Drama before, and I was thinking of starting one, and this book definitely made me want to watch one right away. If you don’t know a single thing about K Drama, this book will explain it perfectly to you. You will even have “The Ultimate K Drama Starter Guide” at the end of the book, with a lot of recs, which is really cool.

THE PLOT:

The story is about a “perfect” Korean girl, Desi, who likes to control everything about life. Everything but boys: everytime she tries to flirt with one, she embarrass herself. Therefore, she will follow the steps she finds in K Drama to finally make a boy fall in love with her.

This could have been really cute and funny, and I really loved the concept to include K Drama in this book, and there are also many refenrences. But as Desi follows these steps, we soon realize that this will not be cute: this will be about a girl who doesn’t know how to live without controlling everything in her life, and this will also apply to love. Except, we cannot control love, neither we can force someone to love us. However, that’s how this book felt like. By following these steps, Desi appears like a manipulating, fake girl who changes into someone else to conquer the boy she loves. This is not cute. This is creepy. I feel like the concept of this book was totally wasted.

THE MAIN CHARACTER:

As I said before, Desi is a Korean girl living with her dad, as her mom passed away. She tries to control everything, and she could use some help with that. This story could have been about a girl who got to learn to let go, to live at the moment, etc. Spoiler: she doesn’t let go. Not once. That’s why she appeared so fake to me. I don’t even really know what her personnality is even after finishing the book. While reading the cute and romantic moments, I was asking myself: “Is she really in the moment or is she still controlling everything about the situation and this is another thing that happened because she wanted it to happen?”.

Useless to say that I do not like her. Everytime I read about her and Luca, I was thinking: “Poor Luca, you don’t know what you signed for”. I came to the point where I’d rather ship him with the “mean girl” of the story?? Anyway, Desi = cancelled.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I gave this book 3 stars because I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was funny, and even if I didn’t like Desi, I liked her dad, Luca, and her friends. I am really disappointed by this book, but I really liked the concept, and the diversity in the characters. It had the same vibes of the Lara Jean series (and not because the main character is Asian too), with the girl trying to seduce a guy with unusual ways, except it wasn’t as good as this series. We have empathy for Lara Jean, we like her despite her annoying ways sometimes and her bad choices, but we like her. There’s no way I could lke Desi, and I think it’s important that we like the main character, otherwise it’s more complicated to like the story itself.

I Believe In A Thing Called Love was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year. As a lover of all things YA contemporary, this sounded right up my alley. And I was right to be excited about this one, because it was entertaining, funny and lightened my mood.

Desi was a great character. She's vibrant, smart and very much of a romantic at heart. I found her plan to use what she learns through Korean dramas to snag the boy to be so clever. I'll admit that some of her antics were stressful for me as a reader, but they were also hilarious, and had me both shaking my head and laughing my butt off. I know I might have made her sound like she's boy-crazy, but she wasn't. She was actually goal-oriented in all aspects of her life, especially when it came to her education. She could be clumsy, and awkward, but Desi was endearing flaws and all. One of my favorite parts of I Believe In A Thing Called Love was Desi's relationship with her dad. My gosh, those two were great together and made my heart so happy. There's trust between the two, and watching their relationship was a purely joyful experience. I loved that her dad was such a K-drama nerd, and I loved how much he pushed her not only have a great education, but also have a good social life. Seriously, Desi's dad has to be one of my favorite YA dads ever.

Desi also had great friends who made for an entertaining secondary cast. They embraced Desi's quirkiness and wild plans, and they sometimes even participated in them. The love interest, Luca, was also a decent character, though I do wish we had seen a bit more development in his character. He was very quiet, and seemed to have a lot going on and I would have liked to see more layers to his character. His relationship with Desi was sweet though. Once they get together, there were so many adorable moments as well as swoony kisses. I got out of the romance exactly what I wanted. I loved all the elements of Korean culture that Maureen Goo weaved throughout the story. It made it stand out for me, and also hungry because yum, Korean food!

This diverse YA is a must-read if you're looking for a light and bright book to make your day. Desi and her antics are sure to make you smile and laugh.

It's so funny how unexpected things happen. This book wasn't even on my radar, when one of my teens who LOVES K-POP (Korean Pop Music) came to the library and asked me for this book. I hadn't even known about it, but I put it on my list to ask for her at TLA. I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this book!
Desi is the true definition of an All-American teenager. She was an athlete, she had stellar grades, she was president of her senior class, BUT she's never been in love. Even with the slightest notion of flirting, something totes weird happens. Finally, she decides to take matters into her own hands by making a list of things that people do in K-Dramas to help them fall in love.
Y'all know how I am with contemporary romances. Even more points if they're a rom-com. So naturally, I just KNEW I would love this one. However, I unfortunately didn't love the characters, and as a character driven reader, this was a let down for me. Desi was fine in the beginning and I thought it was so cute that she was willing to do these things in the name of love, but then things got a bit scary. She went over and beyond ALOT and sometimes it was actually scary. And her friends thought it was crazy, but still helped her with it and I just couldn't understand that. Someone should've told her. And the love interest, I just didn't really care for him. I'm not sure why, but I never connected with him. And because I didn't care for him by his self, I wasn't a fan of them together.
What kept me turning the pages though, was the humor/ second hand embarrassment in it. I found myself cringing and blushing along with Desi throughout the entire novel. Although she wasn't my favorite, I DID feel bad everytime something happned to her. Even Maddy said "she has worse luck than me! I didn't know that was possible."
What I LOVED about this book was the diverseness in it. There were people of color, there were different sexual orientations, and I learned alot about K-Dramas (and K-Pop from Maddy, my teen from work lol) and the Korean culture that was expressed in this book.
This book is set in school, but still a perfect way to get geared up for summer with a nice contemporary romance. Make sure you get ready to laugh before you start reading this one!

