Excellent audio narration. This book is set in the same work as the author's Lunar Love (2023). I enjoyed the contemporary romance and multicultural interest. Does anything happen by chance or is fate at the heart of it all? I loved the strong use of artistic imagery and color. I wish Rooney's art installations were real!

A sweet romcom tied together by fate.
Rooney Gao is an artist and her biggest installation to date is made with red string, tied to her belief in a Chinese legend that you're connected to your soulmate through a red string of fate. Though her art hasn't brought her to that special soulmate, she does wind up on a perfect date with Jack Liu, but they lose touch and time continues on with their own paths. When their paths cross again, Rooney is left wondering if this truly is fate or not meant to be.
This is a charming romance novel with some ties to Lauren Kung Jessen's previous novel, Lunar Love, but great for anyone who keeps hoping for that day they find their match. The production and narration of the novel also brought the story to life, with a unique perspective for every character.
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This is out now.

Rooney is an artist who has always believed wholeheartedly in the Red String Theory, an ancient Chinese legend that states that everyone is connected to their true love by the red string of fate. However, she’s discouraged and questioning the theory.. which then leads to difficulties in creating her art. But then she meets Jack and everything changes..

A cute, slow burn romance. I really enjoyed this book. I found myself really rooting for Rooney. The narrator did an incredible job with this and really brought it to life. I feel like this story will stick with me for a long time.

I truly love LKJs writing and character development. I feel that her true talent is whipping up characters that you can't help but fall in love with.

This had all of the elements of a great love story and I simply cannot recommend it more!

Is life guided by fate, choice, or some combination?

Artist Rooney believes in the Eastern legend that destined lovers are connected by a red string regardless of time, place, or circumstances. NASA engineer Jack believes personal choice determines what happens in your life. The two meet by chance, then they have an amazing, whirlwind night together. At the end of the night, they plan to stay in touch even though they live in different cities. However, Rooney enters Jack's phone number into her phone wrong. Will these two ever reconnect?

I loved how art met science in this opposites attract love story! Rooney and Jack are such loveable characters. In addition to their philosophical discussions, I also liked how respectful they were of differing opinions, and how they helped each other.

A few more highlights:
-- the side characters (all are interesting in their own right)
-- learning more about the Asian American experience
-- a night spent walking around NYC

Audiobook narrators Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace are both new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed how they brought these characters to life. Shen voiced all of Rooney's dialogue throughout, and Grace voiced all of Jack's parts. The duet narration was a perfect choice that gave this listen a conversational feel that fit so well with the story.

Fans of the movie Serenpedity and/or cozy romances with depth will love Red String Theory.

Thank you to Forever and Hachette Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

The Chinese myth of the red string theory is as pretty much what it says it is - a red string which ties you with your true love. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.

In this cozy romance, Rooney and Jack decide whether it’s science and choice or fate that has brought them together and during their tests of fate-we get to meet Sprinkles the cat, lovable Gong Gong, and larger than life Wren.

I loved that the audiobook had a narrator for each POV and all I kept thinking was how cute a movie this would be.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise felt very unique and I loved the execution of the story. I love the idea of a string of fate that connects people but allows for free will and connections beyond fate.

Highly recommend.

The narration was really enjoyable as well and I loved both of the narrators.

*Thank you netgalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Red String Theory is hands down one of the cutest, sweetest, most amazing novels I have read this year. I love the theory itself, the story that was woven around the theory and the crossover between art and science. And the romance involved was so perfectly, realistically written . Just beautiful!

Lauren Kung Jessen has written a beautiful novel. Her style and dialogue were brilliant. The storyline and character development was phenomenal. Ugh, so much love for this novel. Please do not pass this up.

The narration was well done as well. I love the duel narrators that really captured the characters so well.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Forever/Hachette Audio for the gifted e-book/audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Star crossed lovers, multicultural cast

Loved this book. It's cute, funny, and sweet. I received both the audiobook and ebook. I ended up ditching the audiobook because the male narrator was way too robotic to me. There was no chemistry in the audiobook. The book, however, reads much smoother. The characters are more likable. I highly recommend this!

