What do you think?
Rate this book
The Perfect Escape #1
The Perfect Escape
Nate Jae-Woo Kim wants to be rich. When one of his classmates offers Nate a ridiculous amount of money to commit grade fraud, he knows that taking the windfall would help support his prideful Korean family, but is compromising his integrity worth it?
Luck comes in the form of Kate Anderson, Nate’s colleague at the zombie-themed escape room where he works. She approaches Nate with a plan: a local tech company is hosting a weekend-long survivalist competition with a huge cash prize. It could solve all of Nate’s problems, and Kate needs the money too.
If the two of them team up, Nate has a true shot at winning the grand prize. But the real challenge? Making through the weekend with his heart intact…
©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Luck comes in the form of Kate Anderson, Nate’s colleague at the zombie-themed escape room where he works. She approaches Nate with a plan: a local tech company is hosting a weekend-long survivalist competition with a huge cash prize. It could solve all of Nate’s problems, and Kate needs the money too.
If the two of them team up, Nate has a true shot at winning the grand prize. But the real challenge? Making through the weekend with his heart intact…
©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Audible Audio
First published April 7, 2020
139 people are currently reading
11088 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Park
8 books1,150 followersSuzanne Park is a Korean-American writer who was born and raised in Tennessee. In her former life as a stand-up comedian, she was a finalist in the Oxygen Network's "Girls Behaving Badly" talent search, and appeared on BET's "Coming to the Stage." Suzanne was also the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and was a semi-finalist in NBC's "Stand Up For Diversity" showcase in San Francisco alongside comedians Ali Wong and Nico Santos.
More info about her books can be found at https://linktr.ee/suzannepark
More info about her books can be found at https://linktr.ee/suzannepark
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews
July 21, 2021
Hmm… I think this amazing cover and the interesting plot giving you lovely rom-com vibes fooled me so hard! Was I waiting for another Hungry Games competition and MCs falling in love with each other during their now and never kind of struggling survival situation? Okay, maybe I expected something like that, jusssttt a little.
But here we go: I found a lot of creative, enjoyable, unique things about this book starting with characters’ different kind of dysfunctional family relationships. I enjoyed Nate’s family: sweetest little sister, parents keeping so many secrets about their own family and financial situation but acting like everything is normal. Dear Nate is smart, teasing by his friends as skid (that’s what they called to the students get scholarship), bribing to cheat at his exams for enough money to pay his loans, buying a good car for his family.
And Kate is financially polar opposite of Nate, daughter of tech geek, a rich, genius, workaholic but also over controlling father who follows every move of her and he doesn’t let his daughter chase her dreams to become actress. Kate needs a plan to get rid of father’s pressures and go to NYC to start over. She meets Nate during her zombie escape room gig that she plays zombie hid in the closet
(Yes, didn’t I tell you the author has unique sense of humor?) She finds out there’s a weekend-long-survivalist competition with a grand prize can solve her all financial problems and help her earn her own freedom. But she needs partner and she knows Nate is also zombie geek like her. So she offers him to be her partner and of course he says okay because his family is broke and he needs a way out, too.
I thought that book was about the survival contest but it takes only small part of the book. We’re meandering around back stories, family dramas of the characters.
What I really enjoy about the book is: Nate and his Korean family’s dynamics, Nate’s quirky but also interesting perspective about the outer world, life, relations with his quirky friends. I also loved
Kate, her naturalness, genuineness and maturity about dealing with her father’s nonsense over protective manners.
But what I didn’t like about the book: Plot is vague, it starts like entertaining YA but then at the end it takes a sudden sharp dramatic turn which is unexpected. And the beginning of the story before the survival competition is too long and some chapters need to be omitted and edited. And lack of romance when you expect something more from the beautiful cover and intriguing blurb disappoints you.
There are so many original, inventive, moving things about the book but the plot’s vagueness confuses you and you start to scream at yourself: “WTH I’m just reading! I got lost!” So I prefer to meet in the middle and give three solid stars.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this ARC in exchange my honest review.
blog
instagram
facebook
twitter
But here we go: I found a lot of creative, enjoyable, unique things about this book starting with characters’ different kind of dysfunctional family relationships. I enjoyed Nate’s family: sweetest little sister, parents keeping so many secrets about their own family and financial situation but acting like everything is normal. Dear Nate is smart, teasing by his friends as skid (that’s what they called to the students get scholarship), bribing to cheat at his exams for enough money to pay his loans, buying a good car for his family.
And Kate is financially polar opposite of Nate, daughter of tech geek, a rich, genius, workaholic but also over controlling father who follows every move of her and he doesn’t let his daughter chase her dreams to become actress. Kate needs a plan to get rid of father’s pressures and go to NYC to start over. She meets Nate during her zombie escape room gig that she plays zombie hid in the closet
(Yes, didn’t I tell you the author has unique sense of humor?) She finds out there’s a weekend-long-survivalist competition with a grand prize can solve her all financial problems and help her earn her own freedom. But she needs partner and she knows Nate is also zombie geek like her. So she offers him to be her partner and of course he says okay because his family is broke and he needs a way out, too.
I thought that book was about the survival contest but it takes only small part of the book. We’re meandering around back stories, family dramas of the characters.
What I really enjoy about the book is: Nate and his Korean family’s dynamics, Nate’s quirky but also interesting perspective about the outer world, life, relations with his quirky friends. I also loved
Kate, her naturalness, genuineness and maturity about dealing with her father’s nonsense over protective manners.
But what I didn’t like about the book: Plot is vague, it starts like entertaining YA but then at the end it takes a sudden sharp dramatic turn which is unexpected. And the beginning of the story before the survival competition is too long and some chapters need to be omitted and edited. And lack of romance when you expect something more from the beautiful cover and intriguing blurb disappoints you.
There are so many original, inventive, moving things about the book but the plot’s vagueness confuses you and you start to scream at yourself: “WTH I’m just reading! I got lost!” So I prefer to meet in the middle and give three solid stars.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this ARC in exchange my honest review.
blog
April 23, 2019
I loved this book! Suzanne Park is effortlessly hilarious, and her characters are super lovable. My favorite is Nate, he's swoony but so relatable as an Asian American lead. His family members are also written with great care and humor, and his little sister is the cutest thing. Kate's struggles with her dad really spoke to me, so if anyone has daddy troubles, this book might be for you...
I hope this is the YA romcom of 2020. It was sweet, funny, and yeah, it warmed my broken heart. I can't wait to add a finished copy to my bookshelf.
I hope this is the YA romcom of 2020. It was sweet, funny, and yeah, it warmed my broken heart. I can't wait to add a finished copy to my bookshelf.
