Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen is a beautifully layered novel that explores love, self-discovery, and the complexities of navigating one's cultural identity. The story centers around Chryssy, a Chinese American woman who faces the delicate balancing act of honoring her cultural heritage while embracing her desires and individuality. Enter Vin, a musician who challenges Chryssy to think beyond the boundaries she’s placed on herself, sparking a romance that is both poignant and introspective.

Jessen’s writing effortlessly capturing the emotions and struggles of the characters. The chemistry between Chryssy and Vin feels natural, with their relationship unfolding in an organic way as both characters grow and evolve. It’s a romance that doesn’t just focus on love between two people, but on the way they each confront their personal histories, family expectations, and self-imposed limits.

Though the novel excels in many areas, it occasionally slows down in its pacing during more introspective moments. Some readers may find the focus on Chryssy’s internal struggles a bit repetitive, but these sections also provide depth and emotional weight to the story.

Yin Yang Love Song is a thoughtful, well-crafted romance that will resonate with readers looking for more than just a love story. With its emotional depth, cultural exploration, and authentic characters, it’s a captivating read that lingers long after the last page.

Herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams dedicates her career to helping people heal after heartbreak, using traditional Chinese medicine techniques like acupuncture and herbalism. Chryssy’s been dumped nine times, so she’s sworn off love… just as well, due to the Hua family curse (explored in Lunar Love and Red String Theory) that predicts a Hua woman will never have a successful relationship. When Chryssy bumps into a heartbreaker musician at a celebrity client’s home, a photographer catches their brief interaction—and chemistry—and suddenly the world is speculating about who Vin Chao, one-half of the electric cello duo Chao Brothers, is dating. They agree to fake date to help ticket sales for his upcoming tour, and promote her family’s business, a serene inn where guests stay to recover from being unlucky in love. The business is about to launch In Full Bloom, a line of teas and other products to complement the services they offer guests at the Heartbreak Hotel.

Leo, Vin’s older brother, is fresh off his own heartbreak, and finding it so debilitating, he checks himself into the Heartbreak Hotel, which forces Vin to take a bit of a break from their grueling schedule. Space is limited, so Vin and Chryssy have to room together in a small outbuilding (separate bedrooms, thankfully, but the forced proximity aids their getting to know one another so they can fake it for the public. A real friendship develops as Chryssy and Vin base-jump in Vegas for charity, participate in a dragon boat race with her family, spend time clamming, chasing fireflies and appear on late night television to prepare a honey, lavender and chrysanthemum egg custard tart.

Each has their own baggage to contend with: Chryssy’s parents are divorced and don’t spend a lot of time together, while Vin’s are about to celebrate 35 years of marriage. This is a very cerebral book, with lots of long conversations about the nature of love and relationships, about music, and about healing. The details of TCM are fascinating, and presented through the characters in such a way that the reader will learn a lot, without ever feeling lectured at. Vin’s openminded outlook and judgement-free curiosity is the perfect foil for Chryssy’s wealth knowledge. The dynamic of a very competent woman being supported by a man who doesn’t find her threatening was just lovely.

The curse that Chryssy and her family set out to uncover adds a mystery element to the plot, and the relationship between brothers Leo and Vin is conflicted and supportive and real. While there is a lot of magnetism between Vin and Chryssy, the intimate part takes place behind closed doors, with all signs pointing to complimentary compatibilities.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #YinYangLoveSong via #NetGalley courtesy of #Forever. A review will post to HLBB on 2/6/2025.

I really enjoyed this story and Lauren Kung Jessen has easily become an auto-read author. No matter how much I wish I didn't like fake dating or forced proximity, I fall for them every single time. I enjoyed the level-up of spice in this novel (since the previous 2 were almost no spice at all); however, I don't think that romance was the true star of this story. I loved the family dynamics and all of the aunties and wish I could spend more time with these characters.

3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️✨
This was a really flowery read for me. I learned some things along the way about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the benefits of acupuncture, and the life-giving nature of a garden. I wasn’t too invested into the main characters, Chrissy and Vin. Their romance seemed more like friendship, which is great, but it didn’t take off anywhere. An herbalist and a rockstar cello musician walk into a party and you get this book. I did appreciate the dual POV and understanding what happens when burn out and perfectionism take light in our lives.
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about TCM and trying to read diverse voices. Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for eARC.

