Overall, I liked this book. It had a lot of dynamics and situations that women deal with in different ways. Some I agreed with, others not so much. BUT I think I would have liked this book a lot more if there was a little ... less ... going on. It was hard for me to keep up with but I think it's just a matter of preference. I prefer less stories taking place at once! If you can keep up with all of the details, it's enjoyable!

At times hilarious and heartbreaking, this story was so fun. I loved seeing the mother/daughter and sister dynamics, and the generational differences. It was sweet and serious, and I really liked it.

I loved this book. Idk why it took me so long to read it it. But it was so good! I need the physical copy. It literally had me in from sentence one.

Such a great family drama, a little hard to keep track of everyone but the family tree at the beginning was really helpful. The drama felt believable while also just dramatic enough to be comical and keep me going

A really fun, dramatic summer read! Full of hilarious, delightful characters who will keep you flipping pages to see what they’ll get up to next. A really sweet ending, about family, forgiveness & rebuilding family bonds that have frayed over the years. My only critique is that I wish the characters were a bit more deeply developed.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh is a perfect fit for readers who appreciate stories about strong, resilient Vietnamese women and their complex relationships, particularly those who enjoy exploring themes of family, identity, and cultural heritage through a blend of humor, heart, and a touch of magic.

well written and coming from different points of view. Loved loved the mother and hope to read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

Really enjoyed this title. Felt that the multiple point of views were a bit confusing since there were so many characters, but I did enjoy the overall story and connection with all the women in the family.

Family drama, multiple POVs, a curse, Vietnamese culture, and grief.

This book was not for me. And I felt like the Duong women just kept blaming each other. Plus there was so many people that I could not keep track of it.

 

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

An excellent debut telling the story of a family of Vietnamese women coming together after separated based on a prophecy one of the mothers receives. The Fortunes of Jaded Women captures how far mothers will go to make a better life for their children, especially their daughters. Talk about intricate and tricky relationships; as a daughter I would know! Rich with culture, highly extra with laugh out loud moments and overly dramatic, you'll be over the moon at having selected this novel.

3.5 ⭐

This book is chaotic--full of messy women, relationships, and drama--but entertaining. Similar to The Joy Luck Club, reading this made me feel like I need to call my mom more.

There are quite a few characters to remember. I could mostly keep them all straight, but some of the less-mentioned for a little fuzzy. But the story mostly focuses around one family line. Many of the chapters take place in their perspectives, so it's easy to keep those threads straight. My other tiny issue with the book is that there are times when dialogue goes on longer than I'd prefer without necessarily revealing new information to the reader.

Overall, I liked this book and how it explores the different effects of generational trauma across different people, even within the same family.

I was blown away by this poignant and heartwarming examination of generational female trauma. The Duong women are cursed, and everyone in Little Saigon knows it but what if this was the year to change everything. When oldest daughter Mai is given three monumental predictions for the year to come: a funeral, a wedding, and a pregnancy she realizes that it is time to mend bridges. Carolyn Huynh beautifully explores the mother-daughter relationship, parental expectations, and the immigrant experience in a highly compelling fashion. I cried, I laughed, and my heart swelled. I heartily recommend this book to everyone, a well deserved five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a beautifully written tribute to mothers and daughters. The characters are imperfectly perfect. They make mistakes and mess up and find love and find themselves. I laughed, I cried. I related; both as a daughter and as a mother. Perfection.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a poignant tale about generations of mothers and daughters at odds. From moments of loss and loneliness to epic arguments at top volume, this family saga makes you think even as it entertains. The story follows the Duong clan of women, cursed long ago to birth daughters rather than sons. We get POVs from all the women in the latest three generations. Refugees from Vietnam, most of them are now located in Orange County, California. They've been burdened with the traumas of that relocation, percolating down through the generations. But they've also experienced triumphs, pride, and complicated love. At the beginning of the story, we find the thirteen women (I was extremely grateful for the family tree at the front of the book until I got to know everyone) of the family largely estranged and unsure how to find their way back to each other. A psychic promises the family will see a death, a wedding, a pregnancy, and an end to the curse in the next calendar year, but it's crucial the women reconnect and heal their bonds.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the plethora of POVs. It encourages a snappy pace and gives the reader more to consider through the characters' diverse experiences. Though they have shared backgrounds as members of the same family and community, each has her own worries and aspirations. Some themes cross boundaries across POVs, like the rampant racism the women must endure and the difficult relationships in their lives, for better and for worse. Other connection points across stories are unexpected or coincidental, exploding into some serious drama at the end of the book. I also liked that two POVs in particular portray struggles with mental health issues, which is always important to see on the page.

The ending has a couple of twists I enjoyed, and it sends the women off on new adventures. Some are on the paths they hoped for, some are headed where they never dreamed was possible, and others are recalibrating to imagine a new future. For those who like stories of family and literary or women's fiction, I think this is a must-read. Thanks to Atria for my copy to read and review!

This big novel about a extended family of cursed Vietnamese women is filled with herbalists, fortune tellers, and expat men. Set in the Little Saigon area of California the younger adult women are looking for love under the watchful eye of their older mothers and aunts who believes no one marries for love. The novel takes readers on a journey through reunions, deaths, funerals, weddings, and births as the women argue their way through each event. There are hysterically funny moments that shed light on the shopping and saving habits of the family.

THE FORTUNES OF JADED WOMEN follows a family of Vietnamese women living in the U.S. who believe they’ve been cursed to only have daughters who will never know true love and happiness. The story is told from multiple perspectives and explores the hardships of each generation. These strong-willed characters have their ups and downs but would ultimately move mountains for each other. The story is full of humor, drama and has a wide cast of fiery, complex characters. This was an entertaining read about complicated family dynamics, Vietnamese culture and the immigrant experience and I highly recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This multigenerational story is of the Duong sisters who have supposedly been cursed as their ancestor left her marriage for a true love. Part of the curse if that they would only have daughters and never sons. Yet, one of the sisters has a trusted psychic and predicts that the family will have a marriage, a funeral and the birth of a son. This brings the family together and ups and downs. This book was enjoyable as it brought a story about a Vietnamese family and all that family can bring - history, hurt, healing and the beauty of these relationships. I also appreciated that it was a story of about women.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh - This book was lighthearted and a good palette cleanser break between heavier reads. I have a hard time with characters making thick-headed decisions based on faulty or insufficient information they could have easily gotten without much effort *and* with really wild coincidences the writer puts in to make the story work. However, even though this story of lively Vietnamese women in a family cursed to be unlucky in love and bear only female offspring if full of unbelievable and/or improbable scenarios and chaotic decisions, the overall tone of whimsy and lightheartedness made it all come together and work for me more than most. Instead of rolling my eyes, I found myself chuckling. While I don't see myself remembering details of this story a year from now, it was good fun and a highly entertaining read.

This was a great book! A priority purchase for libraries with strong Asian American Interest as well as a solid book club selection

I cannot hold back in my love for this story. Living in Orange County. I have visited Little Saigon, been fascinated by the traditions, the smalls , the sounds, the dialects. It’s an amalgamation of mystery, tradition and fun. All of that is present. Mai Nguyen, a woman bound by tradition, is also trapped by a curse on the family. A family of women each dealing with their points in life that are testing their faith in each other and the need to persevere. Mai tends to her family , one cursed to only bear females, with an iron hand. It is her daughters , all products of modern life, that keep you reading till the end. I can see this as a movie, it’s that visual. I applaud its use of magic and mysticism to keep the historical slant real. I look forward to the next tale by this voice in fiction.