Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this eARC. I absolutely loved Hoang's The Kiss Quotient and could not wait to get my hands on her latest. The Bride Test was such a sweet story about what it means to truly love someone, flaws and all. It was also a testament to self-deprecation and how we are much harder on ourselves than on others. And by the way, if this isn't a story with life lessons about strong communication, then I don't know what is. How Esme is able to accept Khai for who he is despite not understanding his limitations is the purest love imaginable. And Khai showing Esme, and everyone else, how much he cares about her without even realizing it is so sweet and innocent, it'll hit readers right in the "feels". Another great title by Helen Hoang!

Loved this story! I haven't read Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But, this is both an adorable rom-com and a moving portrait of a character on the Autism spectrum. The author also gives the reader a very cool glimpse into one Vietnamese-American family's experience. Thanks to #netgalley for an ARC.

I was thrilled to be given an advance copy by the publisher through Netgalley since I loved The Kiss Quotient. As much as I loved book one, Mrs. Hoang has absolutely outdone herself with The Bride Test. When I love a book this much, I always have trouble writing a coherent review so bear with me.

The Bride Test was amusing, heart warming and witty but it also deals with heavier subject matter in a few places that are heart breaking. Khai has autism and while I am not qualified as to whether it is truly an accurate representation of the condition, it certainly seems that way. Khai functions on a very high level but has some sensory and emotional/social issues. If it wasn't for his charming inner monologue and obvious kindness, I might have felt a little sorry for him but I never really did. Everything about his character speaks to an optimistic future and even though he may be a bit different, he is capable of love and affection. And his family is hilarious. They are almost alone enough reason to read this book.

Esme is a bit of a complicated character (Khai is too actually). I wasn't sure I'd like her since she is going to America to try and make Khai fall in love with her. Khai is aware of what is going on but Esme is not fully truthful about her circumstances and even though this put me off a little, her choices make sense. She is also an incredibly kind and wonderful woman. The poverty, the things her family has endured... it's made her an incredibly strong person and therefore easy to forgive her flaws. Her strength and determination are what made me love her (she's also pretty funny).

The book is packed with great dialogue, thought provoking topics, slyly funny moments, and this incredible sense of familial love and warmth. The culture of the family comes forth which makes it a fresh read and different from anything I've read before. I really can't find fault with the book and I *think* it's my top read of the year so far.

I highly recommend this book and please do read the acknowledgements at the end. They moved me and gave all new meaning to the book.

A romantic set up gets serious when Esme is brought to the US from Vietnam by a mother at her wits end with a son not interested in love. While not necessary pre-reading, fans of The Kiss Quotient will love getting to know Michael’s cousin Khai, a successful businessman who happens to be on the Autism spectrum. This love story will give you all the feelings.

This is absolutely cute! This book is also super well-rounded to boot. An amazing second book in the series.

I appreciated a lot about this book and both its portrayal of the immigrant experience and its contribution of another type of hero we don’t meet very often in the romance genre. I would recommend this book to romance readers looking for a timely contemporary in today’s political climate, readers looking for neuro-diverse characters, readers who like fluff as much heat and readers looking for Asian and Asian American representation.

While I don't think I liked The Bride Test as much as I loved The Kiss Quotient, but I did still love it. Khai and My/Esme are both well-rounded, believable characters that you actually care about and while I got frustrated with the lack of communication, it was also believable, with both autism and language becoming barriers for the couple.

This story was surprising in how the potential bride from China showed her gumption in going after the life she wanted for herself and her family. She was so tenacious, hard-working, and resourceful in solving her problems. Of course she wanted true love which would have been the easy way out, but this author had a heroine who showed just how determined she was and found a very amazing ending to her dilemma. Bravo Ms. Hoang!

The Bride Test is a delight. What could have been a run of the mill romance is elevated here by complex and authentic seeming characters. With a lesser author, the characters motivations and actions could have come across as trite, but here they are compelling and provided new perspectives. #ownvoices for the win. A charming and sexy follow up to The Kiss Quotient.

