Ok first thing I LOVED all the references to rom-coms in this book. It had everything from When Harry Met Sally to My Best Friends Wedding. It was adorable. I was impressed by all the recent references too like the shout out to Never Have I Ever.
The romance was cute but the friendship between Winnie and Mat was my favorite part. The sister relationship was amazing as well. This book was a pleasant light hearted fluffy read!

I know I’ve said this before, but this time I really mean it. THIS is my favorite book by Pintip Dunn. Unless I’m allowed to have more than one favorite, in which case I choose them ALL. But seriously, this is just the right lighthearted rom-com for these complicated times. It’s full of warm, engaging characters, swoony moments that are solidly of the PG variety, and so much Thai food that my mouth watered throughout. Winnie is the youngest of three girls and has grown up in the shadow of her beautiful, identical twin sisters. And for the most part, she’s been okay with that. She loves them and they adore her. With them in college now, they’re expected to find suitable spouses, sooner rather than later, as is Thai tradition. But because the Tech girls are not allowed to date in high school, Bunny and Ari use that as an excuse for why they haven’t found anyone yet. After all, one needs to date in order to learn how to date. And they use that lack of experience as an excuse. Lesson learned, their parents decide that Winnie will practice date, so that she knows what to do when she heads off to college next year. And she will practice date with longtime family friend and arch nemesis, Mat Songsomboon. It’s clear from the beginning these two will end up together, but how they get there is hilarious, heartfelt, and full of humility.

Plot
Winnie and Mat’s relationship drives the plot, but Winnie’s acceptance of her role in her family, the obedient daughter, drives most of the conflict. While Mat and Winnie are now mortal enemies, they share a past that included lazy afternoons, deep friendship, and lots of laughter. That is evident even in their most contentious interactions. The more time they spend together, though, the more Winnie begins to doubt that Mat hates her or that she hates him. In fact, it takes a lot of energy to hate someone, so why put so much effort into someone who doesn’t matter? What I absolutely love about this book is that the author doesn’t take the easy way out and allow unspoken thoughts and rampant misunderstandings to keep her characters apart. Instead, they both share thoughts and feelings, awkwardly, that clears the air far sooner than I expected, and instead the author finds more difficult ways to build conflict. This made the story much less predictable than I anticipated.

The Characters
As always, Dunn creates beautifully deep characters with just enough flaws to make them believable and loveable. Winnie, Mat, and the rest are no exception. Winnie’s sisters, though only secondary characters, are nearly as well-developed as Winnie. Her parents, best friend, Kavya, and the new Thai boy, Taran, round out the main cast perfectly.

Top Five Things I Loved About DATING MAKES PERFECT
1. Mat. He’s annoying at times, self-assured, bordering on arrogant, but he is loyal to the end and earns Winnie’s love the hard way.

2. Winnie. Her desire to be the good and obedient Thai daughter but also be true to herself creates a refreshing internal conflict that makes her easy to love.

3. Thai Food. So much of the story centers around Thai tradition and food is as much a part of that as anything else. From meals to treats, the detailed descriptions left me salivating for a bowl of tom yum koong.

4. Parental Love. Even though Winnie is convinced her parents’ love is conditional, they show her that nothing could be further from the truth in the best way possible.

5. Rom Coms. The subtle weaving of some of the best romantic comedies ever made was a bonus I didn’t even know I wanted.

Bottom Line
The perfect light, fun read for these extraordinary times.

It's a family dynamic of three sisters whose parents will NOT let them date in High school because they need to focus on their studies. But when the twin older sisters make a stand now that they're in college that they won't let their parents dictate their dating situations - the youngest sister who is still in High school now has the parents permission to date and she never thought she'd see this day. It changes EVERYthing!
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I'll never forget what dating in High school was like and it really doesn't prepare you for the adult world of dating, in my opinion. So much drama I couldn't even handle it!
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A great read for Rom-Com fans and those that want a Light-Hearted and family oriented novel. Bonus points because it centers on a Thai family and those unique social dynamics that are experienced in their culture.

As a teenager who has grown up with little to no dating, Dating Makes Perfect was such a refreshing and relating book.

Winnie’s character is funny, sweet, and innocent. She’s 100% an authentic teenager. Her relationships with her sisters, parents, friends, and love interests made this book what it was. The focus on relationships was so nice to see, especially when I found it to be accurate to the teenaged experience. Throughout the book, I fell in love with the relationships between the characters.

