Dating Makes Perfect

by Pintip Dunn

Overview

The Tech sisters don’t date in high school. Not because they’re not asked. Not because they’re not interested. Not even because no one can pronounce their long, Thai last name—hence the shortened, awkward moniker. But simply because they’re not allowed.

Until now.

In a move that other Asian American girls know all too well, six months after the older Tech twins got to college, their parents asked, “Why aren’t you engaged yet?” The sisters retaliated by vowing that they won’t marry for ten (maybe even twenty!) years, not until they’ve had lots of the dating practice that they didn’t get in high school.

In a shocking war on the status quo, her parents now insist that their youngest daughter, Orrawin (aka “Winnie”), must practice fake dating in high school. Under their watchful eyes, of course—and organized based on their favorite rom-coms. ’Cause that won’t end in disaster.

The first candidate? The son of their longtime friends, Mat Songsomboon—arrogant, infuriating, and way too good-looking. Winnie’s known him since they were toddlers throwing sticky rice balls at each other. And her parents love him.

If only he weren’t her sworn enemy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682814970
Publisher:	Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	08/18/2020
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	1,134,646
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.35(h) x 0.88(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

A first-generation Thai American, Pintip Dunn grew up in a tiny town in Kansas. She went on to graduate from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. and to receive her J.D. at Yale Law School.

Pintip is a two-time RITA® award winner and a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year.

She’s obsessed with penguins, and her childhood dream was to marry someone whose last name was “Gwynn”—so that her name could be “Pin Gwynn.” Alas, she got stuck with Dunn instead, but her husband and three children are worth the sacrifice. They all visit Thailand yearly in order to stay connected with her family.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2020

Gr 7–10—Winnie's Thai parents were very strict with her older sisters—absolutely no dating in high school. When the college-age girls fail at finding marriage prospects straight out of the gate, however, mom decides to relax the rules for Winnie so that she can have some practice at socializing. Winnie is secretly thrilled until she discovers her mom's choice for her practice "fake dates": her former best friend and now arch-enemy, Mat. But wait, there's a new flirty kid in town, Taran, and maybe Mat isn't as awful as she remembered. Cue a confusing triangle of romantic interests. To add to the fun, Winnie's mom has based all of the fake dates on rom-com movies (it makes sense that the book has a completely rom-com resolution scene). The writing is heavy on readable dialogue, and the pacing makes it a great choice for reluctant readers. Thai culture is sprinkled throughout: Food, holidays, and values are highlighted and smaller details—like the use of Scotch tape to create a double eyelid—add authenticity. VERDICT Young teens will lose themselves in this delicious, tame romance. Recommended.—Leah Krippner, Harlem H.S., Machesney Park, IL

School Library Journal

★ 2020-07-21
In this YA romantic comedy, a Thai American teen from a tightknit family starts dating—on her parents’ terms.

Orrawin “Winnie” Techavachara is entering her final semester of high school in the Chicago suburbs without a boyfriend. Her parents don’t allow her to date, a rule that started with her beloved older sisters, Ari and Bunny, now in college several hours away and happily independent with no thoughts of settling down, much to Mom’s dismay. Fearing the same fate for their youngest daughter, Winnie’s parents change the rules. Winnie is now allowed to date, but it’s not quite that simple. First, Winnie’s mom will dictate the dates’ locations, each of which will pay tribute to beloved rom-coms, like Always Be My Maybe and When Harry Met Sally. Second, she’ll also dictate the boy. And it won’t be Winnie’s crush Taran, the new guy in school who also happens to be Thai, but Winnie’s former best friend, Mat Songsomboon, who’s been Winnie’s sworn enemy since an epic falling-out in junior high. Also, kissing is verboten. Mat’s father ups the ante for his reluctant son: For every date Mat and Winnie complete, he’ll add a day to Mat’s post-graduation solo backpacking trip through Asia. What starts as an awkward car ride to school soon becomes much more as Winnie realizes her feelings for Mat are more complex than she once believed, and Mat makes a startling revelation about his feelings for Winnie. But what’s a good Thai daughter to do when she’s not actually supposed to fall in love? New York Times–bestselling author Dunn, a first-generation Thai American, takes on the enemies-to-lovers romance trope with punchy dialogue and adorable twists while paying tribute to the culture’s prioritization of food and family: One of the novel’s best scenes plays out at the Songkran festival, a celebration of the Thai New Year. Both Winnie and Mat are intelligent, sympathetic characters with genuine chemistry in the throes of mutual eye-rolling–turned–puppy love, and Winnie’s family members are finely drawn and nuanced, with aspirations, conflicts, and dreams of their own.

A laugh-out-loud YA romance with a smart cast.

Kirkus Reviews