Did I save the Last 40 pages of this so I could start my year with a 5 star read? Yes I did.

Hands down, Lauren's best book yet. An herbalist who helps heal heartbreak fake dating a cellist known for breaking hearts? Sweet, full of heart, and many to be savored.

This was a beautiful love story. Chrissy is a practitioner of TCM, using food, tea, acupuncture, and other traditional Chinese remedies to help heal heart break. While at an event for a former famous client, she has a run in with Vin Chao, half of the famous duo the Chao brothers, heart breaker cello players. During their meeting she senses that Leo is heart broken, and slips Vin their card telling him to bring Leo to their inn if he wants to heal, pretty sure she will never see or hear from either of them again. However much to her great surprise, the brothers show up at her family’s healing inn, but it is to propose a fake relationship for them. Chrissy has no interest, until she thinks about the exposure she could get for her family’s inn, and the new tea line they are about to launch. What follows is a fake relationship between them, that teaches both characters so much about themselves and what they have been missing in their lives. A beautiful book, and a fabulous first read of 2025! I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Apparently I have a type and it's hot cellists. Who knew? (LKJ, that's who)

I felt like I learned a lot about traditional Chinese medicine throughout this romance and enjoyed the depth of knowledge displayed throughout. It was nicely juxtaposed with the family curse - superstitious science always makes me giggle. Chryssy is so clearly loved by her family and everyone who meets her, so how could she be cursed? Also I maybe spotted a cameo from a future heroine?? (Give me a antique bookseller ANY DAY). I enjoyed the fake dating mixed with a celebrity romance, especially with all of the press they receive. The way that Chryssy and Vin show their love for one another, even as they're denying its existence, was perfection.

It's comfy, it's cozy, and it showcases modern love in a way that I didn't know I needed.

I liked the premise of this book much more than the execution. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the two main characters. It was interesting learn more about CTM, though.

Lauren Kung Jessen might just be one of my new favorite authors! Her love stories are always the perfect mix of sweet and banter and I am here for it!
In “Yin Yang Love Song,” two people who have terrible luck in relationships decide to fake date for both of their images. Chrissy helps her family run a wellness retreat for heartbreak, dating Vin would help boost sales for their new line of teas. Vin is a musician known for breaking hearts, he could use a sweeter romance to maintain his image. But what if instead of ending, their relationship lasts?
The way I absolutely adored Chrissy and Vin. Sigh. So good. They’re cheesy, but in the best way and they seem to balance each other out. This is one of those books where you get exactly what you want, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.
Also, I loved the wellness moments where Chrissy is explaining a technique or a meal/tea to help with both mental and physical health. In my postpartum life, I’m not sure that the American view of healthcare is always the most helpful and this book made me tempted to try some different methods to help me on my path back to myself. Even things as simple as warmer meals might be a good shift.
ANYWAY. This book was absolutely 5 stars for me. Consider me a fan for life. I can’t wait to see what Lauren Kung Jessen comes out with next!
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an ARC! This book publishes on January 28th!

Lauren Kung Jessen has given us another incredible book! What I love most about Lauren’s writing is how real that she makes her characters feel! I absolutely loved Vin and Chryssy’s love story. Although they did go through some hard things it was realistic to real life and so heartwarming at the same time!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a free ARC of The Yin Yang Love Song.

I have read every one of Lauren Kung Jessen's books and I have to say that I think this one might be my favorite yet. While this is absolutely a romcom with a fake dating trope, I tended to find the focus of this book on wellness, balance, and understanding family dynamic and change to be a beautiful storyline. I felt that the FMC, Chryssy and her MMC, Vin were in synch for most of the book and the fake dating felt more realistic than most fake dating tropes tend to be. The fact that the main controversy centered on whether to risk you heart when romance seemed to always end (either via curse or divorce or growing apart), made the emotional growth of the characters feel more real and less cliche. I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read another by this author.

