Review: I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Maurene Goo

I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Maurene Goo
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

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

"MOTHER OF DRAGONS, THIS IS MY FIRST REAL KISS."

Desi was such a fun character. I loved her focus and drive, but I also loved what a hot mess she was when it came to romance. Some of her "flailures" were hilarious. Although I had my reservations with many of these 24 steps, I was still rooting for Desi to get the boy, because she was so sweet and endearing. This was a girl, who strived for perfection, because she never wanted to make her father worry, and at times, put his needs above her own.

"I was literally having a K drama romance-montage moment."

Speaking of Desi's dad, he was fabulous! Desi recounts those first years after her mother's death and how difficult they were, but it only made her and her father grow closer, and they had the type of relationship that would make anyone jealous. Her dad was so precious. His love for both Korean dramas and his daughter were unparalleled, and the interactions between these two were so sweet. I adored every second they spent together on the page.

"You cannot control who you love, Desi, but you can always control how hard you fight, okay?"

I also loved Desi's two best friends, Wes and Fiona. Each brought a little something special to the story, but mostly, they were Desi's biggest supporters and fans. This K-drama plan involved some real scheming, and only the best sort of friends would support that kind of crazy.

"You know that feeling when it's been a crappy overcast day and then suddenly the sun peeks out, right into your face? That's what Luca's smile was like. Like it was beaming straight from outer space and onto my face specifically."

And that leaves Luca and the romance. This was so cute, sweet, adorable, and swoony. Once the K-drama steps were out of the way, we really got to see Luca and Desi honestly interact, and it was wonderful. He was an artist, who was very deep and empathetic. He was the calm to her storm and grounded her. I really enjoyed these two together. But, this was a symbiotic relationship, and both saw improvements in different areas of their life due to the other.

"Finding your self fitting into the negative space of someone else's body perfectly."

And other contemporaries, please take note: this is how you do an epilogue. Lately, my contemporary reads have left me a little wanting at the end, due to the lack of a definitive ending. The stories ended, but the authors did not commit to any solid resolution, however Goo did. So, thank you Maurene Goo for the lovely epilogue. It gave me the closure I needed and wanted.

Overall: This book has a lot to offer. It's a fun rom-com with a lot of heart, made richer by a diverse cast and enough k-drama to serve as a homage to the k-drama fans or an introduction to those k-drama newbie.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

Have you watched any K dramas?

Let us know in the comments!