April 14, 2020
This was so much fun! I do wish it had a little more to do with the actual escape room that they worked at since that was what really pulled me into it in the first place, but I still had a blast reading this and I really enjoyed the obvious chemistry between the main characters. One side-note I do want to give is that I read this via a mix of physical reading and audiobook listening, and I VASTLY preferred physically reading it. I was not a fan of the male narrator and it kept pulling me out of the story so I definitely recommend reading this one physically over via audio if you are able!
February 27, 2020
I'm going to be brutally honest here, I really was excited about reading this. I mean a rom-com with zombies, what's not to love right?
I did like this and it was, at times, a pretty cute story with a few funny moments but overall, the romance was..well, not really a romance with very little spark between the main couple. There were friends (sort of first) and even by the end, still (sort of friends). The relationship felt stilted at times and not at all what I would have expected from a book claiming to be a rom-com.
The actual retreat/competition happened in the very last little percent of the story and again, while creepy at times, was also...a let down.
Kate's dad was not only downright creepy at times but had zero redeeming qualities.
I realize there will be a second book, so maybe that was why it ended like it did? Without anything really resolved and so much left up in the air (?).
Either way, I was a bit disappointed in this and was not at all what I had been expecting and hoping for.
Not a bad read but maybe, go into this one with no expectations or pre-conceived notions, and you will enjoy it more.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
I did like this and it was, at times, a pretty cute story with a few funny moments but overall, the romance was..well, not really a romance with very little spark between the main couple. There were friends (sort of first) and even by the end, still (sort of friends). The relationship felt stilted at times and not at all what I would have expected from a book claiming to be a rom-com.
The actual retreat/competition happened in the very last little percent of the story and again, while creepy at times, was also...a let down.
Kate's dad was not only downright creepy at times but had zero redeeming qualities.
I realize there will be a second book, so maybe that was why it ended like it did? Without anything really resolved and so much left up in the air (?).
Either way, I was a bit disappointed in this and was not at all what I had been expecting and hoping for.
Not a bad read but maybe, go into this one with no expectations or pre-conceived notions, and you will enjoy it more.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
December 23, 2020
(2.5/5)
This book sounds absolutely amazing in theory. (I mean, a zombie-themed escape room??) Pair that with a pretty cover like this one, and it was never really a question of whether or not I'd read this (only a matter of when).
Going into this book, I was pretty hyped.Probably too hyped, and for no reason at that. I've never actually experienced an escape room, but I think I'd (in theory) enjoy it. This book... isn't about an escape room. Well, not exactly.
The Perfect Escape follows Nate, an aspiring entrepreneur, and Kate, who wants to get away from her controlling father. Oh, and, you know, follow her dreams. Classic YA stuff.
Anyway. These two work at a zombie apocalypse-themed escape room, and find out about a survival competition. Sounds fun, if a little tropey, right?
What we get instead, is something akin to insa-love. Wait. Not even akin. It is very much insta-love. Or at least, insta-crush. There's also a love triangle, but that's resolved because they're jUsT fRiEnDs. Oh, and of course, things develop quickly. Very quickly, as in, there's no chemistry or development at all. None to speak of.
Do y'all get what I'm trying to say?
I. Hated. The. Romance.
Which is rather unfortunate when you think about it because a) I'm usually a sucker for romance, and will enjoy it even if it isn't that great, and b) this book is a romance novel.
There was also random bursts of girl-on-girl hate. Because reasons. I'm not joking when I say that Kate hated the other third of the love triangle with Nate just because she was pretty. Or something like that. Was there even a reason in the first place??I don't think so.
Apart from the horrible romance, (mostly) horrible characters, there's also the problem of the lack of development (character and plot). I mean, for Nate, it was just that he became less of a Scrooge McDuck? And for Kate it was that she finally left home? I don't know, maybe I'm a little picky or unrealistic with my expectations with this book (go ahead and let me know if I am), but isn't character development supposed to show how a character ✨grows✨ as a person over the course of the story? And not just decide to do things out of the blue because of A Very Life-Changing Event™?
Not to mention, the plot, or rather, the lack of it. I mean, they go to a zombie-themed survival thing, and that's it...? Like, nothing else happens???
I mean, sure, they go to that party where that horrible girl-on-girl hate scene happens, but other than that? There really isn't much.
And the escape room is only a really small part of the story???
Anyway. This book wasn't that great. Yeah, it was fun at times, but as the story progressed, things started getting really choppy and disjointed. Also, the ending was incredibly abrupt. (Apparently that's because there's going to be a second book, which I see no point in. This book is perfectly fine as a stand-alone.)
So yeah.
This book sounds absolutely amazing in theory. (I mean, a zombie-themed escape room??) Pair that with a pretty cover like this one, and it was never really a question of whether or not I'd read this (only a matter of when).
Going into this book, I was pretty hyped.
The Perfect Escape follows Nate, an aspiring entrepreneur, and Kate, who wants to get away from her controlling father. Oh, and, you know, follow her dreams. Classic YA stuff.
Anyway. These two work at a zombie apocalypse-themed escape room, and find out about a survival competition. Sounds fun, if a little tropey, right?
What we get instead, is something akin to insa-love. Wait. Not even akin. It is very much insta-love. Or at least, insta-crush. There's also a love triangle, but that's resolved because they're jUsT fRiEnDs. Oh, and of course, things develop quickly. Very quickly, as in, there's no chemistry or development at all. None to speak of.
Do y'all get what I'm trying to say?
I. Hated. The. Romance.
Which is rather unfortunate when you think about it because a) I'm usually a sucker for romance, and will enjoy it even if it isn't that great, and b) this book is a romance novel.
There was also random bursts of girl-on-girl hate. Because reasons. I'm not joking when I say that Kate hated the other third of the love triangle with Nate just because she was pretty. Or something like that. Was there even a reason in the first place??
Apart from the horrible romance, (mostly) horrible characters, there's also the problem of the lack of development (character and plot). I mean, for Nate, it was just that he became less of a Scrooge McDuck? And for Kate it was that she finally left home? I don't know, maybe I'm a little picky or unrealistic with my expectations with this book (go ahead and let me know if I am), but isn't character development supposed to show how a character ✨grows✨ as a person over the course of the story? And not just decide to do things out of the blue because of A Very Life-Changing Event™?
Not to mention, the plot, or rather, the lack of it. I mean, they go to a zombie-themed survival thing, and that's it...? Like, nothing else happens???
I mean, sure, they go to that party where that horrible girl-on-girl hate scene happens, but other than that? There really isn't much.
