TBH I was lost for most of this book. I almost DNF many times, but I ending up pushing through. I'm lot at the title, because there was no "experiment" at all, or it least it did not feel that way to me. This is one of those books, that I admit I thought was cute because of the cover and just didn't do it for me.

I just finished the Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho and here are my thoughts.


When Renee’s father wants to retire but her brothers are still not up to the task of taking over so her dad wants Renee in the running. Trouble starts when she runs into an old love and he is trying to solve a mystery surrounding a company but it's the same company Renee’s fathers business is bidding for a contract with…

The narration was wonderful. I love melodic voices and this was perfect.

Renee is rich and lovely but being estranged from her family and in a country that isn’t her native home, she is lonely and her heart is fairly closed off after a man she loved, Ket, stopped talking to her right when she thought they were going to get together and she never quite got over it.

Ket left her out of family obligation but he never told her the truth and 10 years on, he never really got over her either. It was a wonderful second chance romance story.

I loved the plot, it wasn’t just a fluffy romance, there is a really interesting mystery weaved in it too. It’s a secondary plot but it gives you context of why Ket is the way he is. He had to give up on his dreams and he also had to leave his home because of the secret his family is hiding. They are in danger and he isn’t willing to put anyone in danger.

It was a really great book. One of the best ones I have listened to in ages. A romance with some real depth… CHEFS KISS!!

If you like a little mystery in your romance, give this one a go.

4.5 stars

Thank you to @macmillanaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy. OUT NOWW!!!

#alc #friendzoneexperiment #zencho #romance #romancereader #romanceread #audiobook #audiobooklover #bookloversofig #bookloversofinstagram #readergram #igbooks #netgalley

Crazy rich Asian gone wrong

The Friend Zone Experiment 🎧
Written by: Zen Cho
Narrated by: Rebecca Yeo
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Downloaded from: NetGalley

My Review
⭐️

The story starts with Renee Goh getting dumped by her boyfriend because of her focus on her company. Her rivalry against her siblings causes drama that interfere with who her father will select to be CEO of his company. To add to all that, she bumps into her first love, Yap Ket Siong. Ket Siong has something against Renee’s father and this causes conflict in the two being together.

The pace of this was a little too slow for me. This is the first time I listened to an audiobook at 1.25x. There were lot of details here that I didn’t feel were necessary, and the scenes that I would have liked to be more detailed, weren’t. For instance, the intimate scenes could have had some redemption for the book, but they lacked depth and were not so steamy.

I didn’t connect with the characters. Renee came across as ditzy and superficial. This book seemed like it was going for a crazy rich Asian theme, but didn’t quite do it for me. I found myself mostly bored or uninterested in the storyline. I gave this a 1 star because I did finish listening to the audiobook and the synopsis did have potential. If I were reading the physical copy or e-book, this would have been a DNF for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for a copy of this ALC.

#AugustReads #August 2024 #crazyrichasians #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #audiobook #TheFriendZoneExperiment

This book reminds me a lot of Crazy Rich Asians in the sense that it is set in a world of South East Asians with wealth, power, and access to things that normal people do not. The main male character does not come from the world of privilege, so I see how the author is trying to balance it out. However, it requires a lot of suspense of disbelief. The storyline is ok at best because it was anti-climatic. As a South East Asian ex-pat living it London, I like the book overall, but feel the story itself might not be very interesting for people not interested in London or South East Asian culture.

This was an okay book in my opinion. Nothing super overwhelmingly exciting. I wouldn't deter anyone from reading it. But I know I'll forget I read it in 2 months.

A thought-provoking, K-drama-esque romance that was everything I imagined it would be and more!

Delving into the complex (and slightly dysfunctional) bonds of family, class, corruption and ethics, Zen Cho’s social commentary-infused prose was a masterclass in nuance that had me glued to my seat.

The emotional depth in our main characters was really well executed and the backstory that unwinds between them added a layer of complexity to their second chance romance that I found compelling.

I do think the romance aspect does occasionally take a back seat to some of the more important issue (like corruption, unethical business practices and family struggles) which is perfect if you love your romances to have a little depth.

Overall, an engaging contemporary romance with a cast of flawed but compelling characters that fans of Crazy Rich Asians definitely want to consider checking out!

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my review!

I enjoyed this read from Cho. I'm not usually a romance reader, but I have enjoyed all of the books by Cho that I have read. That said, to me the romance here was the B-plot. There was very little spice, romantic interactions, and conflict. What took centrestage was the story of Renee's relationship with her domineering father and grasping brothers as well as Ket Siong's family loss.

