After THE KISS QUOTIENT blew me away, I was nervous (to say the least) to start THE BRIDE TEST. I had seen the rave reviews and wanted to love it just as much as everyone else. And for the most part, I absolutely did. This book follows Khai, a man with autism, and Esme, a woman Khai’s mother finds in Vietnam for him to marry. Esme and Khai have to live together for one summer to see if they suit. I love a good arranged marriage trope with the delicious addition of forced proximity thrown in there.

I’m learning that one of the best parts of Helen Hoang’s books is that they’re imminently readable. I picked this book up on a Sunday morning and hit the last page by mid-afternoon the same day. Ms. Hoang’s writing inspires laughs, feels, and the occasional tear. Her ability to portray Esme and Khai’s individual personalities and quirks completely invested me in both of them. The characters were so real and vibrant in my mind, not something that happens every day.

My favorite part about this story was the nuanced and delicate portrayal of Khai’s autism and Esme’s immigrant experience. Their stories individually would have captivated me, and to be honest, one story could have easily out shown the other. But Ms. Hoang deftly wrote and intertwined both stories in a way that made them both shine.

The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read was Esme’s daughter. I thought to keep her a secret from Khai was absolutely awful, and I had to try to forgive Esme for it throughout the book. I also thought that the resolution of her hidden daughter was merely skimmed over. As if the addition of a daughter to their relationship dynamic wouldn’t change anything.

Overall, this was an absolutely gorgeous romance novel. Sexy, sweet and everything in-between, I highly recommend it. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here anxiously waiting on Quan’s book!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

This is my second book from Helen Hoang, and I think it's safe to say that I won't be picking up her books anymore. Truthfully, I was somewhat iffy with several things about The Kiss Quotient, which was Helen Hoang’s debut novel in 2018. After my reading experience with The Bride Test, I am fully convinced that I’m just not the right audience for her books.

Much like in The Kiss Quotient, the premise of her sophomore novel involves very glaring power imbalances between the main character and the love interest that were difficult for me to ignore. Except, this time the imbalance is amplified: Esme Tran is dirt poor, uneducated (which is arguably romanticized in this book, yikes), and later on, displaced to an entirely foreign country where she knows nothing about its language and its customs. On the other hand, Khai Diep is a highly intelligent business CEO who constantly views Esme as some kind of sex object (again, this is arguable). But even Khai is powerless as his desires and decisions are constantly undermined by his mother, and later on, by Esme.

Essentially, the premise of this novel is built on very, very shaky territory. From Khai's mother literally buying a vulnerable woman from a poorer country as a bride for her son despite his repeated disinterest in relationships... to Esme using sex to force Khai to admit that he loves her, too many things in The Bride Test are questionable at best and outright horrifying at worst.

It took me until around halfway through to be sold on the premise, but then it completely grabbed my heart. I adore Khai and My (and Quan always.)

I blazed right through this one and had an incredible amount of fun returning to the world of The Kiss Quotient.
The Bride Test follows Michael’s cousin Khai and a new character, Esme, a Vietnamese immigrant. Khai is intelligent, logical, intense and autistic. He’s also single. The latter of which his mother plans to remedy by inviting Esme to stay with Khai for the summer. Esme desires a better life for herself, her daughter and their family. She reluctantly sees this opportunity as a stepping stone to said life. She isn’t searching for a husband. But how hard could it be? Go to America and seduce this man. Perhaps they would fall in love. And if she didn’t succeed, she would at least be paid for her time. Both Esme and Khai certainly have their work cut out for them.

I really enjoyed this story and found it to be sweet and funny, while also carrying a fantastic message about grief and maneuvering one’s emotions. Esme’s character is truly the bright spot of this story and I admire her hard-working nature and tenacity. She is truly the type of character I could aspire to be more like.

