This is just plain old cute. And while the story could have been about any woman, Lucie Yi is a fun, smart, Asian woman and it is so interesting to read about her life and the culture that has shaped her. It's chick lit with a nice cultural twist and most women should enjoy her dilemma and be happy with the how Lucie arrives at her own happy ending.

Huge thanks to PRH International, and Taylor Hahn for my E-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic is a fantastic rom-com that defies conventional expectations. The story mainly focuses on Lucie, a 37-year-old lady who wants to have a child but hasn't found a relationship since having her heart shattered a few years ago. She joins an app that matches individuals who want to co-parent platonically or romantically, based on a common desire to have a kid with two loving parents in their life.

I was not too fond of Lucie as I got more into this universe, but she was an independent and strong character who I admired at first. There were times when I was so upset by her initial arrogance and refusal to accept other people's points of view - but that's precisely what made her journey so genuine. I particularly appreciated the depth with which we got to examine Lucie's love triangle, as well as how we witnessed Lucie navigate her growing relationships with her parents and friends.

The writing style was simple to read, which is usually a bonus. I enjoyed the banter between Lucie and Collin and Lucie and her friends; I wish I were as hilarious and quick-witted as Lucie. Overall, Lauren shows us the complex reality of anyone's decision to become a parent and the legitimacy and beauty of various pathways and types of love.

This was just...not for me. Let me start by saying I think I am definitely younger than the target demographic for this book as a 23-year old, unattached gal. I, like Suzie (Lucie's best friend), currently have very little interest in the actual logistics that come with having a child. I got very bored with them fighting over money. I understand it's obviously a big issue, one I do not think Lucie handled well, but it just didn't hold my interest.

This burn was far too slow for me, considering she was with her terrible ex for most of this book. Mark sucked and I don't really know why she continually convinced herself she needed to be with him. Our girl Lucie definitely needed some therapy to work through her attachment issues (this is brought up and promptly discarded). She literally let this man claim that her baby with another man was actually his and never defended the actual father of the baby.

I like Collin's character, even though he's treated poorly, and I liked learning about a different culture's perspective on marriage and pregnancy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucie Yi is a strong female character exciting and unique premise. Besides, I wasn't convinced about her relationship with the other book characters. She didn't have much chemistry, making the relationships less believable.

This book dealt with some heavy topics, family issues, generational differences, divorce, women's societal roles, miscarriage, spousal cheating, and a few more.

There were parts of the book I heard myself laughing out loud. Overall, I enjoyed parts of the book but struggled with some unrealistic scenarios.

This book is based on such a clinical premise. Lucia’s biological clock is quickly winding down. She wants a baby pronto. She signs up for a parent matching site and meets Collin. They decide to go for it, but life gets in the way.
I thought Lucie made some really bad decisions after she got pregnant. I kept waiting for common sense to find her.
It’s a modern romance, based on computer science.

In her sophomore novel, Ho has once again proven that she can write with humor and heart– even when tackling difficult subjects. All the feels in this modern and very original story. The characters, the voice, bring everything to life. I loved every word, every page. Brava!

Lauren Ho returns with her sophomore release, LUCIE YI IS NOT A ROMANTIC! Thank you @putnambooks for the e-ARC—LUCIE is out on 6/23.

A charming, fast-paced read, our eponymous protagonist is an ambitious consultant in New York who, in her struggles to find love, signs up for a co-parenting website; she has a child with a man presented to her by the algorithm and moves back to Singapore, where she must confront her traditional family, ex-fiancé, and developing feelings for the father.

As with LAST TANG STANDING, Ho’s voice is tongue-in-cheek, and this enables her to deliver hard-hitting truths with a spoonful of sugar. She balances romantic comedy with developed interpersonal relationships between characters and their friends, family, and partners. Lucie, at her worst, can be a little self-centered and stubborn, but she has so much heart that her drive only makes her more well-rounded, an excellent vehicle for Ho’s social and cultural commentary. Not only does she write a slow-burn friends-to-lovers plot, but she also addresses pertinent real-life issues, and this is where her books stand out. I was very interested in her analysis of motherhood, unconventional family structures, and gender expectations in Singapore, which I learned leans more conservatively on these issues. I also have a soft spot for character arcs where the protagonist comes into their own and begins to advocate for themselves, and this is exactly the case here.

Overall, Lucie Yi is most definitely a romantic, and I think fans of LAST TANG STANDING will enjoy Ho’s second book. From what I recall, this one is even funnier and more chaotic; entertaining and original, it cements Ho as a reliable feel-good author for me.

I really liked the premise of this story—I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, and the overall concept felt very unique. The writing style itself was fun and light, which I also enjoyed, but something about this just didn’t work for me unfortunately. Part of my problem, I think, was that Lucie acted so much younger than her age a lot of the time? Which is fine generally but a personal dislike in books—if your character is going to act like they’re in their mid-20s, I’d rather they actually be in their mid 20s

If you’re looking for a friends to lovers book that is absolutely captivating then look no further than LUCIE YI IS NOT A ROMANTIC by Lauren Ho. It handles motherhood, parenting stigmas, cheating partners, and life with such grace and humor. This book is a not like all the others out there. If you’re in a reading rut, this book will get you out of it quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s first novel and was so excited to get my hands on this one!

