Red String Theory by Lauren Kong Jessen
Contemporary romance. Alternating 1st person POV. Own voices.
Rooney Gao believes in Fate, specifically the Red String of Fate, and signs of destiny. She creates art based on that belief. She meets Jack Liu at a print shop and gives him her red scarf that she’s been making. They meet again later that evening and launch a Chinese lantern and then chase it around New York City. They’ve decided not to talk about work and instead have an adventure that lasts the night. They fall a little in love but end up losing each other to technology. Six months later Rooney gets a job with NASA and once again finds Jack. Maybe this time they can change their ending.

Rooney believes in Fate. Jack believes in choice. How do they reconcile their beliefs?

Charming and romantic with underlying messages of self confidence and openness.
It was a fun journey following Rooney and Jack as they fell for each other both the first night and later as they are working together. It’s sweet and just a bit adorable. I love New York and it’s never ending spin of life and clearly Rooney loves it as well.
Wèishéme shì wǒ? = Why me? This is a mandarin saying but both characters are of Chinese descent. Rooney uses this phrase several times in the story and I found it fitting in a profound way.

A Readers Guide and questions at the end along with a couple of recipes including Red Bean Ice Cream.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Y’all know Lunar Love was a favorite of 2023 so I had to check out Red String Theory by @laurenkjessen

In this charming rom-com about two star-crossed lovers, a woman whose life is guided by her belief in the red-string of fate finds her perfect match—but his skepticism about true love puts a knot in their chances.

Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?

First of all the meet cute for Jack and Rooney had me feeling all nostalgic for the movie Serendipity. Did you watch that one? So good! I totally related to Jack’s strait laced/rationale way of thinking. 🤣 It was so interesting to see how Rooney loosened him up and showed him how fate can also intervene. The way their personalities complimented each other was just the sweetest. I also enjoyed learning a bit about space. 👩‍🚀 Did you know the sunset on Mars is blue?!?!

One of my fave parts is the little nod to Lunar Love… Olivia & Bennett forever 💕

Overall this was a sweet serendipitous read! Thank you @readforeverpub for the complimentary copy!

What a cute thoughtfully written book. If you like the movie Serendipity then you should read this. In my opinion it is that movie as a show POV book within Chinese-American culture.

Jack is a NASA scientist who believes in facts and choices. Rooney is an artist who believes in fate and a one true love. They meet for one amazing evening no and then fate keeps them apart until she is chosen for NASA’s artist in residence program.

I enjoyed seeing these two interact and how she helps Jack broaden his scope, try new things and evolve into someone other than a doormat. Rooney was so carefree and Jack grounded but inspired her in good ways.
Loved the Chinese-American culture in this book from stringmates to lantern and baby choosing ceremonies to food. Jack and Rooney each represent a different take on how they both raised Chinese-American but differently. It fit them well not like checking boxes to make it fit. So well incorporated! I also really enjoyed how the author incorporated science and fate and how it all intermingles. Sounds quite complex yet simple at the same time.

Thank you to Forever Publishing via NetGalley for the arc of this cute book!

This was a cute rom-com about two individualized who cross paths whose lives become intertwined by by the red string theory of fate. Rooney our FMC= wants to set her own path in the world as an artist (separating herself from her famous artist mom) who believes in Red String Theory. She meets Jack our MMC-he is smart and successful but does not believe in Fate (Red String Theory). Their fateful first encounter has them enjoying an adventuress night out in New York only to end up being unsuccessfully able to reconnect immediately after. Until an opportunity presents itself for both of them to reunite- that will test both of their beliefs in the red string theory.

This book was enjoyable to read and I do like that that it is dual POVs. I really connected with Jack's character as a person that is also not always convinced of beliefs in fate and is logical. I understood where he was coming from and his hesitations not only with pursuing his feelings for Rooney. Overall I felt that his character had a lot of growth.

I found this book a little slow at the start, but stick with it, it’s totally worth it. Once we got to Rooney and Jack’s night in NYC, I was hooked on the story. And so mad when they lost touch.

The chemistry is real, the romance is sweet. All of those aspects of the book are great. But there’s a lot more going on here, and it really gives the story so much depth. It’s not about art vs science. Jack’s work at NASA and rooney’s art installations show how they blend beautifully.