Secondly, I found the fake dates to be so, so adorable. From shopping to restaurants, each date supplied me with a substantial amount of serotonin (especially because they were based off of romance movies?! How cute!).

I also loved the enemies-to-lovers in this book. I haven’t read one in a contemporary yet, so I was very happy to see it represented (especially in such a realistic way). Maybe I can finally get my enemies-to-lovers moment...

Fourth, as a white person, it is my responsibility to learn about and educate myself on different cultures. I was pleasantly surprised to have learned about Thai culture in this book! Especially the food...ESPECIALLY the food.

Overall, Dating Makes Perfect was a sweet, funny, and short book supplied with fluffy moments, real talk, mouth-watering food descriptions, and a fantastic enemies-to-lovers relationship.

My Thoughts:

Dating Makes Perfect was the first book I've read by Pintip Dunn, but it won't be my last! This story was a colorful, fun, feel-good #OwnVoices romance, that delighted me from beginning to end.

There were so many things I loved about this story! The descriptions of Taiwanese culture, as well as the customs, traditions, and cuisine were exquisite! I loved reading about the various Thai dishes, and could see how food was such an integral aspect of the culture. The cuisine sounded so delicious that I could picture everything, and wished I could hop through the pages and try the various foods.

The Tech sisters had an unnbreakable bond. I loved the twins Ari and Bunny, and of course Winnie was absolutely wonderful. These girls shared everything with each other, and always supported one another. They were more than sisters; they were best friends. Anyone who reads this story will love this trio. I enjoyed time spent with Winnie's parents as well. They brought a lot of levity and humor to the story.

The romance between Matt and Winnie was a blast! These two had so much fiery chemistry! I loved their interactions and fake dates. I was rooting for them from the start, and wanted to know what could have broken up such a strong friendship. Their journey from enemies to friends/crushes was a fun one filled with the passion and excitement of first love, humor, heartbreak, life lessons, and an abundance of feels!

In case you can't tell, I loved Dating Makes Perfect, and highly recommend it!

When I heard Pintip Dunn had a new book coming out in August, I was a nagging Nelly trying to find out if I could get a copy to review. Dunn has been one of the most reliably great writers I’ve encountered since I started blogging. (Yes, hers was one of the first books I reviewed and only about six people ever saw that review.) I was only momentarily taken aback to find that this writer of thrillers and sci-fi had taken on rom-com.

Dating Makes Perfect is another 400 page book that reads like it was a hundred pages. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. Dunn is as adept at writing rom-com as she is writing thrillers. The family dynamic is extremely heart-warming. I love the closeness of the three sisters, how they really do look out for each other and love each other. Winnie says at one point:

“. . . I will never be insulted by a compliment to my sisters. The competition among us has never amounted to a grain of rice. Their wins are mine and vice versa.”

I love that although their parents are strict, there is so much love there. And, Papa Tech has to be one of my hands down favorite characters of the year. He’s quirky and lovable and unexpected.

The romance between Winnie and Mat is sweet. The two had been best friends as children since their parents were close but experienced a falling out four years ago that they both perceived differently. While sometimes break-ups in YA fiction are given little thought, this one showed an unexpected depth that really points toward Dunn’s plotting. I never feel like anything is taken for granted in her books.

In support of #ownvoices, the reader partakes of an exploration of what it is to be Thai, from relationships to festivals to traditional dress to dancing, and most salivating of all–food. Oh, the descriptions of the food! Warning: do not read if you’re hungry!

Dating Makes Perfect is definitely one of the top YA books I’ve read of the year. If you love YA rom-coms, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

I received (begged for, literally, begged for) an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man, how I wished I could’ve simply enjoyed this book. Instead there were so many obstacles between me starting the book and me finishing it, I still have sleepless nights from reasoning about how I can evaluate the book in a fitting way.
Just a quick disclaimer: This review might sound negative but the book wasn’t bad. The problem only is that I had a lot of issues with the overall storyline which in the end soured my overall reading experience too; however I would still recommend the book for a lot of reasons (see below).