The portrayal of family obligation and the fight for acceptance was done well and I liked the depiction of Renee having come into her own yet still having doubts and fighting to see her worth and how it does not need to be connected to her father and his perceptions of her.

Ket Siong's role here was pretty much bodyguard as his story really revolved around Renee and his brother. I really wish more had been done to develop his character path and arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this arc!

What a great book! This one had me blocked right away. Great storyline and great writing! Perfect summer read. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Also my first by this author but will not be my last!

Rebecca Yeo did a fabulous job with the narration for The Friend Zone Experiment. Even though the story was more miss than hit for me, Rebecca Yeo kept me going from start to finish. There are a lot of characters to keep straight, especially during the family meetings, and I was able to distinguish who was who without much thought. I could also listen at 2.5x speed without an issue so that was a plus. Overall, great audiobook.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

This is a perfect read for fans of k-dramas, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, and Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev. Renee Goh is a successful business woman running her own clothing company in London when she is dumped by her boyfriend. Emotionally and physically isolated from her uber wealthy family in Singapore, Renee pours her loneliness into her business. However a chance encounter with her first love, Yap Ket Siong, changes things for Renee. On top of that, Renee's father wants to step down from the Chahaya Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. He wants his two sons and Renee to compete to be the next CEO.

Ket also has problems of his own. He was compelled to leave Renee heart-broken at university years ago when his family lost everything and he was forced to move home. He's living in London again to try and uncover the truth behind the kidnapping and most likely murder of a close family friend.

Narrator Rebecca Yeo shines! Her voice is soothing, rich, and expressive. I'd listen to another audiobook by Yeo any day!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and loving Black Water Sister, I was excited to see what Cho would do with a romance! As expected, her focus on family drama sparkled in the face the actual romance part. I do think there is valid critique on the plot getting bogged down a bit by these tiny details, and it would've excelled more as a novella.

2.5 rounded up.

Narrator: The narrator chosen was fine. She fit the character I pictured and did her best telling the story. The story wasn't great, so I know she worked with what she was given.

Story: This is not a romance book. The romance is not a focus, the chemistry is not there between the two main characters. They have two hook ups and when they hang out it feels more like old friends hanging out (which they are).

The story started off on a good note, but somewhere along the way just didn't hold. There are other parts of the story that felt like they had more focus other than the "romance the two main characters had". At first I wondered if maybe the narrator wasn't the best fit, but there was a poorly written sex scene that just solidified the story wasn't great.

The characters were interesting and the story had Malaysian representation. This was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

✨The Highlights✨

- Friends to lovers
- Second chance romance
- K-Drama vibes
- Family Dynamics
- Corporate Intrigue

🎧 The narrator did a great job with the pacing, and many of her voices were excellent, especially considering the several accents she had to juggle! While I wasn't a huge fan of the American accent for Renee, the book mentions that her accent is unique, so it might have been intentional. Either way, it didn't detract from my listening experience, and I'd recommend the audio version.

✨The Feels✨

This book was an enjoyable read, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me as a romance. Ket Siong, our male lead, was such a sweetheart, and his character was endearing throughout. I also very much appreciated the strong and likable protagonist, Renee, and her journey navigating corporate and family dynamics, which kept the plot intriguing! The book is well-written and descriptive, but the romance sometimes takes a backseat to other elements, which might leave romance fans wanting more. If you're into soap operas, corporate takeovers, or Korean dramas, this book might be right up your alley!

✨The Spoiler-Free Details✨

Meet Renee Goh, the picture-perfect CEO of a chic women's clothing brand in London, who's just been dumped by her never-seen, pop star boyfriend. As she battles smeared mascara and loneliness, her dad drops a bomb: he wants her to run the family empire back in Singapore. The catch? She'll have to work with her screw-up brothers, who chased her away in the first place. Just when things couldn't get more complicated, she runs into her first love, Ket Siong, who’s tangled up in some risky revenge plot.

A moving and enjoyable dual timeline second chance friends to lovers romance set in London that sees a successful Asian businesswoman living in London working hard to impress her father and win a role as CEO of his Singapore based company while also reconnecting with the first man she fell in love with.

