#maureengoo

Author Spotlight: Maurene Goo

Funny books have a special place in my heart. Sometimes that is the only kind of book that will do for me - especially when things in the world seem grim. Luckily, Maurene Goo exists and keeps writing books to make us laugh. Warning - sometimes cringing is also required. Her characters can get into some embarrassing situations.

When I had the chance to go see Maurene during the Fierce Reads Tour, I was super excited. In person, she had the audience smiling and laughing too. She also had some more serious comments, but the woman is funny. In the times we're living in, humor is a way to relax and I appreciate her novels for bringing comedy to us.

I also have to thank or blame her for luring me into the world of K-drama. After reading I Believe in a Thing Called Love, I watched my first K-drama. I'm hooked. Dramas are also providing much laughter along with plenty of tears.

If you haven't tried her books, I recommend you give them a shot. Check out the reviews linked below to find out more about each one. Or, go ahead and judge her books by their covers. They look fabulous right?

Since You Asked (Scholastic) Crystal’s Review

No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway.

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copy editor for her high school’s newspaper. When she accidentally submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine’s Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her family’s traditional Korean values?

In this hilarious debut, Maurene Goo takes a fresh look at trying to fit in without conforming to what’s considered “normal” in high school and how to manage parental expectations without losing one’s individuality…or being driven insane.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Jessica’s Review

Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

The Way You Make Me Feel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Jessica’s Review

Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn’t so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?

Watch for more coming soon!

Maurene Goo’s newest writing will be published in an anthology releasing next week:

Our Stories, Our Voices: 23 Authors Talk About Injustice, Empowerment and Growing Up Female in America (Simon Pulse)

Our Stories, Our Voices is an anthology of essays that explore the diverse experiences of injustice, empowerment, and growing up female in America.

This collection of twenty-one essays from major YA authors—including award-winning and bestselling writers—touches on a powerful range of topics related to growing up female in today’s America, and the intersection with race, religion, and ethnicity. Sure to inspire hope and solidarity to anyone who reads it, Our Stories, Our Voices belongs on every young woman’s shelf.

This anthology features essays from Martha Brockenbrough, Jaye Robin Brown, Sona Charaipotra, Brandy Colbert, Somaiya Daud, Christine Day, Alexandra Duncan, Ilene Wong (I.W.) Gregorio, Maurene Goo. Ellen Hopkins, Stephanie Kuehnert, Nina LaCour, Anna-Marie LcLemore, Sandhya Menon, Hannah Moskowitz, Julie Murphy, Aisha Saeed, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Amber Smith, and Tracy Walker.