Let me start from the beginning: The book tells the story of Winnie Tech (short for Orrawin Techavachara), a high schooler whose mother surprisingly decides that Winnie has to fake-date her number one sworn-enemy, Mat, who is also Thai. The only problem? They both hate each other’s guts, even though they used to be best friends growing up. Also in case you didn’t know, dating in high school is normally an absolute taboo for Thai (and probably most Asian/immigrant) parents, so her parents’ announcement comes quite as a surprise. As an Asian girl who grew up in Europe, I think the set-up was absolutely hilarious, especially because I could definitely relate to the no-dating policy in school. However that was also the first time I felt myself stumbling over the storyline. Agreeing to fake-date? I was happy to follow along as long as there were reasonable grounds on which both parties would agree to the scheme. But…there weren’t. Instead this part of the story is brushed off because being the ever-obedient Asian daughter/the youngest sister always standing in her sisters’ shadows, and a boy trying to break free from his parents’ grasp seemed to be reason enough. This is something that I might have related to initially, but as the story moves on however, made it hard for me to fall back as a foundation.

Another part that I had many mixed feelings about were the contrasting portrayals of Winnie and Mat. While Winnie is depicted as the typically sweet, sometimes-clumsy, always-daydreaming YA contemporary heroine, Mat is the complete opposite. You know why this book is #ownvoices? Because he isn’t presented as the stereotypical, soft-spoken, sensitive Asian male character. Instead I really appreciated how he was the cocky, arrogant and overly handsome male lead that girls are fawning over. However it sometimes felt as if the author couldn’t really decide whether she wanted to make him the controlled heartbreaker or sympathetic polite son of Thai immigrants because some of the expressions we see felt very much out of place for a high school student (growling when talking to a girl? Seemed kind of cringe). In the end unfortunately, it only made Winnie as a character even smaller and bizarrely immature.

What I also found to be troubling – storywise – was that Mat is ‘put into charge’ to rate their fake dates/dating practice sessions. Because the family dynamics in Winnie’s family were something that positively stood out to me, I found it hard to believe that Winnie’s parents wouldn’t trust their daughter enough to just go ahead with the fake dates. This made the book even more caricatural — and tragically unrelatable, even with the best will in the world.
This in return made it very hard for me to believe in the chemistry and romance between Mat and Winnie, as well as in the story in its entirety at all. There is a point in this book where their mutual hate turns into love (yup, that was another typical YA contemporary trope that I *didn’t see coming at all*) but the transition was so abrupt, I found myself flipping back the pages, fearing I might have missed out on something. I didn’t. This book also heavily relies on another readers’ favourite: the love triangle trope. It should’ve brought some spice into the story probably, but dang, did the book play the other potential love interest dirty. I wished the author would have focused on creating a solid foundation in Winnie and Mat’s relationship instead of recycling old YA contemporary stereotypes.

Now on to the biggest problem I had with this book: The main character. I needed nuances to her personality and character — something that we sadly never get. Maybe I would have understood her actions and decisions better if we had been provided with more background information on her interests, hobbies…anything that makes her her. Instead she is stuck in this endless cycle of being the forever sweet youngest daughter, always trying to please her parents. This part of the story wasn’t too bad actually; however her character growth was excruciatingly slow and a little bit too ‘static’.
I really enjoyed seeing her relationship with Mat and her sisters evolve though, making her reconsider her role within in her family and her plans for the future.

That said, there were a lot of things I genuinely enjoyed about this book. Firstly, the family dynamics. As a fellow child of first generation immigrants from Asia, there were often a lot of comical scenes I recognised from my own life — living up to your parents’ expectations while also balancing life in western society. The relationship between Asian parents to their children is often very complex, and this book perfectly displayed these layers — parents’ expectations vs. following your own interests.
I also love the importance of food in this book: While it might seem trivial to the average reader, food plays such an important role in Asian culture. To quote the main character in the book, ‘Food is not just a sliver of our culture but also a thread that connects the entire tapestry of who we are’. This gave me so many warm feelings and made me smile so often. Asian parents might suck at expressing their feelings but through food, nothing is left unsaid.

Dating Makes Perfect is unlike any other book I’ve read before, and so similar to so many books I have read before too. I was very excited to pick up a book that has a fully diverse cast, and there was definitely no shortcoming in Asian representation. I especially enjoyed the omnipresent references to Thai culture, whether it’s through the festivities and or the many dishes mentioned in the book. I will have to say though that some of the important cultural references were sometimes overshadowed by the messed up, sometimes cringe, often cheesy plot.

Would I still recommend this book? The answer is absolutely yes. However there are two types of readers I think this book is specifically targeted at: 1) a younger YA audience and 2) YA contemporary newbies. Otherwise, the plot might fall flat for YA veteran readers, with easily recognisable plot patterns, YA tropes and cheesy love scenes. Overall, an easy and sweet contemporary romance!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @entangled_publishing for my ARC of “Dating Makes Perfect” by Pintip Dunn in exchange for an honest review!

