Author: Melissa de la Cruz
ISBN: 9781489271990
RRP: $19.99
Publication Date: 17 December 2018
Publisher: HQ Young Adult
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Melissa de la Cruz is a prolific writer for audiences of all ages. I read, and really enjoyed, some of her earlier works. The only reason I haven’t kept up is the complete lack of time to read everything that I want to read. I read an early fantasy series and I think you can even find reviews of some of them in our archives.
29 Dates is a contemporary young adult romance that sounds entertaining, and stand alone.
Jisu’s traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul’s premier matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Jisu’s success, and going on the recommended dates is Jisu’s compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she’ll have the opportunity to shine academically – and be set up on more dates!
Navigating her new world, Jisu finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Jisu into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn’t parent and matchmaker approved?
29 Dates promises a novel of self-discovery and exploration.
I look forward to picking this up sometime real soon. In the meantime, thanks to HQ Young Adult 5 of our Beauty and Lace Club members will be reading 29 Dates and you can read what they thought in the comments below. Please be aware there may be spoilers.
29 Dates is published by HQ Young Adult and is available now where all good books are sold.
You can find Melissa de la Cruz on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her Website
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
What a gorgeous, sweet book! I really enjoyed reading this book. I fell in love with the main character Jisu and I’m sure any young reader will as well.
Jisu is a young Korean girl who is sent to America by her parents to study and improve her chances for college admission.
Along the way her parents want her to also find a suitable Korean boyfriend and employ the services of a matchmaker.
The book takes us on a ride through 29 dates and Jisu’s new life in America.
I would recommend this to any young adult who would enjoy a lovely romantic story.
I am so thankful to beauty and lace, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I love YA novels because I’m still around that age, and this book is no exception,
I can totally relate to Jisu’s want to make her parents happy by going on all of these dates (in the sense of wanting to make my parents happy).
I loved how De La Cruz wrote so beautifully about Korean culture and how it feels being amongst people from such a different life. She really helped me imagine this as we followed Jisu’’s journey through her dates.
This is an easy read book which has a place in my heart. And I hope it takes a place in yours.
I am so thankful to beauty and lace, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
29 Dates is the story of Jisu, a South Korean teenager struggling to make her mark at her Korean high school. She has spent the season going on seons, a Korean form of dating involving a matchmaker service, only to please her parents, and wants to spend her free time going out with her friends. When Jisu fails a test her parents ship her off suddenly to a private school in San Francisco in the hopes that a less competitive environment will allow her to make it into an Ivy League college. She must also continue going on seons but now it’s with Korean-American boys. Jisu is homesick, and exhausted but makes some friends and starts to pick up the pieces of her life, and along the way falls for a cute boy.
Throughout the book you get to experience her seons, some are quirky, some are boring, but you get the feeling as the book continues that this is not where the romance lies.
There are a lot of characters in this book, many are only briefly mentioned or mentioned many times but for brief moments. The family she resides with in San Francisco are mentioned throughout and there is turmoil but I don’t feel this was necessary to the plot. In the end, this book is really about a girl living in America and not a book about a Korean girl.
A few things didn’t gel for me in this story. Why would a mother force her daughter in her final year of school to spend her time going on mini dates in the hope of finding the ‘one’. I didn’t understand why someone would send their child away to another country to raise with a family they don’t know, in the hope that they would do better in school. I also found Jisu’s character a little inconsistent in her views and her behaviors but that could just be the ‘teenage’ thing.
I wanted to read this book as I am a fan of Melissa de la Cruz and the Witches of East End. I think she has an easy to read style and gives you insights into the characters life and thoughts, and I enjoyed the book. Jisu is likeable and her classmates are interesting and I think most young adults would enjoy it and understand the struggles she faces.
A lighthearted read that is easy to get through, albeit predictable but still enjoyable
I like to thank beauty and lace for this great opportunity to read these wonderful book I like this book it was easy to read