The main conflict here is fate versus choice. What we believe. How that colors our perceptions and relationships and even our fears. In different moments, I found myself agreeing with both Rooney and Jack, which maybe was the point. Sometimes life isn’t black and white, and what we believe can evolve just like anything else.

Lauren Kung Jessen is truly such a talented writer - she has an innate ability to make you feel as though you've known her characters for years and you're on the journey with them.

I fell hard for LKJs first novel, Lunar Love and was so incredibly happy and honored to have received this ARC. This, like Lunar Love, was wonderfully written, evoked real emotions and truly made me feel things while reading.

I cannot recommend this more - I adore the way LKJ writes, the way she crafts cultural stories that make me want to learn more - so truly special!

4.5 stars. Half star off because of the puns. They were cute to a level and then I got annoyed hahaha

Otherwise this book is gorgeously sweet. How do we find love? By fate? By a series of choices? Or by something in between?

After a fated night together in New York Jack and Rooney can’t find each other again, even though they both spend hours trying to. Fate (FATE) has other ideas though and brings them together again when they have both lost hope. What ensues is a sweet love story where the characters challenge each others perspectives and beliefs on love and life.

Read for:
Fate
Opposites attract
Learning about Chinese culture
Forced proximity
City vibes
Art & Science

This comes out this week! Make sure to snag it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

♥️ Red String Theory ♥️

“We believe what we need to believe to give our lives meaning.”

Oh my heart, this book, y’all! Lauren Kung Jessen swept me away with Lunar Love and then took me to space in Red String Theory.

I absolutely adored Rooney, an anonymous artist known only as Red String Girl, who follows the inspiration of fate based on the the story of the red thread of fate. In a whirlwind day in her life in NYC, she meets Jack, an engineer at NASA who believes in hypotheses and testing, not fate. Despite their opposing life theories, Jack and Rooney are drawn to one another. Her whimsy and his logic mesh together in a beautiful story of loving one another as we are and seeing each other as we want to be seen.

My engineer wired brain loved Jack’s Fate Tests and my whimsical heart melted at Rooney’s belief in fate. Wound together with the beautiful way Jessen wields words, is a beautiful love story you do not want to miss.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
♥️ Chinese-American representation
♥️ A mixing of engineering and art worlds
♥️ Workplace romance
♥️ Ice cream science 🍦
♥️ Fated lovers

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Forever. My opinions are my own. Red String Theory is on shelves January 9, 2024!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Publishing), and Lauren Kung Jessen for providing this book for my honest review. I absolutely adored Lauren’s debut last year and was so excited to get my hands on her sophomore novel! I loved this book maybe even more than her last book! She is now an auto buy author for me! I love how she incorporates Chinese culture into this book. I also adore the banter and dialogue. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers!!!! Thank you again and I can’t wait for her next book!

Rooney has always wanted to make a name for herself in the arts, but living in her mother’s shadow, she decides to pursue moving people through anonymity. Until by far (or coincidence), she meets Jack at a print shop and again at a lantern festival. They spent hours of their night talking about fate, life, and their connection undeniable. After months of trying to find each other, they end up working together on an art project for NASA. Sparks fly, but they can’t be together? They have separate lives thousands of miles away, and no one should risk their career for the other. Is it fate or choice that they’re meant to be?

This was sweet! Jensen wrote beautiful dialogue and captured such a loving story. Rooney and Jack couldn’t be any more opposite, but it wasn’t the red string or fate that brought them together imo. It was all about the connection, the feelings, and their choices that got them to where they were. Though you can also make an argument that things happen for a reason and maybe fate did have a hand in things. Enjoyed LUNAR LOVE a bit more but this was a good read if you’re in the mood for a heartwarming story with a semi-slow burn.

4.5 rounded

thank you so much Forever and NetGalley for this ARC!

i really loved this one! i think serendipity is one of my favorite tropes that i haven’t had an opportunity to read much. i think my own relationship felt very serendipitous and fate-driven so i relate to it a lot. i really enjoyed seeing Jack grow into his personality and Rooney working through her imposter’s syndrome and block. my one little gripe is the timeline felt really rushed around sometimes like suddenly we were 3 weeks ahead and i didn’t really catch it right away. but that didn’t really take away from the meat of the story for me!

This is the cutest Chinese-American version of Serendipity we've ever read. That might sound a little specific, but it's also true.