The romance in this is slow to blossom, of course. Khai has never had a non-platonic relationship with a woman in any form. Esme’s past relationships have been wrought with bad experiences. Watching these two navigate their relationship from roommates, to friends, to more was delightful. I especially found a part in which Khai criticizes junior high sex education and seeks advice from Michael and Quan to be hilarious and true in so many regards.

All of this said, Khai and Esme have big secrets they are keeping from one another (because of course) and must decide how to approach these subjects, or lose one another completely. Khai is in new territory, with Esme constantly in his personal life – whereas before he could ignore phone calls and lock himself inside his house. As they grow closer, Esme finds she doesn’t know how to share the most important part of her life. She fears it’ll shatter her chance of a different life.

It’s important to note that The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test are #ownvoices novels. The author Helen Hoang and the characters Stella and Khai have autism spectrum disorders. Helen has clearly infused both of these stories with her own experiences and struggles. As the parent of a child on the spectrum, I feel the difficulties Stella and Khai have in traversing emotional and social situations deep in my bones. Its something I struggle to help my own child with on a daily basis. I applaud Helen for bringing us these characters and their stories to us readers.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed The Bride Test and his predecessor, The Kiss Quotient. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for Helen’s next novel, The Heart Principle, due out in Spring 2020!

The Bride Test is the second book in the series by Helen Hoang. She writes romance stories that matter. The book has substance and that's not something you always find in a romance novel. This book was a delight to read. I loved the characters and getting to know their backstories. I really look forward to more books by this author.

I love Hoang's characters. They are so sweet, so easy to root for, everything about Esme and Khai was on point. Representation is so important in any genre and I love how Hoang steps up to the plate every time. The book suffered a bit from pacing, slow build up and then everything wrapped up a bit quickly in the end. I really enjoyed it and will recommend it to customers.

Finished up The Bride Test this morning and I really enjoyed it. I love how Helen Hoang shines light on disabilities with her main characters. It’s brought a lot of awareness and a new perspective in which I’m thankful for. You get to see how Khai struggles to love and get close to people because of his Autism. I love that Esme is so receptive to him and even more so after learning about his disability. She takes the time to figure Khai out and make him more comfortable in their love. I think what I loved most is that this story shined light on a single mom. It’s not too often you see single moms in a happily ever after.

Overall a 4 star rating for me, although I think I liked The Kiss Quotient better. It was a little steamier in my opinion but this one was still great nonetheless.

Oh, this was just wonderful! Right up there with book one ( The Kiss Quotient ), placing Helen Hoang on my auto-buy list now, for sure!

Esme and Khai were both delightful characters. Like Michael and Stella in the first book, one of their mains struggles is with feeling they are "less than." Esme's problems in this area are worse than Khai's--growing up with mixed heritage and no father in Vietnam wasn't easy, and the fact that she had to drop out of high school always weighs heavily on her. She constantly feels as if she's not good enough for Khai and his family, and fears that if she reveals her true self to them they'll reject her. (No real worries there, though--even her future MIL is all kinds of awesome!) Khai's main struggle is the feeling of otherness that he's always had, especially after his cousin (and only real friend)'s death ten years earlier. It made me more than a little crazy that most of his extended family didn't bother to try to understand him; fortunately his mother, brother, and sister were all kinds of awesome, but still.

The one aspect of the book that I struggled a bit with is that it didn't feel like Khai and Esme got to know each other as well as they could have during their summer together. Khai spent so much of the first half hiding from her (and his growing feelings, of course) and then their relationship became more physical than anything else--she had things she was hiding from him and he wasn't one for chit chatting. Clearly they've worked things out by the time we get to the epilogue, but I would have liked to have seen more of the getting to know you stuff on the page.

