I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Desi Lee excels at everything through careful planning and determination, but romance remains her one weakness. After discovering her father's passion for Korean dramas, she develops a multi-step K-drama-inspired plan to navigate her love life. The story follows Desi as she attempts to apply the rules and tropes from Korean television shows to her pursuit of new student Luca Drakos. Her schemes range from manufactured meet-cutes to engineered emergencies, all while balancing her responsibilities as student body president and future medical school applicant. Between her father's unconditional support, her best friends' skepticism, and her own academic drive, Desi must learn whether real relationships can be engineered with the same precision as her other achievements. The novel explores authenticity, vulnerability, and the gap between fairy-tale romance and genuine human connection.

Readers describe this YA romance as a light-hearted, fun story that blends Korean drama tropes with American teen life. The book maintains a 3.82/5 rating on Goodreads from 8,000+ ratings. Readers appreciated: - The authentic Korean-American representation - The humorous K-drama references and plot connections - The strong father-daughter relationship - The main character's determination and quirky personality Common criticisms: - The romance feels forced and manipulative - The main character's schemes come across as problematic - Some found the K-drama elements too exaggerated - Several readers noted the plot becomes unrealistic Amazon reviews average 4.4/5 from 200+ ratings, with readers calling it "addictively fun" and "perfect for K-drama fans." Multiple reviewers mentioned struggling with the protagonist's calculated approach to romance, with one noting it "crosses ethical lines." BookPage praised the balance of comedy and heart, while Kirkus Reviews highlighted the fresh twist on typical rom-com tropes.

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🌟 Author Maurene Goo grew up watching Korean dramas with her mother, which directly inspired the K-drama-based rules that protagonist Desi Lee creates in the novel 🌟 The book's title is a playful reference to the song "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness, which appears in a pivotal scene in the story 🌟 The "K-Drama Rules" featured in the book were drawn from actual Korean drama tropes and plot devices that appear frequently in popular series 🌟 The protagonist's experience as a Korean-American teenager draws from Maurene Goo's own background growing up in a Korean-American family in Los Angeles 🌟 The book was optioned for a film adaptation by Netflix in 2019, with Yulin Kuang attached to write the screenplay