ARC courtesy of Netgalley

Khai Diep, the cousin of Michael Phan, the male protagonist of Hoang's debut THE KISS QUOTIENT is the male lead in this strong, if not quite as laugh-out-loud funny, follow-up. Khai, like KISS's Stella, is on the autism spectrum, something he's known since elementary school. But after he fails to cry at his beloved cousin's funeral, Khai is convinced that his "difference" means that he can't feel, either. Especially not love. "That was exactly why he steered clear of romantic relationships. If someone liked him that way, he'd only end up disappointing them when he couldn"t reciprocate. It wouldn't be right" (Kindle Loc 529).

Twenty-six-year-old Khai's lack of interest in dating is worrying to his mother, so much so that she goes back to her home country of Vietnam to find him a potential wife. Her choice is rather surprising: a 24-year-old woman working as a maid in the hotel in which she is staying, a woman who at first doesn't seem at all interested in Mrs. Diep ("call me Cô Nga")'s proposal. But after M˜y's mother reminds her that going to California would give her the chance to try and find her biological father, an American student who visited Vietnam from Cal Berkeley, M˜y decides to give it a go, even though she has to leave her five year old daughter behind.

For his part, Khai is less than pleased to discover that his mother's procured him a "mail-order bride," especially when he hears that the woman, who has adopted the English-sounding name Esmeralda (or Esme), will be living with him. Khai is a man of routine, and Esme, working hard to make Khai's dilapidated house more inviting, puts his things in the wrong places, makes him late for his daily chores, and distracts him with her beauty and kindness. ("He was closed, and she had to open him. In her experience, when you wanted to open something, you cleaned it up first so you could see what you were dealing with, and then you worked on it really hard. Esme wasn't great at a lot of things, but she was good at cleaning and working hard. She could do this. Maybe she'd been made for this" [985]).

Hoang's note explains that originally, Esme's character was to have been the "unwanted third leg of a love triangle," but that as she wrote, Esme kept taking center stage. And Hoang realized that her own internalized beliefs about what would be "socially acceptable" in a heroine had made her assume that her female protagonist should be Westernized, rather than a first-generation immigrant. And so Esme became her unexpected lead. Esme is far from a perfectly unobjectionable Mary Sue of an immigrant, constructed to appease Western readers' prejudices; she's an interesting, nuanced character, one who broke rules and suffered some negative consequences in her younger years but who is not burdened by guilt or the need to appease Khai, his mother, or any other American. The story of how Khai and Esme learn how to understand one another as well as understand themselves may not be as laugh-out-loud hilarious as Hoang's first book, but it's still one with a lot of charm, heart, and insight into the multiplicity of immigrant experiences.

This book was worlds better than [book:The Kiss Quotient|36199084], with a better/more believable story and characters. Also sexier (slash not creepy). It was also interesting to read it directly after [book:The Rosie Result|41018628], another lighthearted but serious tale of neuroatypical characters. Sure, like many romances it is a bit conveniently-ever-after, but it's impossible not to root for Khai (who thinks he has no feelings and is broken) and Esme (a poor mixed-race Vietnamese immigrant who is trying to make a life for her daughter). Hoang clearly has an intimate knowledge of parts of these experiences, and her author's note about her mother's immigrant experience made the book even better. I definitely recommend this book for contemporary romance readers.

This. Book.

This. Writer.

So few books out there have cut to my very core quite like a Helen Hoang book. It's incredible how she does it. I absolutely adored The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test is just as great, showcasing that Hoang has so much more for us readers in store for the future. Khai and Esme will make your heart SOAR. Through so many ups and downs, this is a couple that you will root for through and through.