Rooney is an artist, Jack is a scientist. Since this is a Serendipity-inspired romance, you wouldn't be wrong in assuming that Rooney believes in fate, while Jack is a more pragmatic guy. (If you also assume that she's the sunshine and he's the grump, you're on the right track.) After they spend an unexpected - Rooney would say fated - evening together, fate takes a turn and they are separated for months. When they're thrown back together as coworkers, they're not sure how to pursue their connection, or even if they can.

We both really appreciated the Chinese-American culture woven throughout the book. It felt like an integral part of Jack and Rooney's characters, and wasn't there to check any boxes. Plus, you know if a first-person present tense book doesn't end up bugging us, there's definitely something there!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This was a very cute read with Asian heritage representation which I really enjoyed. I loved Rooney and how she was a total free spirit. Jack is her complete opposite, believes in reality and choices instead of fate. These two have an adorable banter and their journey from meeting, to finding each other again, to realizing what they mean to each other is very sweet. I did find parts of this story a bit slow but all in all this was an enjoyable closed door romance.

Thank you Netgalley, Forever ( Grand Central Publishing ) and Lauren Kung Jessen for this opportunity to read Red String Theory early.

First, after reading this book, Lauren Kung Jessen is an auto- buy author for me and I'm so happy and honored to have been able to read her second book early as well as her first novel, Lunar Love. Like Lunar love, this book has been such a wonderful reading journey for me. Red String Theory exceeded all of my expectations and made me fall in love with Love ( even though I'm already hopeless romantic ). I truly loved being apart of this world.

Now, onto the characters, Rooney and Jack. these two come from completely different worlds but have this understanding of each other that is beautiful. This understanding of thinking about life in different ways, where one goes about thinking about life fully through a fate lens while the other thinks about life scientifically and needs reasoning. They have a day where fate/red string theory seems to bring them back to each other multiple times, almost like serendipity. From that moment on we get to dive more into their connection, their chemistry how they learn to be open-minded about each other's mindsets.

Their connection is quite beautiful and very unexpected, but in the best way possible. Reading about them genuinely gives me butterflies and gives me my own hope in finding my own stringmate in this chaotic world we live in. Their story brings me so much warmth, genuine love, happiness and finding yourself outside of your normal. They make the opposites attract work in such a lovely way and it just makes me so happy.

This story brings to light how it's okay to reach for your goals and let your guard down. You don't always have to follow the method that you're used to, its okay to stray away from it as long as your happy in your decision of doing so. That's something I really took from this book and cherish so much about it.

5/5 STARS for me.
what to expect
- dumplings
- great banter
- projects
- meet cute
- office romance
- love
- lanterns
and so much more!

Last year I got Lauren Kung Jessen's debut, Lunar Love as my January Book of the Month and adored it. So I was delighted to get an advanced copy of her latest, Red String Theory, which is out TUESDAY!

This was SO sweet. The story of two genuine souls who look at life very differently - fate vs. science.

Rooney Gao is an artist who specializes in public installations anonymously, under the name Red String Girl. While her career has been progressing steadily, she is still looking for her big break. And she stays anonymous to stay out of the shadow of her mother, a very successful artist.

Jack Liu is smart and successful in his career at NASA - though his career has stagnated a bit. He is in NYC for a conference when he runs into Rooney not once, but twice. What started as making jokes progresses into an evening affair, with many stops as they traipse around the city. Rooney thinks it is fate that brought them together, but Jack doesn't believe in any of that. And when he doesn't hear from Rooney after that magical night, despite looking for her, he assumes that is the end of it.

I happen to be binging For All of Mankind, so all of the NASA and space talk in this one was RIGHT up my alley. I love stories, especially romances that dig into career turning points and bring along strong supporting characters, both of which were done well here.

There was one line from Rooney's mother that hit me in my core:

"Don't wait around forever being an observer in your own life"

What a perfect line to take into 2024! Big thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this gem early!! Happy (Almost!) Pub Day, Lauren!

Will post this review on retail sites, Goodreads, and my bookstagram @scottonreads.

Review: 4 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Books for a copy of the eARC.

Quote: “You make me want to explore the unknown. I love the idea of taking the scenic route, but could we still use GPS?”

As a Chinese person, I always love the concept of the red string of fate theory where we all have a red string in each of us and the other end leads to our “soul mate”. So, I was very intrigued by this book.