This YA retelling of the Taming of the Shrew is pure fun. The Tech sisters are not allowed to date in HS. But Winnie’s mom changes her mind and decides to let Winnie “fake date” her childhood friend turned nemesis, Mat.
I’m not a huge YA fan so there were parts that felt a little too angsty. BUT, I LOVED all the Thai American food descriptions. I was majorly craving some good Thai food by the time I finished. I guess food will get my attention more than an enemies to lovers trope these days 🤣 #thisisyourthirties

I put together an IGTV review for my tour spot with Hear Our Voices Tours and talked about my favorite elements about the book, identity, and the cultural highlights that Pintip Dunn wove into her latest story

Wow. I never thought that I'd ever read a book that I can relate to so much.
Initially, I was sceptical when I first read the blurb, as one is when you see an #ownvoices hashtag, but after giving the book a go, the dedication to portraying an authentic rep really shown through and won me over completely.

Dating Makes Perfect reflects Thai (-American) culture in such a genuine way, that it warms my heart, and whenever I come across a phrase or cultural element, I'm literally beaming with pride at my e-ARC. It sometimes feels like I'm reading about my family or friends (yes, they are equally that dramatic - perhaps more), and it's so amazing to get to say that because it's incredibly rare.

The storyline is insanely cute, with clichés that are excusable if you're looking for a light-hearted and satisfying romantic read. Though some of the plot lines are a bit over the top and unrealistic, it's nonetheless fun, paces fast and keeps you guessing to an extent.

My only minor issue is that character voice is a bit young compared to what I usually enjoy reading, but the character stereotypes, humour and touching family moments made it a really refreshing and unique take.

Favourite Thai Rep moments:
- "I smile. This feeling may not be overly deep or complicated, but it perfectly captures my heart at the festival today. "Pride". * I felt this.

- Just the whole Songkran scene was stunning. I barely see a Wat - temple, depicted in English fiction, and it was such a proud moment.
- The food! Need I say more? I read this and got HANGRY! Multiple times.
- Tiny cultural details that show the life of Thai characters (who live abroad*)
Eg. how Winnie wears a jade necklace, or how they call everyone Uncle/Auntie, eating Jok for breakfast. Their hands in a Wai!

[* What's so important about this rep portrayal is that it was an authentic representation of the author's own identity. There's always a case of being part of a culture, but also being treated like you are not that culture enough. This book speaks for the voice of a Thai kid living abroad/ of the multi-cultural, bilingual kid, and I'm living for this! - end rant.]

This book 'makes for a perfect' light-hearted, comedic, summer read. Highly recommend.

How gorgeous is the artwork for Dating makes perfect! Pintip Dunn is an artistic genius and I’m not talking about the cover. Her words are addictive and the characters she creates come to life on the page.

I love the Tech sisters. Orrawin is the youngest sister and bout to become the first to get the chance to date in high school. With strict parents the Tech sisters don’t date but when the older two point out a flaw in their mums plan Winnie is set-up with her ex-best-friend/enemy.

Mat and Winnie have great chemistry. It’s a shame they hate each other. As these two are thrown together they need to take a long hard look at what went wrong.

* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, I didn’t love this book. I’m finding it harder and harder to like straight books as a gay male the more I read queer books.

Overall there was nothing wrong with this book, it’s was a cute fake dating book that did make me laugh out loud a few times.

This book would be perfect for straight YA romance lovers who are into the fake dating trope.

I hope you love this book!

I'm a huge Pintip Dunn fan, and it doesn't matter if she's writing sci-fi or contemporary YA I adore the stories she writes. If there is one thing, Pintip Dunn gets its conveying teen temptation in a repressed and traditional Asian community, and I always appreciate the diversity of her characters. This book is a fantastic introduction to her books if you've not read her before!

Dating Makes Perfect characters Winnie and Mat remind me of Alice and Bandit from Malice, but this story has zero sci-fi elements. Like Alice and Bandit, Winnie and Mat are a contentious pair, and Winnie, of course, thinks Mat is the entire problem when the actual issue is Winnie's arrogance. These two are one of my favorite YA pairs of 2020. Mat is just the sort of book boyfriend you want for your sister, and I say that as a Bunny.

