Suzanne Park

Told in two voices, Nate Jae-Woo Kim and Kate Anderson team up in a survivalist competition hoping the prize money will help his proud Korean family and enable her to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.

The Perfect Escape

always, annej 〄

Huge thanks to the author Suzanne Park, the publisher - Sourcebooks Fire, and Books Forward PR for the copy.

This story follows two teenagers who have rhyming names - Nate and Kate. 

Kate is the daughter of like, Tony Stark in their world with all the new inventions and technology. Nate is our Korean guy who is your normal smart student who goes to school through his scholarship. 

They will meet at a zombie-themed park where they work. They both love zombies and need money. But mostly Nate - he's always in need of money. He has big ambitious dreams that centered around money. While Kate, who is rich, just wanted to escape all the money that she has. So they joined this Zombiegeddon-like competition where it was like The Amazing Race but with zombies. Will they be able to bring home the price? or the zombies will take them down alive? You'll get to find out if those zombies are real or not.

What I like about the story is that it has references in the things that I am familiar with. Like for example, Harry Potter and books, zombies, The Walking Dead, Zombiegeddon, and World War Z. Of course the feels of being a teenager once and the perks of it. I can also relate with the Asian family of Nate. I also like that it is a light read that you can finish in just one sitting making you feel good. So of course, I didn't despise the story but those evil characters - the greedy ones who have lots of money who felt like they can do anything because they have the means. 

The setting is first located in the city but they will be moving to this zombie-themed park. The story is mostly filled with zombies and teenager things. The romance between the two characters was so cute! Their realizations when they felt like they're into each other was adorable. This is a perfect summer read for young adult readers. 

Every character in this book was so cute! But they made me realize things. The ending was nice and all but I still want more. A sequel where both of them will grow up, a book that I'll be looking forward to if ever. Maybe, in that time, it wouldn't be just zombies or bad people they will be running from. Thinking of these excites me so much! 

This book taught me that money is not everything. Money can buy lots of physical things and can make the world go round because of its manipulation. But you know what? There are priceless things that money can't buy which makes them more worthy. Love and happiness can't be bought with money. But they can be repaid by the same love and happiness that you can give. 

You can expect lots of corny jokes from them and cheesy teenager feels. Reading this book makes me feel so light as if I was floating. This will make you feel good and happy at the same time which is perfect if you're having a slump from chaotic big books.

Alexis Aumagamanaia

I was sent a finished copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely precious. Suzanne’s humor is seemingly effortless as she details the story of how Nate and Kate (I love that their names rhyme) find comfort and love in each other as they do their best to survive not only a survival skills trip, but life itself. The characters are so easily lovable and the storyline is nuanced and heart-warming; I loved the representation Park gave through Nate and his family as I’ve seen Korean-American reviewers detail how they feel represented by his character! Both families were so well-written and give insight into the different dynamics of a “dysfunctional family”, from Kate’s daddy issues to Nate’s parents keeping secrets about their financial struggles. There were certain aspects that affected my rating, but nothing worth mentioning in my review; overall, this is a great novel to distract from the Rona woes.

me: romance is dead
nate and kate and their rhyming names: 
me: i believe in true love

they might be het but they're cute and i love representation :) imagine being so in love with someone that when she asks you to participate in a zombie survival competition that both of you have no information about you say yes.

there is kind of a lot going on here and some of it is interconnected and very nicely resolved and some of it makes me go ???

things that are interconnected and very nicely resolved:
- nate's parents have money issues
- nate is offered money by rich kids at school to throw his gpa so they can make honor roll
- nate could also make money by winning a zombie competition and he is a nerd!! so of course he's gonna do it
these three fit really well together and i think that's excellent
- the dual perspectives and mutual pining of nate and kate <3

things that me go ???
- some of the competitors in the zombie survival competition were kinda intense. (view spoiler)[ and yet two high schoolers won?? ok.  (hide spoiler)]
- (view spoiler)[ nate's friend annie took the deal. then she got blackmailed?? idk i'm not that sure?? basically to take down nate  (hide spoiler)]

sometimes u just gotta live vicariously through some teenagers and their feelings.

Alexis 

I have very mixed feelings about this book. While I did like the second part of the book more so, it all fell a little flat for me. The first half felt very out of place and I was not enjoying it, the second half picked up enough for me to finish it. In all honesty, the first and second half felt like different books to me. I also wasn't a major fan of the characters. I didn't fully connect to them as much as I wanted to. Overall it was an alirght book and a very quick read

Carly Boyer

This was quick and it was cute, but that’s about it. For some reason, half of the book wasn’t about the escape room or the competition, which is fine, but that’s what I was reading for. I also feel like I had to suspend disbelief way too much for a contemporary story- Kate’s dad seems like something you would find in a dystopian story, and it was just hard for me to believe that some of his actions could happen in the real world

dolly

SUCH A FUN READ !!! I FUCKING LOVE NATE KIM. HE'S— FHNSGDJDGDNBFEN. ANYWAY, READ.

