The Way You Make Me Feel is such a cute and fun read! I liked the fact that Clara is different from a lot of main characters that we normally get. She's sassy and loves to pull pranks and just have fun. I loved getting to see her grow throughout the story. Rose and Hamlet are adorable! Also, I was happy to see Clara become friends with Rose. I really enjoyed this cute contemporary read! If you need a cute book about relationships than this book is a must!

I loved this book. It took me a while to warm up to Clara but she turned out to be a really good MC. She starts out really rough around the edges and is a little annoying, but she grows up throughout the book. I loved the relationship between her and her Pai as well as her friendship with Rose. Definitely the best Maurene Goo book to date.

This book was such a delight to read! The characters were irritating at times, but that made them all the more real. The journey from enemies to friends was so believable, and so rewarding. The romance aspect wasn't really the main focus, which I appreciated, but it was helpful to have it there to force Clara to face another aspect of her self that she'd been neglecting.

In The Way You Make Me Feel, Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind? (via Goodreads)

I RECEIVED AN EARC OF THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
I wasn't entirely sure what I would think about The Way You Make Me Feel before I started it. Once I did start it, I knew I would love it. And I was right! The Way You Make Me Feel is a sweet, joyful romantic comedy focused around food. What's not to like?

You could feel Goo's love of Los Angeles, the city she grew up in, woven into every passage that dealt with the city and its history. The Way You Make Me Feel is effortlessly diverse in its characters, their class differences, and their family types making it feel incredibly real.

One of the greatest things about The Way You Make Me Feel is the character growth in the entire main cast. At the beginning of this novel, Clara is a little shit, and Rose is a snobby overachiever. They call each other out for it, and then Goo (by way of Clara's Pai, Adrian) makes them grow up.

Throughout the summer, they both grow into truer versions of themselves, and I loved every step of that journey. This story made so much sense in first person through Clara's eyes, because we got to see that growth firsthand in her reactions to things. I really loved Hamlet, who was the most static of the characters. He's described as a labrador, and honestly that's accurate.

Clara's growth, despite the romance that the story is built around, didn't come from Hamlet. It came from her choosing to care about things, which is honestly my favorite.

One thing did bother me about The Way You Make Me Feel, but it was a small thing. Pai has trypophobia, and when Clara gets mad at him for throwing her and Rose onto the KoBra together by themselves, she texts him a bunch of pictures of barnacles specifically to trigger his trypophobia. That was super shitty, and she owned that, but it bothered me.

The food in this novel also sounded absolutely delicious. All of it. I read The Way You Make Me Feel while dealing with a pollen-induced stomach bug and it still made me hungry. That's pretty impressive. Also disappointing, since the most diverse food we have around here is mediocre Chinese and Mexican food. I had to scavenge things from my own pantry, and it is in need of a shopping trip, TBH.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Way You Make Me Feel. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, food-filled YA romantic comedy that focuses more on the families of the main characters. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound!



DISCLAIMER: ALL LINKS TO INDIEBOUND AND AMAZON ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU BUY THROUGH THOSE LINKS, I WILL MAKE A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY OFF OF THE SALE.

AHHH THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE AND GOOD AND AHHH!!! I came into this book thinking “wow, cute cover” and finished it saying “omg guys this is so good wtf”. If you love a friendship, food, and cute book boyfriend filled contemporary novel that takes place over summer, The Way You Make Me Feel is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was cute and diverse and made me feel things that I forgot a book could make me feel.

4.5 stars

This was such a fun read and I totally needed this!

I've been reading so many fantasy novels lately that this breath of fresh air in the form of a cute, quirky, Asian contemporary is honestly fantastic.

The Way You Make Me Feel is basically Jenn Bennett--but more Asian, which I love so much! It's funny, it's romantic, at times it might be a little goofy, and just all around a big ball of fun.

I loved reading Goo's I Believe in a Thing Called Love because Desi was such an awkward cinnamonroll and it was both hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. I could relate a lot with Desi on that level just because of all the secondhand embarrassment.

Clara, on the other hand, is a lot more sarcastic, prickly, and snarky. She's a prankster, she's the opposite of uptight, and has a lot of inside UGH about the world. I love how dynamic this is from Goo's other work and am so glad she can write a variety of characters.

But, I did end up not relating with Clara as much as I did with Desi just because I'm less similar to Clara. That doesn't mean I didn't like her, it's just that sometimes I was less empathetic with her.

