Look. Listen. If a book starts off quoting Kendrick Lamar lyrics, you know I’m going to fall in love with it.

Nate & Kate live different lives. Nate has two parents, goes to a nice Prep School, but on scholarship. His family gets by, but they get by with love. Kate lives like Richie Rich. She has her own robot butler, Jeeves, and is home alone most of the time at her gated house since her father is always away of business. They meet at work, and a wonderful friendship blossoms. Kate convinces Nate to enter a zombie survivalist competition with a major cash grand prize. Nate can use the money, and Kate is ready to plan her escape. Can they escape the zombies and prevail in life?

I loved Kate & Nates relationship. The way Park writes about their interactions.. There was just something so pure about it. I could genuinely see their connection. It reminded me of my high school days and the awkward, yet inevitable relationships formed with others.

Kate’s relationship with her father was heartbreaking. Every conversation, every interaction, I just wanted to hug her. I wanted Nate’s mom to just take her in. She had the best one liners.

Can we appreciate Zoe & Raina as great friends and minor characters please?! I loved their spunk and humor.

The Zombie competition was the coolest thing I’ve read in a while! I felt like it was The Hunger Games, but with zombies!

Overall, I adored this book. I hope to read more of Suzanne Park’s work in the future. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this isn't the rom-com people expect it to be. Which is good because it means it's original, but at the same time walking into a book expecting it to be something and have it be something else can be a bit frustrating. The romance isn't the focus here, though it's present. Both of the main characters are smart and I love that we got to see their povs as opposite of only one side of the story. I love that is friendship and family focused and they have the opportunity to have the spotlight with the narration. I had a great time reading it and it really surprised me.

DNF

The writing voice just isn't working for me and I'm frustrated by how lackluster the romantic arc is. Not for me but YMMV.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I mean 1.) I seriously despise zombies. Even with that added element I still figured why not. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't let that tid bit sway me because I enjoyed this book!

The chapters are split by point-of-views. There is Nate and Kate. I always enjoy being able to see both sides and watching the friendship/relationship bloom. Nate is such a nerd but also a great guy! I liked his character and rooted for him all the way. Kate was interesting and wanted to make her own way in life and not rely on her wealthy dad. I liked that a lot about her.

They come from different backgrounds and I was here for it. I loved how funny Nate's mom was. Kate's dad is a real dillweed. I would have liked to see their relationship get better and have a nice interaction between them but since I have seen there will be a book two maybe I will get to see that happen! *fingers crossed*

Like others have said, the premise can be a bit misleading when it comes to the funny or zombie survival aspect. There were times that I did laugh but it wasn't super rom-comy. The survival part didn't come into play until over halfway through the book. I honestly didn't mind it since the beginning really helped to build their relationship and give context. The plot left me engaged and the plot twists were definitely unexpected.

Overall, I really liked this one! If you want a cute read then definitely give this one a try!

I'm going to be brutally honest here, I really was excited about reading this. I mean a rom-com with zombies, what's not to love right?

I did like this and it was, at times, a pretty cute story with a few funny moments but overall, the romance was..well, not really a romance with very little spark between the main couple. There were friends (sort of first) and even by the end, still (sort of friends). The relationship felt stilted at times and not at all what I would have expected from a book claiming to be a rom-com.
The actual retreat/competition happened in the very last little percent of the story and again, while creepy at times, was also...a let down.

Kate's dad was not only downright creepy at times but had zero redeeming qualities.

I realize there will be a second book, so maybe that was why it ended like it did? Without anything really resolved and so much let up in the air. Either way, I was a bit disappointed in this and was not at all what I had been expecting and hoping for.

Not a bad read but maybe, go into this one with no expectations or pre-conceived notions, and you will enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park.

Nate Kim is a scholarship student at a prep school in Seattle. He has dreams of getting into a great college, starting a business, and getting rich. Kate Anderson greatly misses her dead mother, longs to move to New York and enter the theater world, and to escape her over protective tech CEO father who she blames for her mother's death. Nate and Kate meet at the zombie escape room where they both work. The two bond and Kate asks Nate to be her partner in an outdoor zombie survival competition with a huge cash prize. The real challenge of the weekend though, won't be surviving the zombies but whether or not they'll be able to make it through without breaking each other's hearts.

