Review: The Way You Make Me Feel

The Way You Make Me Feel

Title:  The Way You Make Me Feel
Author: Maurene Goo
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Availability: Available now!

Summary: 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? [Image and summary via Goodreads]

Review: I loved Maurene Goo’s previous book I Believe in a Thing Called Love (review here), which was a fun romance filled with k-drama goodness. Naturally, I’ve been looking forward to her next book, and it did not disappoint. It’s a light summer read with lots of heart and plenty of shenanigans.

I mention shenanigans because Clara Shin in The Way You Make Me Feel is a true prankster and all-around chill high schooler, cruising through life and living in the present. The book starts out with one massive prank and snowballs from there. When things go wrong, Clara is forced to work at her dad’s Korean-Brazilian fusion food truck alongside her nemesis, the perfect and by-the-book Rose Carver. Working in close quarters with your enemy is already no joke, but throw in some unplanned romance with a guy named Hamlet, and Clara’s summer is nothing like what she expected.

When you’re reading this, be sure to make plans to head to a food truck or grab tacos, because this book is going to make you hungry. The food truck angle of this book is not some passing detail, and you’ll want those noms. The budding romance is cute, and I’m always a fan of food-oriented books, but my favorite thing about Goo’s latest book is the slowly changing enemies-to-friends dynamic of Clara and Rose. Their relationship is what really makes this book worth the read.

The Way You Make Me Feel is set in the summer, which is fitting. It’s pretty much the ideal summer read. You’ll want to get your hands on this book soon if you’re planning a day at the pool, or maybe a day at home with the AC on full blast.

Recommendation: Get it soon!