The Way You Make Me Feel

I disliked Clara and Rose's characters immediately. They both seemed ridiculous and childish. Still, I found their bickering and arguing hilarious thanks to the audiobook and narrator Emily Woo Zeller. I was invested in Clara and Rose's friendship which could have been a great enemies to lovers romance. I was not invested in Clara and Hamlet as much as I was with Clara and Rose. I lost interest in the story around 60% of the way in, but stuck around till the end to find out what would happen with the food truck competition. Clara was the worst character throughout the entire book until she had her revelations. Mostly, this book felt like a comedic disney coming of age story.

3.5 stars. This is a cute book, and I like how the points it makes about romance extend to apply more broadly to emotional intimacy in general. I like the discussion of how people use irony and aloofness to guard vulnerability, and it was refreshing to see this concept explored primarily with women characters. It's not often you see an insensitive prankster as a female protagonist.

Goo also tweaks gender roles by casting Clara's dad as active and involved in her life, compared to her mom, who is distant both emotionally and physically. One reason this worked for me was that neither the books nor its characters outright demonized or condemned Clara's mom for her lifestyle. Her contrasting parents were a interesting representation of the two warring sides of Clara, one more earnest and supportive, the other prioritizing appearances and reputation.

The Way You Make Me Feel didn't change my life, but it was diverse and sweet. I'd recommend it for those looking for a lighter contemporary romance that doesn't fall back on horrific twists to justify the plot.

Merged review:

3.5 stars. This is a cute book, and I like how the points it makes about romance extend to apply more broadly to emotional intimacy in general. I like the discussion of how people use irony and aloofness to guard vulnerability, and it was refreshing to see this concept explored primarily with women characters. It's not often you see an insensitive prankster as a female protagonist.

Goo also tweaks gender roles by casting Clara's dad as active and involved in her life, compared to her mom, who is distant both emotionally and physically. One reason this worked for me was that neither the books nor its characters outright demonized or condemned Clara's mom for her lifestyle. Her contrasting parents were a interesting representation of the two warring sides of Clara, one more earnest and supportive, the other prioritizing appearances and reputation.

The Way You Make Me Feel didn't change my life, but it was diverse and sweet. I'd recommend it for those looking for a lighter contemporary romance that doesn't fall back on horrific twists to justify the plot.