And the escape room is only a really small part of the story???
Anyway. This book wasn't that great. Yeah, it was fun at times, but as the story progressed, things started getting really choppy and disjointed. Also, the ending was incredibly abrupt. (Apparently that's because there's going to be a second book, which I see no point in. This book is perfectly fine as a stand-alone.)
So yeah.
October 10, 2023
The Perfect Escape ended up with not so good feeling for me. The writing is off. Too much game references that I have no clue of. Miss Park, I have to admit, done a very thorough search on the game world. Sadly just not for me.
2 stars
2 stars
June 20, 2019
I highly recommend this book.
Read
May 11, 2020I may be one of the few people who was happy that this book had fewer zombies than expected!
Like many, I went into this expecting a swoony zombie rom com and got something more like an issue-driven contemporary YA with a slight romance. I didn't mind!
To me this was primarily a book about two kids with problematic families. Kate is pretty much ignored by her tech-titan father, who parents her through technology. Nate is a scholarship student who dreams of being rich (exactly like Kate's father). Both of them think money of their own will solve all their problems. They meet working at a zombie escape room and Kate convinces Nate to team up with her for a survival competition. That part of the book (the competition) was the downside for me. It felt like a bit of an action-adventure book was spliced in there and to me it didn't really fit.
But overall I enjoyed the vibe of this and will definitely try future books by this author (though probably not the sequel if it's just a continuation of this story. If it's a companion book, okay!)
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Let's be friends on Bookstagram!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Like many, I went into this expecting a swoony zombie rom com and got something more like an issue-driven contemporary YA with a slight romance. I didn't mind!
To me this was primarily a book about two kids with problematic families. Kate is pretty much ignored by her tech-titan father, who parents her through technology. Nate is a scholarship student who dreams of being rich (exactly like Kate's father). Both of them think money of their own will solve all their problems. They meet working at a zombie escape room and Kate convinces Nate to team up with her for a survival competition. That part of the book (the competition) was the downside for me. It felt like a bit of an action-adventure book was spliced in there and to me it didn't really fit.
But overall I enjoyed the vibe of this and will definitely try future books by this author (though probably not the sequel if it's just a continuation of this story. If it's a companion book, okay!)
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Let's be friends on Bookstagram!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
April 25, 2020
April 25, 2020: This was one of the cutest rom-coms I've ever read! It not only made me crave some genuine romance in my life but also made my cry for not having a big brother though I understand that romance & brother in the same sentence is super fucking weird. Now all I need to do is refocus my energy into finding a Ravenclaw like Nate for the Slytherin like Kate in me.
April 10, 2020: Not reading my eARCs on time has become my personality but I can never forgive myself for not picking up this one earlier despite having an advanced copy BECAUSE it is being loved so much OMG. Excited to finally read it during Reading Rush for the prompt: read a book that will make you smile.
March 6, 2020: With so many amazing contemporary authors praising this one, I definitely had to say yes to reading this. Thank you so much, Elle at Books Forward for the digital review copy via Netgalley!
April 10, 2020: Not reading my eARCs on time has become my personality but I can never forgive myself for not picking up this one earlier despite having an advanced copy BECAUSE it is being loved so much OMG. Excited to finally read it during Reading Rush for the prompt: read a book that will make you smile.
March 6, 2020: With so many amazing contemporary authors praising this one, I definitely had to say yes to reading this. Thank you so much, Elle at Books Forward for the digital review copy via Netgalley!
March 31, 2020
I received an ARC from Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.
I'm always going to be supportive of asian authors because god knows we need more asian representation in all genres. I was super excited for Suzanne to debut this year with not only one book but two books in two genres that I adore and love. I was super excited walking into The Perfect Escape but after hearing thoughts of this one from friends who read it before me...I was hesitant.
This book is definitely not as romantic/cute as what it's marketed to be. About 60% of the book focuses on developing the two characters and their drastically different backgrounds. Our hero comes from a poor background known as a skid (scholarship kid) who attends an elite private school. He's Korean-American and wants his family to live a comfortable life, without fearing about budgets and spending money to fix the house. He's expected to achieve good grades, get into a good university, and get a good career. He's fine with this because he enjoys it so this is not the story about him whining about parent expectations. He just wants to earn money to help his family. Our heroine has recently lost her mom but she might as well lost her dad too. Their relationship is very troubled. He basically is her jail keeper and it's weird to read because how can a father be so cold towards their child? Our heroine wants to preform on stage but her father wants her to be an intern at their very impressive robotics tech company. When they both cannot stand it any longer, they partner up for a survivalist program to win the prize money and split it half-half. She plans to run away. He plans to use it to help his family. Somewhere along the line of this plot, our hero is also asked to lower his marks so the rich kids can rank higher than him and get into their ivey league colleges.
This book was an okay book for me. Often, the voices were too childish for me and felt forced. I also had issues with remaining focused on the book itself? It was hard to get in and stay in but it could have just been a me thing as I was told it would be a rom-com and then I receive a hunger games style novel towards the end. Seriously. They're in a forest, wet, cold, and afraid and running for their lives. Also, the ending with our heroine was very disappointing and confusing. I wanted more daughter father relationship.
I would still recommend this book if you prefer to not have that much romance in a book.
I'm always going to be supportive of asian authors because god knows we need more asian representation in all genres. I was super excited for Suzanne to debut this year with not only one book but two books in two genres that I adore and love. I was super excited walking into The Perfect Escape but after hearing thoughts of this one from friends who read it before me...I was hesitant.
This book is definitely not as romantic/cute as what it's marketed to be. About 60% of the book focuses on developing the two characters and their drastically different backgrounds. Our hero comes from a poor background known as a skid (scholarship kid) who attends an elite private school. He's Korean-American and wants his family to live a comfortable life, without fearing about budgets and spending money to fix the house. He's expected to achieve good grades, get into a good university, and get a good career. He's fine with this because he enjoys it so this is not the story about him whining about parent expectations. He just wants to earn money to help his family. Our heroine has recently lost her mom but she might as well lost her dad too. Their relationship is very troubled. He basically is her jail keeper and it's weird to read because how can a father be so cold towards their child? Our heroine wants to preform on stage but her father wants her to be an intern at their very impressive robotics tech company. When they both cannot stand it any longer, they partner up for a survivalist program to win the prize money and split it half-half. She plans to run away. He plans to use it to help his family. Somewhere along the line of this plot, our hero is also asked to lower his marks so the rich kids can rank higher than him and get into their ivey league colleges.
