‘The Perfect Escape’ is a Fun Adventure of a YA Romance
STORY | When it comes to dreams, Nate Kim has big plans, the crux of which is to make lots of money. Poor all his life, the only way Nate has been able to attend a ritzy private school is with a scholarship.
At work, Nate befriends Kate Anderson, and immediately he feels a connection to his co-worker, but what he doesn’t know is, Kate’s about to leave behind her life for the bright lights and freedom of New York. This means she may even take advantage of a new friendship to do this!
The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park | Book Review
REVIEW | Prior to seeing this on a list and then pre-ordering it, I didn’t know of this book’s existence. One of the 2020 debuts, it’s a cute little story that also has the allure being a new author to discover, plus get lost in a kind of “adventure.” This is precisely what The Perfect Escape is; just like its title, it’s this ideal little romantic-comedy that will inspire a smile.
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The thing about the book that makes it cute is the reality competition our lovebirds compete in is a zombie “survivalist” experience. Zombies aren’t my thing, but this novel makes everything seem all kinds of fun. The characters, of course, help as well. Nate is a really “cute” hero who I like, but also hope he learns something by the end of his story. He becomes consumed with “winning” because in his mind the result from the win is the only way he can live the “right” sort of life. Then there’s Kate who’s hiding something from Nate, which makes us sad because we want good things for them.
What’s also interesting about this novel is that it reads almost as an in-between the popular subgenres of young and new adult. There is some typical “high school” drama, but the entire story doesn’t revolve around school, so this gives the plot some dimension, plus Kate is an older heroine. In the end, The Perfect Escape is fun. It’s not “perfect” (personal preferences), but I enjoyed it quite well, and did want to keep reading despite my reservations. The end is cute if not somewhat open-ended. If you’re looking for a little reader escapism, this is your ticket to summer fun.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Author: Suzanne Park
Publisher: SourceBooks Fire
Publication Date: 2020
Source: Bought
Genre: Fiction; YA Fiction, Contemporary
Find the Book Elsewhere: Goodreads
Find the Review Elsewhere: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★½
PINTERST PIN
Content: there’s lots of F-words (most of which are in Nate’s POV), and other profanity like sh*t, etc. There’s some innuendo, but by comparison, it’s pretty tame. Given the profanity, this would be more R than PG-13.
This one sounds cute! I’m not sure how I feel about open-ended books, though. But, I’d totally give it a go! :)
It ends well, Christine, but at the same time it doesn’t feel as though we know “for sure” of the future for the characters. That said, it’s a good end in a kind of “new beginning” kind of way. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I don’t want to spoil anything. :)
I’m still on the fence about this one after reading your review! It sounds cute, but I’m not always a fan of REALLY open-ended books. I like for their to be closure and resolutions. I don’t mind an ending feeling hopeful, but you can’t leave me hanging after I’ve committed to 200-300 pages. ;)
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? ?
There is definitely a hopeful feeling and I think there IS closure. It’s more in relation to the relationship between characters rather than anything else. In one way it does “end” really well (and as a reader who loves happy endings I was satisfied), but there’s also that sense of “begin again” which is where the open end comes from. But I would say, overall, it does end well. Just don’t know what else to say without sharing the final paragraph. :) Sorry to confuse more. :D
This one looks cute! I’ll add it to my tbr.
It is indeed fun, Allison. Let me know what you think if you read this one. :)