posted on August 18, 2020 by Pintip Dunn

FAKE DATES INSPIRED BY ROM-COMS

By Pintip Dunn

I adore rom-com movies. In fact, for an all-too-brief period, my husband and I had the tradition of celebrating our dating anniversary by watching a rom-com at the theaters. (Lucky for us, our anniversary is Valentine’s Day, so there was no shortage of romantic movies!) We saw My Best Friend’s Wedding on one such anniversary. Shakespeare in Love was another excellent celebration. I loved these movies because at the end of the evening, I always had a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.

So, what better way to pay homage to my favorite movies than to have my heroine Winnie go on fake dates inspired by them?

In my #ownvoices Thai YA rom-com, DATING MAKES PERFECT, the Tech girls have never been allowed to date in high school. However, when Winnie’s twin sisters go to college and their parents ask why they aren’t engaged yet, the sisters rebel and swear that they won’t marry for thirty years, not until they’ve had lots of practice dating. The parents — realizing that their strict rules have backfired — now decide that their youngest daughter, Winnie, must date in high school in order to practice her relationship skills. There are only two catches: They’ll organize the dates (around classic rom-coms)…and choose the boy she’ll be fake dating (who just happens to be her sworn enemy.)

However, the decision to include fake dates inspired by rom-coms stemmed from more than just my desire to honor the genre. First, neither one of the parents have ever dated in America, since they immigrated to the United States already engaged to one another. Thus, their only clue about how Americans dated came from these rom-coms.

Secondly, as Winnie’s mom explains, the movie tie-ins were supposed to remind Winnie — as well as her parents — that these dates were fake.

And finally, from my own perspective as an author, it was downright fun to write scenes inspired from the iconic moments of my favorite movies. The dates featured in this book include:

1) a car ride home from school, because Peter drives Lara Jean around in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before;

2) a shopping date à la Pretty Woman, where Winnie is given free reign over her mother’s credit card — but Mat must approve her purchases;

3) a stroll around the food stands at the Songkran festival, to mimic the scene in Always Be My Maybe where Marcus and Sasha poke around a farmer’s market;

4) a lobster dinner, complete with bibs and squirting crustacean juice, like the one where Andie and Ben fall for each other in How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days; and,

5) last, but certainly not least, eating pastrami sandwiches at a crowded deli like Harry and Sally in, you guessed it, When Harry Met Sally.

And these aren’t the only movies mentioned. Without giving anything away, the climatic scene of the book involves references to both My Best Friend’s Wedding and Crazy Rich Asians.

The mix of classic rom-coms with new diverse films was deliberate. As much as I love these older movies, I was always intensely aware that they featured white heroines and heroes.

This observation was par for the course. I am a Thai-American girl who grew up in southeast Kansas, where I hardly saw or read about anyone who looked like me — in books, on the television, or in person. Thus, I fully believed that in order for me to achieve my dream of being an author, I would have to write books with white characters.

Fortunately, I was wrong, and the strides the entertainment industry has made over the last few years have been tremendous. To be sure, a lot more needs to be done, but even a few years ago, there was immense pushback about having an Asian girl on a book cover.

That’s why it was so important for me to include To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Always Be My Maybe, and Crazy Rich Asians. I adore the Asian representation in these movies. I cried while I was watching Crazy Rich Asians because I couldn’t believe I was seeing all these beautiful actors on the big screen. I watched TATBILB with my daughter, and it was so special for me to see her experiencing something that I never did as a teenager — a mainstream movie with a gorgeous Asian girl as the heroine.

So, my reference to rom-com movies was both a homage to the past — and a hope about where these types of movies will go in the future.

GIVEAWAY: 1 person who comments will win a signed paperback of DATING MAKES PERFECT (domestic only). International winner is allowed so long as Book Depository ships there, with a signed bookplate

Pintip Dunn

Pintip Dunn

A first-generation Thai American, I grew up in a tiny town in Kansas. I went on tograduate from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and to receive her J.D. at Yale Law School.

I'm a two-time RITA award winner and aNew York Timesbestselling author of young adult fiction. My books have been translated into four languages, and I've been a Junior Library Guild selection and have received a starred review from Kirkus. In addition, my books have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the Tome Society It list; the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award; and a Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Book of the Year.

I'm obsessed with penguins, and my childhood dream was to marry someone whose last name is "Gwynn" --- so that my name could be "Pin Gwynn." Alas, I got stuck with Dunn instead, but my husband and three children are worth the sacrifice.

We all visit Thailand yearly in order to stay connected with my family.

http://www.pintipdunn.com/

12 thoughts on “FAKE DATES INSPIRED BY ROM-COMS”

  1. Judy Skapik says:

    I also love rom-coms. Since my husband is not so enamored with them I usually watch them alone. But, once in a while he enjoys the same movie I do. Your book sounds like something I would love to read. Maybe he will consent to watch one with me on our 60th Anniversary (8-20) Hope I win!

    1. Pintip says:

      Happy anniversary — and congrats! Rom coms are not my husband’s first choice, either, but he’s willing to watch one every once in a while. I hope you have a lovely time during your big day.

  2. bn100 says:

    fun dates

  3. Kathleen Hoffman says:

    What a clever idea! I look forward to reading this story. I love rom-com’s as well and since it’s not my hubby’s cup of tea, I tend to read books rather than watch movies.

    1. Pintip Dunn says:

      Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!

    2. Pintip says:

      Congrats, Kathleen! Based on my random
      Number generator, you are the winner of a paperback copy of Dating Makes Perfect! Please send me your mailing address at:
      pintip {at} pintipdunn {dot} com

      Thank you!

  4. Megan S. says:

    This book sounds amazing – thank you for the chance to win it Pintip 🙂

    1. Pintip says:

      Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

  5. flchen1 says:

    Pintip, I’m right there with you. I’m excited to get your book in front of DD. Representation matters SO much. I did cry seeing Crazy Rich Asians, but I think I may have broken down even more at Joy Luck Club–I saw that with my family, and we all sobbed. Thanks for writing Dating Makes Perfect–it is incredible to see more titles that resonate not just because of the plots but also because I have that “they look like me!” response 🙂

    1. Pintip says:

      Aw, thank you so much! I loved Joy Luck Club. I introduced Crazy Rich Asians to my my parents, and I think they must have watched it half a dozen times! I am some glad that our DDs get to have this kind of representation!

  6. Pintip says:

    Congrats to Kathleen! Based on my random
    Number generator, you are the winner of a paperback copy of Dating Makes Perfect! Please send me your mailing address at:
    pintip {at} pintipdunn {dot} com

    Thank you!

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