I Believe in a Thing Called Love

A funny young adult novel about a Korean-American girl who uses K-Drama techniques to snag the boyfriend of her dreams.

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2017
One of Seventeen.com's Best YA Books of 2017
"Hilarious." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Powerful messages of inclusion and acceptance." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and never had a B. But in her charmed school life, there's one thing missing—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a known disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet.

When the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides it's time to tackle her flirting failures. She finds her answer in the Korean dramas her father has watched obsessively for years—in which the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. Armed with her “K Drama Rules for True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos. All's fair in love and Korean dramas, right? But when the fun and games turn to feelings, Desi finds out that real-life love is about way more than just drama.

Maurene Goo's I Believe in a Thing Called Love is a fun, heartwarming story of falling in love—for real.

A Margaret Ferguson Book

Praise for I Believe in a Thing Called Love:
“Desi's implementation of measures such as ‘Be Caught in an Obviously Lopsided Love Triangle’ yields hilarious, at times unintended results, lending this teen rom-com a surprisingly thoughtful conclusion . . . [Goo's] funny, engaging narrative also delivers powerful messages of inclusion and acceptance.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The art-centric romance that develops between Desi and Luca is rewarding to follow, as are their parental relationships, particularly that between Desi and her widowed Appa. Goo simultaneously honors and deconstructs romantic tropes, both in general and specific to K dramas, and does so using a wonderfully diverse cast.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“In the tradition of best-laid plans, Desi’s goes painfully awry in ways that elevate the story above the level of fluffy, cross-cultural rom-com. Friends and family are well crafted to inspire discussions about the comfort and complications they afford . . . Readers who crave believability with their fun and wit will be satisfied with the way the plan works out.” —VOYA

"This is the book I desperately wish I could have read when I was in high school. I love this book so much, and I can't wait to give it to my kids and every teen I know. Fun, snarky, flawed-but-great characters come alive on the pages and make you wish you could hang out with them every day. And a romance so sweet you find yourself rooting desperately for it all to work out. But possibly my absolute favorite part is that it has one of the best father/daughter relationship dynamics I've ever read in a YA novel. I fell in love with the relationships as well as the characters. Charming and awkward and hysterically funny, this is simply awesome!" —Ellen Oh, author of the Prophecy series and founder of We Need Diverse Books

"I Believe in a Thing Called Love is the perfect summer read—really, the perfect anytime read. I laughed and I swooned and I streamed way too many K dramas. Maurene Goo's fresh, funny writing had me hooked from the first chapter. I loved it!" —Morgan Matson, New York Times–bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything

"This is a hilarious and endearing romance full of zany Korean-drama fun. You'll fall in love even as you're falling into a pool!" —Melissa de la Cruz, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel and Something In Between