Khai Diep is autistic and doesn't feel things the way others do. In his mind, he cannot love someone else. It's just what he's accepted, even though his family feels very differently. Khai's mother decides to push her son to his full potential and find a bride for him, and after meeting many wannabe brides, she determinedly sets her mind on kind, respectable Esme Tran, a maid in the hotel she's staying at. Khai's mother offers her a deal to pay her while she tries to woo Khai into marriage throughout the summer. As a single mother in Vietnam, she feels that she cannot decline the opportunity and flies to America, thinking that she may also find her lost-lost father in the process as well. And so Khai and Esme are pushed together as strangers to get to know each other. Not everything goes as planned as Esme falls for Khai, and he thinks that he cannot reciprocate those feelings.But as they get to know each other more and more, Khai begins to rethink his attitude toward love and romance and is constantly challenged by Esme. As Esme's time in America begins to draw to a close, Khai is forced to come to terms with the fact that maybe love exists and that it comes in many forms.

It's truly a BEAUTIFUL story about how you can be different and yet valid and accepted and *seen* by others. This is a story about pushing yourself to do better and be better to and for the ones you hold dear to you. There are so many stunning life lessons packed into this book. I truly believe that we can all take several things to heart after turning the final page. I know I did.

I will read Helen Hoang's stories forever. She has solidified herself as a top-notch, heart-healing author that I will revisit time and time again. Stories like these are why I read in the first place.

This did not work for me at all, I felt zero chemistry between the 2 main characters and unfortunately I couldn't muster up any enthusiasm to continue past the 34% mark.

I'm so disappointed because Hoang's first book was a massive winner for me last year but look forward to seeing where her next book takes me.

I adored The Kiss Quotient, and I re-read it in January because it was that good! You can read my review HERE! The Bride Test is just as great, but it’s also completely different from the first novel in the series. Michael and Stella swept you off your feet in The Kiss Quotient. Khai and Esme will make you see that a HEA has many different layers in The Bride Test.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection. Review: I really admire Helen Hoang for not only bringing diversity into contemporary romance but for also creating characters with disabilities like autism and Aspergers. In this book Khai has a form of autism and she does a great job of forming his personality and describing the things that are hard for him – like love, affection, and having empathy for others. The storyline is cute and it’s a quick read, while still addressing immigration, diversity, and love. I’m not sure if I liked this one as much as The Kiss Quotient (it’s definitely not as steamy!), but I really, really enjoyed it!This book is listed under The Kiss Quotient #2, but these can easily be read as stand alone books. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

First The Kiss Quotient and now The Bride Test? Helen is definitely making her mark!

I adore Khai, Esme and the rest of the characters. Khai is on the spectrum and the author did an outstanding job with him. I'm so glad we got his perspective so that the reader could understand the thoughts and reasons for the way he behaved. Esme was a sweetheart.

I love the scenario of them being "forced" together. It was frustrating for both of them, but they were still so darn cute! There were times it felt a little uncomfortable because of the power imbalance and how she was doing everything to make him happy so he'd marry her. However, I feel this turned out to be an important aspect of the story regarding Esme's life and her growth.

I'm looking forward to Hoang's next book.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Khai Diep is a successful accountant, but avoids relationships. He is a loved family member of Vietnamese-American and is on the autism spectrum. He feels he cannot be loved nor can he love.

“Even now, he could hear his cousin scoffing at him. The specific circumstances eluded him, but the words remain the same. ‘Nothing gets to you. It’s like your heart is made of stone’.”

Esme (Mỹ) is a single mother wanting a better life for herself and her daughter. When an opportunity comes along to leave Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) and go the US to meet an eligible young man, Esme takes the opportunity presented by Cô Nga (she offers to pay for Esme’s visa and trip to California in exchange for Esme trying to seduce Khai) even though it means being away from her daughter (and mother and grandmother) for a few months – anything for a better life. Esme is also hoping that maybe she can track down her biological father (definitely a long shot in my view).

What ensues is a multi-faceted story. Not only are we privy to a love story – strange as it may start out. But also a story about two people learning to accept themselves for who they are as individuals – idiosyncrasies and all.

The love story between the main characters has ups and downs. Given both of their unique ways of interacting with people it truly is heartwarming, funny, exasperating… (so many adjectives could be placed here) to see these two people who care for each other finally “talk” to each other.

