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, … 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.
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Dating her enemy shouldn’t be this much fun
Winnie loves her crazy Thai family, even if her parents have some archaic ideas. Her twin sisters weren’t allowed to date in high school, but now that they’re in college, the parents suddenly want to know when to expect grandbabies- oiy!
In retaliation, the girls say they’re having too much fun and don’t plan to marry for a loooong time. Driven to change their ideals, the parents decide Winnie should ‘practice’ date, but that’s not the worst part- they choose the one boy she swore to hate forever, Matt Songsomboon.
The one upmanship begins almost immediately. Mat is just as irritating as Winnie remembers, and disturbingly handsome. Hard to imagine they were once best of friends, and now, without her sisters’ sage advice, she’d give up and stay single for life.
If Winnie can just get through the next three months, Mat will get what he wants, and she… well, we’ll see.
This story is filled with humor, familial love, emotional moments, and cultural heritage. While this is a friends-to-lovers romance, it’s also the journey of a young woman as she learns a valuable life lesson and gains the respect of those who love her.
I especially enjoyed learning about a new culture in a fun and informative way- a great read!
Bubbling over with charisma and charm, Dating Makes Perfect is a swoontasm of adorable characters, sparkling wit, and captivating Thai culture. You will totally want to date this book!
A smart, funny, and endearing portrayal of budding romance, the power of sisterly love, and the pressure to be the perfect daughter.
Fun, heartfelt, and full of warmth… the ideal feel-good book for the summer. Do yourself a favor and read this book right away.
I loved this one! YA fake dating trope with an enemies-to-more storyline. So cute!
YA isn’t my most frequent read, but I occasionally dip into it when I need a character driven plot that’s fresh and entertaining. DATING MAKES PERFECT delivers on this expectation. There’s a strong family and cultural dynamic with entertaining situations and all the internal angst a quirky teenage girl can offer. The hero is the perfect teen book boyfriend, the best friend and the sisters provide plenty of support and advice, while even the handsome interloper is used as more than a jealous foil. Read and enjoy!
It had everything I needed in this book it had enemies to lover and fake dating I just love everything about this book
A YA romance that’s so cute. Winnie and Mat’s friendship goes off the rails, but now Winnie’s mom wants her to fake date Mat for practice!
I’m always up for a good fake dating story and that’s exactly what I got with DATING MAKES PERFECT, a flirty, snarky, unabashed love letter to classic rom-com movies. The plot is the definition of cute, think To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Winnie’s traditional Taiwanese mother descides her daughter needs dating lessons and then plans all of these dates-inspired by iconic rom-com movie scenes that she often hasn’t even seen-with Winnie’s former best friend turned enemy. Could there be a better recipe for rom-com perfection? No, there could not. Watching Winnie and Mat try to ignore the off the chart sparks between them is everything I want in a love story that ends as sweetly as this one does.
This book was super cute and fun.
A delicious rom-com concoction that immerses readers in a Thai teen drama they’ll adore. Add a pinch of sister envy, the cute guy you love to hate, immigrant parent dynamics, a few kaffir lime leaves, and you’ll get a dish that’ll keep you entertained until the last page.
Reading Dating Makes Perfect brought back a whole lot of childhood memories growing up Thai American. I wish I’d had this fun story(that even brought a few tears) to give me hope in my teen years when I was definitely not allowed to date until college.
Enjoyed glimpse into another culture. A delicious YA romance with just the right amount of steam.
Sweet, spunky, witty, and wise — I feel in love with Winnie and her sisters. Pintip has a rare knack of blending action and adventure into a contemporary rom-com that keeps the pages turning.
This book made my Thai-American heart soar. Every detail — from the mouth-watering foods to Winnie’s tight-knit but strict Thai family — serve to tell a story that is authentic, layered, and rings so true.
An absolute feast for readers. The characters are deliciously complex, the family dynamics are rich and intense, and the tension between the main character Winnie and her enemy Mat is drool-worthy. This book will completely quench your hunger for a believable enemies to lovers rom-com!
A hilarious and heartwarming read that will leave you smiling long after the last page.
Absolutely delightful! Winnie + Mat makes perfect!
Dating Makes Perfect was non-stop swooning & fun. It gets all the stars from me 🙂
It’s been a while since I read a really good YA book and let me tell you, I absolutely loved this!
The characters were interesting and I just wanted to know everything about Winnie, her family and Thai culture. I enjoyed her & Mat’s kinda love hate relationship. Ms Dunn made me fall in love with her characters and I am so glad that I read this book!
This was April’s book for the #BrownNippleChallenge.
I’m a huge Pintip Dunn fan, and it doesn’t matter if she’s writing sci-fi or contemporary YA I adore the stories she writes. If there is one thing, Pintip Dunn gets its conveying teen temptation in a repressed and traditional Asian community, and I always appreciate the diversity of her characters. This book is a fantastic introduction to her books if you’ve not read her before!
Dating Makes Perfect characters Winnie and Mat remind me of Alice and Bandit from Malice, but this story has zero sci-fi elements. Like Alice and Bandit, Winnie and Mat are a contentious pair, and Winnie, of course, thinks Mat is the entire problem when the actual issue is Winnie’s arrogance. These two are one of my favorite YA pairs of 2020. Mat is just the sort of book boyfriend you want for your sister, and I say that as a Bunny.
Another thing I loved about this book, Pintip Dunn did an incredible job building Winnie’s family. Bunny and Ari are the best sorts of sisters, supportive and protective. I found myself smiling at her dad with every new research article he read and applied. And Dr. Pat is the kind of mother that you might not know where you stand with, but she would be the first to stand in front of a train for you. I want a Dr. Pat.
When Winnie’s mother finds that Bunny and Ari are making excuses for not exploring an MRS degree first thing in college because they couldn’t date in high school, Dr. Pat decides Winnie must start practice-dating before she too is a lost cause. The drawback, her mom picks her nemesis and ex-best friend to be her experimental ‘datee.’
Her parents’ theory is that there is no one better for practicing than the boy who isn’t tempting to her, but that is a proven fallacy because when they aren’t fighting, Winnie remembers all the things she misses most of her lost friendship with Mat. And when he’s not needling her, he’s saying things that aren’t at all mean in any way, leaving Winnie feeling like it’s her job to keep the animosity alive.
These two are mixed signals all over the place, and I love this story. I enjoy the culture that Pintip Dunn brings to her books and that she steeps readers in her characters’ lives. I would really like to know what chib-peng means, though.
Highly recommend this book, and while you are at it, read Malice.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.
Malice
Before Tomorrow
Forget Tomorrow
Remember Yesterday
Seize Today