I really enjoyed this charming debut romance about traditions, family, and finding love in unexpected places - and people!

Lunar Love centers around two rivals who are in the matchmaking business using the Chinese Zodiac, with two very different approaches. Olivia is a third generation matchmaker who strongly believes in the traditional method of using the signs to predict compatibility. Bennett is launching a dating app called ZodiaCupid which makes matches using algorithms and data.

When Olivia and Bennett clash on a podcast, they make a bet that they can find the other love using their different matchmaking approaches. Whoever falls in love first loses the bet, and the other wins several new accounts. For Olivia, the stakes couldn’t be higher, as winning this bet could save her family’s business. But as she spends more time with Bennett, she begins to question what matters most to her, and what risks she is willing to take with her own heart.

I love learning about other cultures, and this aspect of the book was by far my favorite! I’ve always been interested in the Chinese Zodiac and knew my sign (I’m a pig - which is so accurate for me!) and I loved learning more about it from Olivia’s POV. But this book is so much more - it also beautifully examines Chinese heritage, traditions, and biracial representation. Also the food in this book is incredible and had me googling the nearest Chinese bakery!

Olivia may not be the most likable character to everyone, but I loved her and could empathize with her struggle to discover and define herself independently in a way that still reconciles her family beliefs and traditions. While she can seem a bit rigid at times, I think this is realistic because this was the belief system she was brought up in and lens from which she grew to understand love, which was reinforced by some heartbreak.

Bennett is your typical cinnamon roll MMC, but overall he felt a little bland to me. I loved all the dates they went on, but their chemistry was a bit lacking. Some of the dialogue felt a bit stiff, but there were also moments of some very cute banter.

Overall, this is a sweet and light debut novel that’s the perfect read to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year! I look forward to seeing what the author does next!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central) Pub for this eARC!

📖Book: Lunar Love
⭐️Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏼Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
📚Genre: Romance
🗏 Pages: 307
💕Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Opposites Attracts, Clean Romance
⚠️Warnings: Death
🔖Readability: 4/5 italic font is used
🥇First Line: In my almost eight years of matchmaking, there's one thing I know to be true: love is like the moon.

Things to expect:
✨Chinese Zodiacs
❤️Laugh out loud
💞FOOD FOOD FOOD
💛Banter
🪴Personal Growth

Matchmaker Matchmaker make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch. Olivia is just that, a matchmaker who is always matching but never the match. She has taken over the family business, but when she learns that a new dating app has made her grandmother's traditional Chinese zodiac approach about "animal attraction," she hatches a plan to save her family legacy. What could go wrong? Not the creator of the app being LA's most eligible bachelor, Bennette. Things take a turn when the two businesses go head to head, and a bet is made. Olivia and Benette will find each other a match, and whoever falls first LOSES. Who will win?

I was smiling the entire time reading this one, and the number of quotes I have highlighted would get me kicked off the island for sure, but I couldn't help myself. Lauren's writing is so captivating, with believing characters. I was completely immersed in the story that I chucked my kindle into my pool. RIP Kindle. Honestly, I would do it all over again to reread this story for the first time. However, this one might be clean; it really gives you that warm rom-com feeling that leaves you wanting more. I can't wait to see what is coming next. Run, don't walk for this one. Out everywhere now.

Thank you to Forever and Lauren Kung Jessen for the ARC of Lunar Love. All my opinions are my own.

Olivia Huang Christenson is ready to take over her family’s matchmaking business, Lunar Love, which matches people based on their Chinese zodiac. Liv is a firm believer in the importance of compatibility between Chinese zodiacs to ensure that a relationship will work out. That’s why she’s mad to see a new matchmaking service app enter the Los Angeles playing field. The app doesn’t focus on compatibility between zodiacs and Liv is furious. When she meets the founder of the app, Bennett, the two instantly butt heads over the importance of tradition and compatibility. They make a deal to set each other up on dates as their businesses start to rival one another. Whoever falls in love loses.

The two main characters in this book were incredible. They both could hold their own as characters outside of the romantic relationship, which I appreciated. Bennett was such a great book boyfriend. His banter, his way of showing his love, and his relationship with Liv’s family really got to me🥹.

