Super Fake Love Song

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews and I read them and thought “I'd probably feel the same” and Bob's your uncle, so I did. I decided to DNF around 9% as I didn't like the main character. Plus it's in first person pov and I didn't like the narration. I don't have anything to say about the plot because I stopped reading before basically anything happened.

There are a lot of good things I can say about this book, but one thing that really strikes me about David Yoon is how well he creates groups of friends. Friends that talk about real things, fall in love, argue, feel awkward, mess up, live. These characters love each other in a way that makes it impossible for the reader not to love them too. I loved all the “nerd stuff”, and just the feeling of dedication to craft in general. Parents are real, and not always what you want them to be. And shoutout to the cover and end paper art because it is excellent, just like this book. Highly recommend.

John Hughes, but make it modern! That's how I'm pitching this. SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG by David Yoon surprised me, in a good way. Thank you Penguin Teen for the #gifted ARC. Out on Tuesday, 11/17 here in the U.S.

The premise: Boy meets girl. Girl mistakes boy's older brother's room as his. Boy says nothing and decides to fake it as a front man in a rock band to impress girl. Hijinks ensue.

It's certainly zany at times, but the plot is accompanied by smart and witty observations about identity, brotherhood, friendship, nerd life, and parental expectations.

I buddy read this with fellow bookstagrammers @theshriekingstack and @utopia.state.of.mind back in September, and one thing that has stuck with me is how multifaceted Sunny (the protagonist) comes across while Cirrus (the girl in question) is flat and rather one-dimensional.

Since the book is told completely from Sunny's point of view, it feels realistic in ways that a lot of fiction doesn't. We love fiction because it shows us many angles when we hold something up to the light, but we also need fiction that reminds us of our limited field of vision.

I actually like that Sunny, as a Korean American male protagonist, shines and gets to be the hero (and antihero) of his own story. But what are your thoughts? I'm curious if flatness in other characters would bug you or if it helps center the coming-of-age aspect for you.

Thanks again to Penguin Teen for sending this ARC and prioritizing Korean American #OwnVoices!