Another thing I loved about this book, Pintip Dunn did an incredible job building Winnie's family. Bunny and Ari are the best sorts of sisters, supportive and protective. I found myself smiling at her dad with every new research article he read and applied. And Dr. Pat is the kind of mother that you might not know where you stand with, but she would be the first to stand in front of a train for you. I want a Dr. Pat.

When Winnie's mother finds that Bunny and Ari are making excuses for not exploring an MRS degree first thing in college because they couldn't date in high school, Dr. Pat decides Winnie must start practice-dating before she too is a lost cause. The drawback, her mom picks her nemesis and ex-best friend to be her experimental 'datee.'

Her parents' theory is that there is no one better for practicing than the boy who isn't tempting to her, but that is a proven fallacy because when they aren't fighting, Winnie remembers all the things she misses most of her lost friendship with Mat. And when he's not needling her, he's saying things that aren't at all mean in any way, leaving Winnie feeling like it's her job to keep the animosity alive.

These two are mixed signals all over the place, and I love this story. I enjoy the culture that Pintip Dunn brings to her books and that she steeps readers in her characters' lives. I would really like to know what Chib-peng means, though.

Highly recommend this book, and while you are at it, read Malice.

I absolutely enjoyed and adored this sweet, fun #ownvoices rom-com. The whole childhood bffs to enemies to lovers fake dating tropes made things a little more interesting for the characters relationships that brought on slow burning tension, banter for days, charm, laughter and swoons. Also, the nuanced commentary on Thai culture and Asian parents was very much appreciated especially for ownvoices readers. My favorite thing about this title though was the sister kinship between Winnie and her older sisters, and Winnie's friendship with her bff Kavya. This had everything we love about romantic comedies.

Thank you for the review copy for the blog tour. I really enjoyed this title that was one of my anticipated 2020 reads.

A very cute read that I finished in one sitting! I loved all of the characters and how the story focused on both Winnie’s struggle with her family and romance. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves rom coms!

We all know essentially how a rom com novel will end — that’s why we like them. It’s really the journey to that end that keeps us coming back for more. And Pintip Dunn’s Dating Makes Perfect definitely makes you want more.

I didn’t date much as a teen. I only went to a few dances, and they were girl’s choice. So, the teenage dating scene has always been a bit of an enigma for me. Most of my knowledge comes from books. And even I know that what Winnie’s parents do is no good. Their cringe-worthy, though well-intentioned, plan is something we can all imagine our parents doing.

There are so many things to love about Dating Makes Perfect — Winnie’s flawed parents, her seemingly perfect twin sisters, the cute boy who turns out to be not so cute, and the not-so-cute boy who turns out to be just right.

Going into Dating Makes Perfect, I knew very little about Thai-American culture. Pintip does a great job of “educating” without it feeling that way. Food, dress and language flow seamlessly throughout, creating a world that you step into and immediately feel comfortable.

Pintip’s writing is clear with a warmth reminiscent of Sandhya Menon and Jenny Han. I’d happily read more contemporary novels from her along this vein.

I fell in love with YA because of books like this one. The kind that will fill your heart whole and will make you feel complete! The Thai culture captivated in this book is detailed so well, and I related because of my own Mexican culture. I could not believe all the similarities, and I felt so connected with the characters and family, that so much of what they went through reflected my own experiences as well.

I fell in love with the sisterly dynamic of Winnie and her sisters. I never had sisters, but this book definitely made me wish I had them. A novel about family, first loves, friendships, what more could you ask for?

This is one of the best own voices rom com I’ve read in a while.

I recommend it to anyone who loves a well written, wonderful YA romance, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon. This one will stay with me for a while, and it’s just the book I needed between two thrillers in my TBR. Can’t wait to read this one again very soon!

Winnie, also known as Orrawin, is not allowed to date in high school. Just like her elder sisters, who are now allowed to date as they are in University. However, upon checking in, their parents find out that they are actually struggling to date. Hence, Winnie’s fate changes. She is now allowed to date, fake dating. Winnie’s parents picked the worst person ever, her ex-best friend now archnemesis, Mat Songsomboon.

When a blog tour was announced for this book, I was really quite excited and didn’t hesitate to sign up and I am so glad I did. Dating Makes Perfect was really a lovely time. Enemies-to-Lovers is my favorite romance trope, but getting a taste of Friends-to-Enemies-to-Lovers is so much better! The overall pace of the book was really done well, every moment was appreciated, may it be on the romance aspect or a self-discovery aspect. I really loved that this book was not just about the romance, but also showed a close family dynamic which I am living for, and also about searching for a sense of self and belonging.

