I thought this was a sweet & funny, opposites attract, classic will they-won't they romance that is perfect for the season. Olivia and Bennett meet over the last of some delicious sounding buns at a local bakery in a super cute "negotiation" for who gets to take home the prized treat. What follows is a delightful if not predictable rom com full of the tropes we love so much in this genre. A light happy read for the lunar new year, a happy year of the Rabbit to all who celebrate. Thanks to Forever Pub & NetGalley for the early read. #LunarLove #NetGalley #romance #reads #lunarnewyear #yearoftherabbit #oppositesattract #enemiestolovers #willtheywontthey

I just finished reading Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen and I enjoyed it so much!❣️✨ It's always fun to see the matchmakers fall in love(even though they try not to)😆. This one was a really cute competitors to lovers(they weren't really enemies tbh) romance with Olivia, a matchmaker who has taken over her family business that matches clients with compatible Chinese zodiac signs and Bennett, who has come up with a dating app that matches users with the same concept - but isn't too rigid with their zodiac sign compatibility.⁣
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These two have an adorable meet cute at a bakery and surprisingly Olivia later discovers that he is the founder of a new app that *might* threaten their business, so she sneakily signs up and goes on a date with him for espionage purposes *cough* and discovers that though they might not agree about many things, there is a spark between them. Bennett is basically a sweet guy and it's hard not to resist him. After a while, Olivia's identity does come out and Bennett also seems to know certain things(so the mutual lying cancels each other out?😂) and in a surprising twist they end up in a bet to find a match for each other to see whose way of matchmaking is better!🤣 ⁣
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I loved the fact that things were cleared up in the first 30% and there wasn't much deceit(it stresses me out so much lol). Bennet was such a sweet cinnamon roll and he was very patient! Olivia is very stubborn and too hard on herself and others. She was quick to jump to conclusions, especially about Bennett, but I could see why she didn't trust others much given her history. It was nice to see Bennett challenging her views and she learns to trust others - and herself too. I also loved her relationship with her Pópo(my favorite!) and her other family members! Both of the characters are mixed-race and I loved seeing their relationship with their culture and how they sometimes didn't feel 'Asian' enough. Overall, this was a lovely debut centered around family, love and traditions(P.S.there's no steam in this one but surprisingly I didn't miss it🤣)

I got about 20% into this one before I decided that it was not for me. As I get older I realize that some books are not for me and that is ok! This book follows Olivia as she is about to take over her grandmother's match making business that bases matches on the traditions of the Chinese Zodiac. After having a total meet cute with a guy in a bakery she soon learns that he is an app developer who is taking a more lighthearted approach to the Chinese Zodiac. This is an enemies to lovers story and while that is my favorite trope I am not a fan of matchmaker romances where they themselves get matched. This is a total me preference and I thought the writing that I read was well done, the story just wasn't for me. Thank you Forever for my gifted copy for review!

This just wasn't for me, obviously as everyone else seems to absolutely adore this book. I just didn't like the main character. She was incredibly self-centered, stuborn, and just plain stupid. It was so incredibly exhausting to read from her perspective. She got in her own way too many times for this to be enjoyable for me. I also just didn't connect with the writing that much. I feel like the messages were too heavy handed at times. There were extremely messages in this book though. They just really weren't integrated in the story well enough. Same with some of the cultural stuff in this book. They got really over explained at times and that took me out of the story because the author just didn't do a well enough job integrating it all into the story in my opinion. There's also this big thing that happens towards the ending that even though I understand why it was included I did not like the way it was. It felt like a complete tonal shift from the rest of the book and caused for a complete detour from the actual plot. The only reason this wasn't a DNF or an one star is the romance. God, the romance was amazing. This book has the best meet cute I've have read in a LONG time. The romance was developed amazingly and there were so many incredibly cute moments in this book that caused for such a massive grin on my face. The third act conflict I didn't like though, but that isn't a new thing for me.

What better day to leave a review for Lunar Love than Lunar New Year?

I loved this book. Olivia and Bennett are darlings, I found myself so easily rooting for them. I can relate to Olivia being a type A person, and don't we all need someone as sweet and swoon-worthy as Bennett in our lives?! But this limelight is also shared because how can someone resist the wonderful Po Po?!?! It's not often grandparents are featured in romances, and when they are, my heart melts a little.

Reading this also made me hungry (I really should cook some mooncakes right now...)

Liv and Bennett become rivals after he sets up an app which will rival her family business. A great enemies to lovers story with some great characters, especially Liv's family.
Looking forward to more books from this author.