This book was an okay book for me. Often, the voices were too childish for me and felt forced. I also had issues with remaining focused on the book itself? It was hard to get in and stay in but it could have just been a me thing as I was told it would be a rom-com and then I receive a hunger games style novel towards the end. Seriously. They're in a forest, wet, cold, and afraid and running for their lives. Also, the ending with our heroine was very disappointing and confusing. I wanted more daughter father relationship.
I would still recommend this book if you prefer to not have that much romance in a book.
Read
April 18, 2020DNF on page 65
I had heard so many great things about this book and several authors have been praising it and I was just so excited to settle into what sounded like the most adorable rom-com ever.
Sadly, the few pages I read were a struggle. I couldn’t settle into either POV because they sounded similar, even though the MCs were so different.
I skimmed a bit here and there and then dove into the already posted reviews and from what I’m seeing there {parental abuse, no actual romance, the zombie competition at the end, and the fact that it’s not a standalone}, it’s just not for me.
I’m not leaving a rating because I know I am not the demographic and perhaps I would have enjoyed it. I may give it a try later down the road.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc free of charge**
I had heard so many great things about this book and several authors have been praising it and I was just so excited to settle into what sounded like the most adorable rom-com ever.
Sadly, the few pages I read were a struggle. I couldn’t settle into either POV because they sounded similar, even though the MCs were so different.
I skimmed a bit here and there and then dove into the already posted reviews and from what I’m seeing there {parental abuse, no actual romance, the zombie competition at the end, and the fact that it’s not a standalone}, it’s just not for me.
I’m not leaving a rating because I know I am not the demographic and perhaps I would have enjoyed it. I may give it a try later down the road.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc free of charge**
April 6, 2020
Oh my goodness guys, The Perfect Escape was the best read that I needed - it is a hysterical read, has a zombie apocalypse themed survival game, and a romance that will make your heart swoon!
Nate Jae-Woo Kim is a scholarship student in one of the top exclusive high schools in Seattle, where students end up in Ivy League. With big dreams, Nate spent a lifetime planning in becoming the perfect college applicant - high GPA, AP classes, sports, and even a part-time job on the side to save some money. With struggling Korean Immigrant parents and a father recently laid off, saving their home is top priority.
Kate Anderson also has big dreams the size of New York City! Her father, the CEO of a large tech and robotics company has other dreams for Kate and that is to follow his footsteps and have her fast tracked to business school. With a dad too busy to parent, he becomes a virtual helicopter dad by monitoring everything Kate does literally.
Nate and Kate meet each other from their part -time job at the Zombie Escape room and partner together to join in on a weekend zombie survivalist game sponsored by a local tech company. This comes with a 50K grand prize that would help Kate with her Broadway dreams and Nate help his struggling family.
The writing is truly refreshing and with the story told in two point of views, you will fall in love with these lovable characters that are completely relatable. It’s a great romcom you won’t be able to put down! Action packed and also full of heart this is an amazing story.
This book was truly the perfect escape I needed. Make sure to pick this up - the book is releasing 4/7/20.
Nate Jae-Woo Kim is a scholarship student in one of the top exclusive high schools in Seattle, where students end up in Ivy League. With big dreams, Nate spent a lifetime planning in becoming the perfect college applicant - high GPA, AP classes, sports, and even a part-time job on the side to save some money. With struggling Korean Immigrant parents and a father recently laid off, saving their home is top priority.
Kate Anderson also has big dreams the size of New York City! Her father, the CEO of a large tech and robotics company has other dreams for Kate and that is to follow his footsteps and have her fast tracked to business school. With a dad too busy to parent, he becomes a virtual helicopter dad by monitoring everything Kate does literally.
Nate and Kate meet each other from their part -time job at the Zombie Escape room and partner together to join in on a weekend zombie survivalist game sponsored by a local tech company. This comes with a 50K grand prize that would help Kate with her Broadway dreams and Nate help his struggling family.
The writing is truly refreshing and with the story told in two point of views, you will fall in love with these lovable characters that are completely relatable. It’s a great romcom you won’t be able to put down! Action packed and also full of heart this is an amazing story.
This book was truly the perfect escape I needed. Make sure to pick this up - the book is releasing 4/7/20.
April 10, 2020
Did this have the potential to be something incredible? Yes. Did it reach that potential? Sadly not for me but despite this, combining a zombie apocalypse survival competition with a rom-com was always going to be my jam.
Yes, the plot and pacing were admittedly a little all over the place (we had robots, zombies, wilderness survival and The Hunger Games type sabotage all in a contemporary setting. Yet, the zombie escape room barely featured and the competition kind of came and went in a flash) but honestly? I didn't mind all too much because it was super entertaining.
Although I do wish we got to know them on a deeper level, I really liked the characters and their individual relationships. I loved that they both had their own passions and hardships and whilst I felt the romance aspect could have been stronger, Kate and Nate's relationship was really enjoyable to follow. I particularly enjoyed Nate's family dynamics, especially his relationship with his little sister who was the absolute cutest.
All in all, despite being a little far fetched, this book was funny, easy to read, incredibly entertaining and basically answers the age old question 'what if we made The Hunger Games a rom-com'.
Yes, the plot and pacing were admittedly a little all over the place (we had robots, zombies, wilderness survival and The Hunger Games type sabotage all in a contemporary setting. Yet, the zombie escape room barely featured and the competition kind of came and went in a flash) but honestly? I didn't mind all too much because it was super entertaining.
Although I do wish we got to know them on a deeper level, I really liked the characters and their individual relationships. I loved that they both had their own passions and hardships and whilst I felt the romance aspect could have been stronger, Kate and Nate's relationship was really enjoyable to follow. I particularly enjoyed Nate's family dynamics, especially his relationship with his little sister who was the absolute cutest.
All in all, despite being a little far fetched, this book was funny, easy to read, incredibly entertaining and basically answers the age old question 'what if we made The Hunger Games a rom-com'.
March 16, 2020
Both Nate and Kate were looking to escape. Nate was weighed down by his economic circumstances. While Kate, needed to break free from the prison her emotionally unavailable and controlling father had created for her. A zombie survival competition might have been just the solution they were looking for.
• Pro: Nate was a character, who was easy to root for. I admired his drive and ambition, and though at first, he seemed obsessed with money, I learned that he had good intentions as more was revealed.
• Pro: Nate's family was struggling, but they had a lot of love, and were there for each other. Whereas, Kate's situation was heartbreaking. Still grieving her mother's death, she was left on her own for long periods of time, and longed for normal human contact. I thought this was a great way to show that money could not replace human connection.
• Pro: Nate and Kate were adorable together. They came from vastly different backgrounds, but were able to connect despite that. There was a push and pull thing going on for a while, but I had no trouble shipping them.
