Date number 29 is Kang Dae Hyun ,Dae Hyun already has a gf his mother hates. Kim jisu study ed hard for a history test and got a 79. School doesn’t always come easy to her even when studying.Jisu is done with dates.Jisu’s parents are disappointed at her grades so she can get into a college.They also want her to find a nice young man.Jisu gets in trouble for skipping a date. Jose is sent away to San Francisco due to her bad grades.I liked the dialogue showcasing some of the dates jisu went on.Jisu likes photor a physical away takes pictures for school project.I thought Kaylee was annoying. Jisu misses her friends back in south korea.There was a guy Jisu spends time with I was hoping to be her boyfriend but things were complicated . Quick read but slow in parts . Would love to read the sequeal.



#29 dates #netgalley

Perfect chick lit! I loved the premise and the characters were well developed! I recommend this for anyone looking for a light and fun read!

This YA book is super cute! I usually am very picky when it comes to romantic comedy books but having read Melissa before I knew I had to get my hands on this one and see if she could make me giggle like I like to with these kind of books.


isu is a high school girl from Korea. Her parents have set her up with a matchmaker and sending her on seons to try to find a suitable husband. After Jisu gets a bad grade on a test, her parents decide to send her to America to go to a different school, in America they think it will change her academics path. This one was a funny read a little slower at times then others, the fluff was a little lacking for me and I wanted some more depth. over all I think a young reader would eat this up!

I requested this as I'm not super knowable about Korean culture, and thought this would be a fun way to learn a bit more! 29 dates is just that - the story of a girl being set up by her parent's + professional Korean matchmaker on 29 different dates. The main character was well fleshed out and I enjoyed reading her story :)

Jisu is a high school girl from Korea. Her parents have set her up with a matchmaker and sending her on seons to try to find a suitable husband. After Jisu gets a bad grade on a test, her parents decide to send her to America to go to a different school.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute story. The main issue I had was in chapter 20, something happens in the evening, but is changed mid paragraph to morning, and then it continued with the thing happening in the morning for the next chapter. Hopefully this will be changed for the final copy of the book. Other than that, I enjoyed the story. It was kind of obvious who the 29th date would be, but getting there was half of the fun of the story.

I think I may have to give up on reading books by Melissa de la Cruz.

I just don't like her writing style. Every chapters take forever to get going and then, we end up with way too much dialogue and detail. I noticed this right away in the first chapter and just could not finish this one.

Love the idea behind the novel, but just could not get to an interesting part and I think this is because of the writing.

Jisu’s parents are not happy with her grades or her plans for college. They have been working with a matchmaker to find her the right boyfriend in order to set her up for a successful future. After Jisu gets a C on a test and skips one of her dates to be with her friends, her parents decide to send her to San Francisco to finish her senior year. They hope the change in scenery will be just what Jisu needs to strengthen her academics and find the perfect boy. Will Jisu get into an acceptable college and find a boy that she likes and her parents will accept? What will Jisu learn about herself along the way?

29 Dates is a stand-alone romance novel that was challenging and enjoyable. I will admit that I am not Korean or Korean American and it was interesting to read about the various cultural nuances within this community. De La Cruz did a wonderful job introducing these various Korean viewpoints while also not making the book feel like a cultural lesson. The romance that is included is very superficial and is more of a secondary story to the overall story of finding out who Jisu really is. I recommend 29 Dates to anyone who likes a good relationship story, especially those who liked To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Man I really wanted to love this book. Because I want to support books that have minorities in lead roles. But it just never clicked with me. Most of the book felt like a hollowed out K-drama with all the ridiculous family dynamics, but none of the heart.

It often felt too rushed and too easy, rather than authentic. The book was a light, quick read, but it was very predictable. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book, but it isn’t particularly good either.

I was intrigued when I first saw 29 Dates by Melissa de la Cruz since I don’t know much about Korean culture, and the story sounded super cute. It tells the story of a girl who goes on dates set up by a matchmaker, and I loved reading about each of her 29 dates. The main character is also enjoyable, and I would say that this is the perfect pick-me-up.

This book tells the story of a girl who is sent to America after struggling at her competitive high school in Korea. At the same time, her parents have set her up with a matchmaker, and she must juggle school with frequent blind dates. I enjoyed reading about how Jisu begins to find herself and her true passion while in America, and her process of adjusting. I would have appreciated more about the culture (both from San Francisco and Seoul), but I still found the story interesting.

One aspect I found intriguing in the novel is the way each chapter is preceded with a little transcript of one of Jisu’s 29 dates. These short scenes add a bit of humour to the book, and I feel like they really showcase Jisu’s personality. They also add some suspense as Jisu gets closer and closer to her 29th date, and I was excited for her to finally find the right match.

