Success is the most important thing in life according to Ji- Su's parents. They simply want the best future for her: the best college and the best husband. They've forced Ji-Su to meet with a matchmaker who sets her up on dates, hoping that she will find a boyfriend who will help make her future stronger. Ji-Su works her butt off in school trying to make a difference for her future. But in a high school for excellent students, it's impossible for her to stand out. After she does poorly on a test and reschedules a date to have fun with her friends, it's the last straw for her parents. The next morning they put her on a plane for San Francisco. There she will attend a private school, but not such a prestigious one. Ji-Su doesn't get to say goodbye to her friends. She spends most of the plane ride crying her eyes out. But once she lands, she dries her tears and attempts to make the best of it. And she does; she has new friends, time to explore the new city, time to take photographs, and still do well in school and go on dates set up by her matchmaker. Could this move have been for the best?

Melissa de la Cruz pens a story influenced by her sister-in-law in this charming YA contemporary romance 29 DATES. The novel is interspersed with conversations from the 29 dates. She has captured the intensity and stress of getting into college, figuring out what you'd like to do with your life, and balancing happiness with work.