Still, her storyline was super interesting and still very heartwarming and hilarious.

She's fun, she's got a lot of sass and spunk and snark and it all makes this whole book very entertaining. Although it might seem a little extra at times, I loved the quirk and the feeling behind it because people besides white people can also be quirky. There, I said it.

It did end up being a little less romantic than I Believe in a Thing Called Love which was a little surprising for me. I geared up for a romance and got my swoon shoes on, and then there ended up being not a lot of it in the book! Hamlet is adorable and such a cute love interest, but I did think there wasn't that much about their relationship, especially for a book called The Way You Make Me Feel.

But rest assured, it doesn't end up in desperate lovers or something silly like that shoved onto teenagers.

Instead of a lot of romance, there was a really nice parental theme which I loved. Clara and her dad have such a great relationship, and even when things get strained, they managed to work their way back together. There was a lot of parental themes in here, not just with the great bond Clara had with her dad, but also with the bond she had with her Instagram fashion-blogger mother.

I liked how Clara realized things about her relationship with her mother, but I also felt like it was left a little unresolved as she never actually talked with her mother about it. This is my only real complaint--I wish there was more (although, this is always a complaint with books I love).

There were so many amazing aspects to this book--besides being diverse, Clara and Rose really worked out the friendship deal to the max, things were respectful, and Clara was a fun protagonist.

It was honestly such a refreshing and fun novel--not too intense and deep and hard-hitting, but enough to let me have a little getaway in Tulum or LA or wherever Clara went. I totally recommend this novel if you're looking for a) a fun romance b) a way to get into romance without getting irritated c) something to take your mind off of ASFDKJKL STRESS or d) a great book.

Seriously, check this out.

The Way You Make Me Feel releases on May 8th, but you can preorder it now at any major bookseller! Plus, I'm pretty sure these really cute KoBra food truck enamel pins will be part of the preorder gift, so if you want to snag one, you better preorder!

Thank you so much to FSG/Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!

The review will go live on Saturday, April 21st and also be shared on Twitter.

The Way You Make Me Feel is a modern, standard, but enjoyable contemporary teenage story that's mild in its themes and relatable overall. The author clearly knows her 2018 youth scene and her Southern California scene well enough to write a convincing narrative and I appreciated that this simple tale diverged off the beaten-path, having a very diverse cast and narrative without making the book be about some intense issue, which I think is important! People of all backgrounds are more than just their marginalized statuses, after all.

Clara Shin is a Korean-Brazilian American girl who we learn over the course of the book has fallen prey to that oh-so-standard teenage cliche "coping with life by making everything a joke and acting indifferent." She never digs deep into anything, preferring laughing and joking and pranks and unspoken walls between her and everyone else to keep from facing the real issues of life. For a lot of the book, I found Clara rather grating because I'm a lot more like Rose and people like Clara were always bothersome to me in school. But we do see change and growth in Clara as she starts to see the merit in being serious and genuine and how wanting to break rules and make things into jokes can be a very empty, unfulfilling way to live. She develops a close friendship with Rose and finally connects with a boy in a deep, meaningful way, and her revelations about her parents were rather powerful. I think Clara's dad, Adrian, was well written.

Though as I've said in the past, contemporary YA tends to be something I find very hard to like. I take chances because I want to like it more and I know there are some really great reads out there, but unfortunately with this one, there wasn't a very powerful spark because this tale is just trying to be a modern, relatable YA book for teens featuring a cast that is more appealing than the typical White American Girl Finds Self And Boyfriend story that saturates the market. Nothing dove down as deeply as I wanted it to or got as intense as I personally wanted; the friendship, romance, relationships, etc. were all fine and nicely executed, but just not in the depth or complexity that I personally seek out in a title. That isn't to say I think this book is bad, but the simplicity of the story didn't have the oomph I like to see in my reads and it's probably because I'm 23 and kind of Been There Done That with modern teen escapades.

The prose was my favorite part because it sounds authentic to a 2018 teenager in LA--another reviewer said it was like a love letter to LA and I can definitely see the vibes in how the details are crafted to exploring the many graces of the city of angels. How Clara talks feels legitimate and I personally find it super awkward when an author tries to have that authenticity but misses the mark. Maurene Goo definitely nailed down the atmosphere and sees through the eyes of the young crowd of today, so I have high hopes for her novels being great snippets of what it's like to be 16 in the year 2018 in SoCal.

