Oof, this book started off SO good and promising. I adored the female MC, Trixie, a Vietnamese American who, much to her parents' dismay, sells sex toys for a living. It was such a great sex positive, hot, second chance romance, with the male MC, Andre, her ex boyfriend who had dumped her via a note. Honestly, I was like, he better grovel and grovel HARD because he owes her that. The book was steamy and good until the last 20%, when Andre made some moves that really bothered me and I couldn't get past it. Honestly, he had maybe too much pride and ego and in Trixie's shoes, I wouldn't have been able to trust him. The fact that he was putting her in a position where she had to choose between her dreams of opening her own store or him, it really rubbed me the wrong way and at that point, I stopped investing in them as a pairing. And if you can't get behind the pairing in a romance novel, then what even is the point? I just liked so much of the book leading up to that point and it's a real bummer that the last 20% fell apart for me.

It took me a while to get into Happy Endings, but once Trixie and Andre got going, so did my reading. Happy Endings is a second chance romance set in my favorite city, Washington DC. There was a lot I liked in this book, but I have to point out that Thien-Kim Lam does a stellar job with the sex toys. It’s unusual to see a lot of sex toy use outside of erotic romance, and it’s even more unusual to see sex toys used well. Trixie’s job is selling sex toys, and between talking about her work, and the public and private demonstrations, toys are woven into the story in a refreshing way. Trixie normalizes their use, making them sexy but not salacious.

Trixie and Andre had dated and even lived together in New Orleans until Andre broke up with Trixie by post it note and then disappeared. They reunite when Trixie agrees to hold a sex toy pop up store at a soul food restaurant during a bachelorette party. The restaurant is owned by Andre and his sister, Keisha. Trixie has disappointed her Vietnamese immigrant parents by dropping out of pharmacy school and further horrified them by selling sex toys. Trixie’s goal is to open her own sex toy shop. Andre’s goal is to keep the restaurant his mother started going in a gentrifying neighborhood. Both are trying to balance their own lives with familial expectations.

Second chance romances have some built in pitfalls. Having failed at romance once before, what has changed to make us believe the main characters will succeed a second time? About a quarter of the way in, I started to see why Trixie had loved Andre, but recovering from a break up by post it note is a hard sell. Andre has a lot to overcome in this book – learning to be a better communicator and partner, saving his restaurant, keeping his sister in school, and battling gentrification. I could have done with less of Andre’s pain, but Lam built such a charming cast of characters, I enjoyed the book overall.

The pluses:

Trixie is awesome.
Trixie and Andre are great together when he gets out of his own head.
Sex toys, as discussed above.
The food, dear god the food. I desperately want a fusion soul/Vietnamese restaurant now.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hello, my bookish friends! Today, I’m coming at you with a Netgalley review that is perfect for romance lovers who are looking to read more diversely! HAPPY ENDINGS by Thien-Kim Lam (a Vietnamese American author) follows Trixie Nguyen as she tries to start her own sex toy boutique, much to the dismay of her parents who disowned her when she dropped out of pharmacy school. However, Trixie is suddenly and randomly confronted with her boyfriend that dumped her via Post-In note two years ago…will she persevere with her dreams or will her ex in the way?

This books was s t e a m y - it is definitely not for closed door fans, by any means. And it seems incredibly sex positive; the heroine sells sex toys for a living and those are definitely used during several scenes. My only, only compliant about this book is that the writing was sometimes too repetitive (you know when the same phrase is used over and over again) - which could get distracting. However, I absolutely sailed through this one and can’t wait to see what this debut author will do next!


HAPPY ENDINGS is out May 18! Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the eARC to read and review!

CW // family disownment; death of a parent; hospital scenes; heart attack

4 stars

I requested this arc for one reason: the cover. The contents did not disappoint.

Trixie, the m.c., is living in D.C. and putting all of her energy into a surprising pursuit: starting her own adult pleasure shop. This is not the path she - or especially her more traditional parents - envisioned for her, but after a surprising breakup with Andre, she leaves New Orleans for a fresh start and many happy endings. Early in the novel, Trixie and Andre have a meet again cute, and they then explore new possibilities within the space of their two-years-later selves. Of course there is baggage, but they also have a lot of sex toys and related accessories this time, so who knows?!

While this novel does not contain the most complex plotting or characters, I found myself not caring at all because the representation, sex positivity, sex scenes, and food talk are all pretty solid. These characters definitely make some wild life choices, but they also have these areas on lock most of the time, so it's possible to root for them despite their lapses.

My expectations were middle of the road on the way in, but this book is a pleasant surprise in the aforementioned ways. Recommended for those who don't mind R ratings. :)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I am a little torn on this one. There is a lot of good including a focus on sex positivity for all, a diverse cast of characters, and the effects of gentrification. However, I just couldn’t connect with the characters. Andre was super unlikable and Trixie just fell kind of flat. They had chemistry in the bedroom scenes, but were not a believable couple outside of that. I was also annoyed by the “Boss Babes” group. It was pretty corny. Women can just be friends who empower each other without making it seem like a club with a cheesy title. Also, there was so much family drama that was built up for the entire book, but then it all just went away within a few pages at the end. It was a little too neat and a little too easy.