This book was so cute and the perfect read for Lunar New Year! The banter between Olivia and Bennett was sooo good and I loved the tension when they were setting each other up on dates. Tbh, Bennett was adorable from the moment he stole the last cocktail bun. I really loved learning about the Chinese zodiac and traditions. With themes of compatibility, tradition, change, love, and grief, this felt like more than just a romance. Thoroughly enjoyed this! 4.5/5 ⭐️

P.S. was this not the SWEETEST thing ever: Bennett’s voice softens. “I know that you’re curious and smart as hell, that your eyes look like milk chocolate in the sunshine, that when you’re not sure what to say, you bite your bottom lip.” He hesitates at first before grabbing my hand. I don’t pull it away. “I also know that my worries don’t feel so heavy when I’m with you, and that your laugh is my new favorite sound.” He looks down at the ground and then back up into my eyes. “I also know that I’d like to kiss you. If that’s alright?”

*I received a copy from NetGalley and Forever in exchange for an honest review*

Olivia takes over her Pópo’s (grandmother’s) business, Lunar Love. Lunar Love is a small matchmaking business where they try to find a compatible match for you based on your zodiac animal. Unfortunately, there is competition on the horizon. A new app is soon to launch that mimics the same matchmaking strategy. Olivia soon discovers, she’s met the company owner before. Will she be able to keep Lunar Love afloat?

This light-hearted romance was so sweet. There were moments when Olivia got under my skin with some poor decisions but I also appreciate how the author tried to get us to connect with her. I think we all tend to be hard on ourselves and Olivia definitely is. The family connection in this was absolutely stunning. The acceptance and trying to help rather than hurt was so well done. The moments of deep connection and conversation were something I wish my family had at times. Within the romance, I expected miscommunication but there really wasn’t. Instead of sitting and stewing on misinformation, the characters usually confronted each other. Sometimes not in the healthiest of ways but it was still laid out there…for the most part.
The ending was a little cringy, don’t get me wrong, it was still a happily ever after but I had a little second hand embarrassment for Olivia at one point. Lastly, what I enjoyed about this book was Olivia trying to hold true to tradition while Bennet was trying to bring in the modern times…and Olivia has to learn that just b/c traditions evolve, change, or are even broken, doesn’t forfeit what it represents and can indeed change with the times.

(3.5 rounded up to a 4)

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is a debut contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.

Olivia is excited to take over her grandmother's matchmaking business, Lunar Love, until she learns of a new dating app that has turned the traditional Chinese zodiac into more "animal attraction." To learn more about her competition, she decides to use the app to find its creator, Bennet. When they both end up on a podcast together, they wager they'll find a match for each other using their respective resources, and whoever falls in love loses the bet.

It felt very appropriate that I finished this pretty close to the Lunar New Year.

Overall, this was a really cute closed-door romance. I loved a ton of the side characters, especially Olivia's grandmother Popo, and the Chinatown setting and their family business seemed very lived-in. The chemistry between our leads is solid and they have adorable banter throughout the novel.

This read like a debut, and the author's use of tense felt really awkward to me. This gets a bit better in the second half of the book, but while I was reading the first half it was pretty jarring to me. I ended up taking a lot more time to read the first half, but once I got over the midway point my reading speed picked up.

Sometimes Olivia seemed like she was written younger than she actually was. She is a very stubborn person and was kind of repetitive in her complaints and observations. This is another thing I chalk up to this being the author's first published novel. I also didn't really love that Olivia decided to lie about who she was when trying to learn more about the person behind the dating app.

I like that there are several recipes included in the back of the book, since both characters love food and there are many mentions of traditional Chinese cooking throughout the novel. I definitely plan to try some out!

Tropes in this book include: Asian American MCs, mixed-race MCs, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, closed door, opposites attract, secrets and lies

CW: lies, death, grief

This was a very sweet romance and one I picked up at the perfect time, lining up with Lunar New Year.

I enjoyed watching Olivia and Bennet get to know each other. I liked seeing how they shared their perspectives with each other which slowly lead to changes in opinions.

There were definitely times I felt frustrated with Olivia and how stubborn she was. I wanted to take hold of her shoulders and shake some sense into her.

This was a really enjoyable and entertaining read. It’s a quick one with very low steam.

Beautifully done, a great story featuring a long standing, traditional Chinese zodiac matchmaking service and the upstart dating app using, theoretically, the same premise. It's a great LA setting, and I appreciated the author's note and work done to represent mixed race heritage and the complications therein. Can't wait to read more by this author!

There so many things that I love about this sweet romance! Let me start by saying that the meet cute is amazing; the scenario unexpected, humorous, and provides insight. into the personalities of the two characters, and left me curious how this book would play out.