One of the things I have started looking forward to every January is a new book release from Lauren Kung Jessen. From Lunar Love to Red String Theory to now Yin Yang Love Song, Jessen introduces readers to Chinese traditions and charming, contemporary love stories. I especially appreciated the focus on the role of Chinese medicine in this book. Plus, who doesn't love a rockstar cellist (especially as I have 2Cellos on repeat when I work)?

Many thanks to the author, my favs at Forever, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Thank you to the author and to Read Forever publishing for access to this advanced reader copy! This wholesome romance centered on heartbreak and healing had me rethinking my relationship with my career and my approach to wellness.

I enjoyed learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) through main character Chrissy’s work as a TCM chef and acupuncturist and through the Hua family business. Vin is a fun contrast as Chrissy’s fake boyfriend given he’s a celebrity musician whose lifestyle differs greatly from her own.

This is a sweet love story that’s closed door romance and filled with generations of strong women. This one will leave you reflecting on your own health, heartbreak, and healing. There’s great discussion on the impacts of a demanding career, questioning if it’s worth it, and if it is, how to make it sustainable.

I greatly appreciated the ways in which this book affirms the impact of heartbreak whether it’s a relationship ending or a loved one passing away. In the world, we’re expected to continue on with ‘business as usual’ when we’re impacted in this transformative way. Reading this book is a reminder that it isn’t a natural expectation and that we deserve to receive and extend grace.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, uplifting story!

Yin Yang Love Song was a cozy read. I liked that this book focused on topics we rarely see in romances: Traditional Chinese medicine and cello playing. I thought Lauren Kung Jessen created realistic and flawed characters. Chryssy and Vin were well-established main characters. The dual POV's helped me develop a greater understanding of their characters. I thought their character arcs were done beautifully. I especially enjoyed Vin's character development. It was nice seeing him open up over time. I liked the concept of Chryssy and Vin's relationship: a cursed women with a notorious heartbreaker. Vin and Chryssy were cute together. They were a good match and complemented each other well. Their relationship had some cute moments. I liked the bungee jumping and firefly dates. I do feel like there was something missing with Chryssy and Vin's relationship. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I didn't feel 100% absorbed by their relationship. I enjoyed the author's writing voice. I also thought she did a fantastic job intertwining the books' themes of connection and healing with the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

Thank you to Forever and Lauren Kung Jessen for this ARC.

I have read two other books by Lauren Kung Jessen, and they were the perfect blend of Chinese culture and rom-com tropes. So, when I saw her new novel was coming out, I knew I needed it in my life.

🍵What did you love the most?
This entire novel centers around a theme that I hold dearly to my heart: giving yourself the grace and time to relax when the world demands so much from you. This theme is an undercurrent to the entire plot and was so beautifully done that I will be thinking about it for a long time.

🍵What to expect:
Rock star
Magical realism
Fake dating
Dual POV
Forced proximity

🔥Steam level: clean romance

🍵How was the romance?
Chrissy and Vin, the MCs, are extremely authentic and had many healthy, honest conversations about their insecurities and career paths. It was super refreshing to read this dynamic. There are tons of themes around love and heartbreak and how to balance career aspirations with a relationship, and it just made sense to me.

🍵Do you recommend this book?
I loved this book. It had some cheesy romcom moments, classirom-comnce book tropes, and a serious underlying message about self-care. Overall, I couldn’t put this one down, and Jessen is becoming an auto-buy author for me.

4/5

LKJ does it again!!

I absolutely adore the characters and worlds that Lauren brings to life. I especially love how artistic each female character is, and their devotion to their family and culture. Each character is somehow so different and uniquely themselves, while also sharing this same foundation of wanting to do good in the world and selflessly extend kindness, generosity, love, and light to those around them as they also find themselves.

With that being said, I fell in love with Chrissy and Vin and found myself relating to each of their challenges / growing pains in this book. I also really loved Chrissy’s family and the overarching theme of nature throughout this book. The aunties were HILARIOUS. My aunties act the same way, so I was laughing out loud through various points of this book. There were also so many quotes I highlighted! Lauren’s writing is just so beautiful.