I have to admit I've read literally dozens of books since I read Ms. Hoang's first book, and it wasn't until Michael and Stella's one big scene at the book that I realized how the two books were connected (Michael and Khai are cousins). I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud with joy, and know for certain that I had a giant smile on my face for that entire scene. Then I had to go back and re-read the three way phone conversation between Khai, his brother Quan, and Michael one more time, because OMG. I laughed out loud even more the second time. My point here is--you can absolutely read this book as a standalone with no ill effects. But for pity's sake, do yourself the favor of going back and reading the first book too, because yes, it's that good.

Fingers crossed that Ms. Hoang's going to give Quan his own book, because I think I could give their mother a run for her money in the who wants to see Quan get his own HEA contest... ;)

The narrator of the audio version was delightful--her accents and the different voices she gave each character made listening a joy. I am bummed that the author's note wasn't included in the audio version; fortunately I also had a digital ARC (I switched back and forth while reading, depending on what I was doing) so I did get to read it.

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

In this equally charming and sexy successor to The Kiss Quotient, Hoang again features a lead character with Asperger’s Syndrome whose funny internal thoughts keep readers laughing. As the book opens, we are re-introduced to Khai (the cousin of Michael from the first book) at a wake for his 16-year-old cousin Andy, his best (only) friend who died in a motorcycle. Austism makes it difficult for him to show emotion (including crying) or tolerate touching, so he’s accused of not caring. All his young brain registers is that, if he can’t grieve, then he can’t love either. Ten years later, he’s so firmly convinced of this that his interfering mother finally takes matters into her own hands to ensure that he gets married and gives her grandchildren. She heads to Vietnam and devises a bride test to find a woman worthy of her son who won’t just want him for his money. There she meets My (Esme), a single mother who was abandoned by her daughter’s father when she got pregnant (just as her own American father abandoned her mother), and promptly offers her a chance to spend a summer in American getting to know Khai and hopefully convincing him that she is a woman he’d want to marry.

Despite the wacky way they are thrown together, the relationship between Esme and Khai is beautiful and full of humor, and they both blossom with the care and concern they show each other. Although Khai struggles with the disruption Esme brings to his well-ordered life, she is committed to being indispensable to him so that she’ll be able to remain in the U.S. and have her family join her. When Khai helps Esme look for the father she’s never known, their bond strengthens, but he continues to believe he is unloveable despite his actions to the contrary. Will Esme eventually pass the bride’s test and be the woman who gets through to Khai or will she end up back in Vietnam after the summer? Pick up this wonderful book and find out! Readers who have fallen in love with The Kiss Quotient may have a third book to look forward to…perhaps with Khai’s older brother Quan? Here’s hoping!


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I read The Kiss Quotient back in April and couldn’t wait to dive into The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I was looking forward to diving into another story written by Helen Hoang since I enjoyed her first book. I love the characters she writes in her stories, and I love how she writes characters with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the story. This is something I’m still learning about since I have family members that have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

First off, I loved Khai Diep in this story. He’s the character that has autism, but he lives his life like everyone else. The only thing that bothers him is that he doesn’t have any feelings. The very first chapter in the book has him at a funeral, and he’s not crying like everyone else, but he should be crying. There are several other instances in the book where he’s not sure how to feel. His family still doesn’t understand him either, except for his brother who pushes him several times this book. I felt for Khai’s character immediately because of his personality. He provided humor in the book, and so did his brother, Quan. Khani has feelings though, especially when it comes to meeting the woman, Esme, who his mother is trying to have him marry. At first, he doesn’t want anything to do with Esme, but the more he spends with her is when he realizes he can care for someone.

Esme Tran is the female protagonist in the story, and she lives in slums of Vietnam, and she ends up meeting Khai’s mom in the bathroom where she was working at since her mother was interviewing several women to come live with her son Khai. Esme is the perfect candidate since she wants a better life for herself and her daughter and finds Khai attractive with the photo she was shown by Khai’s mother. The minute Esme meets Khai, she realizes it will not be easy to seduce him. He is someone she can’t understand at first, but she doesn’t realize at first that he has autism. Although, she keeps her daughter a secret from him, which I found frustrating. I think she should’ve told Khai about her daughter immediately.