Bennett and Liv (Olivia) are both in the matchmaking business, but. their approaches and vision is vastly different. Liv. is the new head matchmaker at Lunar Love, a business started by her grandmother 50 years ago, which follows a traditional method of matching couples in a personal way utilizing the Chinese Zodiac to find a complementary match. Bennett. brings modern technology to matchmaking with his. start-up app, ZodiaCupid, and believes that opposites can attract and have a successful relationship. But Lunar Love is struggling due to changes in modern dating trends and the launch of ZodiaCupid could spell the end for Lunar Love.

I enjoyed seeing these two characters with opposite approaches find common ground and shared experiences. Bennett was just an amazing, sensitive, thoughtful, yet strong main character. While Liv made some decisions that I disagreed with, she also made the right choices on occasion, even when it would help the competition. These situation definitely heightened her inner conflict.

The depiction of Chinese. culture, food, and family was of particular enjoyment for me. On of the insights I didn't expect in the story was how both Bennett and Olivia struggled with feeling Chinese enough due to their mixed racial heritage. Tangental to this is the idea that names don't tell the whole story; Bennett O'Brien doesn't sound like a name for someone who is Chinese, yet he is. I loved the unexpected moment when. Liv's dad wears a tartan apron and proudly proclaims his Scottish heritage.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and a finished copy from Forever Publishing. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Olivia Huang Christenson has been preparing for this day for years. It’s her grandmother Pó Po’s 90th birthday, and it’s at her party that she is announcing that Olivia will be taking over the family business. Pó Po started the business 50 years ago. She retired after 25 years, when Olivia’s Auntie Lydia took over. Now Lydia is ready to retire, and it’s Liv’s turn to take over Lunar Love, the matchmaking business that Pó Po set up to help people find love based on the Chinese zodiac.

Liv baked Pó Po’s cake herself, a horse in chocolate with salted caramel, since Pó Po, like Liv, was born in the Year of the Horse. But she had also stopped by her family’s favorite bakery to pickup some buns and other treats. It was at the bakery that she had met a man who stole Pó Po’s favorite bun right out from under Liv’s tongs. It took some fast talking and the sacrifice of the pork bun that she’d chosen for herself for Liv to get it back, but she managed. Now it’s hours later, and she’s still thinking about Bakery Guy.

The party is a success, and the family is excited for Olivia taking over Lunar Love and carrying on the family matchmaking tradition. She starts her new job by going to a big conference for relationship professionals. The two other employees of Lunar Love are with her, and they go to a variety of talks to learn more about the business and the trends of the future. In one session, Liv finds herself speaking out about the importance of compatibility in a relationship while some guy at the back of the room argues for the possibilities that open up when the partners are not compatible. Liv glances back to see who is fighting against her (to see who is so wrong), and she discovers that it’s none other than Bakery Guy.

Later that day, as they’re walking (quickly) through the app corner of the conference, Liv hears that voice again. He’s talking about his new app, ZodiaCupid, a dating app where people will be matched up on their Chinese zodiac signs. All three stop in their tracks. Immediately, Liv knows that if she looks over there, she will once again see him. Bakery Guy. He’s developed an app that stole her grandmother’s business idea, and she’s livid. The app is still in beta mode, but Bakery Guy announces a code they can use to sign up. Liv downloads the app and signs up to be a beta tester, as Bakery Guy talks about how he believes in the app so much that he’s using it himself.

Liv sees that as a way to get to him, to do some research (okay, spying) to find out more about him and his dating app. She reads a bunch of articles on the app and its founder (Bennett, it turns out, is his name), so she skews her answers to try to get matched with him. There are no photos on the app, so she won’t have to worry about him recognizing her. And then she waits.

When they get matched on the app, Liv suggests they go on a date, and when he shows up, she acts surprised that it’s him. She asks him first date questions about what he does, trying to find out more about the app. But she also finds that he’s smart and funny and they get along really well. And when she sees an old friend that she doesn’t want to talk to, he throws himself on the floor as a distraction for her to get away.

But Liv can’t help but feel guilty about lying to Bennett. And when the wrong draft of an article about ZodiaCupid gets posted online, Liv feels even worse. She had just been venting her anger with that draft. She’d written a nicer version, but she uploaded the wrong one into Dropbox, and that was the one that got submitted. But it’s when they both appear on a popular podcast that things get really interesting. After debating about whose approach to relationships is better, they create a wager. Whoever can find a match for the other person first, who can make the other fall in love first, wins.

Liv is certain that her approach is better, but she can’t deny that a lot of people are interested in ZodiaCupid, and her appointments keep getting cancelled as people look for a faster way to find a match. Will Lunar Love be able to withstand the competition, especially now that’s she staking not just her reputation on her skills, but she’s risking her heart as well?

