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Summer vacation is right around the corner—and kids everywhere are making their summer plans. But in The Way You Make Me Feel by author Maurene Goo, a teenager has to change her plans for a lazy, carefree summer when her dad puts his foot down.
The story follows LA teen Clara Shin as she’s forced to spend the summer paying for a joke gone wrong. All she wanted was to spend the summer hanging out with her best guy friends before flying to Mexico for a much-needed vacation with her jet-setting mom. But after a prom-night prank leads to a brawl and ends with the school almost burning down, Clara is sentenced to work on her dad’s Korean-Brazilian food truck, KoBra, with her uptight nemesis, Rose Carver, who promises to make her life miserable.
During your teen years, your friends can have a big impact on your life. Back when I was a teenager, my mom used to say things like, “It’s not you I’m worried about; it’s your friends.” And while I still believe that my friends were perfectly fine, I understand what she meant. Some friends bring out your best traits; others bring out your worst. For lovable troublemaker Clara Shin, that means that her friends, Patrick and Felix, might not be the best influence. They spend their days hanging out at 7-Eleven and encouraging Clara’s rebellious nature—even when it goes too far. When she’s told that she has to spend her summer away from them, she’s frustrated and angry—but she soon discovers that it could be good for her, too.
Forced to work side-by-side with Rose, Clara discovers that she never really knew her pretty, perfect, wildly driven (and, admittedly, somewhat obnoxious) classmate. And as the two slowly and awkwardly transform from sworn enemies to coworkers to maybe even friends, they end up learning from each other. Rose loosens up and starts enjoying life a little more, and Clara finds herself caring about her work, her friendships, and maybe even Hamlet, the nerdy but good-looking kid who runs a coffee kiosk. Their summer adventures make for a charming and often funny read—one with a good message, too. This story isn’t about changing yourself to fit in; it’s about finding the people who bring out your best.
With its diverse and likable characters, its cool big-city food truck adventures, and a little bit of romance, The Way You Make Me Feel is a charming and even amusing beach read for teens. But you don’t have to be a teenager to appreciate the story and learn from its message.
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