Thien-Kim Lam writes a steamy romance with insights into her Vietnamese heritage. Trixie Nguyen is not interested in being a doctor or lawyer but has her heart set on being a therapist. This does not please her parents. She works for a sex toy company and believes she is helping her customers have positive experiences with sex. She moved from New Orleans to prove she could support herself. Her boyfriend, Andre, left her after two years with barely a word when his mother was dying of cancer. Now they are reunited in Washington DC and she is working as a sex therapist and selling her toys in the restaurant Andre owns tends bar. This is a quick read and the characters are fun. The demonstrations Trixie does with her clients and the interaction with Andre reveals the work it takes to keep a relationship; trust, communication, and sharing.

Love the representation!

Trixie and Andre meet again after an unfortunate and abrupt end to their relationship but both are struggling to make their career dreams come true and aren’t sure if they want to risk their hearts again.

I really enjoyed the representation of Vietnamese-American family dynamics, Vietnamese and Soul food, and the importance of sex education and toys, at all ages! The discussions about community, family, and the impact of change and progress on them was nicely incorporated.

The strong female friend group was also nicely done and set the stage for future books.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

I received a electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trixie has moved from New Orleans to Washington, D.C. to get a fresh start after her break up with Andre, and to prove to her Vietnamese parents that she is not a failure, or less than her two older, successful siblings. Andre (with the childhood nickname of Tre) grew up in D.C. and moved to New Orleans to find out more about his deceased father, where he meets Trixie and they date for two years before he ghosts her and returns to D.C. to help his sister and cancer-stricken mother run his mother's restaurant. After his mother's death, he and his sister Keisha work hard to keep the restaurant going, and to keep the community together in the face of gentrification..
When Keisha talks Trixie into having a pop-up event at the restaurant,to help Trixie's sex-toy business take off, and to build business for the restaurant, Trixie and Andre meet again and the sparks start flying once again.

I really enjoyed the well-realized characters of this story as well as the pacing of it. The writing itself I found to be a little bit stilted, but on the whole this was a very enjoyable contemporary, second-chance romance.

This book had so much potential - breaking Asian stereotypes, empowering female sexuality, but it fell flat for me. Trixie, the daughter of New Orleans-based Vietnamese immigrants, sells sex toys. She moved to the DC area after a bad break-up. Her boyfriend of 2 years ghosted her, leaving nothing but a Post-It note! Plus, she had a fall out with her parents, who wanted her to take a safer career path - doctor, lawyer, pharmacist - not a vibrator salesperson.

Andre wants to save his late mama's soul food restaurant in the DC area. She left it to him and his sister, Keisha, but Andre is too alpha-male to let his sister have any say in the operation. Oh, and he's also the boyfriend who ghosted Trixie! Of course, Trixie and Keisha are friends, which means Andre and Trixie are thrown back together.

For two people who can communicate in the bedroom, they cannot have a mature conversation anywhere else. I rolled my eyes so many times at the dialogue and the inability to actually communicate.

I really do appreciate the opportunity to read this. Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager.

Great second chance romance featuring an interracial couple where neither one is white. Loved the women supporting women, the diversity, and the sex positivity/education aspects of the story. All of those things are so important in romance novels.

While I loved the concept and setup, some of the aspects of the story felt awkward, like breakup via post-it note ala Berger in SATC and Boss Babes as a nickname for a friend group. It also seemed like Andre and Trixie never figured out how to communicate with each other. And then the last few chapters felt kind of rushed, almost too easily resolved.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC

I adored this book. I don't always gravitate towards second chance romances, but this one utterly delighted me. I'm assuming it's the first in a series because I need to see ALL the Boss Babes get their happy endings (see what I did there?). The chemistry between Trixie and Andre sizzled, making the book a compulsive read. I loved Trixie, her plans, her dreams, and her sex toy sales pitches. I also found the discussion of gentrification thoughtful and nuanced, which isn't always the case in books where it's a secondary theme. This is a stellar debut by a romance novelist who's going on my insta-buy list.

3.8⭐️

I loved the female empowerment parts of this book. The Boss Babes are in fact, babes. Their never ending support for each other and push for their “unorthodox” goals was great. I’d visit all their business.

Trixie’s goals were for herself, but sometimes they were written as if it was just to prove to her parents that she could succeed, and I didn’t love that.

The relationship between Trixie and Andre was ... interesting? They seemed to have a connection that was more than just physical, but the communication problems made you wonder how they made it that close together?

All that said, I did enjoy the book. It held my attention and was a quick read. And again, the Boss Babes were bosses.