Thiswas a wonderful read for me ,I loved learning about the Chinese culture the family.The romance the characters kept me turning the pages completely involved.Lauren Kung Jesse’n is a wonderful author.# netgalley #grand central

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the eALC.

Yin Yang Love Song was definitely a slow burn.

Chryssy and Vin meet up at a party where they argue over who gets to use an electric socket. And since Vin is kind of a famous musician (love that he plays cello), the internet is all over a photo that gets taken of them. So they decide to use it to their advantage and start fake dating.

Their relationship has a very slow progression. They definitely start out as strangers and evolve to friends—which slowly evolves to lovers (although basically no spice, FYI). It felt a lot less about the romance and a lot more about the understanding of self and personal growth.

The side characters were fun and interesting and really made the story more fun. And all the information about Traditional Chinese Medicine was so educational and I wanted to learn more.

Overall, Yin Yang Love Song was a fun and quick read but I was hoping for more romance. But both narrators were top tier.

I love experiencing different cultures through literature. This book was a great way to do that. I love the story for its wit and charm and the characters are so fun! I have aunties who act like the ones in the book and it was funny to read them. Chryssy and Vin were a great pair too! I highly recommend this book if you want to nice cozy read for the winter or spring. This is the second book I’ve read by Lauren Kung Jessen, and she definitely becoming a fan favorite.

Wow, what a beautiful love story! What happens when you mix a traditional Chinese medicine chef, known for treating the heartbroken and a famous rock cellist known for breaking hearts?

After random photos leak of Chryssy and Vinny looking close at a party where they’re both working, a plot of fake dating starts to try to help both of their careers.

Weaving in themes of family, loneliness, love, and breaking the cycle, Yin Yang Love Song was a joy to read.

Chryssy and Vinny balanced each other so well, though they had a rocky start. I loved seeing how they supported and understood each other, even early on in the story. I highly recommend this one to fans of fake dating with a twist, unique careers (loved learning more about both music and TCM), and a swoony romance. I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This book is my love letter to herbalism, burnout, confronting perfectionism, and learning that we can change our minds and rewrite our story anytime we want.

I really liked this book and did enjoy it. I like the fake dating aspect and, even more, the element of having a "family curse" that happens to the women in the family.

Lauren Kung Jensen gives us a deeply romantic and heartwarming story just in time for both Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. Yin Yang Love Song is swoon worthy, it’s sweet and will even make you laugh in a couple places. Chryssy and Vin’s back and forth feels very natural and their chemistry is real. My favorite part of this as someone who’s experienced their own share of heartbreak is that I walked away from this feeling this new renewed desire for love. Lauren Kung Jensen plays with a few different tropes with ease to create something really cohesive. This has a fun supporting cast that leaves you wanting more of their stories. The drama makes a ton of sense and doesn’t ever just feel like obstacles for the sake of them. I loved this from start to finish.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8YYw7wx/

I love the characters in Lauren Kung Jessen's stories, and this was no exception. Ambitious musician Vin and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbalist Chryssy have an awkward first encounter, then cue the fake dating trope with different pivots.

Here I did find the plot to be slow moving at times. I liked learning more about TCM than I had understood before, and how the extended cast in the story weaved in.

Thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC.

Forever eARC
I really enjoy this author's romances and how she incorporates her Chinese culture - this time through Traditional Chinese Medicine. I am also a sucker for a cello player, so I was so excited to see this as Vin's profession. I liked how she juxtaposed heartbreak through Chryssy and Vin. It was such an interesting way to see how people cause and heal heartbreak. The exploration of familial curses was also so raw and honest. The scene between Chryssy and her dad was one of my favorites in the book. This was sweet and deep. I can't wait to continue reading this author.