I found the scene where Esme cooks in Khai’s home for the first time quite giggle worthy. The smells that Esme finds soothing and reminds her of home in essence is pungent to Khai. This brought out the feeling in me that not all compatible matches are from those with similar upbringings.

When Khai made it his mission to help Esme find her father, I found that a very empathetic gesture but also allowing the reader to see that Khai did love Esme and he had his own unique way of showing it.

The relationship between Khai and his brother Quan is like any other brother relationship. What I find refreshing is the way that Quan calls out Khai when Khai does not allow himself to acknowledge his true feelings, whether it be towards his deceased friend Andy or Esme.

“Quan aimed a pointed stare at him. “Sometimes the things people do and believe don’t make sense. I feel most alive when I might die. And you, you’re convinced you don’t feel, and the responsible thing is to avoid people.”
“That’s the way things are,” Khai said.
“No, it’s bullshit. Where was Andy heading when he got hit by that semi?”
Khai looked down at the deep scratches on the motorcycle. Those had happened the night of the accident. “He was coming to see me.” “Why?”
Khai titled his head as his chest hollowed out and caved inward. “Because I asked him to. I wanted to hang out.”
…
Quan arched an eyebrow. “So are you gonna tell her now?”
“Tell her what?”
“That you’re embarrassingly in love with her, that’s what,” Quan said in an exasperated tone.

I think this discussion truly shows that Khai demonstrates feelings, just uniquely – as does everyone. He just needed to have this pointed out to him. Now the question is, will he allow his feelings to come to light so that he and Esme can be together before her visa runs out?

If I had one criticism, it would be the length of time it took Esme to tell Khai about her young daughter back in Vietnam. As a parent, I would never hide the fact that I have a child. But I suppose with so much at stake, Esme felt it was the right decision for her.

Many bumps occur on the road to happiness, similar to real life. I found the writing engaging, the characters entertaining. Some heartwarming moments along with some chuckle worthy moments.

As this was my first book by author Helen Hoan, I am suitably impressed by her writing style and ability to keep me engaged throughout the book. I look forward to reading more titles by Ms. Hoan.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Love love love this book! Helen Hoang is an amazing author and I will continue to read all her books. I love how she pulls from her own life to write her stories. The characters in this book were so wonderful and there was so much depth and complexity to them. Beautifully written! This is a follow up to Kiss Quotient but can totally be read on its own. Not near as much sex as her first book which is good for readers that can’t handle that. Loved this story and will definitely be recommending it to others!

This romance novel was good timing for May during Asian and Pacific Islanders Month - the author note at the end explains that part of her inspiration for Esme comes from her mother's story as a Vietnamese refugee, and not knowing much about it because she worked all the time. The author also shares her own impulse to feature a white character but Esme demanded to be more central.

So this is a good example of what is happening in contemporary romance - one character with Autism (who has to teach his love interest how to touch him because he's very sensitive to light touches,) one character who is an immigrant (although the whole fairy godmother element is a bit far fetched to say the least), men teaching each other how to please a woman, etc.

This is in the same universe as The Kiss Quotient (those characters even show up at one point) but you don't need to have read it to understand this one.

I had read Helen's first book and loved it, so I really looked forward to reading this. However, I am afraid to say that I was left a little disappointed. It simply wasn't as good as I thought it would be and the love story was fairly flimsy. I didn't believe in the characters quite as much and therefore didn't get the same engagement. It was an easy ready though and Helen's light tone made it enjoyable.

3.5 stars

Similar to the Kiss Quotient, here we find Khai, an autistic character, learning to fall in love. Khai’s mom wants him to get married so she takes matters into her own hands by bringing Esme back with her from Vietnam. There’s just one problem: Khai doesn’t have any interest in getting married or falling in love.

Like it’s predecessor, The Bride Test is a mix of cute, sexy, and quirky. However, we also have some deeper issues this time. With a baby back at home, Esme has more at stakes than just finding someone to marry.

Although I loved Esme’s character and her ability to see past Khai’s autism, this brought up some issues for me. She was never informed about what it meant to be autistic and it seemed like she moved way too fast in their relationship. But really, a lot of things moved too quickly in this book. The ending was very abrupt to me and a lot was resolved without much explanation.

