My first Netgalley audiobook! This was such a beautiful listening experience and just as moving as Jessen's last book. I'm a sucker for fate, so it's no surprise that I fell in love with this charming story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

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.

In addition to the book, I received an ALC of the audiobook. Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace did a great job of bringing both Rooney and Jack to life. Both kept me engaged in the story and I picked up on additional details I had missed while reading.

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

Red String Theory was a fun and easy read. I loved that it was belief and family centered. I loved that the hero and heroine, Jack and Rooney were of two schools of thought. It was interesting watching them influence each other's beliefs while they fell for each other. The narrators did a pretty decent job of bringing these characters and their story to life. This was such an adorable read that I definitely recommend.

The Red String Theory is a delight to read. This is a fun and interesting twist of the Instalove trope. What happens when you there's love at first sight, but life has beat you up a bit so far seems as foreign as space should be. Jack and Rooney try to follow social rules while struggling will the pull of chemistry and when you're life changes in an instant.. “May fate bring us close enough to choose.”

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐊𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐘𝐮-𝐋𝐢 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)

Thank you #partner @readforever @hachetteaudio for my #gifted copies of Red String Theory!

I absolutely adored Rooney and Jack! I found Red String Theory to be such a charming and thought-provoking story and I just found so much joy reading this book! This is the perfect love story and just one that left me with a smile on my face. So many themes were pulled together seamlessly in this book, including art, science, and mythology. This book is definitely worth the read if you are looking for sweet romance! I felt transported to a different place with the authors writing style, and found this book to be flawless!

Rooney is an artist who believes that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. When she meets Jack, she feels like fate has brought them together. However, Jack doesn’t believe in fate, and after their magical evening together, it seems like they won’t see one another again. Will the two be given one more chance to reconnect? Can Rooney convince Jack to believe in fate?

Red String Theory
❤️Missed Connections
❤️Star Crossed Lovers
❤️Fated Mates
❤️Lovable Characters
❤️Chinese Mythology

"𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲"

🎧I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook, narrated by Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace. I loved how these two narrators complemented one another and enhanced the story of Rooney and Jack. Some of my favorite audiobooks have multiple narrators, and I just loved this one! I found both narrators to provided a flawless listening experience and I would highly recommend both the physical and audiobook!

Posted on Goodreads on January 12, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 13, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 12, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Read this if you like:
•fate
•the red string theory
•strangers to lovers
•insta love
•opposites attract

This book was cute. It was a slow burn. The concept was cool. Thank you Forever for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!