Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Title: Somewhere Only We Know
Author: Maurene Goo
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: May 7, 2019
Pages: 384
Source/format: Library//Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆1/2 

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):


10 00 p.m.: Lucky is the biggest K-pop star on the scene, and she's just performed her hit song "Heartbeat" in Hong Kong to thousands of adoring fans. She's about to debut on The Tonight Show in America, hopefully a breakout performance for her career. But right now? She's in her fancy hotel, trying to fall asleep but dying for a hamburger.

11 00 p.m.: Jack is sneaking into a fancy hotel, on assignment for his tabloid job that he keeps secret from his parents. On his way out of the hotel, he runs into a girl wearing slippers, a girl who is single-mindedly determined to find a hamburger. She looks kind of familiar. She's very cute. He's maybe curious.

12:00 a.m.: Nothing will ever be the same.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Maurene Goo created a unique book that pulled me in right from the beginning. Lucky is a sensational K-pop star and is making her huge break On the Later Show in the United States soon. Currently, she is hungry for a hamburger in between sets in Hong Kong. She sneaks out of her hotel venturing out for that hamburger that she has her heart set on. What she didn't know is that she would bump into Jack, who is also Korean and from California just like her.

Jack is taking a gap year between high school and college. Although his parents are supportive of the gap year, he is required to intern at the bank his father works for despite his passion for photography. If he opts for college, Jack would love to attend art school to pursue his passion. I found it interesting how his parents want him to major in business and/or engineering when his father studied creative writing and even obtained a MFA. However, Jack's father ends up going into banking for a career.

Jack was still able to pursue his love for photography even though he has to sneak around behind his parents back. He gives into his parents' expectations but still follows his passion. Lucky loves what she does but I sense a feeling of uncertainty from her. She wants the freedom to carve her own path without everyone watching her every move. She is on a path of self-discovery and Jack is helping her figure out what she wants out of life.

Lucky and Jack don't fall at love at first. They actually were annoyed at each other at times but Jack genuinely cared about the well-being of Lucky. Although I find it unrealistic that Lucky was able to evade the K-pop industry such as her manager and some of the security, Somewhere Only We Know is a light rom-com perfect for summer reading. Lucky and Jack meeting each other, is the relief that they are looking for, away from their hectic and stressful lives. If you are looking for a quick, fluffy read and love K-pop, check out this novel!

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Title: The Way You Make Me Feel
Author: Maurene Goo
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: May 8, 2018
Pages: 336
Source/format: e-ARC from Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

From the author of I Believe in a Thing Called Love, a laugh-out-loud story of love, new friendships, and one unique food truck.

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?

With Maurene Goo's signature warmth and humor, The Way You Make Me Feel is a relatable story of falling in love and finding yourself in the places you’d never thought to look.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

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.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Title: I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Author: Maurene Goo
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: May 30, 2017
Pages: 336
Source/format: Library/hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

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.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Desi Lee is an overachiever who is involved with sports, many clubs and has the grades for Stanford University. However, she is a complete klutz. Desi has a plan for everything in her life and she succeeds at almost everything except when it comes to love. She is always caught in the center of a flailure which is a flirt failure. Desi gets tongue tied, is a bit clumsy and always ruins her chances with a guy. Luca Drakos is the new guy at school and for some reason, he likes Desi.

Desi's father, who she calls Appa, means the world to Desi. After the death of her mother, Desi always wants to make sure Appa is living a good life. Appa loves watching K Dramas and Desi soon becomes obsessed with them. She uses what she learns in the K Dramas and applies it to her love life with her own list "K Drama Steps to True Love." I love the relationship between Desi and her father. It's one of the most genuine relationships I've read regarding a single parent. Appa is very involved in Desi's life and Desi treats him with respect and will share almost everything with him.

Maurene Goo breaks down stereotypes. Instead of an athletic, good looking guy, we have Luca, the artist who is more of the sensitive type. He has troubled past and he is that mysterious guy that Desi is intrigued with. Desi might be the valedictorian of the school and is involved in everything, accept anything art related, but she seems to only have two friends. She is not as popular as many people seem she is but Wes and Fiona are very supportive friends.

I had only one issue with the book and that is the ending of the book during the prom scene. It seems unrealistic. I don't want to spoil the book for readers but it was something that felt rushed just for the sake of a happy ending. However, I enjoyed reading about Desi being a quirky nerd, stating random facts at the whim. I Believe in a Thing Called Love is definitely a cute book and I adored reading the interactions between Desi and Luca for the most part.

I highly recommend this novel for readers who enjoy To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. This rom-com will sweep you off your feet with its heartwarming scenes and hilarious lines.