This is a super cute and fun young adult romantic comedy. I loved while it can be classified as a romance that the focus was more on their friendship and relationship with their families than make-out sessions and general romance. Nate and Kate are both intelligent and witty. I'm not a big zombie fan, but I do love escape rooms. The competition was like a giant outdoor escape room. There were also some slight nods to Hunger Games, for example the cave scene and then the rules of the challenge changing. The noel was engaging and had everything a good novel should: suspense, adventure, romance, and humor. Personally, I feel that though this is a YA novel it would still be appropriate for middle grade readers. My own caution would the be the occasional use of lesser curse words.

Hmm… I think this amazing cover and the interesting plot giving you lovely rom-com vibes fooled me so hard! Was I waiting for another Hungry Games competition and MCs falling in love with each other during their now and never kind of struggling survival situation? Okay, maybe I expected something like that, jusssttt a little.

But here we go: I found a lot of creative, enjoyable, unique things about this book starting with characters’ different kind of dysfunctional family relationships. I enjoyed Nate’s family: sweetest little sister, parents keeping so many secrets about their own family and financial situation but acting like everything is normal. Dear Nate is smart, teasing by his friends as skid (that’s what they called to the students get scholarship), bribing to cheat at his exams for enough money to pay his loans, buying a good car for his family.

And Kate is financially polar opposite of Nate, daughter of tech geek, a rich, genius, workaholic but also over controlling father who follows every move of her and he doesn’t let his daughter chase her dreams to become actress. Kate needs a plan to get rid of father’s pressures and go to NYC to start over. She meets Nate during her zombie escape room gig that she plays zombie hid in the closet (Yes, didn’t I tell you the author has unique sense of humor?) She finds out there’s a weekend-long-survivalist competition with a grand prize can solve her all financial problems and help her earn her own freedom. But she needs partner and she knows Nate is also zombie geek like her. So she offers him to be her partner and of course he says okay because his family is broke and he needs a way out, too.

I thought that book was about the survival contest but it takes only small part of the book. We’re meandering around back stories, family dramas of the characters.
What I really enjoy about the book is: Nate and his Korean family’s dynamics, Nate’s quirky but also interesting perspective about the outer world, life, relations with his quirky friends. I also loved Kate, her naturalness, genuineness and maturity about dealing with her father’s nonsense over protective manners.

But what I didn’t like about the book: Plot is vague, it starts like entertaining YA but then at the end it takes a sudden sharp dramatic turn which is unexpected. And the beginning of the story before the survival competition is too long and some chapters need to be omitted and edited. And lack of romance when you expect something more from the beautiful cover and intriguing blurb disappoints you.

There are so many original, inventive, moving things about the book but the plot’s vagueness confuses you and you start to scream at yourself: “WTH I’m just reading! I got lost!” So I prefer to meet in the middle and give three solid stars. I think it’s still promising start for the debut author and I wish to read her upcoming works.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this ARC in exchange my honest review.

Even after sleeping on THE PERFECT ESCAPE, I'm still not really sure what to make of this one. The blurb describes it as a rom-com but this felt more like a contemporary YA + Black Mirror mashup. I was also a little irked that the survival competition mentioned in the description is such a small part of the actual story.

Nate and Kate were both...fine... as main characters. They each had interesting backstories (that wildly fluctuated in believability) but seemed like they were missing something that would make them feel more like actual people. There was also a sizable degree of insta-love here, which was disappointing.

I probably would've liked THE PERFECT ESCAPE more if the blurb had more accurately reflected the book's plot.

This was so freaking cute! The conflict didn’t make my chest hurt so that was amazing, and it was cute and fun— the resolution was incredible and really worked for me.
I loved the silly and fun, heartwarming story and especially the zombie themed fun :)
Can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.
Thank you to SBF and net galley for the ARC!

This was really just kind of average for me. I liked the diversity and the characters the most, but the plot fell kind of flat. It was just entertaining enough to keep me from putting it down altogether, but not good enough for me to really care.

I was really excited to read this book because it sounded cute and had ownvoices Korean representation! The Perfect Escape was such a cute book with realistic characters and funny banter.