I really liked Khai story. I liked seeing the Aspergers persepective from the male point of view as well as seeing the cultural differences that come to in this book. It was great to get a back story of another side of the family that really plays a role for the whole family as well. I enjoyed the tiny snippet of Stella and Michael's story.

I did not think it was possible, but Helen Hoang did it! She wrote a novel that I love even more than The Kiss Quotient. This story is heart felt, sweet and pulls you in from the first line. You will not want to put it down and will be begging for more at the end. The story is about Khai, Michael's autistic cousin, and Esme and how they try to form a relationship. Khai believes he is incapable of feeling love and Esme is determined to have him fall in love with her before he time in the the States runs out. Their story is sweet and heart-wrenching; making you fall in love with both of them long before they realize they have fallen in love with each other. What will she come up with next? Whatever it is, it will keep you wanting more just like The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test.

The Bride Test is a likeable story, and its diverse characters are a welcome change from the romance norm. The main female protagonist lacked the depth of character development that Hoang's writing normally boasts, however.

Helen Hoang does it again. After a slam-dunk in the romantic novel department and turning the concept of the "meet-cute" inside out, Hoang pens a wonderful second novel after The Kiss Quotient. The Bride Test is the story of Khai Diep, who is self-described as "having no feelings." HIs mother on a trip to Vietnam, and believing her son will never find a woman to make him happy, enlists Esme Tran to return to America as Khai's wife.
Esme's attempts to seduce Khai compose a perfect blend of comedy and drama, as the two seem to mostly march to the beat of different drummers. Eventually though, Khai begins to see something in Esme that he's never had before, and begins to wonder how he can possibly show her that she's the person he's been waiting for.
Heartfelt and with a beautiful prose and witty dialogues, Hoang has once again proven that the romance novel has incredible potential beyond bodice rippers and questionable millionaires.

This book had absolutely everything I could hope for in a fun, summer romance. It was funny, it was super cute, the two main characters were likable (lovable, really!), and the story and conflict made sense.

I loved getting to know Khai and Esme. They were two such different people, but watching them fall in love was so sweet and so much fun. I love how Hoang manages to write such interesting, diverse characters, and keep true to their cultural and personal aspects. Esme’s determination and devotion to her family and to doing the right thing was sweet and endearing.

Honestly, I ate this book right up, page after page, and was so sad when it was over. I am really in love with these characters and with Hoang’s storytelling. More, I say, more!

I love Hoang’s writing. She has a really adept way of switching back and forth between characters without it being jarring or uncomfortable. I also thing her narrative voice fits each character well, so that they are distinct and sound like real people. Her dedication to including neurodiverse characters in her stories is commendable and I think she does a good job of writing these characters realistically and naturally, without them coming across as pitiable or freakish/exotic. Khai’s is his own person, who just so happens to have autism, and he is written as a whole person and the story celebrates his successes as it would any other character.

This novel is written in a light, breezy style that I’ve really come to expect and love from Hoang. This would be the perfect beachy/summer read, but it’s also just a light, humorous romance that I would read any time I feel like I want to lose myself in another world for awhile.

I had so much fun reading this book. I devoured it, really, and I loved every inch of it. I found the characters to be interesting and funny and super cute. I loved watching them interact.

The story itself was interesting and definitely captured my attention. I enjoyed the ride, and even though I was certain of the outcome, Hoang kept it fun and full of interesting developments that made the journey exciting.

I was so happy to be back with Hoang, and now with a male character on the spectrum! I didn't expect to have a full range of Esme's character development, especially with how intimately Hoang explored themes of cultural expectation and motherhood. Throughout the book, Esme's well-being and personal growth was important, even as she navigates her feelings for Khai. It was nice to see Khai challenge himself and learn what it means to step outside of himself. I would really love for these kinds of intersecting stories to become normalized in romance and literature, because they do a great job of humanizing perspectives that we often don't put much work into understanding. I have a younger brother who is autistic, so I really appreciate the insights that Hoang can communicate with the world. And more importantly, showing the world that there's nothing wrong with people on the spectrum, that they just think a bit differently than others.