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2017 May 23.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love is the K drama-inspired book that has been on my most anticipated books list for quite some time. However, while the concept had so much potential, it got a bit creepy, and the main character became manipulative. I did still enjoy some aspects of the novel, like the strong bond between the main character and her father, but I feel like this story could have been so much more than it was.

When I saw that this book featured K drama aspects, I was immediately intrigued. I have never seen something like this done before, and I am such a sucker for anything K drama, K pop, you name it. The plot of this book is about a girl who creates a list of steps to get a boyfriend that she discovered while analyzing Korean dramas. Right from the beginning, I could see where things could go horribly wrong, but I kept reading because I had such high hopes. There are some redeeming qualities in the story, such as the artistic aspects which I also love to see, but the plot is really predictable, which I didn’t enjoy. This book was a bit underwhelming and I really wanted so much more from it.

My main issue with this book is the main character’s behaviour. While she is creating her plan to win over her crush, she actually plans for things to go wrong. Desi actually plans out fake car crashes, which I thought was pretty strange. What’s even creepier is the fact that she actually executes these plans and risks both her and her crush’s lives. She doesn’t seem to understand that Luca is a real person with feelings and that she shouldn’t be using him for the sake of having a boyfriend. I also didn’t like the way Desi changes to be someone that she isn’t for the sake of a boy. She joins art club, even though she isn’t an artist. She makes her friends help her out, even though they tell her that what she’s doing isn’t going to work in the long run. I just don’t like Desi’s manipulative personality and warped ideas of what love really is.

Going back to what I said earlier, this book does have some redeeming qualities. Desi has such a strong relationship with her father, which is something that I love to see in books. Her dad is so adorable and is a K drama enthusiast. Since Desi’s mother has passed away, it’s just her and her Appa (which I learned means Dad in Korean). Because of this, her dad is super protective and will do anything to make sure that she is safe. I really enjoyed reading about their time together cooking and watching dramas. If only the rest of the book was as wholesome as this.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love is a K drama-esque story about a girl who creates a list of steps to win over her crush. This concept could have been amazing, but the main character’s creepiness ruined it. However, there were some redeeming aspects, such as the theme of family, so I wouldn’t say that I disliked this book. I just feel like it could have been done in a way that was much more interesting and without the staged accidents.

The cover is so cute .
The synopsis makes me curious
And I heard nothing but good review.
My expectation went skyrocketed then I remember it is debut book so I tried to lower my expectation.
Sometimes I did not enjoy the book because my expectation.
So what can I say about this book?
It is cute, fluffy, and page turner. The hype did not lie.
Desi is so relatable. I can see myself in her.
But the ending did not hit me enough. I want more..

A digital copy of this book was provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley!

I will insist that you get this book! So much love for it. I am loving the diversity of the characters and the real life feel of it. Cannot wait to share with students!

I primarily requested this title because of the cover and my love of the song the title takes its name from. (Okay, the description appealed to me a bit too...) But I was pleasantly surprised with the writing style and the unique plot--using an aspect of one nation's popular culture and injecting it into American pop culture. It was really quite clever.

Desi is a Stanford-bound high school senior who is involved in EVERYTHING, from soccer to student body president. But she's never had a boyfriend. Then she meets Luca, the new kid in school. Because of what Desi's two best friends, Fiona and Wes, call "flailures" (flirting failures, get it?) she's never had much luck with boys. So, when it comes to Luca, she decides to mix it up.

Taking a cue from her dad's love of Korean dramas (think serialized soap operas), Desi concocts a step-by-step plan to win Luca's heart. What could possibly go wrong??

The K drama formula is certainly interesting to watch unfold. And [spoiler] the ensuing relationship between Desi and Luca is adorable. You'll enjoy watching their relationship develop over the course of this book.

This is going to be a tricky one for me to talk about. On the one hand, I found it completely hilarious and I cackled out loud on NUMEROUS occasions. I loved Desi's relationship with her father, and I loved her father! He was such a wonderful character. I thought all the K drama info super interesting and I'm now very veeery interested in watching some of these gems, and I liked all the supporting characters as well.

The one thing that keeps me from giving this book a solid 5 stars, is that, although hilarity ensued, and I did enjoy the end result... I can't help thinking to myself, that I'm not sure the character of Desi actually comprehended the severity of some of her actions, and the potentially catastrophic and fatal results some of her decisions could have had. All fine if she had a major arc by the end and realised how bad her decisions were. I mean...she kind of does, but not a lot, and not enough, considering the extent of some of the actions (without giving spoilers here I'm referring mainly to near the end).

I'm going to think on this a little more. I need to emphasise that I actually seriously enjoyed the book, I inhaled it super quickly and it is the funniest book I have read in a while. I think Maurene Goo is very clever with her humour and it felt very natural and endearing. Really my only issue is with her character's resolution and reactions, and the fact that I found that there weren't really any major consequences to her actions. You know when people just take things a wee bit too far? And don't quite understand that they have done that? Yah.

Desi Lee has enjoyed many successes. She was school president and valedictorian, she achieved a perfect SAT score, and knew her way around an automotive engine, but Desi has not been lucky in love. In fact, her flirting attempts were so destined to fail, they were referred to as "flailures" ("flirt + failure = flailure"). Desi believe that she could succeed if only she had a step by step guide to getting the guy, and then inspiration came in the form of K-drama.
"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, but 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 storied ended, but the authors did not commit to any solid resolution, but 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.