The voices felt very realistic; Nate and Kate read like actual teenagers to me. I thought they had an interesting dynamic, although I don’t know if I would necessarily say they had a lot of chemistry. However, I kinda liked that their relationship moved slowly. That development felt natural to me.

Most of the book is their stories being established before jumping into the zombie aspect, which was thrilling to follow, if a little hard to believe. I liked reading about Nate’s home life and his very typical Asian immigrant parents. I also liked seeing Kate’s friendship with Raina, however little we get to see of them together.

This book did a good job of emphasizing that, while money does bring security, it doesn’t necessarily equal happiness. Nate is poor and unhappy, and he thinks that money will fix his life. However, we get to see with Kate, who is rich and still unhappy, that money isn’t really everything.

Honestly though, I was just bored reading this book. I didn’t really connect with the protagonists personally; that’s just me though! I do think it was a cute read, and you should definitely try it if you’re interested by the summary!

I have not read a fantastic YA romance in such a long time, and this was beyond refreshing and entertaining! My eyes could not get enough of the magic words that Suzanne truly knows how to write!

This was a great, fun book! I really liked both main characters and couldn't help but root for them to meet their goals. Especially during the second half, I could barely put it down!

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would because I am not a huge YA contemporary reader. However when I saw the plot of this book, I had a feeling I would enjoy it if I read it. This book was fun, quirky, and just a good time to read with pretty well written characters and plot.

Let’s start this review with - I loved this book. The writing was engaging and true. I felt like I was living the story with the characters. I felt their frustration, their love for their families, and for Kate and Nate - their determination to make their future work for their needs. I had forgotten a few details when writing this review and almost reread the whole book. - because it’s that good. And let me say, it’s just as good the second time around. I would definitely read more from this author. All of the story lines were tight and made sense. Well worth your time.

Super cut story with lots of action! Loved the characters and their distinctive voices. It was a fun and quick read. Loved Lucy, the adorable sister

Kate and Nate's lives couldn't be anymore different. United by a love of zombies, Kate lives in a tech mansion and barely sees her father while Nate is a scholarship kid with dreams of being a rich inventor. Park's characters in The Perfect Escape are so detailed and they practically fly off the page. Told in dual POV, we are able to see the way Kate subverts her extremely controlling father, how Nate's family finances affect his family, and his relationship with his adorable younger sister.

I loved how Park explores the topic of money in The Perfect Escape. For each of them it represents an escape. For Kate, it's a vehicle in which she can house her dreams and literally escape from her father. For Nate, it represents an escape from these factors holding his family and his future. What's better than winning the lottery? Training to win a zombie survival competition. I loved their interactions because we can see that behind all these factors which differentiate them, they're just secretly adorkable.

This was a very fun read. Park incorporated lots of humor and excitement throughout, as well as sharp writing skills and character development. I couldn't put it down!

Equal parts adorable, romantic and funny, this is the kind of nerdtastic rom-com so many readers will want to curl up with and escape into.

On Kate's first day of work at the Zombie Escape Room she meets Nate. When she bums a ride off of him after work the two quickly become friends because of their mutual love of Zombies. Nate comes from a modest family that struggles to sometimes make ends meet. Ambition drives Nate to excel in everything. At work, in Krav Maga, cross country and especially school. When Nate's nemesis offers him a deal to earn some money Nate is very tempted to take it. Until Kate swoops in with a kind of crazy idea to enter into a real life zombie escape game with a cash prize the two can split. Nate is excited to earn the chance to hang out with Kate and earn some money. But Kate has ulterior motives. She knows Nate is more than qualified to win this game and with him on her team she might just actually have the chance to earn some money to move across the country. Kate's dream is to become an actress in New York but her mega rich, overprotective, tech CEO of a father isn't letting Kate leave anytime soon.

While funny and charming at times I was most frustrated with Kate's story line. To me the overprotective crazy tech father was a bit too much to buy into. I also had hard time connecting with the character because I found her to be an entitled brat. What Kate needed more than anything was a loving nurturing parent, especially after her mother died, but she doesn't have that in her father. I think it would have been more interesting to see her father's emotional breakdown of losing his wife and the two coming together to work on their grief together.