Jackson (Jack) and Rooney are total polar opposites. One is logical at fault, a rule follower, a cynic and always in control of their choices while the other is an adventurous and free-spirited soul who believes that fate plays a part in life. When these two meet, sparks ironically fly! I love the idea of how they met three times by chance but were unexpectedly separated by funny circumstances. Fast forward to a few months later where coincidence and choices play another part in getting them together…but, as work is heavily involved, both have decided to stay friends. Will the boundary of friendship stay or will it evolve to something more?

I admit that this book was a fun read since it featured two different characters who are so different but, hey - opposites attract! If you love Serendipity, you will love this book! I also love how both characters had introspective discussions of the concept of fate vs choice and how it plays a part in their everyday lives. The supporting characters were also a great support.

My only issue is I have read this concept just last year and the content itself wasn’t unique. Because of this, I struggled with some aspects of the book which led to it being 4 stars. However, I do recommend it for a great diverse read.

This was a fabulous second book by this author! In a battle between fate vs. Science, artist Rooney Gao puts her red string theory to the test through her art to determine if she can find her soul mate!

Jackson believes life is all about science and intentional choices in life, not consequences. Which theory or hypothesis will win out?

Omg so many great scenes in this book including the midnight dumpling scene! So much fabulous representations of Chinese culture. I absolutely loved the strong friendship between Rooney and Talia. While the middle was a tad slow, the ending made up for it in more ways than one!!

Rooney Gao is anonymous conceptual artist Red String Girl whose works center around the Chinese legend of the red string of fate tying people together. Jack Liu is a NASA scientist who stumbles across Rooney and her work on a trip to New York and spends the day with Rooney not knowing she is behind the art. When Jack has the opportunity to help select an artist in residence for NASA he suggests Red String Girl and he and Rooney are reunited. Jack is a man of science who strictly does not believe in fate, but is interested in Rooney’s belief and the pair spend time together learning about each other’s philosophies.

Both of Lauren’s books (this and Lunar Love) are wonderful celebrations of Chinese culture and interesting tales of the traditional elements the younger Chinese-American characters choose to embrace. I do thing Lunar Love worked a bit better for me, but I still enjoyed Red String Theory. I personally am not a big believer in fate so I was happy that this book was dual POV and I could see my views reflected in Jack. I do think the book got bogged down by the repetitive philosophizing about fate and I did find myself skimming sections. I absolutely loved the side characters and would happily read whole books about Jack’s grandfather and Rooney’s mother. I love the works of Christo, and was lucky enough to see one of his installations in person so I had context for the type of art Rooney was known for and enjoyed the artist aspects of the book. This book does come with discussion questions and recipes which would make it a great book club book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Red String Theory (eARC) — 4 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: January 9, 2024

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
🔥 Slow Burn Romance
🔐 Closed Door Romance
🥰 Feel-Good Story
👀 Multiple POVs
🗽 Based in New York

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🍨 You enjoy unique ice cream flavors
🚀 You want to work for NASA
💪 You prefer to be independent
🖼️ Modern art speaks to you
💞 You believe in soulmates

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 & 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: After devouring Lunar Love last January, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the author’s next book! One of my reading goals each year is to read diverse books, and this author is known for Chinese representation! I’m always learning new aspects about Chinese traditions and culture from her captivating stories, and she is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me.

While Red String Theory is a contemporary romance story, the main focus of the book was science and fate. This topic took up most of the main characters conversations, and while it was super interesting and well-written, I wish there was more romance in their dialogue.

This love story is perfect for readers who like squeaky clean romance, witty banter, and characters with strong work ethics! Plus, if you loved the main characters in Lunar Love, you’re in for a little surprise… just trust me!

𝐓𝐖: abandonment

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read This Book If…Invisible String is your favorite song by Taylor Swift!

Please note: this was an ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen

Genre: romance
Series: standalone but in same world as Lunar Love
Spice Level: 1/5🌶, just kisses
Setting: NYC & California
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: one day to fall in love, star-crossed lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance, opposites attract

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this read! It was slower paced and lower stakes, so a nice way to ease into the new year. I thought the discuss of fate vs. choice was interesting, although this MMC was annoyingly stubborn. Overall, very cute and sweet!

Memorable Quote: “Love is so unknown, and I need to know the unknown.”