Despite my complaints, I did enjoy this book. As many others have said, the author’s note at the end made me appreciate it a lot more. So don’t skip that part!

Rating 4.5 out of 5

"Em yêu anh yêu em."

Just like THE KISS QUOTIENT, I adored THE BRIDE TEST. I liked how this couple was brought together by a loving, but meddling mother who was trying to find a companion for her son. I loved Khai and Esme's interactions and how two seemingly different people fit together so perfectly. I liked that neither of them tried to be who they thought the other person needed or who they wanted, but I'd felt bad for Esme for the things she thought she had to keep a secret for Khai.

One of my favorite scenes includes Khai, Quan, and Michael (yes, TKQ Michael!). It make me laugh so much as they tried to give Khai some guidance with Esme. And Quan gave Khai some of the best book recommendations!

THE BRIDE TEST is full of compassion and humor and made me laugh and smile and sometimes get a bit teary-eyed. I loved it!

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (Holly’s Review, Rowena’s Review) was one of our favorite reads of 2018, and Rowena and I were so excited when we got The Bride Test, the second book in the series. The Bride Test follows Khai Diep. Khai is mentioned in TKQ, though I don’t think we ever met him on page. Michael, the hero from TKQ, and Khai are cousins.

Khai Diep is autistic, and as such doesn’t feel things the same way others do. To him, this means he can’t love, but his family knows better. After waiting years for him to find someone, his mother finally gives up on him doing it himself and goes to Vietnam to find a bride for him.

Esme Tran is cleaning the bathroom in the hotel where his mom is conducting wife interviews when they meet. His mom decides she’s the perfect person for Khai and offers her a deal – spend the summer in America trying to get Khai to marry her, and she can work in her restaurant and make some extra money. Esme doesn’t really know what to expect from Khai, but he’s so much more than she bargained for.

Holly: I have to be honest. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a “mail-order bride” story. But it was so much more than that. I loved Esme’s personal journey almost more than the romance, I think.

Rowena: Yeah, I didn’t expect to like this one nearly as much as I did. I wasn’t excited to read a mail-order bride romance either but Helen Hoang did her thing. I really enjoyed Khai’s romance though I did have issues with certain things where Esme was concerned. I thought it took her wayyyyy too long to tell Khai the truth about EVERYTHING. I mean, she had so many opportunities to come clean with Khai and she didn’t. But other than that, this one was a solid read.

Holly: I don’t know why she didn’t come clean, either. That was the only part that really bothered me. She had things to tell him and she shouldn’t have waited as long as she did.

Rowena: Yeah, my issue with that is because sure, she knew that he didn’t want kids (at least according to his Mom) but after she knew that she wasn’t going to accept his marriage proposal, that should have been the time that she came clean about everything. About why she was sent there, about who was waiting for her back home, all of that. She was quick to come clean about that stuff with Quan but not Khai? I wasn’t a fan of that.

Holly: Yes, exactly. She should have told him. I do think she was more comfortable telling Quan because she didn’t really care what he thought of her, whereas she was afraid of what Khai would say. But still, she should have fessed up. I’d have liked to see more with Khai and Jade, too.

Holly: Speaking of things that needed to be said ….he never told her about his money? WTF?

Rowena: With Khai not telling her about his money, I chalked that up to his autism. He didn’t think the same way that everyone else did and he really didn’t think about his money at all. That was evident with the way that he chose to live his life. It wasn’t something that he was intentionally keeping from her so it didn’t bother me that it was never addressed.

Holly: No, you aren’t wrong about that part. I honestly wasn’t bothered about it for all the reasons you stated, until the very end when he thinks that thing about how he still hasn’t told her. Like, before that it wasn’t deliberate. After that, it was.

From the epilogue:

He’d already put Esme and Jade in his will, though they didn’t know—about the will itself or all the money they’d be inheriting from him because he had no idea what to do with it. That stuff wasn’t important.

So, maybe it was just that he never thought about it. But I’m surprised no one else mentioned it to her.