• Pro: Park's humor worked well for me. I found myself laughing out loud and often. I loved the mom jokes and all the snarky banter, as well as many of the situations Nate and Kate encountered.
• Con: I wanted more of the romance. I really did adore these two together, but the romance felt secondary for most of the book. The ending, however, held a promise of things to come, which placated me a bit.
• Pro: Zombies, zombies, everywhere! As if the escape room didn't provide enough amusement, Park brought us to a weekend zombie survival competition. The action really ramped up there, and it was a great way to drive the plot forward.
Overall: A fun, funny, and touching story of two teens trying to take control of their destinies, while falling in love and fighting off zombies.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
• Pro: Nate was a character, who was easy to root for. I admired his drive and ambition, and though at first, he seemed obsessed with money, I learned that he had good intentions as more was revealed.
• Pro: Nate's family was struggling, but they had a lot of love, and were there for each other. Whereas, Kate's situation was heartbreaking. Still grieving her mother's death, she was left on her own for long periods of time, and longed for normal human contact. I thought this was a great way to show that money could not replace human connection.
• Pro: Nate and Kate were adorable together. They came from vastly different backgrounds, but were able to connect despite that. There was a push and pull thing going on for a while, but I had no trouble shipping them.
• Pro: Park's humor worked well for me. I found myself laughing out loud and often. I loved the mom jokes and all the snarky banter, as well as many of the situations Nate and Kate encountered.
• Con: I wanted more of the romance. I really did adore these two together, but the romance felt secondary for most of the book. The ending, however, held a promise of things to come, which placated me a bit.
• Pro: Zombies, zombies, everywhere! As if the escape room didn't provide enough amusement, Park brought us to a weekend zombie survival competition. The action really ramped up there, and it was a great way to drive the plot forward.
Overall: A fun, funny, and touching story of two teens trying to take control of their destinies, while falling in love and fighting off zombies.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
February 26, 2020
Even after sleeping on The Perfect Escape, I'm still not really sure what to make of this one. The blurb describes it as a rom-com but this felt more like a contemporary YA + Black Mirror mashup. I was also a little irked that the survival competition mentioned in the description is such a small part of the actual story.
Nate and Kate were both...fine... as main characters. They each had interesting backstories (that wildly fluctuated in believability) but seemed like they were missing something that would make them feel more like actual people. There was also a sizable degree of insta-love here, which was disappointing.
I probably would've liked The Perfect Escape more if the blurb had more accurately reflected the book's plot.
I received an eARC from the publisher, Edelweiss, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review -- thank you.
Nate and Kate were both...fine... as main characters. They each had interesting backstories (that wildly fluctuated in believability) but seemed like they were missing something that would make them feel more like actual people. There was also a sizable degree of insta-love here, which was disappointing.
I probably would've liked The Perfect Escape more if the blurb had more accurately reflected the book's plot.
I received an eARC from the publisher, Edelweiss, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review -- thank you.
October 4, 2019
Suzanne Park’s THE PERFECT ESCAPE is the hilarious tale of two snarky teens hoping to fund their wildest dreams in the most convenient way available: via windfall from a good, old-fashioned zombie-whooping competition. Tech-brainiac Nate and wannabe-actress Kate will win your hearts (and maybe each other’s) as they conquer the undead, their well-meaning but clueless parents, and their disagreement over the virtues of mayo-based products. THE PERFECT ESCAPE is indeed the perfect escape from, well, pretty much everything.
March 30, 2020
Is it just me, or did the rest of you have that song by the Cranberries "in your head" after reading this new YA rom-com? The narrative is split into two POVs: one for Nate and one for Kate. They meet while working part-time jobs at a zombie escape room, which to me sounds too stressful to be fun. Both feel trapped by some aspect of their lives and decide that the prize from an upcoming survivalist event will provide the cash they need to achieve their goals. Their budding romance is sweet and comical at times. Nate's family is endearing while Kate's family situation is appalling. I would have liked to see more attention given to their preparation for the big competition. It also seemed like the event itself was at times strangely drawn out and at other times rushed. I did get some "Hunger Games" vibes and would also recommend to fans of "Frankly In Love." I am invested enough to look for the sequel.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2020
3 stars !!
The Perfect Escape wasn't a bad book. I didn't suffer through it, it wasn't all that painful, but it's definitely not that rememberable. It was a cute little rom-com, and honestly nothing more.
The Perfect Escape follows the story of Nate and Kate (adorable ik), who begin to work at a zombie escape room. Both desperate for money, Kate enlists Nate to participate with her in a zombie survivalist competition.
The biggest fault this book had was its characters: I felt as if they were super flat, and even more than that they seemed to lack chemistry?! I wish we had gotten more from the characters and more depth from them. As much as the messily paced survivalist competition was fun, I actually really enjoyed reading about Nate's americanized Korean traditions and family. It made him more human, and I wish we had been able to see more of that in the novel.
I did enjoy the emphasis the story had on the whole "Money doesn't buy you happiness" thing: Nate's family dynamic is so much healthier and happier, despite the fact that Kate's family is far better off. We're able to see that money really isn't everything in life.
Overall, it's an easy read (I read it in two comfortable sittings) when you're bored, but it's definitely not my favourite rom-com i've ever read.
----------------------------------
Kate + Nate give off real "friends" energy not "couple" energy and that's why I can't give this book anymore then 3 stars // review to come
The Perfect Escape wasn't a bad book. I didn't suffer through it, it wasn't all that painful, but it's definitely not that rememberable. It was a cute little rom-com, and honestly nothing more.
The Perfect Escape follows the story of Nate and Kate (adorable ik), who begin to work at a zombie escape room. Both desperate for money, Kate enlists Nate to participate with her in a zombie survivalist competition.
The biggest fault this book had was its characters: I felt as if they were super flat, and even more than that they seemed to lack chemistry?! I wish we had gotten more from the characters and more depth from them. As much as the messily paced survivalist competition was fun, I actually really enjoyed reading about Nate's americanized Korean traditions and family. It made him more human, and I wish we had been able to see more of that in the novel.
I did enjoy the emphasis the story had on the whole "Money doesn't buy you happiness" thing: Nate's family dynamic is so much healthier and happier, despite the fact that Kate's family is far better off. We're able to see that money really isn't everything in life.
Overall, it's an easy read (I read it in two comfortable sittings) when you're bored, but it's definitely not my favourite rom-com i've ever read.
