Sweet. innocent. ADORABLE.

Friends>Enemies>Lovers

This was an absolutely adorable contemporary romance! The MC Winnie likes to this j that she's a good Thai American girl. she never rebels against her parents rules. Her parents have always been strict with her and her sisters about dating. But her parents decide to let her practice dating. The only catch..she has to take date her enemy Mat.

I love the family dynamic in this book! Winnie and her sisters have such a great relationship.

It was nice to read a young, innocent, puppy love story!

Winnie was such a fun character to follow. She’s a total klutz, a loving sister, a good Thai girl and the opposite of smooth. While the main plot was romance and fake dating, it was also about Winnie and what it means to be apart of a Thai family. She was so scared of upsetting her parents and trying to be this perfect Thai daughter. We even got to see what it was like for her to be Asian American and unsure how to combine the Thai and American cultures. Luckily she has some amazing people in her life like her best friend and sisters to help her stay true to herself and fight for what she wants.

One of my favorite parts of this book was Winnie’s relationship with her older twin sisters Bunny and Ari. She gets teased a bit for not being as perfect as them or hiding in their shadows but that wasn’t how she viewed it at all and neither did her sisters. They all lifted each other up, helping the others to shine in their own ways. It was such a close knit relationship that was just incredibly positive with no resentment when one was better at something than the other or when the twins were praised more by their parents.

I’m obviously not a Own Voices reviewer so I can’t speak on the Thai representation too much. What I can say is that I loved learning about it through Winnie; from the traditional foods, to Songkran (Thai water festival) and just what was expected of a her culturally. It was really interesting and eye-opening. I’m really glad Dunn shared all of this with us readers and I hope others find the representation they deserve in this book.

Romance was the focal point of this book obviously and who doesn’t love the whole fake dating trope? Plus the fake dates were based off of classic American rom-coms planned by Winnie’s mom. It was the cutest. Oh but the actual boy, the enemy, Matt was a mix of swoon and straight hottie. I liked that I never knew the direction the romance was going and that Winnie had possibilities but that it all cake down to what her mom had planned and then to her fighting for what she wanted. But back to my true love Matt. He was so sweet and I had him dialed in from the first introduction. Boy wasn’t as smooth as he was led to believe but of course naive Winnie had some learning to do which was such a fun journey.

If you’re a fan of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, My Best Friend’s Wedding, When Harry Met Sally or any other rom-com I highly suggest adding this to your TBR. Dating Makes Perfect was the perfect mix of rom-com, sisterly love, Thai culture and the ultimate struggle of trying to figure out what is worth fighting for.

This bestfriends turned enemies to fake lovers to real lovers trope has got to be the best thing ever invented.

Dating Makes Perfect had me laughing and swooning and crying and just outright hungry. I love Pintip Dunn's descriptive, vibrant writing. Being immersed in Thai culture and tradition was such a delightful experience I absolutely enjoyed and loved. I am so in love and in awe with this place I've never even been to.

This book was everything I wanted and more. So, so much more. Read it in one sitting and fell in love with the writing and the characters from the very first page. I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with the Tech family. All their quirks and craziness and their realness. We don't always see the best in ourselves but family always does. And sisters? They're THE BEST. I have sisters of my own and like Winnie I'm the youngest of three. The kind of bond formed between sisters is unlike anything, I can attest to that. The Tech sisters definitely took the spotlight in the book.

I don't know how helpful this review is (or if anyone is even reading it) but I can't not mention Mat. THIS MAGNIFICENT, AMAZING HUMAN BEING. Reenact rom-com scenes with me anytime. I AM SWOON.

This sweet, heartwarming and wonderfully written book gave me all the FEELS. My heart barely survived the experience.

And just in case it didn't come across- I love, love, love this book to pieces! (I don't think I've ever mentioned the word 'love' this much in any review before.)

Is it too soon for a re-read?

'Maybe that’s where our closeness comes from. I’m not sure. All I know is that saying goodbye to them feels like yanking out a small but important organ. Not the useless appendix, but maybe a thyroid?'

“My kisses probably figure in your dreams on a nightly basis.”

“If you love them, you have to give them a little credit. Give them the chance to prove you wrong, to show that they’ve been growing and adapting right alongside us.”

I received an e-arc via Netgalley to read and review.

When you live in a country, where most of the population is white, any book with representation is great. Dating Makes Perfect was a goldmine in comparison! I loved that the characters are from Thai origin, but the problems are universal: losing friendship, having perfect older sisters, not disappointing your parents and dating. Another thing that I enjoyed was Winnies relationship with her older sisters: loving, but on the same time the inequality of having an older slibing. And of course, all the insights in the Thai culture were just lovly. The only thing I would change is that not all thai expressions were translated. Since I read it as a kindle book, I'm not sure if it will be included in a physical copy. But overall a solid 5 star book!