Still, I really liked how Esme was with Khai. She just let him be who he was, but found ways to keep him thinking about her. I also liked her personal growth and how she was determined to find a way to do it on her own. Her inner strength and determination really stood out, and I loved how she grew into her own powers as the novel went on.

Rowena: I liked how Khai adapted to being with her. He showed a lot of growth himself and I enjoyed seeing him come into his feelings for Esme. The way that she ended up in his bed, the way that did things that bothered him but he just kept right on taking it because in small ways, he enjoyed them.

Holly: Khai did show a lot of growth. Man, my heart hurt for him. But girl, when he basically wham, bam thank you-ma’am’d her? I wanted to beat him over the head with something. I know he didn’t realize what he was doing, but I was still low key pissed at him. I loved that the first time wasn’t all perfect for them both, though.

Rowena: The only thing that made me want to smack him upside his head was how he kept insisting that he didn’t have it in him to love anyone, let alone Esme. Even after Quan explains what he was feeling and how he was acting after their break up, Khai kept insisting that Quan was wrong. I was like, boy…if you don’t knock that shit off.

Holly: Honestly, I blame his aunts for all that nonsense. Because they’re the ones who were like “What’s wrong with you”. But I kind of blame Quan, Michael and his mom, too. Once they realized how he thought he couldn’t love, they should have explained it better. View Spoiler » But still, I wanted to smack him. When he told her “I don’t love you. I never will” my heart broke for her.

Rowena: View Spoiler »I liked that they finally found her father after all of their hard work and I was only a little annoyed that Esme’s Mom got her man after the guilt trip she gave Esme in the beginning of the book. Still, there was a lot to love in this one. I loved Khai’s family, I loved little Jade and the way that she loved her Mom big time. I liked that Esme made moves for herself and I really liked the epilogue.

Holly: I was kind of bothered about how she made him wait to get married. I’m not sure why, though. I think it’s because it didn’t feel authentic to her character, or his. The whole book they were sort of working toward that, and they loved each other. So making him wait seemed…strange to me. I don’t know. I have to think about it a little more.

Rowena: I will say that as much as I enjoyed both Khai and the romance, I’m super excited about Quan…I need more Quan!

Holly: I love Quan, too. I hope we get his book next.

Rowena: This book gets a 4.25 out of 5 from me. What about you?

Holly: For all my complaints, I really did love the book. I was fully invested in them both from page one, and I read it in a single sitting. I got teary eyed a couple times and laughed out loud several others. Hoang did it again.

I’m giving it 4.25 as well.

I was provided this book through NetGalley. The opinions listed here are my own. This was an enjoyable and fun book to read. Just right for summer!

Although this book stands alone, it is related to author Helen Hoang's first book "The Kiss Quotient". Both books feature love stories with autistic characters and explore how that condition affects their ability to find love. I appreciate the freshness of having characters with autism and that aspect of the story is well-executed. This book tells the story of My, an impoverished Vietnamese girl who cleans bathrooms to support her family comprised of her mother, grandmother and young daughter. She's offered the opportunity to come to America as a "mail-order bride" to Kai. Kai believes that because of his autism that he has a heart-of-stone and is incapable of love therefore he has resolved to never marry but his mother has other plans for him, thus her recruitment of a would-be bride for him.
This book was okay. I did not love it and I think that has to do with the moral ambiguity that this author seems to like to include in her plots. Luring a desperate, impoverished immigrant to America to marry a seemingly unmarriageable son seemed sketchy. Likewise, in the "Kiss Quotient", which preceeded this book, hiring a male prostitute to teach you how to have sex seemed somewhat wrong. I did enjoy that the characters were unique and Helen Hoang writes great love scenes sure to titillate her readers. But readers should be aware of the themes in the plot line so that they can steer clear if that sort of thing is not for them.