Both Olivia and Bennett are Chinese-American and they discuss their experiences being mixed race. I enjoyed reading about their perspectives and feelings, and the conversations they had around identity crises. At one point, Olivia talks about how she isn’t fluent in Mandarin and feels sad that she can’t read in the language her family grew up with. This resonated with me because I left my home country of Greece when I was 5. While I can still speak Greek, I can’t read or write very well and I feel like there’s a language barrier between me and my own dad, who doesn’t speak much English.

I liked that the “rivals to lovers” aspect wasn’t immature. I find that a lot of times, this trope and “enemies to lovers” don’t work for me because the main characters seem immature to be at odds with each other over a silly reason. But there were logical reasons to be rivals in this book, and it still wasn’t overblown and discussed every few pages.

This book had a great balance between romance, family, and the business aspects. I learned so much about the Chinese zodiac, cultural Chinese traditions, and the FOOD😍 I loved it!!!

I took off 1 star only because the ending wrapped up a little quickly for my liking. There were a few things discussed in the epilogue that I would’ve wanted to see more of. Sequel soon??👀

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this arc!

4/5

Lunar Love is a sweet and romantic read that flows very easily and oftentimes had me forgetting that I was reading at all. The characters are delightful and fleshed out and genuinely likable. I really enjoyed Lauren Kung Jessen's style and the way she describes imagery and emotions without dragging on. All in all this book was an absolute pleasure to read and I'm glad for the experience. I would recommend Lunar Love to lovers of sweet, fluffy romance without any major drama.

Grab your swiss rolls and your homemade dumplings and settle in to the sweet treat that is LUNAR LOVE. I absolutely adored this debut from Lauren Kung Jessen. There was so much to love! All the food references (seriously, have some snacks ready!) and wonderful family dynamics had me hooked from the start, and when you add in the slow burn, rivals to lovers element, I was a goner! Olivia and Bennett will steal your heart, no matter what your zodiac sign is.

When Olivia realizes that Bennett is the mastermind behind ZodiaCupid, the online dating app threatening to overtake her family’s matchmaking business, Lunar Love, she holds nothing back. They both agree to find the perfect match for the other person, and the first one who falls in love loses. From their innocent meet-cute to planning the perfect first dates for one another, Olivia begins to see Bennett in a whole new light as they start to spend more time together. And she begins to realize that incompatibility on paper doesn’t necessarily translate to incompatibility in the real world…

One of the things I loved most about this book—besides the blossoming love story—was all the nods to Olivia and Bennett’s Chinese heritage. There is something so special about reading a book that reflects so much of your own life. I saw foods that I love, traditions that are still practiced in my family, and so many similar details that are prevalent in my immigrant family. We lived with my Pó Po growing up, and I drew a lot of parallels between Olivia and her own grandmother. All of the foods and pastries that she describes are all foods that my family and I have for special occasions, and even for regular occasions as well. Reading Olivia’s family’s traditions reminded me of my own, and—like both Olivia and Bennett—that I’m still learning as well. Both of them find solace with each other as mixed-race Chinese Americans, which is a beautiful bond that they form. And because this is a romance, you’ll also read about the slow but undeniable attraction that grows between them, and you’ll have a front row seat to when they realize that their perfect matches weren’t too far away after all.

A huge thank you to the author, Forever, and NetGalley for the arc of LUNAR LOVE. It’s out today and it’s one that you definitely don’t want to miss. The moon is just past full, the stars are aligned, and I can predict that you’ll match perfectly with this book and a cocktail bun from your local Chinese bakery. Gānbēi! Cheers!

