Growing over the course of the summer with Clara was wonderful. She was so real - with all the stupid impulsivity of a teenager mixed with the gradual maturity and learning of life lessons. The characters were well-written and believable and now I want to go find a food truck!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With a young father who feels very chill and never follows through on punishments, Clara is known for pulling off epic pranks. When one goes too far and Adrian is called into the principal's office with other parents, he's ready to lay down the law. Instead of roaming free for the summer, Clara will spend it working on the KoBra, Adrian's food truck. To make matters worse, Clara's arch nemesis Rose will be joining her. If things don't go well, Clara can kiss her end of summer trip to visit her mom in Tulum, Mexico goodbye.

Forced to work together in a confined space, Clara begins to see that Rose might not be so bad. Does being friendly with Rose mean she can't be friends with Felix and Patrick, and what about the coffee cart guy Hamlet? He's not Clara's type - at all!

THOUGHTS: Readers will be hungry for LA's food truck cuisine after devouring this one. The Way You Make Me Feel is a fun and lighthearted summer read about growing up and features a great father-daughter relationship. With older characters and references to prom, it will be a hit in high schools, but it could be appropriate for younger readers too.

I read Goo’s other novel, I Believe in a Thing Called Love last year (for the most part while I was in South Korea, which I thought was awesome, since kdramas played a major role in that book)! When I heard that she was writing The Way You Make Me Feel, I was curious to see what shape her next novel would take. I can definitely say that I like how Goo’s writing is developing, and I look forward to see her style and skill developing further with future books. But back to this book! I really liked Clara from the start because she made me laugh, and she felt different from any other female main character in a YA contemporary. She was mischievous and confident, which are attributes that I’d really like to see more of in female characters!

I thought that the way that family relationships, friendships, and the romantic relationship in this book were also portrayed in a unique manner. I liked how there was also a lot of focus on food and culture, and I also learned a bit about Los Angeles (and may or may not have made a mental list of places to visit if I ever manage to travel there). There was an important message in this book about realizing who the important people in one’s life are. I do, however, feel that the book could have been a little longer. I wouldn’t have minded some scenes to be a bit more detailed, and the book also felt to me as if it ended a little abruptly. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book, and really miss reading about Clara and her family and friends! The Way You Make Me Feel is definitely an entertaining, funny, and heartwarming summer-y must-read!

Maurene Goo’s writing just gets better and better! She again depicts such a great and positive father daughter relationship and I was excited to see the Korean-Brazilian kids get so love too. Funny and heartwarming are the two best words to describe it. This is a definite must read this summer.

I thought that overall this book was extremely average, which is a disappointment given the rave reviews I had read. Clara, the protagonist, was extremely annoying and immature. I could not understand what Hamlet saw in her and why he fell in love with her so quickly. Their entire relationship was not very believable. Clara's friendship with Rose, her former enemy, was a little better, but still not as well developed as it could have been. They often didn't seem like real teenagers. The best part of the book was Clara's relationship with her father and the food truck. This book made me hungry to try the food that was described. The writing style was not very polished and could have been much better.

I loved I Believe In A Thing Called Love so I’ve been looking forward to The Way You Make Me Feel for a while. Luckily, it was just as adorable as I expected. Plus there were aspects of it that were unexpectedly deep and left me thinking long after I’d finished the book. 

I loved the food truck angle. However, don’t start reading this book while hungry. The food descriptions are amazing and will make your mouth water. (They’ll also make you want to find the nearest food truck!) I thought the examination of social media culture and perception was excellent. It definitely made me think about how I present myself on social media and how it’s affected and changed my life. 

At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of Clara. She was a bit bratty and too fond of her role as the class clown. However, she grows up a lot throughout the course of the novel. By the end, I actually really liked her as a character. The love interest made me smile, that part of the storyline was just so stinking cute. I also loved that, while present, the romance wasn’t a major part of the story. 

My favorite part of the story was the friendship that developed between Rose and Clara. It was so authentic and sweet. Plus their banter was on point. Additionally, I loved that Clara re-examines her friendships throughout the course of the book. Through Clara's insights, Goo explores toxic friendships and promotes self-reflection. I thought that it was an incredibly valuable message to include.

The Way You Make Me Feel is an excellent summer read. Maurene Goo is also officially on my list of auto-buy authors. If you’re looking for a sweet, cute contemporary that packs a subtle emotional punch, definitely pick this one up.

I loved the overall message of this book. My only issue was with the pacing. The first half of the book lagged for me.