The Kissing Quotient was one of my top 10 favorite books from last year and the follow-up The Bride Test is does not disappoint. I read The Bride Test in one day which is not something I do normally. The Bride Test is what I call an elevated romance in which is has depth and real characters with real issues that I care about. I absolutely loved Khai and Esme as individuals and as a couple. Khai is much more than his autism. He has a solid heart of gold and what's the best for others. His autism prevents him from processing his feelings, but he does have them. I really appreciated how Ms. Hoang makes this point very clear. I adored Esme, in particular her strength and determination to make her life and the life of her daughter's better. The potential plot line of Esme seducing Khai in order to get a green card lingered in the air, but I was so glad that it did not come to that in the novel. Esme wanted to be self driven and that possible plot line would have destroyed all that she set out to do. I also appreciated the slow burn romance between Khai and Esme, which remained true to both of the characters.

My main complaint of The Bride Test is that its ending was too rushed. I would have loved to see more page time with Khai and Esme as a couple. I wanted to see how Khai tracked down Esme's real father. I wanted to expand on the discovery of Esme's daughter, Jade, which was a really important aspect of Esme's hidden life. I also really wanted to see Esme's journey to and at Standford University. Regardless of these issues, I adored this book and its characters. It is the perfect way to kick off the summer and I can not wait to read what's next by Ms. Hoang.

It took me forever to sit down and read this, but once I did, I couldn't put it down! It was a very quick read, which I appreciated. It wasn't quite as steamy as Hoang's first novel, <I>The Kiss Quotient</I>, but I didn't mind that. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was that I felt that there was too much going on: the loss of Khai's cousin weighing on him, Esme's search for her father, the secret of her daughter, the continual lack of communication (particularly about the class division between them). That being said, it was still a worthwhile read and I will definitely recommend it to my book club. I already bought it for my library.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2019 May 27

LET'S GET IT ON with The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

First Impressions



I love that cheery yellow! Making Mỹ/Esme the sole focus of the cover makes perfect sense because while this is clearly a romance, a large portion of of the book is also about Mỹ realizing her own self-worth and gaining independence. It also goes excellently well with the first book's cover. Don't you dare change a thing, cover artists!

What’s Your Type?

Learning to love, forced intimacy, misunderstandings/miscommunication, family secrets, playing "house"

Dating Profile

Mỹ is a young single mother living in Vietnam, cleaning toilets to barely get by. She knows that with a little bit of schooling she could create an infinitely better life for her daughter and her mom, but a lack of resources and time make that dream feel impossible. When a happenstance opportunity to visit America presents itself in the form of a Vietnamese-American mother—who is searching for a good, traditional wife for her youngest son—Mỹ jumps at the chance to create that better life for her family, and, if she has time, possibly track down the American father she’s never met. And while all of this may sound crazy, it doesn’t hurt that the photo of Cô Nga’s son is impossibly handsome (even if he does have sad eyes).

Yes, Khải is as gorgeous as a male model, but he's never been in a relationship, and that is just the way he likes it. His best friend/cousin died when he was a teenager and he didn’t even cry at the funeral, so coupling that with the fact that he’s on the autism spectrum, he will be the first to tell you that he is completely incapable of love. Sure, he cares for his family and he enjoys his job, but he’d never want to force anyone to be with him romantically if he couldn’t reciprocate.

Meet Cute

When Khải learns of the proposition Cô Nga made to a random stranger he is horrified, but he’s nothing if not a dutiful son, so he picks Mỹ up at the airport and holy crap. Esme (Mỹ’s American name for herself) is a bombshell sex-on-a-stick, and while he doesn’t believe in love, he’s not immune to his hormones. Esme knew it was going to be hard to make someone fall in love with her over a single summer, but her own mother reminded her in that a proper seduction can do wonders. If she’s going to stay under Khải’s roof, then she’s going to prove her worth in the kitchen, in the garden…and in the bedroom.

