Title: The Way You Make Me Feel
Author: Maurene Goo
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux  (Macmillan)
Published: May 8, 2018

A digital copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

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.

– My Review –

I read Goo’s other novel, I Believe in a Thing Called Love last year (for the most part while I was in South Korea, which I thought was awesome, since kdramas played a major role in that book)! When I heard that she was writing The Way You Make Me Feel, I was curious to see what shape her next novel would take. I can definitely say that I like how Goo’s writing is developing, and I look forward to see her style and skill developing further with future books. But back to this book! I really liked Clara from the start because she made me laugh, and she felt different from any other female main character in a YA contemporary. She was mischievous and confident, which are attributes that I’d really like to see more of in female characters!

I thought that the way that family relationships, friendships, and the romantic relationship in this book were also portrayed in a unique manner. I liked how there was also a lot of focus on food and culture, and I also learned a bit about Los Angeles (and may or may not have made a mental list of places to visit if I ever manage to travel there). There was an important message in this book about realizing who the important people in one’s life are. I do, however, feel that the book could have been a little longer. I wouldn’t have minded some scenes to be a bit more detailed, and the book also felt to me as if it ended a little abruptly. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book, and really miss reading about Clara and her family and friends! The Way You Make Me Feel is definitely an entertaining, funny, and heartwarming summer-y must-read!

– About the Author –

Maurene Goo grew up in a Los Angeles suburb surrounded by floral wallpaper and piles of books. She studied communication at UC San Diego and then later received a Masters in publishing, writing, and literature at Emerson College. Before publishing her first book, Since You Asked, she worked in both textbook and art book publishing. She also has very strong feelings about tacos and houseplants and lives in Los Angeles.

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!