High school senior Nate Kim was doing his job running a zombie themed escae room, just like he did every Friday night, when a lone zombie appeared from inside a cabinet, causing his heart to race. The group at the escape room that night hadn’t really engaged with the puzzles and were eaten by a horde of zombies before their full hour was up. Nate had sent the horde home for the night and was about to lock up when out stumbled Kate.
Kate Anderson had just been hired as a bonus holiday-themed zombie for the escape room, and her first night had been a bust. But ate is cute, and he offered her a ride home, so it made sense for her to offer him a burger and shake from her favorite dive.
Over the next few weeks, Nate and Kate got to know each other better, finding a mutual love of Zombie films and crunchy cheesy foods a good basis for their friendship. But they also both had secrets.
Nate is worried about his family. His father lost his IT job, and the bank is sending the family letters about their late mortgage payments. He’s a scholarship kid at the local prep school, so his tuition isn’t a problem, but one of the other seniors offered Nate a lot of money to throw his GPA in his last semester. It wouldn’t matter for Nate’s college applications, but it could make a lot of difference for others in his class trying to up their class standings. It’s a lot of money, more than Nate expected, and clearly his family could use it, but he’s just not comfortable with the idea.
Kate’s dad is a workaholic, even more so since her mother died of cancer. As the CEO of a tech company, he has filled their home with gadgets galore, including a robot named Jeeves to watch over her. But he wants her to start an internship at his company as soon as she graduates, and she wants to join a friend of hers in New York to become an actress. She needs money for the move, since she knows her father won’t support her. That’s why she decided to ask Nate to join her for the competition.
It’s a weekend-long survival weekend with zombies. All they have to do is survive and show up at the finish line, and they could win $50,000. When Kate tells Nate about it, he’s in. But when the competition heats up, will it jeopardize the friendship they’ve been building? Or will it bring them closer to their dreams . . . and to each other?
The Perfect Escape is a perfectly charming rom com with lots of heart, some good laughs, roller skating, robots, and zombies. Author Suzanne Park has created two charming lead characters and brought them together in fun and creative ways. Nate, with his Korean heritage and personable family, is the perfect foil for Kate, whose nights at home are spent with electronics and her plans of escape. I loved spending time with them, and I look forward to seeing what Ms. Park writes for us next.
The narration for The Perfect Escape was taken in turn by Raymond Lee for Nate and Kate Rudd for Kate. For the most part, they both brought their half of the story to life. However, both of them had moments where they slowed down their narration, making it seems a little (sorry) robotic in moments. But overall, this listening journey was lots of fun. There was far more to enjoy about this audio book than there was to complain about. I would definitely recommend this one as a listen for anyone who enjoys a slightly off-beat rom com.
Egalleys for The Perfect Escape were provided by Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley, with many thanks, and then I bought the audio book from Chirp.