I took my time with this one because I didn’t want it to be over, but nonetheless, I finished it with a smile on my face. It’s an added bonus to have a female character that looks like me (Asian American - Chinese and Filipino) and one whom continuously learns more and more about their culture everyday. Thank you for writing my favorite books, Lauren! And thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before it publishes.

I took my time with this book. It felt like a journey and I wanted to savor it. I loved the characters, I loved the tension of the curse, and I loved the strong female characters. I did find at times for the pace to be a bit too slow, but I’m so glad I stuck it out.

This is a story about finding true love, learning about self-care, taking care of our health- emotional, physical and psychological.  We also learn that our fears should not dictate our actions. I was hoping to enjoy this one as much as the other two books. 
I enjoy learning about Chinese Culture, TCM x herbalism and learning about the paths we will take when we make certain choices. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)-Forever for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars rounded up!

This is a sweet, cozy, and very cheesy story. There is a lot of introspection on heartbreak, love, loss, vested time, and taking risks. There are also a lot of metaphors with plants and music, that felt a bit overdone and contrived. I thought the cooking elements, herbalist, and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) components were all very interesting. This book made me crave a scone and a warm cup of tea.

I was just hoping for a little more from the characters. More tension, more longing.

What to expect:
Music (rockstar cellist)
TCM x herbalism
Introspection on your path, choices, and love
Family curse
Fake dating

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the e-arc!

This was so sweet I have a toothache.

Chryssy and Vin were super cute. I loved all the musical and TCM references! Chryssy’s love of baking and tea had me craving pastries of all kinds while reading.

While it’s a light and fluffy romance, I do wish there was a bit more depth. I found myself waiting for tension and just generally more from the story, particularly around 50%.

If you’re in the mood for something light and sweet, this is it!

thank you forever publishing and netgalley for an arc!

what to expect
⟢ fake dating
⟢ forced proximity / roommates
⟢ curses
⟢ rockstar x herbalist

I really wanted to love this one but I just didn't. I dislike the fake dating trope. It just isn't my favorite. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and wanting to read this book. I loved the authors other books. This one was just a miss for me. I did enjoy learning about TCM and Chinese culture. I love the cover.

Super cute and packed a nice punch of humor. I really enjoyed the dive into herbs and family culture along with the romance, which hit just the right beats and moved the story along beautifully. It felt refreshing amidst a sea of romance novels.

Cryssy & Vin ❤️

🌹Chinese-American chef and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Cryssy lives on an island off Seattle with her three aunts who run a centre focused on healing heartbreak.

🌼At a party in LA for a former client’s son, Cryssy meets Leo and Vin, the rock music cello-playing Chao Brothers, known for the abilities to break up with their romantic partners.

🪻Leo’s been in a bad space after a breakup that never made it into the press, and Vin joins him to visit the healing centre for help. Vin ends up starring an apartment with Cryssy and their fake relationship soon starts feeling very real.

📚So much to see, hear, taste, smell and touch in this charming story, where healing energy, flowers and music mix with family lore and the importance of having a balanced life. I adored how Cryssy and Vin’s families supported both of them through their early relationship, giving them food for thought and love. There is so much background, so many clever sayings and wisdom imparted, I feel like I could do a re-read just to make sure I took everything in.

My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Yin Yang Love Song is a cozy, uplifting romance that was so endearing to read! Where this book really shines is its focus on traditional Chinese herbal and medicinal practices. Lauren’s characters also all felt so real and genuine.

My biggest complaint with this story is that it felt cheesy - if you like a cheesy romance you’ll really enjoy this one! But it was a little too much for me and detracted from my enjoyment of the story. Otherwise I liked it!

Thank you to Forever for sending me an advanced copy!
Pub date: January 28, 2025