A cute romcom of a story, this novel plays a loving homage to the city of LA and its quirks. Clara was a frustrating heroine in one sense but I loved seeing her grow, although I wanted a bit more. Her friendship with Rose, as well as her relationship with Hamlet was so sweet, but the high point was the relationship she has with her dad and the resolution towards the end of the novel. All in all, a charming fun read, complete with some snarky humor and an endearing cast.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love was one of my very few five star reads of last year so I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Way You Make Me Feel. While The Way You Make Me Feel was not a five star read for me, it was still absolutely delightful.

Clara Shin is the class clown. Her life revolves arounds making snarky remarks and pranking her enemies. When her prom prank results in the school almost being burned down, both her and her arch nemesis are suspended. Clara’s dad is able to negotiate a deal that may just be worse. She has to spend the entire summer working on her dad’s food truck with her arch nemesis Rose and use her earnings to pay the school back for damages.

Now, I am not necessarily a fan of makeover stories but I don’t know if The Way You Make Me Feel would really count as a ‘personality makeover’ story but honestly, Clara’s character arc is delightful and I loved seeing her bloom into someone who was more driven and aware of her worth while retaining her wit and charm.

The Way You Make Me Feel is a story about family, friendship and first love, but at its heart it is really a love letter to LA and LA food culture. The food truck aspect of the book was definitely something I was intrigued by and was glad that it wasn’t just vaguely in the background but actually a significant part of the book. I really felt like I could imagine not just being in the food truck with Clara and Rose but in LA itself. I know world building isn’t really considered a characteristic(???) of contemporary novels but there is something to be said about how an author brings a real/fictional setting to life in realistic/contemporary novels. If I can imagine breathing the same air as the characters, that’s a good sign right?

Anyway. It’s summer which means there are a truck load of summer reads coming out, and many that might try to grab your attention as you start figuring out all your poolside summer reads. The Way You Make Me Feel is worthy of being on your summer reading list. It is filled with lots of good vibes, good parent(s), new friendships, cute boys and FOOD THAT WILL MAKE YOU HUNGRY.

The Way You Make Me Feel features the most beautifully diverse and wonderfully dimensional set of characters I have ever read about. I have the memory of an eighty-year-old hamster (because I’m not a fan of cats) lady, so I might be wrong, but I can’t recall a single full-blooded white person in this book? In any case, I really, really loved all the supporting characters. Honestly, this is the first time that I fell completely head over heels for literally all of the supporting cast – to the point where I can’t even decide which one of them I adore the most.

Rose Carver is definitely my patronus, and by that I mean, among all the characters, I related to her the most. Rose was a meticulously organized perfectionist who constantly struggled with meeting her parents’ expectations and pressuring herself to maintain a perfect façade 24/7. Um. HARD SAME! A huge part of me wished that the story was written in her perspective instead because Rose was, without a doubt, the more compelling and endlessly fascinating character, especially when compared to Clara. Clara’s dad and Clara’s love interest were absolute angels, too, and I’d love, love, love to read more about them!

It was really the excellently portrayed, adorably amusing character relationships that had me hooked and emotionally invested. Although Clara was not my favorite character, most of her interactions with her dad really tugged at my heartstrings. I also appreciated the close-knit relationship Hamlet had with his grandparents! Coming from a family-centered, collectivist Asian culture, reading stories that feature healthy family ties and strong father-daughter relationships means so much to me on a personal level. I cannot stress how prevalent the “absent/missing parents” trope still is in Young Adult literature. I genuinely hope that this would be the beginning of more diverse family dynamics in YA. I was also a huge fan of the unlikely friendship that eventually developed between Clara and Rose . Although I would never approve of girl-on-girl hate, I did like seeing their bickering slowly being replaced with harmless, playful banter.

Honestly, the romantic development between Clara and Hamlet probably won’t make the cut as one of my favorites, but that’s not to say that it was poorly executed. Although there wasn’t really much that stood out for me and I was not entirely convinced that Clara and Hamlet had a significant level of chemistry, I did think that, for the most part, the love story in The Way You Make Me Feel was endearing in a somewhat awkward way. Plus, I mean, Hamlet was a total sweetheart and always well-intentioned. I’d protect him at all costs.