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
I DNF-ed 2 books to start the year and put me in a little slump when I decided to pick this one up. Soon as i started, i was instantly smitten! This book definitely drew me in and out of my mini-slump. So that says a lot about how good it was!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for my ARC!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Olivia is set to take over her family’s matchmaking business. When there’s a new dating app taking over the industry, she is determined to overthrow the competition. The owner happens to be Bennett, the handsome and charming bachelor in town. When a business opportunity presents itself, both of them make a deal to find a match for each other their way. Whoever falls in love, loses.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Ahh this stunning debut was one solid enemies to lovers rom-com that came with excellent banter. It was so darn witty and cute! I was thoroughly impressed with the writing that it felt like I breezed through it. It’s such a different take on dating and totally held my attention from start to finish. Aside from the undeniable chemistry between the two MCs, I really loved how the book highlighted the importance of tradition and family in this modern world. I loved learning about the Chinese culture, but most of all, the yummy delicacies! I did find the MC a bit immature at times, but other than that, I loved how things played out in the end. Especially her self realization and growth. Give this sweet romance a go if you’re looking for one!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱, 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱, 𝘓𝘈 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘴

Mixed, matchmaking and rivalry....

I enjoyed this debut novel, focused around two mixed heritage matchmakers with differnt approaches. Olivia (Liv) is taking over her grandmother's matchmaking service. Only, Bennett, her competition is set to change up matchmaking with an app and new algorithims.

I loved all the bakery scenes, but I actually didn't like Bennett (especially stealing buns, no poaching, ever).
But, as a hapa person, I could appreciate how few books address mixed topics and how much Liv and Bennett actually have in common.
Recommend.

Lunar Love is Lauren Kung Jessen’s debut novel, and it’s wonderful. Rival matchmaking company owners compete with fantastic banter and sparks galore. Olivia (Liv) Huang Christensen is taking over the family business, Lunar Love, which follows her Po Po’s (grandmother’s) traditional matchmaking based on the Chinese zodiac. When a new, shiny app hits the market focusing on a less traditional, more flashy approach, Liv is prepared for battle with the founder - LA’s most eligible bachelor, Bennett O’Brien.

Liv and Bennett were delightful together and had great chemistry. I also enjoyed learning more about Chinese culture and traditions that were followed by Liv’s family throughout the story and their experiences. It’s not a steamy/spicy story, but the story was so sweet that I didn’t mind one bit. I look forward to seeing what Lauren writes next!

Note-I received an advanced reading copy from Forever / Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is excellent on multiple levels. First, the enemies-to-lovers romcom-itude is served up deliciously through Liv and Bennett and their rival matchmaking businesses. A++ banter between these two characters! And second, I feel I learned a lot about Chinese-American culture through the lens of these characters. Lunar Love is a stellar debut (pun intended :D ) and I can't wait to read what Jessen writes next.

Lunar Love follows Olivia Huang Christenson as she takes over her grandmother’s Chinese zodiac matchmaking business and learns of a competing new dating app stealing her grandmother’s business idea. Olivia works to take down the competition, L.A.’s most eligible bachelor Bennett O’ Brien the face behind the app. She knows better than to fall in love but slowly does.

Once I learned of the release of Lunar Love, I just knew I needed to get my hands on a copy. When I saw that I had been approved for it on Netgalley, I was super excited to jump into it and I was not disappointed in the slightest!

Lunar Love is a wonderfully written rival-to-lovers romance that many readers will fall in love with. It’s a swoon-worthy romance filled with humorous banter, the chemistry between both characters feeling natural and realistic.

The story follows Olivia, our determined and headstrong protagonist who does matchmaking as her career but is stubborn when it comes to her love life. When it comes to matchmaking, she believes in compatibility and that opposites attract will just lead to disaster. She’s a firm believer in tradition at times unwilling to change what she’s known for so long in terms of matchmaking.

When Olivia meets Bennett, she immediately disagrees with his beliefs of modernizing the Chinese zodiac matchmaking and that opposites do attract. Jessen creates a compelling commentary on traditionalism and modern beliefs of love and compatibility, a point of contention between Olivia and Bennett that fuels the rivals-to-lovers trope. Lunar Love demonstrates that different ways of honoring the heritage are all important and deserve to be celebrated.

As the relationship between Olivia and Bennett begins to grow, they begin to bond over being of mixed race and often feel like they don’t know where they truly belong. Together, they try to find where they belong despite the expectations weighing them down. With Lunar Love being from the lens of mixed-race characters, it provides a perspective that often is left out in fiction giving mixed readers a story to relate to.