A beautiful and unique story about fate and choice.
This was a charming and unique story about two people who never should have met who ended up getting a second chance.
Rooney has been trying to launch her art career under a pseudonym for a while with little luck. After setting up a public display of her work, she meets a man named Jack. They spend one amazing night together exploring the city. At the end of the night, Rooney realizes that Jack gave her the wrong number, and she is unable to find him again. That is until Jack unknowingly recommended her as the artist for a project that he was doing at NASA. When she arrives, he is surprised that she is the one to show up since he had no idea she was the artist. Due to the rules of his job, Rooney and Jack aren't allowed to date. But that doesn't stop fate from intervening...

I loved this so much. I enjoyed watching Rooney and Jack spend more time together and really get to know each other's hearts. I was hooked the whole time and really liked how fate was such a heavy theme in the story. Even though so much was pointing towards these characters not being able to be together, whether it's because of where they live, or their jobs, fate and also choice found a way.

This book was wonderful. The narrators did an excellent job as well.

Rooney is mildly haunted by her origin story (not as a villain... 😂) and the opportunity to keep it private has her jumping at the chance to work with NASA. After a night that seemed fated months ago, she's surprised to find that she'll closely be working with Jack, the one that got away. But destiny awaits and Rooney is determined to see it through.
I'm head over heels for this book. It's well rounded and everything I wanted to read . It's full of love and life and just a little bit of magic.
Narrated by Andrew Grace and Yu-Li Alice Shen, this audio is about 9 1/2 hours. I adored their performance and they brought the story to life in the best way.
Thanks Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, Forever for the audio advanced listener copy of Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen in exchange for my honest opinion.


This is a sweet rom-com about Rooney and Jack. Rooney is an artist who takes inspiration from the Chinese legend of the Red String Theory, in which every nuanced small action will lead you to your “Stringmate” or true love. Jack is a NASA scientist who looks at the world from an analytical science-based perspective. He does not believe in fate and feels that things happen based on a person’s choice or actions.


I love the concept of this story, I’ve always liked the idea that a small action can completely change the trajectory of what was already in motion. Parts of it had me giggling and smiling and some had me quite bored. This book was so cute and heartwarming. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this concept and looking for something sweet and easy to digest.


I wanted to like this story more but the pacing was so slow in the middle that I kind of lost interest. It was also quite predictable even though I know twists aren’t expected in romantic comedies, I wanted something unexpected. I would still give it 3.5 stars because the romance outweighed the boredom.

I just reviewed Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen. #RedStringTheory #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

After loving Lunar Love, I was so excited to listen to Red String Theory. Rooney and Jack complimented each other so well and their conversations were full of philosophical banter.
I think that Lauren’s ability to pair great chemistry with deep ideas and add in ice cream science just for whimsy is what makes her such a great writer. This book was full of hope and love but also made me think a lot.
Andrew Grace and Yu-Li Alice Shen did such an amazing job with the narration! I was swept up by the story and they absolutely brought it to life.
Thank you to Forever for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Red string theory was a fun romance centered around the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate.

For me, this book was great at the beginning as we see Jack and Rooney hit it off, a little slow in the middle, and then good again at the end. Obviously, there needs to be tension building as Rooney and Jack can't be together, and the middle takes time to explore Rooney's artistic block - and difficulty figuring out what is next. In that way, it felt more like a self-exploration novel than romance, but in the end, when it circled back around to this couple who clearly have chemistry (and are meant to keep finding one another), it all fell into place.

Ultimately, it is a sweet romance I would recommend to others. Just also make sure you are ready to order food while reading it because all of the descriptions of food made me hungry!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (4 Stars)
Steam: closed door romance, just kissing.

Thanks to Netgalley, Forever and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Narration: The two narrators were great for this book! I enjoyed it, and it split up the dual narration of the book well.

No spoiler review 👇🏻

I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect cute and cozy romance. It also has great Chinese American representation with its main characters and themes throughout this book.

This is a fun romcom with all the Serendipity vibes. This book follows Rooney, an artist and a big believer in fate and Jack, who believes more in science. Rooney believes in the Red String Of Fate, that an invisible thread connects people to people they are destined for. Something that these MCs test out in this book.