I loved this book. So much heart and depth. I am really loving these new “modern” romances: well written, compelling, an interesting story and vivid characters. This book had it all. And yeah some vivid sex scenes which were just a little too much. Like do we really have to have so many different words for male genitalia? But still loved Esme and loved this book.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Okay, I absolutely loved <i>The Kiss Quotient</i> and was worried that I would be over hyping this one. Friends, hype was totally worth.
While the feel between the two books is different, I still really loved this one.

It is hard not to like Esme. She is hard-working, brave, understanding, and just overall amazing. She is really the shining star of this book. I was worried that the power-imbalance would be there since she brought over from Vietnam to be Khai's wife and will have to go back if she doesn't marry him and there are scenes that are shadowed by this reality, but I think it is written well. I won't say they always had the same power in the relationship, but Esme has her own strength and knows her worth. (Which is a lot, because she is awesome!)
Khai is adorable. He is stubborn, kind enough that he doesn't want Esme to feel uncomfortable even at the expense of his own comfort or routine, and autistic. Michael (from the first book) is his cousin, so we do get to see/hear from Michael in a few cute scenes. Khai is going through some problems of his own which keep him from thinking he is capable of love. He does do a few bad things, but he learns, apologies, and tries to do his best.

I truly enjoyed reading every part of this book. There are a few things that didn't quite work for me. I wish she had been honest about her daughter much sooner. In fact, the whole reveal felt just thrown in. I'm also wondering when Esme found/finds out where Khai works because I absolutely love how we know what he does and people are confused when she doesn't-- but like, it also shows that they still don't know everything about each other-- don't know a few huge things about each other by the time they swear they love each other.

In the end, I totally loved this book and am immensely looking forward to the next one (please be about Quan who is just the greatest!). I recommend this to all lovers of romance.

Oooh, this book is just so good, and so many things! It's a fantastic love story, an amazing strong woman who finds her strength, a peek into the mind of an autistic adult, an immigrant narrative, and a bit about single parenting and the bond between mother and daughter. This is another fantastic contemporary romance by Helen Hoang, but it's got a much broader appeal than the romantic aspect. Both Esme and Khai are fully formed characters, and we get such a good sense of who they are that it's just as easy to get lost in this book as in The Kiss Quotient. This read brought me so much joy, and lost me so much sleep. When Esme gets her feet under herself, and becomes determined to make it on her own, it just brought me to tears. These are the characters we deserve to read about! Well done, and sure to be a hot read this summer.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved The Kiss Quotient (read my review here) and couldn't wait to get my hands on The Bride Test. Helen Hoang did not disappoint and I continue to be impressed by her incredible writing!

Khai and My/Esme have a very unconventional meet cute and situation. Their motivations for agreeing to participate are vastly different, but what they find along the way is so uniquely beautiful. Often when a forced proximity trope is used, things come together really quickly and ignite right away. I loved that Hoang let Khai and Esme's relationship build very organically for their personalities. Both are adjusting and learning and it was hilarious (and heartbreaking) to watch them struggle and tackle new experiences. The slow burn build up was very gradual and Hoang kept things perfectly simmering before letting things boil over. There was so much sweetness in the inexperience and wonder that these two discovered. Tears were definitely shed as they confronted their feelings (or lack of) and I felt like the epilogue suited them perfectly. I truly loved Khai and Esme together, but the real star of the book for me was Esme.

Esme grew so much throughout the book and I appreciated reading about such a strong and driven heroine. She is clawing at the ground trying to rise above her lot in life and I respected her so much. Reading the author's note at the end brought tears to my eyes because it was not only refreshing, but it also rang so true to my own family's experiences. I'm sure my own cultural background influenced the impact this book had on me, but I think the theme of being truly accepted and loved for who you are and the hope of the American dream will ring true for many. All I can say is thank you Helen Hoang for staying true to the story that you wanted to write and I can't wait for more!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

Loved, loved, loved this book. Yes, this is a sweet & funny romance, but it is so much more. It gave me an inside view of being autistic and the challenges of immigrating to another country. With it's delightful characters and witty dialogue I could not put this book down. Now I MUST read "The Kiss Quotient".