Jisu is a likeable character, and she is easy to relate to. She deals with a lot as she is shipped off to a new country and has to balance her love life and dreams of an Ivy League school. The pressure she faces from her parents to succeed and her uncertainty about her future make her realistic. I enjoyed how Jisu is still respectful to her parents and their wishes and is willing to continue the dates in her new country. She is sweet, but she is also unafraid to stick up for herself, which makes her an enjoyable character.

29 Dates is a cute story about family, self-discovery, and love. I enjoyed reading about each of Jisu’s dates and how likeable Jisu is. I would recommend this one to young adults for the relatablility, but the content is still appropriate for a younger audience.

Not my favorite YA book as of late. I think maybe it had a cutsie little plot and storyline. Fast read, but nothing really remarkable.

Thank you for the early copy!

It has been a while since I read a novel by Cruz but this was a fun and interesting read.

I recommend checking it out for the diversity, the look into another culture, and as a quick read!

Kind of like Crazy Rich Asians but throw in a teenage girl into the mix. Jisu, an only child, is ripped from her friends and way of life by her parents who want her to get perfect grades. She is flown to San Francisco, overnight and enrolled in a private High School to help her attain the grades her parents want her to get and must continue to “date” the proper boys. Ms Moon arranges the seons that consists of meeting South Korean boys from presegious families. And Jisu must also submit 10 college applications while being involved in after school activities.

New friendships are made, 29 seons attended, without meeting anyone she feels strongly about, making good grades, and slowly applying to Universities while falling in love with photography.

By the time the 30th seon happens all is resolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Melissa de la Cruz for a great read!

This was a cute book with a lot of topics dealt with but it was a struggle for me to get into it and really find a connection with the character. I would recommend it to some of my students but it just wasn't for me and I am a big fan of Melissa de la Cruz.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Jisu was devastated, when her parents shipped her off the San Francisco in hopes that she could perform better in an American school, but they may have given her a great gift, since her new environment did yield some great results.

• Pro: Jisu was easy to like and root for. My heart broke, when her whole life was uprooted, but I admired the way she took it in stride, and also commended her on fulfilling her filial duties. Beside being under the standard pressure to get into an Ivy League school and earn top grades, she also had to go on a myriad of blind dates, which she did with a more or less open mind.

• Pro: The dates were interesting. They were presented to us in a transcript format, and what I really liked was the way they paralleled something happening outside of the dates, as well as were a catalyst for Jisu's growth and change. She discovered a lot about herself during these dates, even if she never found "the one".

• Pro: I adored Dave, and thought the chemistry and dynamic between him and Jisu was fantastic. One of my favorite scenes was when Jisu met his mom. Totally couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

• Con: There were some really fun parts in this book and also, a lot of things I really enjoyed. I wish more of these things had been included. There were some times when the mood shifted, and it sort of made the story drag a little.

• Pro: It's really difficult for a teen to leave her friends, but Jisu was lucky to find such a great squad in San Francisco. I especially loved Hiba, who was fierce and not afraid to speak her mind.

• Pro: Jisu's grandfather was a most precious human. I loved and adored him so much, and was grateful that Jisu had such a phenomenal ally.

• Pro: The ending went in a direction that left me with a smile on my face. I was really happy with how de la Cruz finished Jisu's story (even if I wanted an epilogue, too)

Overall: A story of growth, change, family, friendship, and finding your passion, which was thoughtful and satisfying.

This was such a cute book!!!! It wasn't the best quality book in the world, but the vibe was 100% Hello, My Twenties (Korean drama) and "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." Which was cute and fun!

However, I DNF at 60% because the plot and pacing were boring.

I loved the Korean culture representation, including the idea of a "seon", or arranged date. Diving into Korean culture, which happens (in the beginning of the novel) IN KOREA, was immersive. However, the romance felt underwhelming and artificial, the main character was one dimensional, and overall the story just wasn't for me.

I love Melissa de la Cruz and her work, but sadly I didn't love this book.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I loved this book. Jisu is a teenager in Korea, but her parents don't think her grades are good enough to get into a top university so they send her to a high school in the U.S. for her senior year. Her mother is also concerned that she meet the right young men so she signs her up with a matchmaker so that she can go out on saeons - dates with eligible Korean boys.

When she's in San Francisco, however, she's away from her parents, the school is more lax than her school in Seoul and she makes new friends. I was fascinated by the culture of the saeons. And Korea is known for its high-pressure attitude towards students and achievement.

I liked this book so much. I'm going to buy the author's other books. I noticed that my nieces have her books on their shelves.