Baa baa baa goes this black sheep because, just as always, I seem to have the less popular opinion. To put things bluntly, I did not love this story as much as most people have, and I certainly did not enjoy myself as much as I would have wanted to.

Although Clara was not my favorite character, most of her interactions with her dad really tugged at my heartstrings. I also appreciated the close-knit relationship Hamlet had with his grandparents! Coming from a family-centered, collectivist Asian culture, reading stories that feature healthy family ties and strong father-daughter relationships means so much to me on a personal level. I was also a huge fan of the unlikely friendship that eventually developed between Clara and Rose.

If it isn’t obvious enough, my main contention with this book is with its main character, Clara Shin. First of all, although the synopsis hints at Clara being somewhat of a class clown and a prankster, she was never remotely funny. The pranks she pulled were neither humorous nor amusing. At all. Secondly, Clara’s character seemed to be inherently, genuinely vindictive, frustratingly self-absorbed, and outright petty to childish extremes. It angered me to see her treat everything and everyone around her as a means to her own end. It was also frustrating on my part to watch all the supporting characters easily forgive her. Finally, although it was clear to me that the author intended to shape Clara into an unlikeable female at the beginning of the story, even Clara’s character development was significantly lacking and ultimately unsatisfactory.

Still, my personal beef with Clara aside, I did appreciate the overall story. The Way You Make Me Feel certainly explored numerous fascinating themes and highlighted the importance of celebrating diverse cultures. Overall, my absolute favorite thing about The Way You Make Me Feel was the heavy themes on food and cuisine from different cultures! I have never heard of Korean-Brazilian fusion cuisine before, but after reading this book, I’d definitely want to give everything a try!

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of The Way You Make Me Feel as part of my participation in a blog tour. This neither affects my opinion nor the content of my review. Thank you very much to the blog tour organizers (Tin @ The Book Maiden) and the publisher for the opportunity!