This book was very cute. The premise was very unique and I loved the emotional connection between the two main characters. This was definitely a fun love story and I enjoyed it very much

I received an advanced copy of Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen from the publisher Forever via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Chinese herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams had never believed in the Hua family curse where no Hua woman ever gets her happy ever after. But after a break up with the man she thought she was gonna marry, she’s started believing. Now she and her aunties run a special healing retreat for the broken hearted using herbal teas and other remedies. When Chryssy innocently runs into the celebrity cellist brother duo known for breaking hearts, she immediately sees one of the brothers actually is the one with the broken heart. But Vin Chao doesn’t believe in this stuff and his brother is fine, and he informs Chryssy but their innocent conversation stirs tea that they are quite cozy. When Vin’s brother and he show up at the retreat they make a deal, they’ll fake date, he’ll “break” her heart (and increase ticket sales), and he’ll promote her business. But perhaps it’s not so fake.

My Thoughts: I can always count on Lauren Kung Jessen to tell me a love story that will make me happy and captivate me. I’ll be honest I wasn’t completely convinced that I could buy into the story of a heartbreak curing herbalist but here I am to tell you, yep she did it. The summary sounds complicated and perhaps it is but what brings it together is the chemistry between these two. While the idea of a curse can seem woo woo to some people, it never feels like Chryssy is not a rational person, but one who has seen heartbreak many times and is looking for comfort in explanations. Vin never expected that his career would be based on being a heartbreaker and he has to deal with what he actually wants out of his life as a cellist and performer, and how public he wants it to be. I found this to be a delightful romance and would recommend it quite a bit. I also liked the rabbit.

Who Should Read It: People who love opposites attract romance and fake dating.

Summary: A story that explores how two different perspectives on love and curses can really come together.

This was a unique and sweet love story.
Two people meet randomly and fall hard but have obstacles in their lives that want to push them apart.

Cryssy works with her family at a kind of retreat for the broken hearted. Cryssy uses traditional Chinese medicine to help cure and works with flowers to make tea. She used to be on track to become a doctor but the stress burnt her out and she spent some time working with her family’s methods and changing her career.
But Cryssy’s family has a curse on it: the women will never be able to keep the one they love. After 9 breakups, Cryssy definitely believes in the curse.

Vin is a gifted cellist who has become extremely famous playing in a duo with his brother. They are labeled as heart breakers after a string of their own romances. Vin’s record label thinks they need another break up to fuel the fan base and they get the idea of a fake relationship this time.

Cryssy and Vin meet at a party and decided to try the fake relationship with each other after Vin’s brother Leo comes to stay at the family retreat for broken hearts.

As they start falling for each other they try to figure out how to push back against their seeming fates to always be the heartbroken and the heartbreaker.

This was a sweet story, I loved the characters, and enjoyed all the talk of tea. I also loved Vin’s brother Leo and am already hoping for a book about Leo!

I got to read an early ebook edition on NetGalley. Thank you!

Once again, I was entranced by the Chinese Medicine aspect of this book, and the doomed to be heartbroken (figuring out how to break the curse was phenomenal instead of just making Chryssy be the one person in her family that’s finally allowed love) I found the romance between Chryssy and Vin to be very natural, based purely on getting to know each other by mostly forced proximity and liking each other as friends first. I loved the family aspects on both sides, getting to meet siblings, aunts, and parents, they didn’t just feel like filler. Both families played a role in how they both looked at love, even though it had to change for Vin after so long. I’ll keep reading everything Lauren writes, it’s always magical.

Lauren Kung Jessen's YIN YANG LOVE SONG is a cozy contemporary love story with a satisfying story arc. The incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine and cultural paradigms about Yin and Yang are great. The fake relationship trope is well-executed. Chryssy and Vin are both super likeable. I also enjoyed the bit about the family curse and the generations of women in the family who come together to take care of things (and all the flower names!). Too often, I feel like an author tries to write a biracial character and it doesn't feel authentic, but this wasn't the case with Kung Jessen (probably because she's also biracial). The one thing I did have an issue with is that Vin being a professional cellist didn't feel authentic. There's so much more to great cellist pieces than Bach and Vivaldi, so those felt like pretty cliche mentions. Additionally, Chryssy definitely would've made more notice of Vin's calloused fingertips which didn't really come up. Beyond that, I can't wait to read Kung Jessen's next story.

Okay, this was probably my least favorite from Lauren Kung Jessen - but I still enjoyed it - it was just missing a bit of the spark I saw in Lunar Love and Red String Theory! It included strong cultural representation - this time in natural healing and Chinese herbalism - so I learned so much! There was also a strong music-focused plot.