Other than that part of the book, I did enjoy this story. It was full of humor, drama, and moments of sadness. My favorite parts of the book involved Khai and his brother though and how Quan stepped up to assist Khai on a particular situation. There also was the scene where Khai sees Esme out in the garden, and she’s not wearing appropriate clothes, and he’s having a reaction to her, while he is trying to work out.

I’m looking forward to Quan getting his book since he was one secondary character in this book that I enjoyed getting to know. He stood up for Esme and also got his brother moving in this book on how he really should feel for Esme. I hope whoever he ends up with is ready for his charm.

Helen Hoang has become an auto-buy author for me, and I look forward to reading any future book she writes in the near future. I enjoy her stories and characters.

Story Rating: 4 stars
Steaminess Rating: 3.5 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of series, but each follows a new couple.
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Marriage of Convenience
Hero: Hero has Asperger’s syndrome; Virgin
Heroine: Half Vietnamese/Half American, Single Mother

I went into this book hearing for nothing but great things about this author and great things about The Kiss Quotient. I have not had the pleasure of reading The Kiss Quotient, but I cannot wait to read the first one in this series. Helen writes with complete awareness (being that she is on the Autistic Spectrum herself) and she gives great insight on one way to respectfully have a relationship with just another human being. The relationship between Esme and Khai is very sweet, captivating and steamy. exactly what I look for in my romance. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I really enjoyed this one, it was cute and sweet. I especially loved the scene where Khai went to this brother and cousin for help on (female) orgasms.

So much of this book was a great read for me and I had a lovely tme listening to this one!

However, my biggest complaint? The fact that she didn't tell him about her daughter until the very last minute. Literally. The book ends a few pages after that is revealed. On the one hand, yes, I get why she was worried to tell him. BUT I feel like keeping something that is so important to her life and her character a secret until the last page, and then having him just blink and go "Cool, let's get married!" was a combination of annoying, underwhelming, and disappointing. It made the entire ending disappointing for me, tbh.

Without all that, this probably would have been a 4 1/2 star read for me. It was very annoying, yes, but the rest of the story was enough to still keep me happy with the book overall.

Khai Diep’s emotions (or supposedly lack thereof) are put to the test when he meets his match in this romantic comedy.

Oh boy. I loved last year’s The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hong, but this book leaves me with a lot of mixed feelings. The concept is cute – a loving, if controlling, mother attempts to create a love connection between her autistic son and a single mother. Let the hijinks begin, right? Despite the promising premise, I found the execution to be problematic. First, I did not like Khai’s mom. Her emotional manipulation of the situation left me feeling uncomfortable. Second, I didn’t feel the connection between Khai and Esme. Their individual stories were powerfully, but their romance felt forced and rushed. The ending does little to make me feel connected to them as couple.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed the author’s note at the end of the novel more than I enjoyed the story. That’s a problem. I’m sure many people will read and enjoy this novel. I wish I had been one of them.

tl;dr While the premise is cute, the author’s note at the end of the story left a bigger impression on me than the novel.

I loved Khai and Esmes’s story. They were both such fun characters to get to know. I’d love to see a story about Khai’s brother, he’s a very intriguing character.

I had read The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (previously reviewed) and thought this was a sequel to that romance.  It is not.  The two main characters from her first book do appear in this book but only briefly.

This book also has a main character who is autistic.  Khai Diep is a Vietnamese American accountant who dresses entirely in black, loves tax law, doesn't like being around people, and thinks he is defective because he doesn't have strong emotions like everyone else.  He doesn't understand social complexities.  Thus, he has never dated, and his mom is worried that he'll never get married.  So his mom goes to Vietnam looking for a girl to marry Michael.  After eliminating all the girls she considers, she stumbles across Esme who is working as a maid.  Esme is a poor single mother trying to earn enough money to support herself and her child.  Michael's mother approaches her about moving to the US for the summer to see if she can win over Michael and get a marriage proposal.  Her offer entices Esme because she can earn more money to support her daughter, and she'll be able to try to track down her unknown father who is a US citizen.