Mehrin Rahman 

Thanks to @sourcebooksfire for sending me an arc of The Perfect Escape in exchange of an honest review.
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I picked this book with an amazing cover and interesting plot cause it was giving me some lovely rom-com vibes. But damn I was fooled so hard!
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The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park is the hilarious tale of two snarky teens, Nate and Kate (yes they rhyme), who were looking to escape their family situations. Nate was weighed down by his financial circumstances. While Kate, needed to break free from the prison her emotionally unavailable and controlling father had created for her. A zombie survival competition might have been just the right solution they were looking for.
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Suzanne Park is effortlessly hilarious, and her characters are super lovable. My favorite is Nate, he's swoony, down-to-earth and very relatable. I really loved the interactions with his sister Lucy. She’s a cinnamon roll. I even resonated with his family dynamic.
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I enjoyed reading Kate's part too. Her struggles with her dad really spoke to me. And I was so proud of the way she handled herself around her control freak of a father.
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The relationship between Kate and Nate (I love saying that. Kate Nate. Nate Kate. Don’t you agree?) was very wholesome. Their friendship was so easygoing topped with fun banters.
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Overall it’s a fun, funny, and touching story of two teens trying to take control of their destinies, while falling in love and fighting off zombies. THE PERFECT ESCAPE is indeed the perfect escape from, well, pretty much everything. But I ended up wanting more. I think that was the whole point since there’ll be a sequel. Can’t wait to read it.
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Also this book comes out on the 7th of April. Hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I did.
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Kayla | @chapterobsessed

The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park.

> A guy and girl meet working at a zombie escape room and decide to team up to win a huge cash prize (they both desperately need for their futures) doing a zombie survival competition.

When I tell you I couldn’t put this book down, I mean it. It was funny, fresh and exciting! There were times I was jumping in my seat like I was watching an episode of The Walking Dead! (Yes, there are references to TWD, and I was here for it!) The ONLY time I put it down was to eat dinner. Once picked back up, I was back to Zombieland and I had a one way ticket! I loved the characters Nate and Kate. Their friendship was a force to be reckoned with and if there were ever a zombie-apocalypse, I’d want them on my team!

I am beyond grateful to Sourcebooks Fire and Suzanne Park for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this amazing novel.

Katie

I'm just really not feeling books where women hate each other based solely off of their appearance. It's a tired trope I wish would be put to rest. I might have enjoyed it or found it relatable in junior high school or high school, but as an adult I'm not here for it.

"Closer up, it was hard to miss her glowing skin, perfectly sleek ponytail, and mega-shine lip gloss. How could she look this good out in the wilderness? Screw her." (about a woman the main girl had just met)

I did enjoy the wholesomeness of Nate's family at the end.

Manon van Heumen

I had a lot of fun reading this book. However, the characters as well as the plot fell flat for me. Though I enjoyed all of it, I didn't LIVE the story, and I didn't care for the characters. Which is a shame, because it sounded so good.

Tabassum Irin Zaman

A book with romance, zombies and adventure? YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION.
When I stumbled upon The Perfect Escape on bookstagram, I knew it would be a book that I’d enjoy reading. Thankfully, I wasn’t wrong. Thanks to the publisher for sending me an arc of The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park in exchange of an honest review!  It was such a fun and hilarious read! I rated it 3.5/5 stars. 
My thoughts on the book :
• The Perfect Escape was the perfect blend of romance, comedy and adventure. My recent love for romantic comedies made it really tough for me to read books from other genres, so I had been looking for an adorable and funny read. This book came to my rescue! 
• The book starts with a hilarious conversation between the main characters Nate and Kate, which got me hooked immediately. I fell in love with them from the very beginning! Adorable characters? Check.
• Nate is such a loveable character. His down-to-earth attitude and caring nature towards his family members melted my heart. And don’t even get me started on how much I loved his conversations with his 5 year old little sister!!!! I need a brother like Nate  Nate’s studious-ness inspired me a lot. I really liked how wise he was inspite of being just 16.
• Kate was a character I really felt sad for. There were countless times when I wanted to hug her for the cruelty she faced from her father. I didn’t love Kate as much as I loved Nate though ~ but I was really proud of how strong she was. I wanted to see a little more character development, but I guess I’ll get that in the sequel?
• Now let’s talk about the relationship between Kate and Nate, shall we? (I know their names match, how adorable is that???) I loved their easy-going friendship from the very beginning of the book. You know how there are some people who you won’t meet everyday, but you can count on them whenever you need help? That’s how their friendship was – so wholesome! Their relationship didn’t turn into a romantic one until the end of the book (This isn’t a spoiler, the book is a romantic comedy, WHAT ELSE CAN YOU EXPECT?) so there isn’t a lot to talk about that.
• I really liked this book, but it left me with a weird feeling of wanting more. I wanted to see Kate and Nate’s romance develop. I wanted so see more of Kate’s interactions with her dad. I think this book was like the first layer of a really tasty cake ~ which is why I can’t wait for the sequel. 😁

Kate

Did this have the potential to be something incredible? Yes. Did it reach that potential? Sadly not for me but despite this, combining a zombie apocalypse survival competition with a rom-com was always going to be my jam. 

Yes, the plot and pacing were admittedly a little all over the place (we had robots, zombies, wilderness survival and The Hunger Games type sabotage all in a contemporary setting. Yet, the zombie escape room barely featured and the competition kind of came and went in a flash) but honestly? I didn't mind all too much because it was super entertaining.

Although I do wish we got to know them on a deeper level, I really liked the characters and their individual relationships. I loved that they both had their own passions and hardships and whilst I felt the romance aspect could have been stronger, Kate and Nate's relationship was really enjoyable to follow. I particularly enjoyed Nate's family dynamics, especially his relationship with his little sister who was the absolute cutest.

All in all, despite being a little far fetched, this book was funny, easy to read, incredibly entertaining and basically answers the age old question 'what if we made The Hunger Games a rom-com'.

The Perfect Escape

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