Lunar Love brings a unique concept to classic rom-com tropes, creating a fresh and captivating take on matchmaking. Before reading Lunar Love, I wasn’t aware that there were in-person matchmaking businesses and that matchmaking can be done using Chinese Zodiac signs. Learning more about the Chinese Zodiac signs was interesting and paired with the exploration of traditional vs. modern views made my reading experience even more enjoyable.

Lunar Love is perfect for readers looking for a heartwarming rivals-to-lovers romance that features competing matchmaking businesses, Chinese Zodiac signs, and mixed-race representation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
- bakery/food focused romance
- enemies to lovers
- Chinese culture
- grump x sunshine

Olivia is just a few hours away from taking over her family business; a Chinese Zodiac matchmaking business. Her grandmother (and current matriarch) has a near perfect match rate, so she knows what pressure feels like!! She unwillingly stumbles into “Bakery Guy” at her favourite Chinese bakery, where he tries to steal the last cocktail bun right out of Olivia’s tongs! She soon finds out that this cocktail bun thief is none other than Bennett, who just so happens to be working on a matchmaking APP!! This new age app could potentially put Olivia and her family’s old school style of matchmaking right out of business. Things get messy and complicated when Bennett and Olivia begin a competition to find each other the best match— and prove once and for all who is actually the best matchmaker.

This was a very fun read, and I flew right through it! I absolutely loved the descriptions of the food/baked goods, and I really enjoyed the little illustrations at the beginning of every chapter 💕
I really enjoyed the format of part storytelling, part text message exchange between the characters. Not only is it pleasing to my eyes to break up the monotony of black and white text page after page (ebook), but I also really enjoy seeing the two different POVs.
I have been reading a few Chinese inspired novels lately, and I am really enjoying learning about the culture! I love reading it in an enjoyable story like this so it’s not just reading facts, but I am learning new things while also enjoying what I am reading. I love learning some new words and some new recipes that I have never experienced before.
The characters were very likeable and I was very much invested in the relationship between and Bennett. They dynamic between them was tense and hilarious; it was exactly my kind of humour and I laughed out loud more than once!
The built up tension between the two main characters made me SO MAD!! But so excited to keep reading at the same time; I couldn’t wait to see them finally end up together!
This was the perfect laugh-out-loud rom com and I loved the match-making element to it! Such an enjoyable, light-hearted read!

Lunar Love is the epitome of a cozy, easy rom-com book! I devoured this book in two days! I loved the banter between Olivia and Bennett and I couldn’t stop rooting for them to make it work. The story and ending were pretty predictable, but that just added to the comfort for me! I will absolutely be recommending this to friends and family.

For me, I'm drawn to romance because it can be an escape from real life problems and issues. As long as there's a happy ending, I'm good! Lunar Love is the sort of romance that blends real life problems and issues with classic tropes and makes it work. Part of this books charm and appeal is that Olivia's problems and dedication to her family and business feel so real but! There's plenty of classic romance tropes mixed in, like rivals-to-lovers, slow-burn, a little bit of secret identity, a meet-cute--a perfect mix. Olivia and Bennett are so good together and how they make their relationship work feels so realistic but also perfectly romantic. An excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Lunar Love! It was a cute and very quick read that gave me more insight into the Chinese zodiac. I was born in the Year of the Snake, and knew that, but that's about as far as my knowledge went. Reading this story, did, however, send me immediately to Google Snake's compatibility with the Ox (my husband), and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, according to Google at least, we have excellent compatibility, which would please main character Liv...not that compatibility is the only key to a happy relationship, we learn in Lunar Love thanks to Bennett! I found myself with the biggest grin throughout most of the book, in the moments where I wasn't screaming for Liv to open her freaking eyes. Or drooling over the very (very) descriptive food. I think this Snake may need to convince the Ox upstairs to take her out for Chinese food tonight to appease the craving this book started! Read this book, it's lovely! <3

This was such a fun, sweet read! I loved getting to deep dive into Chinese culture and learn more about the Chinese zodiac, especially in relation to compatibility, and to see a pair of mixed race characters at the forefront of a romance. Olivia's family ties and deep loyalty to her family were excellently executed and I loved to see her fight for tradition (even if she learned to bend along the way) in the face of modern advancement. Bennett was such a sweet cinnamon roll of a hero (my favorite kind!) and watching him spar with Olivia was a delight.