The romance itself was definitely a slow-burn; fake dating always gives you the best tension and build-up....will they? Won't they? However, I hated how pigeon-holed the characters were; it made them seem a bit one-dimensional sometimes. He was only a heartbreaker. She was only doomed to never having a happily ever after. And it was harped on so many times that it became a bit repetitive...like I got it!

However, if I ignore that big focus, I felt like it was a slower paced book and relationship, but again, I still enjoyed it.

I would describe this book as soft and sweet. I’m always growing from Lauren’s writing and I love how this story was engaged with Traditional Chinese Medicine. I wasn’t as drawn into the live story as I was the characters as individuals.

3.5 Stars!

This was such a cute and sweet love story. The MCs personalities meshed really well creating a nice slow burn fake dating. However, I think it might have been too low stakes as I was getting a bit bored with the lack of tension. I think it could have been a bit shorter and still had just as much impact.

I really enjoyed the elements of Traditional Chinese medicine throughout. You can tell the author has a deep knowledge and appreciation for the culture.

I do recommend this if you are a lover of low spice, sweet romances. I will be reading more from this author for sure!

This book was so sweet and romantic. I adored Chryssy and Vin. Both characters were nothing like I expected and I loved how well they fit together.

I loved the inclusion of and learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine! It was something I had no knowledge of, and I could tell how passionate the author was about showing how it was so much more than just mixing herbs and teas.

This is an adorable twist on the fake relationship trope. As Vin and Chrissy navigate the good, bad, and ugly of the hand of life each other has been dealt. They navigate together and find what they are looking for in life and love.

Beautiful, tender, achingly sweet, poetically written. I loved this book so much, loved Chryssy and Vin -.both together and as their own characters. This was the epitome of a cozy, heartwarming romance.

This low spice romance is similar in writing style to Katherine Center and Rebecca Serle.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

This is fake-dating done right! Beautiful slow burn and low drama made this a perfect, comfortable read! As a romance, it was mild, but it was a perfect romantic novel!

This was a sweet story about family and the healing power of love and a cup of tea. I enjoyed the relationship between Chryssy and Vin as well as her and her family.

I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Yin Yang Love Song. This novel was a delightful and entertaining read, with a charming writing style that made it easy to enjoy. I particularly liked the incorporation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which added an intriguing and unique element to the story. However, I found myself wishing for a stronger emotional connection between the two main characters. While they were endearing in their own ways, their relationship felt somewhat underdeveloped. That said, if you’re looking for a heartwarming, light romance that brings a sense of comfort and joy, this book is a wonderful choice.

This was a beautiful story about two people reluctantly falling in love. Both characters were likable and relatable, and I loved the relationships between the main female character and her female relatives. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I thought this was a good book, even though it dragged a bit for me. I really liked that it explored the idea that life is not all what it seems with a celebrity and included so much about Traditional Chinese Medicine, tea making and food.

This was a very sweet romance. It took me a while to get into it, but I really like how Lauren Kung Jenssen writes romance and made me really fall in love with the characters.

I love the slight connection throughout each book despite the books being standalones. Vague mentions of my favorite people and places are just *chef’s kiss*. There were so many amazing references to TCM and other uniquely Asian things that weren’t allowed to be mainstream before and it’s lovely to see that changing! (I may or may not have a yin yang tattoo) At times it was a little overwhelming on information, but it really did all tie in. I loved her relationship with the aunties and would’ve enjoyed more time with the characters! Vin was so sweet and it was great that he eventually found what he was needing, even when he didn’t know if anything could really change. I’d have liked a bit more time spent on their getting-to-know-you’s and more deep conversations in private, not as much with others and in public spaces. It just needed a tiny bit more, like a pinch of seasoning, to get to the 5! Absolutely a 4.5 for me, LKJ will always be an auto-buy.
Side note: I will definitely be using “pulled a ghost” from now on hehe

Chryssy, a Chinese herbalist, meets Vin, a violinist, when Vin's brother needs to recuperate and does so at her family's retreat. Their close proximity lent itself to the two spending a lot of time together, sparking attraction along the way. When fake dating will give both their careers a boost, they're all for it. Little did they think fake would turn real. This story really pulls you in, especially while listening to narrators Eunice Wong and Eric Yang. The characters talk about generational expectations and the lengths they have to go through to please their families. Asian families typically have ultra high expectations for their children, which is measured by their success. The narrators brought out every nuance and emotion of each character and helped to craft a beautiful story of love and individuality.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

I think this is a great beach read! It's cute, predictable and fun to read. I recommend it. Kudos to the authors!