For me, this read is a 3.5 overall and I'd recommend it for teens definitely. A nice read that's well constructed but doesn't get heavy or become unappealing to its target audience. Overall a nice example of contemporary teen lit.

(I received a ARC of this title from NetGalley, but that in no way affects what I've written or my opinions of the book; all opinions are my own).

Goo has shown a talent for modern contemporary stories yet again in her sophomore novel, The Way You Make Me Feel. This time around, a young, trouble-making smartmouth finds herself in hot water when a prom prank goes too far, and she and her "arch-nemesis" find themselves spending the summer working together on her dad's food truck all around LA. I connected to this story much more than Goo's debut, feeling that the protagonist's choices actually felt like something a 16 year old would do (whereas in her debut, the high school junior felt more junior high to me). Only at one point did I find myself having to suspend belief a bit more than I like to for stories grounded in reality, but this is absolutely a solid and welcome addition to any teen collection.

Really enjoyed this fun, contemporary YA. While the romance was cute, I think one of the best things about this book is how it includes a "friendship" breakup of sorts, as Clara realizes that just because not caring about anything is easier, doesn't make it a better way to live. I enjoyed how Clara's Korean-Brazilian heritage is effortlessly included as just another facet of the many groups represented in the US, rather than something "other." The descriptions of food throughout the book in particular sounded delicious, I'd order from the KoBra food truck for sure!

I got sucked in by that cover and the synopsis and couldn’t wait to get to it.

I liked Clara. She’s quite an interesting character. She’s snarky and maybe a little rude, but there’s a lot of potential. I really enjoyed reading her grow from a bratty teenager to someone who knows themselves a bit better and is ready to make changes. Rose and Hamlet were the perfect complements for Clara and the scenes with the three of them together were fun. Hands down, Clara’s dad Adrian was the best.

Plot wise it spanned a summer and left me wanting more. I enjoyed the use of the cramped quarters of a food truck to make the girls learn to get along and a lot of this felt like a love letter to LA. I’m now dreaming of my own taco walko.

Overall, it was a quick read with characters I found myself rooting for right from the beginning. I will absolutely be checking out Maureen’s other books.

**Huge thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for providing the arc free of charge**

This gets two stars instead of one because the writing flowed well and was engaging enough that I did finish the book. Also Hamlet and Rose are the best.

Aside from Hamlet, Rose, and Adrian, I kind of hated this book. Clara was basically the worst as far as main characters go. Her "class clown" persona was the type who's not actually funny, but awkward and annoying and also sometimes actually hurts people and causes damage. She's basically the only one who thinks she's actually being funny. She's really just a total jerk. It drove me nuts that she had this chip on her shoulder about not having to be nice to people who were being a jerk to her and how she was like the authority on how people "should" act, while meanwhile she was seriously terrible to everyone around her, stranger, friend, and family alike.

This was supposed to be a story about her learning to actually care about things, breaking out of her shell, and becoming more vulnerable and real and not holding everyone at a distance to "protect" herself. However, it didn't work for me at all. Mainly because Clara really didn't change much. Her environment did. Instead of being head jerk in a group of jerks, she became the only jerk in a group of super ultra nice people, so it was supposed to make her look better by association. Only I wasn't buying it because by the end of the book she's still barely learning to like and be decent to the super nice people even thought they've done literally everything for her. I could not stand to see the way she treated people, and I did not see much improvement or growth by the end. It seemed like she had JUST done something totally heinous to everyone who cared about her. Then breezed back in, sorta kinda not really apologized, and all was forgiven and forgotten. That's not character growth. Also, the super nice people really didn't have any realistic motivation for liking or hanging out with Clara. And Clara totally ditched her other life long friends once she started hanging out with Rose and Hamlet. How is that growth and decency?

Clara and her bad attitude really killed this one for me. It was not the funny, flirty, entertaining contemporary I feel it was advertised as. If you can tolerate Clara, the writing is good and some of the other characters are pretty great. I doubt I'm going to be the only one to find Clara tiresome, to say the least.


*I received a free ARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

This was such an adorable, sweet read.  If you're looking for a cute contemporary, I definitely recommend picking this one up.



I ended up really liking everyone in this book.  Except maybe Clara's mom.  She was absent and selfish, but she did love her daughter.  Clara's dad was one of my favorite people in this book.  He made me laugh all the time and the love for his daughter was so obvious.