----------------------------------
Kate + Nate give off real "friends" energy not "couple" energy and that's why I can't give this book anymore then 3 stars // review to come
March 29, 2020
this is a cute story and i think the idea of the plot is uniquely fun and adventurously flirty, but i am not quite sure this story reaches its full potential.
i would consider this a good starting point for a debut novel. the writing isnt terrible, the story has good pacing, and the characters are relatable. i just think there is a lot of room for SP to grow as an author when it comes to finalising details and the overall polishing of the story.
for example, if you pitch your story as a rom-com, there should be generous amounts of both romance and comedy. i found this story to be lacking in both areas. and i dont feel as if ‘kates super rich father with his all-powerful, ever-reaching company’ serves as a realistic opposition. her dad as a villain just seems way too one dimensional and gimmicky.
i think this is one of those cases where i like the idea of the story more than the actual execution. but i do think its a promising start for SPs writing career!
thank you so much to sourcebooks fire for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
i would consider this a good starting point for a debut novel. the writing isnt terrible, the story has good pacing, and the characters are relatable. i just think there is a lot of room for SP to grow as an author when it comes to finalising details and the overall polishing of the story.
for example, if you pitch your story as a rom-com, there should be generous amounts of both romance and comedy. i found this story to be lacking in both areas. and i dont feel as if ‘kates super rich father with his all-powerful, ever-reaching company’ serves as a realistic opposition. her dad as a villain just seems way too one dimensional and gimmicky.
i think this is one of those cases where i like the idea of the story more than the actual execution. but i do think its a promising start for SPs writing career!
thank you so much to sourcebooks fire for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
February 14, 2020
The saving grace for me with The Perfect Escape was the hero Nate, if I wasn’t rooting for him and invested in him, I probably would’ve DNF’d this book. As much as I wanted to be interested in Kate, the heroine, I just didn’t connect with her-probably because her part of the story brought with it some unbelievable aspects of the book; basically raised by a robot?
This book is advertised as a YA-Rom-Com and I’m still trying to figure out where that comes from..so the teens cuss and some of the dialogue is funny? Not enough for me to consider something a rom-com. Nothing remotely happens romantically until the end of the book..I wasn’t even feeling a connection through the beginning or middle..so when these all of a sudden FEELS are mentioned I’m like FROM WHERE..
On top of the rom-com fail, I was HYPE about this story with this survivalist competition and zombie escape room! The escape room is mentioned literally like TWICE in the very beginning of the book because that’s where Nate works. And I was on like page 181 of this 290 something page book before we finally start getting to the scenes of the competition.
This book had SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be something new and fresh and different; needed a little work and I think it could’ve been great. Also marketing people..stop marketing it as something it’s not! If people go into it wanting a rom-com and that’s not what they’re getting that affects reviews. This book is a lot heavier than that.
This book is advertised as a YA-Rom-Com and I’m still trying to figure out where that comes from..so the teens cuss and some of the dialogue is funny? Not enough for me to consider something a rom-com. Nothing remotely happens romantically until the end of the book..I wasn’t even feeling a connection through the beginning or middle..so when these all of a sudden FEELS are mentioned I’m like FROM WHERE..
On top of the rom-com fail, I was HYPE about this story with this survivalist competition and zombie escape room! The escape room is mentioned literally like TWICE in the very beginning of the book because that’s where Nate works. And I was on like page 181 of this 290 something page book before we finally start getting to the scenes of the competition.
This book had SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be something new and fresh and different; needed a little work and I think it could’ve been great. Also marketing people..stop marketing it as something it’s not! If people go into it wanting a rom-com and that’s not what they’re getting that affects reviews. This book is a lot heavier than that.
April 7, 2020
In these super weird times I’m finding comfort in a variety of genres and reading YA romance again is reminding me of just how fun it can be. There’s something soothing to me about reading a somewhat predictable rom com right now, it’s helping me keep my mind occupied and providing me with an entertaining escape and this one surely did that for me!
The thing I loved the most about this one was that while it was adorable it was also quirky and awkward which is quite a great combination in my opinion. Nate and Kate are both lovable nerds and I found them both to be super endearing. The romance here is very low key and this focuses much more on the family dynamics of both Nate and Kate which was fine with me, I never expect too much romance from a YA rom com anyway and I found Nate’s family to be so sweet, I especially loved his little sister Lucy and Kate’s relationship with her father was heartbreaking and just made me like her even more. Overall an enjoyable read that made me want to read more from the author.
The thing I loved the most about this one was that while it was adorable it was also quirky and awkward which is quite a great combination in my opinion. Nate and Kate are both lovable nerds and I found them both to be super endearing. The romance here is very low key and this focuses much more on the family dynamics of both Nate and Kate which was fine with me, I never expect too much romance from a YA rom com anyway and I found Nate’s family to be so sweet, I especially loved his little sister Lucy and Kate’s relationship with her father was heartbreaking and just made me like her even more. Overall an enjoyable read that made me want to read more from the author.
May 17, 2020
3 cute enjoyment stars!
It was never my intention to read this book. I never even heard of this book until I came across featured audiobooks section of Hoopla on my iPhone. I was pulled by the cover and from that point on, I read this book from start to finish.
I will admit that this was out of my norm of romance I like to read but damn, I still enjoyed this book. It was cute and most of these characters were witty including the side characters. It lost two stars of the simple fact that the first kiss was not shared until at least 70% of the book. -_-
There wasn't enough realistic romance build up between these two characters let alone the book wasn't even mainly focus on the romance. It was more of what went on between the two main characters lives which was great and all, but again... lack of romance. Which is why I had to drop two stars.
It was enjoyment to my ears because something was always happening or someone would make a funny joke in the book. I wouldn't mind reading more cute romances like these though... XD
It was never my intention to read this book. I never even heard of this book until I came across featured audiobooks section of Hoopla on my iPhone. I was pulled by the cover and from that point on, I read this book from start to finish.
I will admit that this was out of my norm of romance I like to read but damn, I still enjoyed this book. It was cute and most of these characters were witty including the side characters. It lost two stars of the simple fact that the first kiss was not shared until at least 70% of the book. -_-
There wasn't enough realistic romance build up between these two characters let alone the book wasn't even mainly focus on the romance. It was more of what went on between the two main characters lives which was great and all, but again... lack of romance. Which is why I had to drop two stars.
It was enjoyment to my ears because something was always happening or someone would make a funny joke in the book. I wouldn't mind reading more cute romances like these though... XD
March 28, 2020
"This was a lot of money on the table. It was shady. It was wrong. But it was tempting."
A fun debut about two teens trying to escape their own problems and falling in love in the process.
SUMMARY
When Nate Kim is propositioned by his classmates to botch his GPA to help them get into college for a substantial sum, he considers it. The money would be a big help to his family, but would it be worth the risk?
