“Yin Yang Love Song” will warm your heart with a tender romance and cozy atmosphere. Vin, a famous cellist, is broadly known as a heartbreaker. Chrissy, along with all of her aunties, runs a wellness retreat for the heartbroken at The Wildflower Inn. Their paths collide when Vin’s brother is dealing with a heartbreak of his own. Jessen has the best writing style. Her books always feel like a happy, safe place. I enjoyed learning about the characters lives and careers in this story. I did not connect with this book as much as Jessen’s previous works. The romance felt insta-lovey to me.

For those who love:
🫖 Opposites Attract Romance
🫖 Fake Dating
🫖 Herbalist + Musician
🫖 Family Curse?
🫖 Aunties!!
🫖 Navigating Heartbreak

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Following the origin of a family curse, Chryssy has given up on romantic endeavors until she is photographed with Vin Chao, notorious heartbreaker or so the tabloids say. To boost the tour sales for his orchestral band, the label is demanding he enter a relationship and do the break up to live up to his notoreity. What ends up happening however is the two bond beyond compare healing in ways that TCM also promotes. For a closed door romance this was wildly refreshing as the focal point was definitely on emotional connection which I love seeing in romance!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for an advance read of this book!

The goods:
- I loved the incorporation of traditional Chinese medecine. I had no knowledge of TCM before the book but it really sparked my interest and kept me engaged the entire time.
- Chryssy's interpretation of her family curse and living with her aunts was a dynamic I had not seen before in a novel and thought it was a unique aspect to the story.
- I giggled during meet cute between Chryssy and Vin and the fake dating turned real behind it all, especially with Vin's progression in the relationship.
- I enjoyed all the side characters, stories, and plots that you get to add to the meat of the book.

The loss of a star:
- The pacing overall was a bit slower. It reads as a cozy romance in my opinion, with overall low stakes, and it just didn't feel right with how deep the relationship was between Chryssy and Vin (if that makes any sense)

Overall, if you're looking for a sweet romance with an in depth look at TCM, this should be your next read!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen is a first person dual-POV contemporary romance. Chryssy runs a traditional Chinese medicine business with her aunts, trying to spread the benefits of the practice while helping others. The women in Chryssy’s family are cursed to never have long-lasting love and Chryssy has reached a point where she believes she is also cursed. Vin and his brother Leo are cello prodigies who have become rock stars in the classical music world. When Vin and Leo head to Chryssy’s business so Leo can recover from a heartbreak, Vin asks Chryssy to pretend to be his girlfriend and then break-up with him for publicity to maintain his heartbreaker image.

If you have a negative opinion of traditional Chinese medicine, I’m not sure that this could change your mind about it, but if you have an open mind to the possibility that some practices work, you will learn more about the whys behind practices like acupuncture. I’ve known people who have felt acupuncture helped them and I have personally woken up for extended periods of time during the hours of grief and loss, so I was open to what was being conveyed. While I do subscribe to modern practices of scientific theory and making sure things actually work instead of it being a placebo effect, I also subscribe to the idea that if civilizations have been doing something for generations and claim there is a health benefit, it is worth at least hearing them out instead of dismissing it.

Chryssy and Vin are both biracial Asian-Americans with Vin being half-Italian and Chryssy’s father is most likely white. While the two don’t discuss it in text, it does come up with Vin’s family name, Chao, which also sounds like ‘ciao,’ the Italian word for ‘good-bye’ and the nickname for Vin and Leo’s duo is Chaobreakers, a play on ‘heartbreakers.’ I love that Lauren Kung Jessen has biracial romantic interests in this book and in her previous one, Lunar Love Story, because it is so important for biracial people to be included in the romance genre and be the stars of the show, regardless of whether or not their identity as a biracial person comes up as a major theme. When I first started reading romance genre, I could occasionally find interracial relationships but I have no memory of finding a lead who was biracial until a few years ago and I love how Kung Jessen does it.

Vin is a lot more full-steam ahead than Chryssy is but he’s also extremely hard on himself. He struggles with failure and even more with seeing people he cares about not doing well when he can’t do anything to fix it. On the flipside, Chryssy takes life one step at a time and knows how to slow down and enjoy life. She was previously on track to be a cardiologist but loves her current life and her work helping others heal their hearts in a different way. Their dynamic is all about Vin learning how to have fun again for the sake of having fun and Chryssy relearning how to be bold.