If it isn’t obvious enough, my main contention with this book is with its main character, Clara Shin. First of all, although the synopsis hints at Clara being somewhat of a class clown and a prankster, she was never remotely funny. The pranks she pulled were neither humorous nor amusing. At all. I mean, every stunt Clara pulled seemed to be a desperate cry for attention. Secondly, Clara’s character seemed to be inherently, genuinely vindictive, frustratingly self-absorbed, and outright petty to childish extremes. I never saw her remorse and guilt (which rarely happened, by the way) as sincere. It angered me to see her treat everything and everyone around her as a means to her own end – I swear, there were a handful of times when all I wanted to do was to slap her silly with Kant’s books. It was also frustrating on my part to watch all the supporting characters easily forgive her. Mentally, I was screaming, “Clara is taking advantage of you!!!” Really, these characters deserve a better friend/love interest/daughter than whiny, bratty Clara. Finally, although it was clear to me that the author intended to shape Clara into an unlikeable female at the beginning of the story, even Clara’s character development was significantly lacking and ultimately unsatisfactory.

Still, my personal beef with Clara aside, I did appreciate the overall story. The Way You Make Me Feel certainly explored numerous fascinating themes and highlighted the importance of celebrating diverse cultures. Additionally, the author very much obviously exhibits remarkable finesse in her writing style. Overall, my absolute favorite thing about The Way You Make Me Feel was the heavy themes on food and cuisine from different cultures! I have never heard of Korean-Brazilian fusion cuisine before, but after reading this book, I’d definitely want to give everything a try! Seriously, Maurene Goo has an impeccable talent in making me crave for dishes and desserts I have never even heard of.

Every student's worst nightmare - spending the summer with their nemesis working on their father's food truck - comes true in The Way You Make Me Feel. The evolution of these relationships throughout the summer is what makes this story shine, and I'm looking forward to sharing with our teen readers!

This review will post on The Blogger Girls on June 1, 2018.

The Way You Make Me Feel is the second book I’ve read by Maurene Goo and tells the story of high school prankster Clara Shin.  Raised by her father while her mother is off traveling the world as a social media influencer, Clara is constantly looking to “up” her attention-seeking antics.  After her latest prank turns into a girl-brawl with Rose, her biggest nemesis, their parents decide the best way for the two girls to serve out their punishment is by working on Clara’s father’s food truck ALL summer…together.

This book has that perfect summer feel…a summer of new friendships and self reflection.  As expected, Clara and Rose are constantly at each other’s throat.  I really wanted to strangle them both myself!  But when Adrian, Clara’s dad, forces them to spend the week working the truck route without him, the girls are eventually find a way to breathe the same air.  My favorite part of the story was the development of the relationship between Clara and Rose.

Oh, and there is a romance!  It’s a sweet romance, realistic and not insta-love.  It kinda snuck up on Clara because Hamlet is soooo not what she sees for herself.  But honestly, I think she does not expect good things to happen to her, therefore she has always kept her friends and boyfriends at arms’ length…probably because she has pretty much been abandoned by her world traveling mother.  

As you can see, this is a huge summer of change for Clara.  Her old enemy is now her friend and her old friends…well Clara finally realizes her old friends don’t really reflect how she wants to be anymore.  Also, she obtains a new understanding of her father and mother and how they’ve influenced her life.  

Clara was annoying and childish and not typically the type of character I find endearing.  After my two experiences with this author I’m noticing a trend where the protagonists are constantly making immature and bad decisions.  The writing itself is well done, but I had a major struggle with Clara’s childishness in the beginning.  And when she finally started showing some “growing up”,  I was just waiting for her to screw it all up in some childish way...and of course she does.

I loved Maurene Goo’s previous novel, I Believe In A Thing Called Love, so when I got an email from Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read Goo’s latest novel because I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with a cute contemporary novel. (I also jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour, because oh my goodness, cute books will be shoved at the world. #sorrynotsorry)

The Way You Make Me Feel does not disappoint in levels of cuteness. Goo’s latest novel follows Clara, who is introduced as the class clown, committing pranks and causing mischief since early on in her high school career. She especially likes making life difficult for her classmate Rose, the person she got her in trouble in the first place. Clara takes her pranks too far one day and it results in an entire summer stuck with Rose.

Clara is an… interesting character. She was a little hard to like at first, but over the course of the novel, Clara grew on me. She is sassy, carefree and gets in trouble… A LOT. She’s also a little rebellious.

I think my favorite part, however, is the food. Food is an important part of the story, and I think my mouth watered while reading the book. Clara’s dad owns a food truck called KoBra, which takes Korean and Brazillian cuisine. Both Clara and Rose work the food truck during the summer, where they are forced to get along with each other. they eventually develop a friendship, and I enjoyed seeing them grow from enemies to friends. (This is probably when I started liking Clara a lot as a character. Maybe it’s just me and my opinions.)

