Lunar love ah! Love! This was a cuteeeeeeeeeeeee one about competing dating services that both match based off their Chinese zodiac. Ikr. SO CUTE.

I really enjoyed it. The cultural nods were great. The family connections were lovely. The book overall was a fun read.

There were some points I didn’t love. Didn’t love the deception. That and the miscommunication are prob my least favorite plot devices. But I get ittttt. It thickened the plot. Haha. Just being picky though. 😅

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (bw three and four but it was fun overall so rounding to four.)

“Lunar Love” was a really cute book that followed the love story of Asian app designers and competitors. It was a unique spin on a sweet love story and I found myself really rooting for the likeable protagonists. I don’t know what it was, but this book was such a warm, comforting read for me. It wasn’t a spicy/sexy romance, but a sweet one where you also learned a bit about Asian culture. I really enjoyed- 4 stars ✨.

I saw the title and the cover of this and like immediately added it to my TBR. First of all it was a diverse romance, and second of all it featured a holiday that wasn’t Christmas or Halloween! Unfortunately it wasn’t a great read, but it was good enough. I just thought it could have used a bit more of them together.

So basically I enjoyed this. I really enjoyed getting to know more about the Chinese astrology and the way they paired together. I also liked the way the companies worked. They were so close to each other but they were still different. I remember thinking that they were close enough to still get a lawsuit lol I loved seeing the differences that they still had too. Because of this, it made for a really entertaining story. It was a really fun book.

I didn’t care for the romance tho. We didn’t really get to see the two of them together. They spent a lot of time being mad at each other, and that bothered me. I wanted to see their compatibility and the way they match make together. And if you’re looking for spice, you won’t find it here. There is no spice, and there’s also hardly any romance. That was weird to me. But once they finally did get together, I thought they were really cute. But I just thought she was so adamant about denying him, so she should have been just as loud about being with him. But that’s just me.

The narrator was also really good. I was able to speed it up like my brain needs and I could still understand. They also did really well at the different voices for everyone. I remember thinking that all the different characters were all different and all good. Like the grandma actually sounded old, the dude actually sounded like the way I imagined one would, and the women also sounded the way I thought they might. They definitely chose the right narrator for this one. I really enjoyed their take on it.

I wasn’t like 100% sold on this, but I also wasn’t 100% against it either. It was a cute read, but I do wish there was just more in several areas. But overall it was a cute read with a good narrator that I don’t regret reading at all.

A spin on matchmaking, banter, wit, this book has it all. Adored the voice in this one--a must for all romance lovers.

Lunar Love was such a cute story. I loved the enemies to lovers troupe. The ending was predictable, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable or fun. I also really appreciated the background of Chinese zodiac matchmaking. It was a new spin on the typical rom com.

This was so fun! I was hooked so quickly. I loved the opposites attract vibes and i enjoyed the characters so much. It was a great read and i cant wait to get a copy! This book would be a great beach read or something fun to read this summer.

I really enjoyed this book - a rival business owners to lovers book with two Chinese American main characters who run matchmaking companies? Who get into a bet to find each other love?

And the romance! From the chance meet-cute to their dates, both in-denial (from Olivia's side) and intentional, the relationship had realistic movie-esque moments with plenty of deep discussions to keep it grounded. I absolutely loved Bennett, who flet like a ray of sunshine even when he was angry or clashing in stubbornness with Olivia.

Lauren Kung Jessen is great at laying out hints of things to come - nothing came as a surprise to me, but the journey I took with Olivia was satisfying. I especially liked how some of the questionable decisions Olivia made and the misunderstandings between Olivia and Bennett were handled.

The discussions of both our characters being half-Chinese and the questions of identity that come from feeling "not enough" was done really well. I also liked how they bonded over shared struggles as business owners, even though their business were in much different stages.

A thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sometimes a romance doesn’t quite hit all the right notes but is still a pretty good read that you don’t really want to put down and you still need to know how the Happily Ever After will come about. That was how I felt with Lunar Love, Lauren Kung Jessen’s debut novel (which was published back on January 10). I liked it (and expected to like it more) but I also didn’t dislike it and wanted to finish it to see how it all wrapped up.

Here’s the book’s description:
Always a matchmaker, never a match...
Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy…
Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas…so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?
I should really know better. I have to be very, very careful with enemies to lovers tropes. I don’t love them and I’m very picky about them. So, it’s not really surprising that that’s what was bothering me right off the bat with this book. Kung Jessen had to work really hard to win me back once the enemies part dissipated and Liv and Bennett started to become friends - and then something more. I can handle some enemies to lovers books but with this one, I was really upset with how Liv acted. She was rude and was not behaving like a business owner (or a decent person tbh). I was really disappointed in her. Bennett wasn’t much better but somehow his behaviour wasn’t quite as upsetting. Maybe because I was feeling like the story was very much Liv’s and she was the one who was doing really problematic things.

For those who aren’t aware, I’m white so I can’t talk too much about Liv and Bennett’s Chinese American culture and how they feel about their heritage. I do know, however, how extremely important it is for Chinese American (or Canadian, etc.) readers to see themselves in books like this, for those who don’t identify as Chinese American to read books like this, and for Chinese American authors to have the opportunity to publish books like this. Personally, I really liked learning more about the Chinese zodiac while reading this book and seeing what Liv’s family life was like.