WHAT. A. RELATABLE. PROTAGONIST. Lucie Yi is 37 year old single career focused woman taking a non-traditional path to have a child. She has two very different, equally amazing best friends and a strained relationship with her parents. I felt like I knew all of the characters in this novel. Who hasn’t re-examined their relationships and priorities, especially over the last two years? And, honestly, who hasn’t contemplated getting back with an ex?

I’m rating this a 3/5 because I was unable to finish it. Unfortunately, there were some triggering things in it that had me struggle to continue to read. However, the writing of this story (of what I read) was wonderful and I know many people will enjoy this story.

I really enjoyed this book! I’m always interested in seeing the traditional Asian cultural references since my daughter in law and her parents are from Singapore. So much of it rings true. I didn’t read Last Tang Standing by the author, but I loved her writing style and humor on this one. I thought the relationship between Lucie and Collin was sweet and authentic and heartwarming. I loved the puns!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for my advance readers e galley in exchange for my review

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
As leery as I am of pregnancy and fertility related storylines and (especially) plot twists, I love finding a book that looks to reinvent the wheel a bit, especially when they market the book as such. Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic does this from its initial premise of seeing a driven career woman take a businesslike approach to conceiving a child through an elective co-parenting website.
Lucie is easy to root for, and while I don’t want children myself, I can totally understand where she’s coming from, given what she’s been through and how those events have made her who she is today. I also love how proactive she is in going after this unconventional road to parenthood, even if her traditional parents don’t approve, subtly highlighting the cultural divide in Asian diaspora families, with specific focus on the difference between Singapore and the US.
I also really liked how, while the chemistry is there with Collin early on, it’s not instant fireworks, and they do have to work on getting to know each other to at least make co-parenting work. The inclusion of the awkward, non-explicit sex scene highlighting one of their attempts at conception aids in this.
However, their relationship develops to the point where it’s so solid, I don’t understand how Lucie can still have doubts. I mean, yes, her ex comes back into the picture, and they have a long, complicated history. But he really hurt her, and just because he’s “gone to therapy and worked on himself,” doesn’t mean she should take him back. She does come to this realization eventually, but it sucked to see her hurt Collin in the process, when he’d been nothing but supportive.
In spite of the title, Lucie Yi most definitely is a romantic, and this book is sweet and heartfelt, discussing difficult topics with a light touch. Would recommend, if it sounds of interest to you.

I liked the premise of this book it was different. I liked the chemistry between Lucie & Collin.
I liked how we see Lucie creating the life she wants in a non-traditional way. With a dating-ish app but for finding a partner to have a child with.
Different but likable.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

If you enjoyed similar stories/ you will enjoy this book. It took me a little to get into but did. It is refreshing to see stories like this.

🤰 First novel I read by Lauren Ho and the truth is that I liked it, I enjoyed it, it was entertaining but I would like to read another novel by her to finish getting an idea of ​​her way of writing and how she goes deeper (or not) into the themes dealt with in the novel.⁣
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Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic is a novel that I don't usually read much: romance, love triangles and pregnancies. No, it's not much of my comfort zone. But it was interesting to get out of it and experiment.⁣
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🤰 I think it's an ideal book to be adapted, to watch a rainy day with a bowl of popcorn and laugh, cry and be outraged for a while. Because that's what the book is about. And it's very cool!⁣
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What I liked least about the novel is how little it delves into some topics: motherhood, friendship, family. And I think I would have liked to see more of that. See the why, the how, the way it unfolds. That was something that I was missing and that I personally expected to find. Doesn't having it make it a bad novel? Not at all. I just expected something else.⁣
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🤰 There were times when I wanted to tear my hair out because of the protagonist's behavior, who wanted to yell at her "FRIEND TELL YOU" but clearly couldn't. There was one character in particular that I hated, I didn't want to see him at all and every single thing he did added negative points. #SorryNotSorry⁣
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An interesting experience, a movie that I would see on a weekend without much to do. I would love to read more from the author!⁣
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❗ It has scenes and sensitive topics ❗

The premise of Lucie finding someone to parent with through an app and getting pregnant was a good story line. I adored Collin and felt like he might have been the only character that I understood. I loved the chemistry and banter between Collin and Lucie, although Lucie seemed so rigid much of the time. I found the culture and traditional ways of Lucie’s family and much of Singapore to be very eye opening compared to the culture we normally see.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and perspective but had issues with some of the development of characters and lack of development of side characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

This wasn’t for me. I found the lead character and her friends annoying and unrelatable. Do people really spend their days thinking about this kind of stuff? I just don’t understand it. Lucie was a label name dropping annoyingly airheaded character

When Lucie Yi - late 30s, single, and a workaholic - finds herself crying in a baby store she realizes she has to do something totally out of her comfort zone to take the next steps in her life. She signs up for the Tinder of finding a platonic co-parent and finds Collin Read, an easy on the eyes early 40s IT dude who seems like a perfect platonic match. And from there an entire soap opera unfolds filled with things I won’t tell you, because I don’t want to ruin the fun!

This was a really cute, sweet, and unusual love story. There were definitely times I wanted to strangle Lucie who is about as conflicted emotionally as you can possibly be about so much of her life. But I really enjoyed the female friendship, the peek into Singaporean family and cultural dynamics, and thoughts on work/life priorities here.

This is another romance that leans far more sweet than spicy. I really rooted for this couple! I somehow missed Ho’s earlier work, Last Tang Standing, but do plan on picking it up in the future.