The Lean

Esme and Khải are so great together. He’s a virgin with little experience with the female species, and she’s a mixture of artful temptation and girlish innocence (it feels really wrong writing that out, because it makes her sound like a stereotypical male-fantasy sex-kitten, but please rest assured that she has excellent depth and an inner voice that make her more than a one-note character). There's the natural awkwardness of their situation—two strangers having to cohabitate—coupled with Khải’s mom trying to push them together at every opportunity, AND heightened romantic situations (like all those family weddings they must attend)…whew. There’s plenty of sexual tension, despite the fact that they are clearly warm for each other’s forms, because the reasons for them to stay apart or be together are all valid, nuanced, and realistic. I also love a sexy romance that also thinks things like communication and conveying your desires are just as important as all the hot bits.

Dirty Talk





Khải has had blinders on when it comes to women for a long time, so when he’s forced into close proximity to Esme, a lady who hates bras and apparently modeled her American wardrobe on pre-shopping spree Vivian from Pretty Woman, you know you’re going to be hearing a lot of inappropriate, repressed-virgin inner dialogue. We are definitely out of YA territory, so you will be seeing lots of detail—I’d recommend a DNRIP tag for this book, albeit for very different reasons than we normally use it for. *eyebrow waggles*

One of the best/worst moments for Khải and Esme is their first time. I don’t want to spoil too much, but OH, THE CRINGE. It’s no one’s fault, really, but you’ll be dying inside for a few pages.

We Need To Talk

I have been awaiting this book since I closed the back cover of The Kiss Quotient. (I may have cheered out loud when I was granted a Netgalley copy.) I’m happy to say it lived up to my sky-high expectations! Hoang has crafted another thoughtful, smart romance between two characters you don't often see in the romance genre. She’s taken common tropes and made them fresh, especially when you focus on Esme's immigrant take on America and her dreams for a better future for her and her family. It brings a sense of weightiness to the romance, knowing that her daughter and her mother are home waiting for her to be successful in some shape or form (Esme has other ideas about how to stay in the U.S. outside of just marrying Khải. Always good to have a back-up plan.) Even with all that riding on her, Esme is a ray of sunshine, charming everyone she meets and offering up a wickedly great voice, like here when she first sees a picture of Khải and feels jealous of the girl who would end up with him:

“He’d make a lucky girl even luckier someday, and they’d live a long, lucky life together. She hoped they experienced food poisoning at least once. Nothing life-threatening, course. Just inconvenient—make that very inconvenient. And mildly painful. Embarrassing, too.”

This is very much Esme’s story, but Khải is still a well-formed character in his own right. Much of their romantic issues stem from his autism and the fact that he’s never had to navigate it within a romantic relationship. How does he vocalize what he’s thinking, how can they relate physically within what makes him comfortable, etc.? His personal hang-ups about if he can love were probably my least favorite part of the book, if only because it felt like it took way too long to resolve them.

As with her first book, please do not skip Hoang’s Author’s Note at the end. Learning that writing Esme’s story helped Hoang relate better to her own immigrant mother was super touching. I kind of love that Helen Hoang seems to be gaining more insight into her own life through the process of writing both of her books than we are gaining joy out of simply reading them (and, trust, I get a LOT of joy from reading them).

Was It Good For You?



Was there every any doubt? The Bride Test is supremely satisfying. Hoang has confirmed that the third book in this “series” is going to finally get Quan (Khải’s older brother and Michael’s (from the first book) best friend) the attention he deserves. If I didn’t need a job I would be camped out on Helen’s lawn hoping for an early copy. If you liked The Kiss Quotient in any amount whatsoever, you will love this companion novel and relish the opportunity to fall in love with Esme. Happy reading!

Esme is basically a mail order bride. While cleaning the restrooms at a hotel in Vietnam she meets a woman who claims she is perfect for her son and says she will pay her to marry her son. Esme of course says no thinking of her mom, grandma, and her young daughter who share a small apartment. When Esme gets home her mom tells her she is crazy to miss the opportunity to move to America. She phones the woman and says she will do it for three months and if they are not in love after the summer then she will go back to Vietnam and not hear a word from the woman. Esme does have other motives a chance to find her father an American. Khai will give it three months but really doesn't want someone else in his space. He is doing it to get his mom off of his back. However when Esme and Khai first meet there is instant attraction but will either of them act on it?