The side characters of The Way You Make Me Feel are my favorite characters – I love Hamlet (this is a wonderful name as much as the play is wonderful) and his grandparents, who are adorable and cute and funny, as much as I grew to love Clara, Rose and the rest of the characters.

If you’re looking for a cute contemporary read that is bound to make you hungry, The Way You Make Me Feel is the perfect novel.

Reading Young Adult books are my guilty pleasure. I don’t usually tell people (outside the blogosphere) that I read them. Mainly because I get funny looks. But those looks do not stop me from reading (and reviewing them). I am happy to have seen The Way You Make Me Feel on one of NetGalley’s Read Now emails. I would have missed a fantastic book if I didn’t make the choice to download it.

I love Clara’s character growth during the book. In the beginning, she was a headstrong prankster who only looked out for herself and the small group of “friends“. She cared nothing about other people’s feelings. The prom was the catalyst for everything that happened. I am not going to lie, I did giggle at it. I was also horrified. I didn’t blame Rose for doing what she did. By the end of the book, she had done a 180. I loved it!!

I thought having Rose and Clara work together on the food truck was a great punishment. As well as giving up their wages to pay the school for the damage. I did think that they were never going to get along (the first day was a disaster). But, there was a gradual (almost snail-paced) friendship forming between Clara and Rose. It was hard to see at first but it was there.

I didn’t like Clara’s old group of friends. They egged her on and tried to get her to ditch work more than a few times. The water park fiasco cemented my dislike for them. They didn’t care that the slide was closed, they were going on it. So I wasn’t surprised when people got hurt. I was surprised when Clara decided to back off her friendship with them. But, at that point in the book, she was realizing that life wasn’t all pranks. She was starting to realize that there was more to life than that.

Clara and Hamlet were a cute couple. I did think that they weren’t going to actually get together when he was introduced in the book. Clara was too uncertain of her feelings towards him for me to even make a guess at what they were. It was after the disastrous water park trip that I finally got a sense of if they were a couple or not.

I didn’t like Clara’s mother. Clara was only convenient to her if her schedule allowed it. Her decisions as a mother were awful. I mean, she partied with her teenager, allowing her to get drunk. Seriously?? That is only the tip of the iceberg with her. I am thankful that Clara had one parent in her life who was always there for her.

The end of The Way You Make Me Feel was your typical HEA. I did feel that there were a couple of storylines left up in the air (the one with Adrian and his new girlfriend comes to mind) but other than that, I loved it. The author did a great job of tying everything together.

What I liked about The Way You Make Me Feel:

A) Clara’s growth during the book

B) Rose and Clara’s friendship

C) Clara and Hamlet as a couple

What I disliked about The Way You Make Me Feel:

A) Clara’s old group of friends

B) Clara’s mother

C) A couple of storylines left up in the air

I would give The Way You Make Me Feel an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. But there are several kissing/light petting scenes. There is language. There is no violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

There is a trigger warning for The Way You Make Me Feel. It is: underage drinking. If you are triggered by this, I would recommend not to read the book.

I would reread The Way You Make Me Feel. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR) and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Way You Make Me Feel.

All opinions stated in this review of The Way You Make Me Feel are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This books is a love letter to L.A. from the very beginning. We get commentary about different neighborhoods, who primarily lives there, what type of activities are done there and what types of food are sold in them. All of that, without being info-dumpy and managing to keep it interesting. Also, there’s a lot of talk about food, not only because the main character’s dad has a food truck, but also because Clara, the main character likes to try different things. So, be prepared for amazing food descriptions that will make you hungry.

Now, in terms of Clara, the main character, let’s start with the fact that she likes to pull pranks on people and sometimes she goes bit too far. I do have to mention the fact that there’s a scene that bothers me because Clara intentionally triggers her dad’s trypophobia and the fact that that wrong is never addressed. Clara is a bit apathetic and mean at the beginning, but then she spends the summer working and being responsable and we get to see her grow so much as a character. Also, she spends the summer surrounded with people her age that have goals and ambitions and that definitely helps her as well. Really there’s a lot of character development and it’s wonderful to see.

From the beginning of the book, the father/daughter relationship has a very important place in the story. Clara’s relationship with her dad is not perfect, he can be too lenient and she can be really mean, but there’s comunication, love and support. Also, the way that relationship develops throughout the book is beautiful. Seeing Clara realise how lucky she is and what an amazing dad she has and learn to appreciate that was really heartwarming.