Great on audio and perfect for fans of books like Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao or Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. This was my first book by Zen Cho and I very much look forward to reading more. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Black Water Sister and The Order of the Pure Moon, so nobody is more sad than me that this was a miss. The family issues took centre stage over the romance (which I didn't mind because I found the romance bland and the family drama more interesting), but the whole book got too bogged down in tiny details and the pacing was too slow. I think this could have benefited from being a novella and having a little more zest injected into the relationship between Renee and Ket Siong.

✨Book Review✨

The Friend Zone Experiment
Zen Cho
Pub Date: August 6, 2024 - Today

Thank you @brambleromance @netgalley and @macmillian.audio for my #gifted copy.

On the outside it seems as though Renee Goh has the perfect life. She’s running her own fashion company in London and dating a pop star. Her world is turned upside down when she’s dumped and her estranged father calls to tell her he’s retiring. He needs to select a CEO to take over and is considering her as well as her two brothers. Add in randomly running into Ket Siong, the man who broke her heart years earlier.

While this was an overall enjoyable read I felt like the title was very misleading. I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute romcom. However there was a little romance with a lot of family drama and business talk. I did enjoy the flashbacks that were sprinkled throughout the book. Especially the ones that explored Renee and Ket Siongs history.

Narration was done by Rebecca Yeo. I thought this was very well done. Due to the thicker accent it wasn’t possible to fully understand much over a 2X speed.

Read if you like:
✨Second Chance Romance
✨Slow Burn
✨Family Drama

This a sweet novel that revolves around Renee Goh. Renee the daughter of a very rich family, and she leaves her family business in Singapore for London England. Away from her family Renee has started a clothing brand that is becoming well know and she has become successful. One evening she runs into her ex boyfriend Yap Ket Siong who broke her heart, and she has worked hard to get over him. The chemistry between them is still there, but Ket Siong is holding a grudge against Renee’s family, and is trying to find out what happened to dear friend Stephen.
Meanwhile, Renee’s father wants her to come back to the family business in Singapore to help run it. Maybe even take over as the company’s CEO.
The story focuses on Renee trying to help Ket Siong while at the same time dealing with her father and her crazy brother.
This is a nice quick read, and enjoyed it.
I want to thank Net galley, Macmillan audio and Bramble for the opportunity to review this arc.

The vibes: Crazy Rich Asians in reverse with a heavier focus on the business side driving the plot.

FMC immediately has her heart broken and "rebounds" with an long lost friend from yesteryears, where they had once lost out on something that could have been. The morning after, though the MMC wants to explore their long lost "what could have been" he agrees with the FMC to being just friends. After their fated reunion, her family business affairs and her own personal business takes most of her time, and he tries to figure out what happened to his family friend whose disappearance caused him to leave her life in the first place. Add in some mystery and sleuthing, flashbacks, and the good old miscommunication trope.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The Friend Zone Experiment is a light, contemporary romance in comparison to all the heavy world building, epic fantasies I typically go for. I appreciated the FMC is a the owner and founder of her own company, smart, witty, cunning, and little naive for her own good at times. The FMC I struggled to like, though I guess he's supposed to be this brooding yet charming person, who shows his character by how much he cares for his family? Completely thought the spice level was going to be a little higher, but it's quite innocent. What's the phrase? "Closed door?"

It's a four star "read" (audiobook). Quick, easy, and fun.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Zen Cho for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I will be posting to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

DNF for this one. I have not DNF'd a book in a long time. There was really not much romance involved and I felt like the side characters were barely shown or connected. We had way too much insight on the main character and her dad but it just wasn't for me.

DNF @22% - Too much exposition, not enough romance for me.

The writing style felt very clunky for a romcom. I personally really like books - especially romances - where I can really FEEL what the characters are feeling. Instead, I was very clear about everything the MC was thinking about, along with backstory, but there wasn’t a lot of emotions associated with these thoughts. This was especially problematic for me when the lovers finally met - I felt no connection between them, not even during the “hot night they spent together,” (per the blurb) which was a fade to black with no spicy thoughts or feelings. I have no problem reading fade to black books, so long as I can feel the emotional connection between the characters.

You may like this if you want a book like Crazy Rich Asians by way of Succession. Like CRA, there is a lot of family drama, but unlike CRA, I don’t find there to be a lot of emotions about the drama. The main plot may be about Renee’s business and the possibility of her taking over for her father as CEO of his business, and her feelings about returning to her home country after living in England for so long. Readers who have very different values from their families may find this especially poignant.

The narrator had excellent accent work, and really worked to bring this book to life. Considering how exposition-heavy the text was, it may have been difficult to read this one with a lot of emotion, but the narrator kept her performance from being monotone.