Clara is funny, but she is the typical class clown.  She'll do just about anything for a laugh.  She hangs out with two boys, Felix and Patrick, and they play a lot of pranks.  They go a bit too far at prom though.  Clara gets into trouble along with her enemy, Rose.  Rose is one of those perfect girls and doesn't like any type of prank.  Rose and Clara are forced to work together all summer as punishment.  Clara's dad owns a food truck in LA, so they must work in close quarters the whole time.



Clara and Rose slowly start to get along and become close friends.  I loved this enemies to friends storyline.  I was cheering for this friendship the whole time.  Rose had a lot of pressure on her, but she was able to find ways to have fun, too.  They also meet a boy, Hamlet, that works at a coffee cart.  Hamlet is very attracted to Rose and starts flirting with her a lot.  She finally gives in and goes out with him.  I adored these two together.



Clara still has moments of failure and bad choices through the summer, but it was nice to watch her mature and make new friendships.  



There is also a lot of diversity in this book.  I loved the food truck and that it took place in LA.  That really added to the story for me.



I ended up giving this one a strong 4 stars.  Thank you to netgalley for providing a copy for review.

Before I begin, I need to give a huge, 'HELL YES' to the cover. I will never get tired of seeing more POC on covers. I want them all - give them to me.

From the very beginning Clara won me over. She was someone I was so envious of because I wanted to be her. In school she would have been the person I wanted to be friends with, but was too terrified of to actually introduce myself. She oozes sass, cleverness and, above all, confidence. Clara has this no-care attitude, like things are always slightly funnier and beneath her - and that hooked me like a fish. Reel me in Clara. At the same time, Clara grows a lot in this book - she has to realize that this attitude may not always be the healthiest.

Goo showcases a really great friendship between Clara and Rose. Rose is my spirit person. She's the person I was in high school and so to live through her and become friends with Clara felt soothing. Their friendship is one that begins out of necessity and blooms into more. It's like instead of enemies to lovers, it's enemies to friends and I prefer this over the other. (Also Clara is Korean American and Rose is African American - and struggles with anxiety - so that's also amazing!)

At the same time, The Way You Make Me Feel showcases one of my favorite themes which is this universal fear of letting people in. After you suffer a loss, someone leaving you, or something like that, you become afraid to let people in because you know what it feels like when they leave. You remember the scorched hole they leave behind - the ways your life is never the same. And it becomes harder to let people in. They confirm this bias you have that people will leave you - that you are somehow unworthy of people who stay. And Clara struggles hard with this and it's something I've dealt with my entire life. I have felt this fear so acutely and the fact that Clara has to confront it just was so emotional and touching to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the advance reader copy The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo in exchange for an honest review. What a great romance! Korean and Brazilian born, Clara has been raised by her dad, Adrian, since her mother is an online “influencer” (her parents never married) who travels ALL the time. Clara has a great life but it is one she controls; she loves pranks, doesn’t really take anything serious (except enemy, Rose Carver), has two guys for best friends and scathingly speaks her mind all the time. But Clara has some issues and they all come to call at the junior prom, where her prank goes all kinds of wrong; there is fake blood, a fire starts and Clara and Rose verbally and physically duke it out. What results is a summer where Clara must work with Rose on her father’s food truck, KoBra. Goo’s writing is funny, feel good, and honest about finding your true self. Clara was annoying and harsh, but she steps up, surprising herself and many others. What I really enjoyed were the great characters, funny moments, Clara’s love story with L.A., her passion for Korean and Brazilian food---sounded so delicious, I was salivating, and her redemption at the end. Clara and Hamlet’s relationship was awesome because she lets the reader know how not her type he is, but because Hamlet is so great, kind, thoughtful and exciting, she is quickly and thoroughly into him. Rose and Clara as enemies and then friends was so so nice to see as well as her father who might just be the best dad in the world. This book will be a hit with teens!

When a joke goes wrong and causes a fire at Elysian High School, Clara Shin is teetering the line of getting suspended along with her arch nemesis, Rose Carter. Her father sentences Clara to work on her father's KoBra food truck which is a Korean/Brazilian fusion restaurant on wheels. The kicker is that Clara will be working KoBra with Rose.