Last year I fell in love with Lauren Kung Jessen's books, and was eager to see what her third book would bring. There's so much about this book that I loved -- highlighting the importance of rest, showcasing traditional Chinese medicine in contrast to western medicine for healing emotional wounds, Chryssy's family, and more. And I LOVED Chryssy and Vin as characters. However, I wish we got more time of them together. There were so many adorable, and meaningful moments between them, but they easily spent half the book apart from one another -- I needed them together more often to believe their love was something beyond instalove/lust. This book also did a lot of telling instead of showing -- we heard about Vin and his brother's "heartbreaking" reputations from their side of the story, but never from anyone else. I think some third party exposition in the form of gossip site articles, or even comment sections on Vin and Chryssy's social media posts would've shown how the external world was impacting their lives and relationship without it constantly just being the anxiety and thoughts swirling around in each of their heads.

That being said, the Pacific Northwest vibes were impeccable in this book and I have already recommended it to my friends who love gardening, and being outside.

I'm excited to keep reading more books from this author in the future!

Yin Yang Love Song
Lauren Kung Jessen

I wanted to love this so badly!!!! I’m so sad it didn’t work for me. Like the previous two I wanted to squeal and root for our MCs but I just never got there with this book.

It’s dual pov but I can’t tell the difference between their voices, I was confused very frequently on whose pov it was.

It feels so surface level, cheesy in a not fun way. It was not like the author’s previous work, it felt like it was a book I guess I’d recommend to middle schoolers? It read very YA which is fine if that’s what you’re expecting to read.

the writing feels so blocky/chunky like not smooth sometimes I feel like I missed lines or pages.

I knew this book wasn’t for me when even talk of oysters and mushrooms couldn’t save me!

I should have DNF’ed at 50% my eyes glazed through the last 30%. This is easily my least favorite of the three.

This was a really sweet love story about two actual adults (too rare!) who I believe are in their thirties. Chryssy is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner at a healing retreat for the broken hearted that she runs with her aunties. All the women of the family have lots of practice with healing broken hearts because they are cursed to never find lasting love. Vin is a rock star cellist with a reputation for breaking hearts. What a unique premise!

At first I felt like I wasn’t connecting with the characters, but the more I read the more I wanted to pick the book back up, and I came to really care for Chryssy and Vin. I was inspired by their emotional growth and maturity and found the relationships with both their families to be so lovely. Really glad I read this and highly recommend it!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

First and foremost, I absolutely love Lauren's writing. She can do no wrong in my eyes. I loved her first two novels. and I love this book. Just like the other books, this book made me laugh out loud, and a maybe tear or two accidentally slipped out of my eyes. As an Asian American, I appreciated and related to the Chinese tradition mentioned in the book; it made me connect to the characters even more. Lauren is my new Abby Jimenez. I will forever read anything she writes. At this point, I'm willing to trade my left kidney for her next novel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the free Book/ARC Forever!

Another amazing story from Lauren! I absolutely loved Lunar Love and Red String Theory, so I was thrilled to dive into this one. Yin Yang Love Song feels different from the others but in the best way possible. The mix of humor and raw emotion had me hooked from the start. I loved how Lauren wrote about baking, teas, flowers and family (there’s even some curse breaking)! I learned so much about Traditional Chinese Medicine, the healing power of flowers and herbs, and the art of making tea!

Chryssy and Vin are absolutely adorable together. I loved their fake dating and how they helped each other grow in ways they never expected. Chryssy is such a strong, compassionate character, and Vin’s vulnerability was so cute. I love a great fake relationship that turns real!

3.5 ⭐️

This was a refreshing take on romcom(?) romance. The side quests and mystery behind fmc's family history was a fun journey to go on as a reader. Elements of TCM and cultural aspects of growing up in a mixed immigrant family was nice to see from the author.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Super cute fake dating romance between an herbalist who is cursed in love and a rock cello player with a reputation of being a heartbreaker. Chryssy has pretty much sworn off relationships since she has been dumped so many times and chalks it up to the family curse of never having lasting love. A chance encounter with a rock cello player, Vin, at a kid’s birthday party, causes all sorts of public speculation. Vin needs the gossip to help him sell concert tickets, so he asks Chryssy for help. She also gets more business at her family’s inn as a side benefit, so she agrees to the fake dating scheme. Of course, these two end up super compatible with each other and a slow and sweet romance develops. I liked seeing these two work as partners with their respective struggles and really communicate well with each other. The story totally sucked me in and I read it in a day. Fade to black on the intimate encounters and no third-act break-up.