I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Gr 7 Up—While she is an overachiever in the realm of academics and extracurricular activities, Desi Lee is socially awkward when it comes to romance. She has perfect SAT scores and is possibly Stanford-bound. Yet when boys are involved, Desi is an accident-prone wreck. She lives with her dad, who loves Korean dramas. Both are still struggling with the loss of Desi's mother years earlier. When an embarrassing incident involving a crush occurs, a miserable Desi hunkers down and spends a weekend binge-watching Korean dramas. The teen comes up with a 24-step plan to snag a boyfriend, which is based on the formula of success for every K-drama television show. Desi has her heart set on the new kid in school, Luca, and puts her scheme into motion. This book extends beyond a typical romance story, as it also deals with parent/teen relationships, grief, and the stress of college admission.