It’s cute and I love Jack and Rooney’s interactions. This is a book that just makes you feel good. A heartwarming slow burn romance book. The middle was a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed reading this!

Red String Theory is a delightful love story for readers who love love. The banter between Rooney and Jack was stellar–their conversations were effervescent! I loved their easy connection–from the print shop meet-cute to the missed connections that ended up bringing them closer and closer throughout the story.

It’s swoony, charming, serendipitous, and so sweet. Rooney has always believed in signs, and especially in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. She’s spent her entire career making art installations out of the fateful string hoping to anonymously set herself apart from her famous artist mother, and possibly lead her to her own true love.

A chance meeting with Jack at a print shop gives her pause… could he be her true mate? If so, she decides to leave it up to fate. When the two are brought together again and again, Rooney can’t help but believe. But then the two unexpectedly pair up on a professional project, and swear to not cross any boundaries, regardless of how much string is involved.

Jack, who’s a scientist and data geek in head and heart, needs more than a few missed connections to believe he and Rooney are meant to be together. But when the string keeps leading them back to each other, he’s not sure how long he can remain a skeptic.

Thanks so much to Forever for the finished copy of this easy five-star read! And for the audio copy, featuring a duet narration by Yu-Li Alice Shen, Andrew Grace. Their chemistry was as palpable as Rooney and Jack’s! It’s about 9.5 hours, and I listened at 2.5x speed via the NetGalley app.

Absolutely loved the story & the narrators really brought it to life. The dual narrators were key in making Jack and Rooney come alive. Their pronunciation of Chinese was spot on too.

The meet cute and first 20% of the book really hooked me, I was invested.
Rooney, a string artist hoping for her ‘big break’, and Jack, a NASA engineer, meet by chance (or is it fate?) in NYC and spend the rest of the day/night together.
They lose touch only to reconnect 6 months later.

Self-exploratory journey that looks at fate vs. choice and how different people believe in it.

This was a charming story about love, connection, science and myths. The characters were funny and the narrators did an amazing job of sharing this story.

Rooney, a Chinese-American artist, believes that each person is tied to another through their red string. Rooney meets Jack and believes that fate has brought them to together. However, Jack doesn’t believe in fate, he believes in science. After meeting and having an amazing night, Rooney and Jack lose touch for months, but can’t stop thinking of each other. They come back together for work and their relationship blossoms. Can Rooney convince Jack that they are fated to be together?

I loved the banter between these two characters. The differences between Rooney’s belief in tradition and Jack’s belief in science made this love story. The narrators did an amazing job of bringing Rooney and Jack to life.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and the author for the audiobook ARC.

The last 10% of the book really pushed it to 4 stars! I was so moved by Rooney & her mother’s relationship in the end as well as Rooney & Jack’s.

The concept of this book is definitely interesting and was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. I was so drawn into this story and its discourse on fate. While the concept was done well, I felt like this was just another romance with nothing that was necessarily extraordinary. If you want a sweet, cute, quick romance read this one is for you! I did receive this as an audio ARC and felt the narrators did an amazing job.

Red String Theory
By: Lauren Kung Jessen
Narrated By: Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
-This book has the perfect amount of whimsy.

-I love the intersection of art and science.

-The descriptions of Rooney’s art are so descriptive, I felt like I could see her creations in my mind!

-Rooney and Jack’s relationship is so sweet.

——
Red String Theory was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hachette Audio. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: Out Now!

Red String Theory is such a fun story. We meet Rooney, an artist who believes in fate, and Jack, a NASA Engineer who believes in science. They feel an instant connection, but also wonder if they are truly compatible.

The story follows their evolution, which was so much fun to see. It was really enjoyable to see how they worked to relate to each other and support each other.

I will say, the story did drag a little in the middle, and I wish there had been a little more story before the epilogue, but I still really enjoyed the story.

The audiobook is so well done. I love the dual narrators (I always love a dual POV)!

Check this book out. You won’t be sorry.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #fiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #redstringtheory #laurenkungjessen #yulialiceshen #andrewgrace #hachetteaudio