I must say that I did not enjoy this book as much as the first one. Even though I knew why Michael was portrayed the way he was, I just found him totally unlikable in the beginning so it took me a bit to invest in the story.  My view of him did change over the course of the book, though.  I did like the character Esme and was rooting for her to find her father and a good life for her and her daughter.  Forewarning -There is a lot of focus on sex in this book and at times is very steamy.  So if that's not for you, you might want to skip this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book for review.

I feel like representation in romance has been a long time coming. This is a wonderful combination of extremely likeable, strong characters and steamy romance. Loved it and I look forward to another romance by this author,

The Bride Test is a beautiful love story, but it's also a really powerful immigration narrative. Esme's experience is relatable even for those of who haven't experienced anything like it, and Hoang's ability to bring out a full spectrum of emotions in her readers is what will make her books live on for years to come.

This book proves that the success of The Kiss Quotient was not a fluke. Helen Hoang is the real deal. The Bride Test is different than The Kiss Quotient and similar in others. It took me awhile to really get into it but once the main couple started interacting with each other, I was hooked. Now, all I need is for Helen to hurry and finish Quan's book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel. Regardless of the way I acquired the novel, the thoughts, opinions, and views stated in this review are completely unbiased and one hundred percent my own.

I definitely missed the boat when it came to The Kiss Quotient. After reading The Bride Test, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be backtracking and adding that book to my TBR. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like the books are connected in the traditional way that a series would be. I was able to pick right up with these characters, and this plot, and away we went!

I’m not sure how to approach this novel’s review, other than to say first and foremost that I think the fact that this novel exists and is part of the discussion is extremely important. The different cultures highlighted here were amazing, and the representation of someone on the autism spectrum was truly eye opening.

I struggled with my own ignorance when it came to specific cultural norms, or references throughout this novel. That didn’t stop me from enjoying the story or our characters, but showed me personally where I could benefit from learning more about people who differ from me. There was a point while reading where I thought I was going to call it a loss, because the novel touches on the idea of an arranged marriage. However, I thought the author ultimately handled these situations with integrity, intelligence, and grace.

I’m honestly admonishing myself for not reaching for a book like this time and time again. The last book I can recall that dealt with these themes was Flowers for Algernon: a book I was required to read in middle school. I genuinely loved having a look inside the relationship of a person who considers themselves to be autistic. It felt less like voyeurism and more like education. The questions I’d never feel comfortable asking were dealt with so efficiently, and it never felt like I was reading a novel solely about a guy with autism. I was reading a novel about a guy and a girl who were getting to know each other, and learning more about themselves. The guy just so happens to have autism, and the girl just so happens to be a poor immigrant who might not be able to stay in America.

The story itself felt powerful, charming, and even playful at times. I admired Esme’s story, her determination, and the fact that her story is the story of so many immigrants around the world. I hope people pick up this novel, and get a chance to see themselves in these characters. For once, I didn’t see myself in a novel, but as a white woman that’s okay! I’m ready to read about people who are not like me, I’m ready for Asian women to feel seen, and for autistic people to feel understood. I’m glad this book exists, and I hope authors like Helen keep writing for more than people like me.

Innocent yet completely mature, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is a decadent feast of flavour that you would not expect.

All of the characters are fun to interact with. Anyone can easily find someone who they will identify with which makes the book such a delightful read.

The story altogether is nothing extravagant, but the simplicity of it all is what made it highly entertaining. A perfect combination of lightheartedness and deep connotations. It is a heartfelt story that anyone can relate to.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed The Bride Test. I look forward to reading more of Helen Hoang and I will, most definitely, suggest this book to my friends and colleagues.