Clara is sassy, tends to not think before she acts and is always getting into trouble. She has no filter. Her father thinks that with hard work, she will learn to keep a cool and perhaps learn from Rose. On the contrast, Rose is an over achiever. She is captain of the dance team since freshman year and is part of the debate team. She takes summer courses at the local community college on top of her high school course work.

Hamlet Wong works at the neighboring coffee kiosk and often visits the KoBra truck with iced drinks. Although it is plainly obviously to Clara's father and Rose that Hamlet likes Clara, Clara denies it and claims Hamlet is not her type. However, Clara and Hamlet become close over the duration of the novel. Their relationship is adorable! From flowers to grass jelly flavored kisses, the excitement of going on a date radiates from the pages.

Maurene Goo created a book that is unique and humorous. I found myself chuckling when Clara has a witty comeback. However, I do agree that she needs to control herself sometimes and needs to think before she speaks. Goo did an amazing job with the character development in The Way You Make Me Feel. Clara, along with several other characters like Rose, grew a lot from the end of school until the end of summer.

Each character has their own personality and they work well with the whole cast. Patrick and Felix are supportive of Clara for most of the time but I would have loved to see more backstory and interaction. However, I absolutely loved Clara's dad, Adrian. Clara's father raises Clara solely while Clara's mother is a social media "influencer" and travels the world. Clara's parents never married and her parents were only 18 when Clara was born. Adrian is a single parent who works hard trying to provide for his daughter as well as trying to be a good parent.

Although Clara tries to reconnect with her mom by impulse buying a ticket for a flight and hopping on a plane to Tulum, she realizes that her father has always been the one to support and to root for Clara. Adrian is possibly one of my favorite fathers in a YA book. He cares about his daughter yet he sets boundaries between him and Clara as a learning experience for Clara. He is a lovable dad and he is a fantastic relationship with his daughter.

This family dynamic differs from Rose's where Rose's parents are super strict and they quiz each other on important current news over dinners. Rose starts off being uptight but slowly eases up throughout the book. She engages in typical teenage things like gossiping about boys with Clara which helps her unwind. The contrast of a wealthy lifestyle of the Carters, the Wongs and Clara's mother compared to Clara and her dad are significant. Money can't buy everything. Friendship and family bonding are priceless. Happiness can't be bought.

With the delicious lombo and picanhas, I was definitely craving the Korean Brazilian fusion food from KoBra. Throw in a sugarcane lime drink and I would be all set. The Way You Make Me Feel is a light and funny contemporary that is perfect for the summer. Goo created an exceptional book combining food, travel, romance, humor, friends and family all in one. She creates long-lasting memories of a lifetime.

Parts were funny, but overall not my cup of tea. I'm sure some teens will like it, especially if they have a strong michevious side.

ok so WOW!!!! I could not put this book down. I really loved to read the main character and her dads dynamic! Was super interested the entire way and totally loved the writing style and all the characters in this book. The book had me laughing out loud at points so much to where i was getting odd looks. This book is a roller coaster of emotions and a 1 click read.

Reading The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo makes my heart so happy because the book features Asian leads. I think I have not read a Young Adult book that has this kind of ensemble. While reading the book, I can see bits of myself in Clara and Hamlet because I grew up with Asian parents. I can relate to some of the things they are going through. I love the father and daughter dynamic in this book. It is so open and special. The foods mentioned in the book, I might try some of them, because they all sound so delicious! Clara and Rose’s friendship that started from hating each other to becoming best friends. Clara and Hamlet’s cute love story. I cannot get enough of these two adorable love birds. This will definitely not be my last Maurene Goo book! So excited to get a copy of I Believe In A Thing Called Love and to start reading it too!





*Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!!!

With protagonists of colour becoming popular in literature nowadays, Maureen Goo's Clara who is of mixed Brazilian and Korean background was a welcome voice to the diverse young adult fiction narrative. I loved the close yet incredibly realistic daughter-father bond that Clara shares with her dad and it was definitely interesting seeing her and her enemy, Rose actually become friends. Oh and it wonderfully refreshing to have a book that has no white people in the story. That being said while I love the unique and diverse cast of characters I couldn't really get onboard with the whole girl hate thing early on in the book as well as the whole Asians to be racist to fellow Asians thing between Clara and her later love interest.

This was a really cute young-adult romance book. It also has some depth to the characters, learning experiences, growing up, moving on.... It's a great summer read. I think that most people, especially teens, could relate to some of Clara's relationships, and maybe even learn from it.