Trixie and Andre dated for two years until he broke up with her suddenly. With a post it note. Now they find themselves thrown back together as she conducts a series of pop ups for her sex toy business at the soul food restaurant he inherited from his mother.

I like how sex positive Trixie is, and how driven she is to succeed at her business. I like that she has a girl gang of fellow business women to support her. And I really like the physical chemistry that she and Andre have.

This is a nice book. It's diverse and own voices. There's good food and supportive friendships all around. It really shines in the intimate moments between Trixie and Andre where she asserts herself and he loves it. There's a scene where he's being so playful and joyful while naked that's beautiful.

But there's something missing for me. I'm not sure if I didn't get a good enough sense of their past connection to commit to their current connection. Sometimes language or scenes felt a little unnatural to me. I definitely didn't care for Andre's ultimatum to Trixie - I got it, but it felt so black and white and sudden. Maybe it was just the mood I read it in, but it's not 100% working for me. But it's so so close. Worth your time to see if it works for you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the sex positivity message of this second chance romance. Trixie, the heroine, knew what she wanted in her life and wasn't afraid to go after it. Although she couldn't afford to continue her schooling to earn a masters degree and become a therapist, after stumbling into a job selling sex toys, she made the most of it and figured out a way to educate people, especially women, about their bodies and how to fulfill themselves and was really making a difference in their lives. Trixie also had a great, supportive group of girlfriends, the Boss Babes, who always had her back.

However, the connection between Trixie and Andre never felt that strong to me and I wasn't convinced that he had changed enough for their relationship to work the second time around. It seemed like he needed to do more to deserve her and she forgave him far too easily. Trixie was moving on and changing, while Andre was stuck in past destructive patterns and having trouble breaking free of them. Overall, I'd recommend it for the portrayal of a strong, independent heroine, the friendships, and the sex toys, but the romance was a little lacking.

The main things this book has going for it is a diverse cast of characters, sex positivity, and an #ownvoices work. Unfortunately, beyond that, it's just a standard, kind of boring romcom wrapped up in sex toy packaging. Really, if the main character weren't selling sex toys, there would nothing to differentiate this story from the hundreds of other similar second chance romances.

With second chance romances, it's important to actually want the characters to get back together. I did not. I did not care for the hero, who seemed incredibly self-centered and pressuring. I had no investment in the main characters' relationship. I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Ultimately, I DNF'd this book at 50% in.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2 stars - 4/10

This hot and spicy HEA romance was a fun read, and I appreciated the diversity of the characters, created by an "own voice" Vietnamese American author. Central themes involved the constant battle to meet parental expectations and the families we create through love and support.

The book had weak spots, as well. The dialogue is often stilted and the characters aren't very well-developed. I recommend that you enjoy the book for what it is— fun, frothy, and sexy.

My thanks to #NetGalley, author Thien-Kim Lam and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was my pleasure. #HappyEndings

Second chance romance is one that I really struggle with finding realistic, but Lam has knocked it out of the park. From strong female characters to a vulnerable male lead, this book has everything. I wish we had a bit more dimension to Andre early on, but overall a great debut novel.

I absolutely thought Happy Endings was a fun and flirty second chance romance. Trixie and Andre were adorable together. I enjoyed the banter, extended cast of characters and the close female friendships.

What I loved more than anything is how the author portrayed Andre. We are given a one-sided impression of him at first but as the story enfolded, we see the raw emotions and facets to Andre's character.

Overall this was a solid read and I enjoyed this novel very much. Thank you to the publisher and Avon for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review. 4 stars! ~Ratula ❤

I am super impressed that this wad a debut novel because it was soooo good!!!

This was an own voices, multicultural, super sexy second chance romance between Trixie Ngyuen and her ex- Andre Walker. The two haven’t seen or spoken to each other since Andre walked out on Trixie in New Orleans two years prior and suddenly they are in a forced proximity working relationship and things heat up quickly.

Andre has a major chip on his shoulder from the start where he can’t ask for help or admit when he is in trouble but as he rekindles his relationship with Trixie his walls start to fall. Trixie is terrified of letting her heart get stomped on again but she cannot resist this man while also prioritizing her career.

The fact that Trixie’s profession is selling vibrators should give you a baseline for the romance which as I said heats up. Her friend group affectionally called the Boss Babes are all independent business owners who will do anything for one another and that includes support Trixie’s goals. I enjoyed their dynamic and loved that they always had her back.

Outside of the main couple, one of my favorite things was the neighborhood and the community around Andre’s restaurant. This was almost a love letter to that community and neighborhoods everywhere that are getting overly gentrified in favor of condos and shopping centers.

This was also a story about family expectations and how we’re supposed to blossom when we’re trying so hard to live up to those out dated expectations even if we’re the ones putting the pressure on ourselves.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good second chance romance.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Avon for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I really wanted to love this book. While the cover is super adorable and the plot was promising I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, it just wasn’t the book for me.