Even with the few issues I had, this book did not read like a debut. It was solid and well-written. It was mostly just my own issues with the trope (that felt like more than the trope’s fault) that had me struggling a bit. I felt connected with the characters (even when I was telling them they were being idiots) and I could really immerse myself in the story. That’s a major win.

Lunar Love is Lauren Kung Jessen's debut novel and, while I didn’t love it, I was pretty invested and I’m really looking forward to what she writes next. I found a snippet of something that told me about her next book (maybe at the end of the egalley?) and it sounds absolutely delightful and I’m definitely going to be picking it up.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Lunar love is a business rivals to romance between Olivia and Bennett who both use the Chinese Zodiac for their matchmaking businesses. Although Olivia’s matchmaking business is hands on and generational while Bennett’s is a start up app that uses algorithms and gaming.. This story had so much potential but fell flat and predictable without any angst or tension.

This story was fine! I loved the unique premise of two rival matchmaking companies, but I never really bought into the romance. I thought the author did an awesome job of showing the readers how complex it can be to be mixed race and trying to find your place when you come from two different cultures. I would definitely read more from her. This one just didn’t 100% work for me.

This one felt very average for me. The first -half was kind of slow to get through. In the beginning, I really found Olivia (MC) insufferable. She felt so whiny and negative it was annoying. However, I absolutely loved Bennett and was rooting for him to end up happy. The last 1/4 this book really made up with it with the thoughtfulness in how the story panned out. Overall, a 3.75 rounded up to 4.

This was a fun rivals to lovers book. I love the juxtaposition between traditional match making and a dating app. I do wish it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly.

A slow burn romance that I would absolutely recommend! There were a few plot points I wasn't the biggest fan off, but I enjoyed the overall story and the romance to be specific. Our main character isn't the most likable, but I still really enjoyed Olivia. Wholesome love story with great concept especially if you enjoy zodiac / astrology.

Lunar Love was a quick read. I enjoyed learning more about matchmaking using the zodiac. I wish there had been even more about that- seen more clients and the matchmaking that happens with them. I felt like there was a lot of telling, not showing, and the book dragged a bit because of that. I also wish it could have been dual POV because I really liked Bennett but I wasn't a huge fan of Liv.

I loved this debut by Lauren! The mixed Asian American rep was amazing, the banter was 10/10 and I LOVED the family storyline!!! Po po was the real MVP and this story was so cute!

Unfortunately, this was a book I didn't get to finish. I had really high hopes for this one, loving the plot and the fact that its enemies to lovers but the characters felt very flat and the conflict seemed silly. I would have loved to have Bennett's POV throughout the story. The writing was fine, I just wish it was a more developed story.

Thank you to Lauren Kung Jessen, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

The book follows Liv who is inheriting her family's matchmaking business, Lunar Love, from her grandmother (Po Po). Lunar Love uses the basis of Chinese Zodiac and getting to know their clients in-person to set up the perfect relationship. She has some big shoes to fill, as her Po Po's matchmaking abilities are near perfect. Liv is taken aback when she meets Bennett (L.A.'s most eligible bachelor) who just so happens to be in the development stages of creating an dating app pretty similar to Lunar Love's concept of Chinese Zodiac. Liv and Bennett go head to head of who can find the perfect match for each other to determine if Lunar Love's traditional way of match making or Bennet's newly cutting edge app will produce the perfect match.

Reading this book was such a breath of fresh air and made me feel all cozy inside. I thought it was beyond adorable and for lack of a better way to say it - just made me smile. I thought this book had the perfect balance of storyline and culture. I did not feel overwhelmed or unable to follow the foreign culture sections in the book. The discussions of Liv and Bennett being mixed race, while always focusing on their Chinese roots was greatly well done.

I really enjoyed this book. It was such a unique concept and I loved learning about Chinese astrology. I also thought Bennett was so sweet. Just a really cute story with important family relationships at its center.

This was THE perfect book to kick off 2023 and read as we approached the Lunar New Year!

I had a blast reading this enemies-to-lovers RomCom and even more of an incredible lasting memory about this book when I was able to zoom with Lauren to discuss everything Lunar Love!

Chinese Zodiac Traditional Matchmaking meets New Age Zodiac Online Dating... it's bound to explode and give readers a phenomenal story that will stay with you for long after the last page has turned to end the story on paper. The characters are so lovable and relatable. The family history and depth touches hearts. And the love... it's just magical!

I cannot wait for more work written by Lauren. She will forever be an Auto-Buy author to me!

I want to thank NetGalley, Lauren Kung Jessen, and the publisher for providing me with an eARC and a physical copy of this publication. In return, I have promised to provide an unbiased review.

Lunar Love review
Rating - 3.5⭐️
Genre- romcom/ contemporary romance

(digital advanced copy provided courtesy of @readforeverpub)

This book was a sweet read, that I read around Valentine’s Day. This closed door romance focused on family (and their expectations!), running a business, and the Chinese zodiac - which I knew very little about, but found super interesting. Olivia and Bennett made a great couple, but Olivia came off as a bit of a jerk, at times. Overall, I liked but didn’t love this one, and would be interested to read future books from this author!