I would recommend this to readers looking for biracial leads in a romance, fans of romances with musicians as one of the love interests, and those looking for a contemporary work exploring traditional Chinese medicine

Chryssy is trying to expand her business and when her pitch hitter endorsement doesn't work out, she luckily has a famous cellist willing to lend her a hand in exchange for a temporary fake courtship. Vin needs to get the attention away from his brother and partner and what better way than a new romance to stir the pot?
I'm a big fan of Lauren's. She is probably one of the sweetest authors I've interacted with. I met her at a book fest and hosted a bookclub zoom with her last year. Her writing shows her personality and I will be a fan forever. I loved so much how with Yin Yang, she showed two polar opposite viewpoints of love and brought her main characters together in a beautiful way. They had opposite journeys to explore and it works so well. The meddling aunties, the setting, the struggles and successes of both characters feel real and raw. I'll happily read another book from her anytime.
Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I adore romance books and the healing powers of flowers so I knew this one would be a book that would give me alllll the feels. I think my favorite thing about this book was the way Lauren wrote Chryssy and Vin's friend/crush to lovers. They had instant chemistry and I loved reading the beginning of their love story. The heartbreak hotel aspect was also so fun to imagine. I want to visit/work/live there in real life.

The first half of this book was 5 stars. The second half felt a bit drawn out since it was mostly about the curse vs. their relationship but I do see how it was all connected to the progression of the Hua bloodline as a whole. In order for Chryssy to move on, there had to be some healing there as well so I'm not mad about it. I would definitely check out Lauren's other books.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

If you're looking to slide into 2025 with a chill vibes romance, Lauren Kung Jessen's third novel, Yin Yang Love Song is the one. It mixes fake dating, rock star cellists and Traditional Chinese Medicine/herbal medicine. It's low angst and the relationship feels totally organic, even as both Chryssy and Vin deal with issues around burnout and generational curses (generational trauma takes many forms, let me tell you). At points the flower and music metaphors were a bit much for me personally, but overall a satisfying low spice read.

P.S. If rock star cellists seems like a stretch to you because you only think of Yo-Yo Ma, check out Jake Shimabukuro on his ukulele and see if still seems like a stretch.

I love this author. She always incorporates Chinese culture into a sweet little love story.

This follows Vin, a cellist prodigy that is not only famous for his musical ability but for his heartbreaker status. And Chryssy a woman that specializes in healing heart break through the use of traditional Chinese medicine with a wholistic approach. Did I also mention that her family is cursed and destined for heartache?

They meet and the press goes wild with speculation. They decide to fake date and you can guess what happens next!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!

Thanks to Forever for the ARC of this book! I really wanted to love it but unfortunately it just was not for me. I think the story has a lot of potential but ultimately it felt like nothing reallt happened. Super slow storyline and not many events. Others might love it but I was just a little bored. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

Sometimes you don’t so much read a book as feel a book. YIN YANG LOVE SONG is a book you feel at your very core. It’s deceptive; at times both delicate and strong, much like the characters Lauren Kung Jessen weaves throughout the story.

Chryssy (Chrysanthemum) is descended from a long line of Hua women who are destined to live without love due to a curse placed on them by an ancestor. She, in partnership with her aunts, has turned her personal heartbreak into a profession using TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to heal heartbreak in others. Vin is a former prodigy who, along with his brother, has achieved fame as a rock star cellist. He’s also earned a reputation as someone who leaves a trail of broken hearts scattered in his wake. Neither is looking for love because neither believes true love is possible for them. When they see fake dating as a way to achieve their professional goals, it seems foolproof because expecting nothing means risking nothing.

This story is rich - full of wisdom and centered on the concept of healing through balance. Through Chryssy and Vin, the author shows what is possible when we shed what we think we know as truths and open ourselves to new ideas. The love story is gentle and full of promise, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple. Both main characters are challenged to examine long held beliefs and take a gigantic leap of faith. It’s a beautiful love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

With Lunar Love, I knew Lauren Kung Jessen would be a repeat author for me, and I was proven right with her second novel, Red String Theory. Both of these books explore aspects of Chinese culture, intertwined with a charming love story, vivid food descriptions, cute pets, and lovable characters.

Yin Yang Love Song is no different. Chryssy and Vin, along with their families big and small, are great. They’re all cozy and create a community anyone would be lucky to be part of. The mention of Goji always brought me a smile as I imagined the fluffy bunny. I enjoyed reading about the different types of flowers and what they help with. The messages in the book are also great, focusing on taking care of yourself and understanding you are in control of your life. Overall, it was an enjoyable book.

I’ve only given it three stars because it hasn’t been my favorite of hers, and while it was good and had the elements I loved, it was also harder for me to connect to and almost too soft. There is heartbreak, of course, the whole book centers around heartbreak and what causes it and how one heals, but there wasn’t really anything that tugged at my personal heart strings. But this is personal to me, and I would still recommend the book to anyone who has enjoyed her previous works as they may have an entirely different experience!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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!