Kate Anderson is the daughter of a rich tech mogul, who is overly controlling and tracks everything down to her how long her phone calls last. Suffocated by her dad and his desire to have her take over the company, Kate yearns to escape to New York City and pursue her passion of theater .. but she needs untraceable cash.
When a nearby tech company announces a weekend-long survival competition with a cash prize for the winning team, Kate reaches out to her escape-room colleague, Nate, to team-up. Together they stand a real chance at winning, but will their hearts get in the way?
REVIEW
The concept of this novel was pretty cool. I personally adore escape rooms and the explanation of how the zombie themed escape room Nate and Kate worked in was cool (and super creepy). However, the synopsis makes this book seem a lot more fun than it actually is. While it was enjoyable, it was just that. There was nothing standout that I loved, and I was never truly invested in the characters and their relationship.
Even though Nate was threatened by boys at his school to botch his GPA, it never felt serious enough to me as a reader. Nate fell flat for me as a character, and all his interactions with characters other than Kate felt sub par. I did enjoy the Korean-American representation and the way that Nate's family interacts, that was the biggest plus to his character.
Kate on the other hand shone. I loved her personality and the hidden kickass nature she harboured. She was the most fun to follow and her emotions felt real. While her desire to run-away to New York seemed a little extreme and unbelievable, I did understand this motivation after meeting her father (who is obscenely over-controlling and has serious micro-management issues).
The synopsis of this novel mentions Kate and Nate participating in a survival competition, but this competition only takes up the third-quarter of this novel. Which severely disappointed me. I loved that part of the novel and had a bunch of fun reading it, which made me even more sad at the end that it was not longer. Up until the survival competition, the plot dragged on and became less tangible. I had begun to lose intertest, and if it wasn't for the fact that I loved the survival aspect, this book could've easily been 2 stars or below.
Overall, this novel shows potential for Park as an author and hasn't deterred me from watching out for future releases.
A fun debut about two teens trying to escape their own problems and falling in love in the process.
SUMMARY
When Nate Kim is propositioned by his classmates to botch his GPA to help them get into college for a substantial sum, he considers it. The money would be a big help to his family, but would it be worth the risk?
Kate Anderson is the daughter of a rich tech mogul, who is overly controlling and tracks everything down to her how long her phone calls last. Suffocated by her dad and his desire to have her take over the company, Kate yearns to escape to New York City and pursue her passion of theater .. but she needs untraceable cash.
When a nearby tech company announces a weekend-long survival competition with a cash prize for the winning team, Kate reaches out to her escape-room colleague, Nate, to team-up. Together they stand a real chance at winning, but will their hearts get in the way?
REVIEW
The concept of this novel was pretty cool. I personally adore escape rooms and the explanation of how the zombie themed escape room Nate and Kate worked in was cool (and super creepy). However, the synopsis makes this book seem a lot more fun than it actually is. While it was enjoyable, it was just that. There was nothing standout that I loved, and I was never truly invested in the characters and their relationship.
Even though Nate was threatened by boys at his school to botch his GPA, it never felt serious enough to me as a reader. Nate fell flat for me as a character, and all his interactions with characters other than Kate felt sub par. I did enjoy the Korean-American representation and the way that Nate's family interacts, that was the biggest plus to his character.
Kate on the other hand shone. I loved her personality and the hidden kickass nature she harboured. She was the most fun to follow and her emotions felt real. While her desire to run-away to New York seemed a little extreme and unbelievable, I did understand this motivation after meeting her father (who is obscenely over-controlling and has serious micro-management issues).
The synopsis of this novel mentions Kate and Nate participating in a survival competition, but this competition only takes up the third-quarter of this novel. Which severely disappointed me. I loved that part of the novel and had a bunch of fun reading it, which made me even more sad at the end that it was not longer. Up until the survival competition, the plot dragged on and became less tangible. I had begun to lose intertest, and if it wasn't for the fact that I loved the survival aspect, this book could've easily been 2 stars or below.
Overall, this novel shows potential for Park as an author and hasn't deterred me from watching out for future releases.
Want to read
July 20, 2019please rec me all the Korean/Korean-American YA books y'all know of PLEASE
April 27, 2020
Super cute! Great audiobook narration, too. Would definitely recommend for someone looking for a light, fun love story.
October 20, 2022
For some reason I thought this was gonna be completely different but I really enjoyed it!
April 27, 2020
I read YA as a nod to my teenage self. I love that these types of books exist now, and I want to indulge my past self’s reading desires. The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park introduces us to Nate Jae-Woo Kim, a child of Korean immigrants, called a skid (scholarship kid) at his prestigious school, working at a zombie-themed escape room as a guide and Kate Anderson, the daughter of a tech CEO. Kate’s father basically left his parenting duties after his wife’s death to a robot named Jeeves.
She is now working at this same escape room as a zombie in hopes to save money to leave her home behind, escape to New York and become an actress. Yeah, reality must be suspended a bit here, but it proves to be a rewarding experience. Nate is approached by mean kid, Peter Haskill the Fourth, to mess his GPA in his upcoming semester to give the rest of the poor little rich kids a fighting chance with college applications in exchange for a hefty amount of money. Money that could help Nate’s family now that his father has lost his job.
Meanwhile, Kate is looking for a way out of her prisoner home where overprotectiveness turns into a 1984 themed house were no detail escapes her father’s notice. He is used to treating everything as a business negotiation he knows he’ll win. Friendship (and possibly love) start blooming the more that Kate and Nate spend time together. Kate decides to recruit Nate to team up to participate in a weekend-long zombie survivalist competition where they could win a huge cash prize. With both their skills they have a fighting chance to win and they could spend more time together. Each chapter is dedicated to Nate and Kate’s thoughts respectively which I love. We get to see into their minds and their struggles. Yes, Kate’s dad is uber evil and he goes borderline dictator and I wish that could be explored more but this is the first part in a series of this book. Nate’s struggles as a child of immigrants, wishing he had more money so he could help his family and finally start up his own startup company made you want to root for him and his success.
He’s a good friend, a great son, and tries his hardest to be a good older brother to little baby sister, Lucy. Kate is ambitious and she’s willing to leave everything behind to follow her dream. She’s used to people underestimating her but she won’t let that stop her. laughed a lot while reading this, I rooted for both Kate and Nate, I was impressed by how Parker drew out the survivalist competition and was at the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would turn out. Overall, this is YA so go in with those expectations and I believe that this will prove to be a fun read. I can’t wait for more of Suzanne Parker. In these times it feels nice into a world that lets you escape for a little bit so the name is very apt.