The female friendship in this story was the most wonderful thing ever. At the start of the book, Clara and Rose hate each other, but when they are forced to work together they become friends. I love Rose and I really related to the way she talked about her anxiety. Also, I really like the ways Rose helps Clara see things in a different way and aspire to be less apatethic towars life. Seeing them be there for each other was so beautiful.

In regard to the romance, I will say that it’s not the focus of the story. At the beginning, I felt like there was no chemestry between Clara, the main character, and Hamlet, the love interesting. But Hamlet is such a soft hero, he’s nice, thoughtful and respectful and he won me over the same way he did with Clara. They are so cute together and I couldn’t stop smiling when I read about them together.

Overall, this is a fun and cute story with amazing characters and tempting food descriptions.

The Way You Make Me Feel is essentially made to read in the summer. It has romance, humour, and even takes place during the summer. It's one of those feel good reads that beg to be read by a pool. It is also a character driven novel that worked for me in a lot of ways. It offers a perfect showcase for Maurene Goo's talent of creating a cast of characters that you end up loving, and the type of story that leaves you smiling. .

Clara is abrasive and sarcastic. She's cynical and closed off. She purposefully keeps people at arms length so she doesn't get hurt. She's someone who doesn't like to show when she cares about something, and doesn't take herself (or anything else) all that seriously. Everything is a joke or something to roll her eyes at. The upside to this kind of character is the growth that comes along with it. Clara's growth is one of my favourite elements of this novel and one that I predict many people will enjoy. It feels unhurried and earned by the end of the novel.

There are a few relationship dynamics that stood out for me while reading this novel. First up is the father/daughter bond that exists between Clara and her father Adrian. He's a younger father who admits he makes mistakes. He is protective and involved in her life but not in a way that felt smothering. He also goes through a bit of growth as he learns to balance being a parent with still living his life as a person outside that role.

Enemies to friends is one of my favourite type of relationship tropes and this novel had an amazing one at its core. Rose is someone who aggravates Clara for taking everything so seriously, and trying too hard. Rose cares too much and allows it to show. This puts their personality types at odds, and it causes a lot of friction between them. After being forced to work together an unlikely friendship blossoms that really changes Clara for the better. I do think both girls benefit from the friendship, but Clara is the one who especially learns from it. They each provide something the other needs in the friendship and I appreciated that the entire novel was not them fighting the entire summer.

The last relationship that stood out to me was the romance. Hamlet is entirely adorable. Clara likens him to a golden retriever and that is fairly accurate. He's patient, supportive and respectful in a way that felt unique to many young adult love interests. Their relationship also pushes Clara outside her comfort zone and helps her learn a lot about herself. I expect that Hamlet will make plenty of readers swoon, but his easy going personality is probably my favourite part about him.

My only slight issue was that I didn't feel the story came together as strongly at the end as it started out. This has a really strong beginning and middle. The growth that Clara experiences captures the readers interest and propels us forward. The ending didn't offer the emotional pay off that I was expecting. I wanted to get a little deeper into some of the issues but it never quite got there for me. This, however, does keep it on tone (even it means it is not entirely satisfying).

This book is a fun, enjoyable young adult contemporary read. I do think the characters were the strongest part of the story with them shining just a little bit brighter than everything else. Those looking for something breezy and light to read will find plenty to enjoy in here. I look forward to whatever Maurene Goo writes next as I saw a lot of potential within this book.

I liked this way more than Maureen Goo's first book. The main character felt way more real and less like a cheesy YA romcom character (which usually I love but didn't work for me in the first book).

Hilarious and touching. I loved the dynamics Clara had with the other characters, and how they revealed things about herself and the kind of person she wants to be. Rose and Hamlet were amazing friends that I wish I could meet in real life. And I definitely teared up over a father-daughter moment near the end.

This was absolutely adorable, from start to finish. I really liked Clara and her development throughout the story - I definitely related to the whole "let's downplay all emotions with humor and also never admit to feelings" thing she has going. The relationship between Clara and her father was lovely to see and as someone who has a complicated relationship with her mother, I appreciated the relationship between Clara and her mother as well. Clara's budding friendship and her budding relationship were both super cute. This is a book perfect for the summer, so I definitely encourage you to pick it up soon! It was lighthearted and fun while also having some really good development of the characters.

I thought was an ok read nothing to write home about. I love YA but this one felt way younger than that. I just didn't get anything special out of it in my opinion.