Winnie was a really pleasant main character, she was the kind of daughter who wanted to please her family, kept a small circle of friends, and was proud of her heritage. Despite being Thai-American, I totally found myself in Winnie when I was younger. My parents also refused to let me date until I got into university, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t in high school anyway (lol). And the pleasing family aspect is always there, as a Southeast Asian, I think this is an aspect of culture that is ever present and I really appreciate that this was carried over in the book. The family being supportive is also a favorite aspect of mine. My problem with YA Contemporary is that when families don’t get along leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel very realistic and it gives an impression to the readers. So, when Pintip Dunn wrote such a healthy family life, that was immediately a huge YES for me. The author also incorporated how Asian children are afraid to speak up in the fear of upsetting or disappointing their children that makes us give white lies. I think this struck such a nerve for me because I used to be like that too, until I learned how parents will always be at your side, they are your alliances and they will always love you no matter what.

The romance aspect in this book was so fun and swoony. Mat is moody, misunderstood, but then he was also secretive. I loved how he showed he cared even if he didn’t want to outright say it. Their dates were also really adorable, I love that Winnie’s mom planned them around popular hollywood movies and Pintip Dunn put her own twist to it. Watching their relationship unfold was absolutely breathtaking, I was literally gripping the sheets as I was reading. I specially love the parts about writing down a report of what they did on their fake date for the mother to evaluate. Seeing how their friendship unfold, the way and reason they broke apart, then mending it and turning it into something else was just really sweet. Makes me want to wish I had a childhood friend like that.

Finally, I love the Thai representation in the book. Just the mention of food made my mouth water. When Songkran was mentioned and all the food was laid out, I was thrown back to when I would go to Thailand and all the food I was able to try, I specially miss Larb Pla Duk and Cha Yen. The customs of being a conservative girl is also depicted which is really appreciated. Although, not everyone is strictly following this anymore, I personally found it endearing that Winnie is not appalled with her Thai roots and she is willing to understand and still practice them. The Songkran festival was also a delight to read, although I would have loved if there was a moment when they sprayed each other with water.

If you’re looking for a light, fun, and great summer read, I highly recommend Dating Makes Perfect. The romance will keep you on your toes, mixed in with Thai culture and a character who is looking for her place in her world.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a e-arc of this book. These opinions are my own.
I love this book.
This book is much needed and it's nice to finally see genres embrace multicultural characters-especially with authors pursuing own voices. I would definitely have this book in my classroom library and I hope other people give this book a chance.

I really love the cover for this book, and I'm happy to say that the story lived up to the expectations set by the cover.

Winnie was a lot of fun to follow because her character voice really animated the story. The reader is fully immersed in her head, experiencing the joys and pains of first love, the highs and lows of adolescence, the hopes and fears that drive Winnie's decisions. She struggles to assert herself, inhibited by insecurities, and that aspect of her personality and character arc really resonated with me because I had a similar struggle when I was her age.

If you love childhood friends to enemies to lovers as a trope, then you'll probably enjoy the romance in this book. It's full of electric-charged romantic tension and barely suppressed yearning. Beyond simply physical attraction, Winnie and Mat have a long shared history together that complicates their feelings for each other. This is as much a story about rekindling friendship as it is a romance. Moreover, Mat plays an important role in pushing Winnie to be honest and communicative about her desires.

Central to the conflict and character development is Winnie's family, her relationships with her parents and with her sisters. The love they share is evident in their interactions, which are a mix of good-humored teasing and more serious discussions. Even as Winnie defies some of her parents rules, she does try to understand where they are coming from and fears losing their love. While she adores her sisters, she also feels trapped in their shadow and unable to shine on her own. These complex feelings enrich the narrative.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is its celebration of Winnie's heritage. It's a love letter to the food, the language, and the traditions of Thai culture. Winnie's narration is loaded with cultural references that lend it a unique texture, which is the kind of thing that I love about own voices books. Thai culture is an inextricable part of Winnie's identity and facilitates her bonding with Mat as well as Taran, the rival love interest who is also Thai American. Her culture isn't an obstacle to overcome or a burden to relinquish.

Last but not least, I really enjoyed how the author sprinkled in references to contemporary Asian American media, including To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Never Have I Ever, and Always Be My Maybe. Each reference felt like a special Easter egg for me as someone who's watched all of the films/shows mentioned and knew exactly what it was alluding to. It's always fun when pieces of media are in conversation with each other, even peripherally.