Lunar Love is a sweet rom com with a strong sense of family and a lot of competition. It’s clear that Liv and Bennett are a perfect match from that first meeting at the bakery, but watching the twisty road that they take to finally come together is a lot of fun to watch. These are strong characters, with humor and passion and dedication to hard work, so the competition gets heated. And getting to learn about the Chinese zodiac and the importance of the Lunar New Year.

I really enjoyed Lunar Love. Author Lauren Kung Jessen has a lot of fun with these two characters and with their chemistry. I adored Liv’s father, a screenwriter of campy horror movies, and enjoyed all the ways that Liv and Bennett circled around each other. Seeing Practical Magic at the drive-in? I would love that. However, all that talk of delicious food made me constantly hungry, so come prepared. Bring snacks, your sense of humor, a few tissues, and your love of love. Lunar Love will take care of the rest.

Egalleys for Lunar Love were provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I’m so impressed with the character building of this book. The MCs and side characters felt like real people, and the dialog was natural and funny, too!
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There’s a hidden-identity subplot which always stresses me out, but I enjoyed the resolution of it. Could have used a bit more groveling about the lying IMO, but that’s a Thing for me.
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Really good writer that I’m going to continue to follow!

With the Lunar New Year coming up I thought it would be the perfect time to get into this one! There was no resisting this gorgeous cover! It’s a Rom Com, Enemies to lovers and centers around the Chinese zodiac & match making! I've always been drawn to the Chinese zodiac, I like Bennett am a Rat. Very light hearted read and checks all of those cheesy cliché boxes but is so different at the same time! I absolutely loved it! I also love that it has a few recipes mentioned in the book in the back! Highly Rec!

This is an absolute delight of a romance. I was so happy to see it selected as a Book of the Month pick. I loved this book and it has been the standout read of my month so far. Characters are well-developed, writing is fun and funny, and it had me bawling a mix of happy and bittersweet tears by the end. Her publisher has great taste, because the author is already on track for another standalone book by 2024! I loved the cultural introspection and discussions, especially how Jessen’s main love interests talk about their heritage when they are either connected or disconnected from matriarchal figures (trying hard not to spoil some significant plot points!). If you’re in the mood for a sweet romance minus the spicy scenes, please add this to your TBR immediately!

Happy Lunar New Year! Looking for a book to celebrate with? Pick up a copy of Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen. This is a slow-burn romance that's a lot of fun and with an interesting concept. This book is perfect for fans of the movies Hitch, You've Got Mail, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting. Thank you @readforeverpub for sending me an advance copy of this book.

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?

Lunar Love has lots to enjoy: two mixed race Chinese American leads, a focus on the Chinese zodiac and how to both honor and evolve traditions and culture, and oodles of delicious food. The story follows Olivia as she inherits her family's Chinese zodiac matchmaking business, Lunar Love, and feels the heat of competition from a new Chinese zodiac-themed dating application, ZodiaCupid. Olivia decides to do some recon on the opposition and is shocked to find the owner is the very same man she had a bakery meet cute with days ago. Their journey from rivals to lovers was sweet, and Olivia has quite a bit of growth to do on that journey.

What you will find:
- enemies/rivals-to-lovers
- rival businesses
- opposites attract
- bakery meet cute
- he falls first
- no spice, only kisses

I struggled a bit with some of Olivia's behavior and thought that she acted a bit juvenile for someone of her age and point in life. The deception at the beginning of the story made me uncomfortable, and I could not fully get behind the third act breakup. However, I still enjoyed this book and it's worth a read!

CW: death of a parent, death

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever Pub, and Grand Central Pub for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is the most delightful competing business owners rivals to lovers, opposites attract love story, which is also unexpectedly profound. I went in expecting an adorable romcom & it delivered with witty banter & all, but it also snuck in & got me in the teary eyed feels with its’ meaningful message. I adored their family & the bonds between them. The hero, Bennett, is an absolute catch & I loved their repartee between the leads. It was an adventure & it was a joy to witness

It’s fantastically filled with so much culture & family that I’m so grateful to the author for opening up & letting the reader experience everything. I absolutely loved learning about the many traditions described & the beautiful way they’re incorporated along with the meanings behind them:

Lunar Love is the perfect read to start your year on the right note because it is filled with all the good feels life has to offer including family, friends, love & the gorgeous journey that is life. I highly recommend checking this book out now!

It is always an honor reading a Forever Publishing title, which consistently deliver just incredible love stories filled with so much heart along with the much needed diversity the genre deserves. Lunar Love is no exception with its’ gorgeous story. I applaud y’all. I thank y’all & I’m grateful for y’all.

Massive thanks to Forever Publishing for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed

This book was amazing! I loved the premise and was so happy with the way it was so executed. Olivia and Bennett were both amazing. The character depth and development was perfect.

Lauren Kung Jessen did amazing job and I'm so excited to see what else she has in store for us!

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.