The great things about this book are the representation of Chinese culture, mixed race characters, and all the food! There is also multi-generational family and it's set in Los Angeles' Chinatown.

While the premise is cute, I didn’t love the author’s writing style and found it plodding I really had to work at it to stay engaged, but that may be a me issue. (I just finished a binge of one of the best romance writers of our time and this first novel requires more patience.)

All in all, this is a welcome, fresh, diverse addition to the world of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first 5 star read of 2023! I could not put it down! The characters are so well written and rich in depth. I loved the exploration of modernizing traditions in culture while honoring traditions from the past. This is a closed door romance that left me wanting more, but absolutely loved it!

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
Rating: 3.5 stars
Closed Door
Pub Date: 1/10

Lunar Love is a sweet, enemies-to-lovers rom-com and the Novel Friend’s Book Club pick for January!

Olivia is taking over her family’s matchmaking business, and she feels pressure to keep their traditional ways intact. Her family’s matchmaking is based on the Chinese zodiac, and when she learns about a new dating app that also uses the Chinese zodiac to match its members, she worries it could ruin her business. She’s determined to meet the owner of the app and assess how much of a threat it is. Of course, the owner is Bennett O’Brien, L.A.’s most eligible bachelor, and Olivia spends as much time fighting her attraction to him as she does gathering information.

This book has one of the sweetest meet-cutes I’ve ever read, and I liked Bennett immediately! I love learning about other cultures, and the premise behind this one intrigued me. I really enjoyed reading about all the delicious food and learning the intricate details of the Chinese zodiac.

The banter and friendly competition between Olivia and Bennett were fun to watch, and I felt the tension building between them from the moment they met. Bennett is sweet, thoughtful, and driven, and I swooned a little during some of his dates with Olivia. He’s the first new addition to my book-boyfriend list in 2023.

While I loved all those things, I had a very hard time liking Olivia. She was rude, immature, and closed-minded when it came to her traditional values. Instead of admitting that being traditional doesn’t mean doing the same thing all the time, she dug her heels in and insisted that her way was the only way. She was terrible to Bennett from the start, with her lying and spying on him and his company. I was hoping to see some growth from her by the end, but sadly it never happened.

Overall, this was a really cute story, and I think my rating would have been drastically different with a more likable FMC. This book is perfect for fans of Helena Hunting and Jasmine Guillory. Read this if you like diverse characters, closed-door romance, matchmaking, and food! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever for my advanced copy! Lunar Love is available tomorrow!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
No spice, only 😘

After starting my year off with a book that did not grab me, I was eager to start one that I knew would do the trick. Lunar Love instantly sucked me in. Any story that has an absolutely adorable meet cute in its first moments can do no wrong in my eyes!

I loved the rivals to lovers romance, especially with Olivia and Bennett! Olivia is the third-generation owner of Lunar Love, a matchmaking business that uses the Chinese zodiac to pair up clients with their most compatible match. She is desperate to prove herself and make her grandmother proud. Bennett has just been dubbed LA’s most eligible bachelor and is spearheading a new dating app that also uses the Chinese zodiac to match users. Olivia is convinced that Bennett is out to destroy her family legacy, but can’t help but feel the electricity that sparks when he is around.

I absolutely loved the characters in this story, especially, Olivia’s grandmother, Pó-Po, a vibrant woman with so much wisdom to impart. I absolutely loved the relationship between the two and felt that her character really brought to light the root of a lot of Olivia’s troubles.

Beyond knowing I was born in the year of the dragon, my knowledge of the Chinese zodiac and many Chinese traditions is regrettably, nonexistent. I really loved how this story shared so many Chinese traditions and brought them to life on the page.

Overall, I loved this story and I cannot wait to read more by Lauren Kung Jessen! Be sure to pick this one up soon and add it to your 2023 TBR!

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Such a loving book. AHHH!