29 Dates

November 5, 2018
Ji-Su’s being an average student at a highly prestigious Seoul high school isn’t good enough for her South Korean parents. They’re also pushing her to get into a top college and go on a series of seons (blind dates arranged by a matchmaker). Much to Ji-Su’s dismay and without much warning, they send her to San Francisco to attend a slightly less competitive school for her senior year, where they hope she can raise her grades enough to stand out among college applicants. Ji-Su enjoys more freedom in America, but in matters of the heart, her parents continue to hold the reins: her seons mostly prove as disappointing as her ill-fated fling with a fickle boy from her new school. The story is interspersed with dialogue from Ji-Su’s 29 dates, adding structure to the tale and conveying the awkwardness of early relationships. De la Cruz (Someone to Love) offers a lighthearted romance about a heroine struggling to please her parents and be true to herself. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts.

November 1, 2018
A South Korean high school student spending her senior year in the United States navigates a new school, dating, and college pressures.Ji-su, who is enduring a succession of blind dates set up for her by her ambitious parents through a matchmaker, suddenly finds herself attending a private school in San Francisco, something her parents hope will help her stand out when she applies to college. Although she is heartbroken to leave behind her beloved besties, Euni and Min, she soon makes new friends, including Filipino-American heartthrob Austin; popular, high-achieving Korean-American Dave; and confident, friendly, Lebanese-American Hiba, who becomes a close friend. Ji-su continues going on arranged blind dates in California but also experiences feelings of attraction toward both Austin and Dave, all while applying to (and waiting to hear from) highly competitive colleges. The conceit of the book--following Ji-su through 29 blind dates over the course of her senior year--helps the plot move along swiftly and introduces readers to a wide variety of Korean boys with different personalities and interests, helping to break stereotypes about Asian males. Characters of a range of ethnicities populate the book, and the cultural details about life in Korea are realistically drawn and impressive in their accuracy. A surprise ending brings the story to a satisfying close that will thrill fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2014).A surefire hit wherever lighthearted romances are popular. (author's note) (Fiction. 12-18)

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December 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up{amp}mdash;Korean teen Ji-Su Kim is not performing as well in school as her parents would like as they expect her to get into a top-tier university in Korea or the U.S. Without her knowledge, her parents enroll her in a California high school for her senior year. At first, Ji-Su is despondent about leaving her friends and her family behind. However, she quickly immerses herself into the culture at her new school as she makes new friends and begins to participate in extracurricular activities. She has been set up with blind dates, called seons, by a Korean matchmaker. These dates don't end when she moves to California because Ms. Moon has many contacts in the Korean American community. The chapters alternate between what is currently happening in the protagonist's life with the transcripts of the conversations she has with each of her dates, starting with the first one in Korea. Though romance is an underlying theme, Ji-Su has no interest in the boys she meets on the seons but does see possible love connections with classmates at her new school. Her interactions with her contemporaries seem realistic, but the depiction of her overbearing but well-meaning parents feel familiar and without much nuance. VERDICT This novel will please teens looking for a light read. Give to fans of Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi and Jenny Han's books.{amp}mdash;Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science {amp}amp; Technology Academy, Avondale, LA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 Ji-su has gotten used to the pressure her parents put on her to excel in school, but the summer before her senior year they've pushed into her personal life, arranging matchmaker-organized dates (seons) so she can meet the perfect guy to complement her perfect future. But when they suddenly send her from her ultracompetitive South Korean high school to one in San Francisco, Ji-su's dating life gets even more complicated. 29 Dates is a sweet, unique take on the high-school rom-com. Ji-su's parade of suitors allows the novel to consider any number of dynamics and types before zooming in on the all-important endgame pairing. The details of Ji-su's life in South Korea and in the U.S. are intricately woven into the story in a way that makes the book feel cinematic and inviting. This latest by de la Cruz is perfect for fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2014), or those who love classic rom-coms and are looking for the next great narrative convention.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)