Update: went to a 3 star because I do wish the characters had more depth but it’s also YA so maybe it’s more of me not being the target audience.
She is now working at this same escape room as a zombie in hopes to save money to leave her home behind, escape to New York and become an actress. Yeah, reality must be suspended a bit here, but it proves to be a rewarding experience. Nate is approached by mean kid, Peter Haskill the Fourth, to mess his GPA in his upcoming semester to give the rest of the poor little rich kids a fighting chance with college applications in exchange for a hefty amount of money. Money that could help Nate’s family now that his father has lost his job.
Meanwhile, Kate is looking for a way out of her prisoner home where overprotectiveness turns into a 1984 themed house were no detail escapes her father’s notice. He is used to treating everything as a business negotiation he knows he’ll win. Friendship (and possibly love) start blooming the more that Kate and Nate spend time together. Kate decides to recruit Nate to team up to participate in a weekend-long zombie survivalist competition where they could win a huge cash prize. With both their skills they have a fighting chance to win and they could spend more time together. Each chapter is dedicated to Nate and Kate’s thoughts respectively which I love. We get to see into their minds and their struggles. Yes, Kate’s dad is uber evil and he goes borderline dictator and I wish that could be explored more but this is the first part in a series of this book. Nate’s struggles as a child of immigrants, wishing he had more money so he could help his family and finally start up his own startup company made you want to root for him and his success.
He’s a good friend, a great son, and tries his hardest to be a good older brother to little baby sister, Lucy. Kate is ambitious and she’s willing to leave everything behind to follow her dream. She’s used to people underestimating her but she won’t let that stop her. laughed a lot while reading this, I rooted for both Kate and Nate, I was impressed by how Parker drew out the survivalist competition and was at the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would turn out. Overall, this is YA so go in with those expectations and I believe that this will prove to be a fun read. I can’t wait for more of Suzanne Parker. In these times it feels nice into a world that lets you escape for a little bit so the name is very apt.
Update: went to a 3 star because I do wish the characters had more depth but it’s also YA so maybe it’s more of me not being the target audience.
April 3, 2020
This book was a lot of fun, and a really perfect read for the way things are in the world today. You could say it was a “perfect escape” from the world of Covid-19 in a way. The teens in the story had their own definite realistic lives, except of course maybe some of the tech that Kate’s dad was working on obviously not something we have yet. There were some twists and turns thrown out in the big zombie survival competition that I did not see coming. Not only that, even the side characters, ones from Nate’s school, Kate’s dad, and even Nate’s family, all had bits to play that made them a bigger part of the story than I imagined as I began reading. I loved the kids going to a roller skating party, it was funny to hear them talk about not knowing how things worked or how to roller skate, when those were things that were a big deal when I was a teen. In a way it showed me how sometimes things in YA books are more slanted towards the author’s experiences, just because that’s how we write, and it might not be something the teens of today actually do/like/or are familiar with.
Nate’s Korean family was very interesting to read, and see how things might be different. His mom was hilarious, should we begin a #momjokes? And Kate’s friends were cool as well, it was hard to see how her father treated her, but awesome that she had a real friend there, waiting for her, patiently, not giving up when Kate gave her the chance to find her way back.
Nate’s other issue, the kids at his school wanting him to either take tests for them or throw his own grades definitely hit close to the recent issues with the celebrities and what they did to get their kids into the colleges they wanted. So I liked that aspect as well. I don’t know how much I liked Nate’s friends, but I guess they were probably realistic teen boys. And I knew from the start that Annie wasn’t really a friend if she was hanging out with boys besides Nate and her old friends.
A fun read, and I sped through it! There was one line in the book that I just loved, it was something like: “Noah’s Ark meets Titanic.” Guess one bonus of this self-isolation/quarantine time is I actually can sit and basically read a book in a day.
Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.
Nate’s Korean family was very interesting to read, and see how things might be different. His mom was hilarious, should we begin a #momjokes? And Kate’s friends were cool as well, it was hard to see how her father treated her, but awesome that she had a real friend there, waiting for her, patiently, not giving up when Kate gave her the chance to find her way back.
Nate’s other issue, the kids at his school wanting him to either take tests for them or throw his own grades definitely hit close to the recent issues with the celebrities and what they did to get their kids into the colleges they wanted. So I liked that aspect as well. I don’t know how much I liked Nate’s friends, but I guess they were probably realistic teen boys. And I knew from the start that Annie wasn’t really a friend if she was hanging out with boys besides Nate and her old friends.
A fun read, and I sped through it! There was one line in the book that I just loved, it was something like: “Noah’s Ark meets Titanic.” Guess one bonus of this self-isolation/quarantine time is I actually can sit and basically read a book in a day.
Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.
January 11, 2021
I don't know how to feel about this one? I really enjoyed Nate and Kate from a narration point of view. Their love story? Definitely not so much. There were definitely times in the story where it felt as though things were taking a long time to set up, and once we were in the competition portion of the story it was really hard for me to root for them?
I do think that the book does a good job of mostly establishing stakes for Nate and for Kate, and I think that most of the hurdles they face were mostly believable? The most unbelievable thing that happens is definitely at the end of the book and it feels so cheesy and pulled me out in the worst possible way that I almost didn't want to take the effort that was required to finish.
This book also pretty much confirmed for me that while I don't mind instalove as a concept the way it gets executed is often not for me. It's cute when there's an unrequited crush going on, or even when a character finds another character attractive and is embarrassed when they do something stupid in front of them, but both Nate and Kate were attracted to one another in such a way that was really hard for me to vibe with?
Overall I don't know who exactly I'd recommend this one to, it definitely didn't hit the way I had anticipated it to. At least it does read quickly, so if you do want something kinda fluffy that goes off the rails a little at the end, this could be for you.
I do think that the book does a good job of mostly establishing stakes for Nate and for Kate, and I think that most of the hurdles they face were mostly believable? The most unbelievable thing that happens is definitely at the end of the book and it feels so cheesy and pulled me out in the worst possible way that I almost didn't want to take the effort that was required to finish.
This book also pretty much confirmed for me that while I don't mind instalove as a concept the way it gets executed is often not for me. It's cute when there's an unrequited crush going on, or even when a character finds another character attractive and is embarrassed when they do something stupid in front of them, but both Nate and Kate were attracted to one another in such a way that was really hard for me to vibe with?
Overall I don't know who exactly I'd recommend this one to, it definitely didn't hit the way I had anticipated it to. At least it does read quickly, so if you do want something kinda fluffy that goes off the rails a little at the end, this could be for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews