I can always count on Lauren Kung Jessen’s books to be super sweet and easy to read. I loved learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine and all the flowers through reading. The inn sounds absolutely dreamy. I had such fun reading!

DNF @ 24%
This one is too boring for me to finish, and I also have some issues with the premise.

Basically our FMC and her family practice Chinese Traditional Medicine, and they have a business where they treat people for heartbreak and sadness. Our MMC is a famous violin player who plays in a duo with his brother. And apparently he and his brother are known as ~heartbreakers~ in the industry, and that’s part of their brand. The two main characters decide to fake date after they’re seen together at an event. There’s also some forced proximity. Oh yeah and her family is also cursed to never find happiness in love.

I wish this one had fewer tropes just kind of thrown it. I liked the idea of following a woman who practices TCM, but it was just so annoying that the MMC was a FAMOUS violin player who’s this infamous player. I didn’t know there were famous violin players, let alone ones who are so famous that the tabloids keep track of their dating lives. The fake dating plot just felt so forced and shoehorned in because it’s popular or whatever.

I liked the writing style, I just wish this was a simpler story between a woman who works at a wellness resort and a professional violin player.

Having loved Jessen's two previous novels, I was expecting more of the same caliber of writing and storytelling. Unfortunately, Yin Yang Love Song fell short of those expectations.

The story unfolds through the two protagonists' points of view. And while I do enjoy this method of storytelling, I couldn't get past the arrogance of the male character, Vin. His counterpart, Chrissy didn't help. Her flippant attitude didn't add to the rom-com vibe. Both characters were just unlikable.

The plot seemed forced and unbelievable. A natural healer and a musician fake dating? The two most unlikely professions connecting with each other? Needless to say, I was disappointed. Not to say that I won't read another Jessen novel, but this novel really took the wind out of my sails. An unfortunately one star DNF at 33%

I was invited to read a DRC from Forever, through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest opinions.

lauren kung jessen does such a great job of writing books that feel comforting and familiar. opening one of her books feelings like catching up with an old friend. yin yang love song hit all the right notes and was a very sweet read.

as always with lkj books, our protagonists were easy to root for characters who had great banter; though i didn't feel as connected to the two of them has i have the main characters of her previous books, i did love following chryssy and vin's journey as a couple and individuals. chryssy's aunts were very fun and lovable characters as well, and i loved how important family was to all the characters. i love strong family dynamics.

while this isn't my favorite of her releases, i did have a really great time reading yin yang love song and thought there were so many wonderful and lovely moments. i'd recommend this to any romance reader

Yin Yang Story is a beautiful love story about a cellist and a Chinese Tea Herbalist. It covers all aspects of traditional Chinese beliefs and intergenerational traumas. There is a bit of fake- dating, a business deal, and some sacrifices in this lovely story.

I am going to start by saying that this story is authentic and researched. Lauren took her time researching every type of flower and classical music there is in the world. I have always been a big fan of the way she writes in detail. I loved Red String Theory a lot. However, this book just didn't hit me. There are way too many details in this book, causing the reader to lose track of the fake dating trope.

As a Chinese woman dealing with a difficult family, I felt like I could relate to Chrissy (MC). But all the names of the aunts, the love. curse, the inn, the dates, the details about being a celebrity; it was all too much. At some point, I lost the point of the story, the PLOT. It seemed very obvious what would happen at the end of the book. Like it was rushed and boom! The fake dating never happened.

Lastly, the part about the curse (slight spoiler), it's giving fnatasy/Tangled the Disney movie. It seems like a story in a story in a story in a story in a story in a story. I am Chinese and I get that generations do that but this was A LOT.

I love Lauren's other works this one just seemed so rushed. It seems like the fake dating was so forgotten, At some point I was like choose one or two tropes not all of them.

I will be giving this a 3.5. I raised it because of the detail research work.

After break-up number 9, Chryssy Hua Williams has come to terms with the reality of the family curse - that no Hua woman will find lasting love. So when a run-in with heartbreaker celebrity cellist Vin Chao leads to a fake-dating scheme in order to increase his ticket sales and promote her new tea product line, Chryssy's sure there's no way it could hurt her.

I really wanted to love this one, but I just felt like the chemistry between Chryssy and Vin fell flat. It didn't feel like a sweet relationship between two heartbroken people but instead a therapist-patient relationship. The banter between them constantly felt like Chryssy was giving Vin advice as a therapist, not as a girlfriend (fake or otherwise).

I did, however, love the story with the focus on TCM and holistic healing, and Jessen's writing style was easy and comfortable to read.

Read if you like:
Dual-POV
Asian rep
Fake dating
Family curse
Bad boy musician

2.5 stars rounded down.

I have love love LOVED Jessen's previous two books, so I gave this one chance after chance to win me over--and it didn't. From the get go I was confused about the dynamics between the two main characters. They're strangers, but the way they're comfortable speaking to one another (meanly at first) made me second guess if they actually did know one another. And that strange dynamic continued. I just could not for the life of me get a good grip on the MCs' personalities, so I felt off-kilter the entire book.

And I also felt like nothing happened in this book. I kept expecting the book to be over because the characters weren't building up to much. And then when the book was close to being over I was thinking... wait... has anything REALLY happened? This read just really messed with me.

I will continue to read Lauren Kung Jessen's releases, but this story and its characters were a total miss for me. Unfortunately. :(

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this charming rom-com filled with Chinese traditions and a family curse, an herbalist fake dates a star musician.

^one sentence summary from the publisher. Thank you @readforeverpub for a digital copy of this book to review!

I was hooked from the VERY first line of this book: “It takes less than two seconds to break a person’s heart.” From there, I was immediately swept away into the love story of Chryssy and Vin. They make a deal to fake date and have no intentions of catching feelings. Boy… were they in for a surprise. 😇

I loved watching this story unfold. Chryssy truly believing she was cursed to never find love was a really tough thing for her to overcome. I loved how into her work she was, and how she truly thrived on helping others. Her gift of seeing people for who they are was pure magic. And Vin!! That secret romantic. I loved him so much and I thought he had such an interesting background.

And of course… all of our side characters but especially the aunties. So much fun. I loved the questions the curse brought up about family legends and lore, and I loved the brotherly dynamics we had between Vin and Leo. There was a lot to unpack in this story and it was a great ride.

I have to shout out the prose here too. Lauren’s writing was so whimsical and lovely. A few favorites:

“Hand-holding is way more intimate. These little extensions of you clinging to someone else, even when no one knows about it because you just have to be touching in a private moment. Hand-holding keeps you connected for longer, too, even when you’re not kissing.”

“The sounds of our laughter overlap, creating a new melody I very much like the sound of, even though it’s slightly off-key. Both this tune, along with Chryssy’s bright smile against this gray day, burrow their way deeper into me.”

“This delights me. Watching someone learn how to cook is like watching people fall in love. It’s a lovely mess at first, and then soon enough you’re regretting all the meals you never made.”

“but I safekeep this moment just for me. Store it away like my own version of a one-way ticket, but with an unknown destination.”

Truly stunning!

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of Yin Yang Love Song. I've enjoyed Lauren Kung Jessen's previous books, but I unfortunately this wasn't the book for me.

I struggled with believing the romance and didn't feel any chemistry between the two main characters.

I look forward to reading her future books.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for eARC!

Fluffy, cozy, cutesy, feel-good read. Enjoyed the cultural aspects and the characters. Nice to read if you are in the mood for a cheesy, hallmark movie feel.

I do not believe this book was for me. The pacing felt disjointed for a book all about balance. I’m not sure that the characters all went well together. I also do not completely understand the concept of heartbreak medicine. I feel like by focusing in on the heartbreak teas, we are forgetting that it’s also okay to take medication. We cannot all be healed by herbs and flowers. And I hate to say that because I also love the power of flowers and herbs. It’s a conflicting feeling. If she wasn’t being labeled as the heartbreak fixer, but focused more on we can’t fix your heartbreak, but we can help your body and that’s a start.

I think naming all the Huas after wildflowers was a cute concept, but I stopped being able to tell any of them apart. It was too many flowers.

What I liked was the rabbit. And Leo.

Yin Yang Love Song, written by Lauren Kung Jessen, is a delightful romantic comedy that intertwines Chinese traditions with a family curse. In this heartwarming tale, an herbalist finds herself fake dating a famous musician, creating a perfect blend of comfort and romance. I was captivated by the story from start to finish and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this charming novel!

Another adorable romance by Lauren Kung Jessen. This was a great read. Full of love, self growth, curse breaking and .humor. I always appreciate how Lauren Kung Jessen blends Chinese American culture into her romance stories and features mixed race main characters. I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope and I thought this was a super cute reasonable fake dating romance.

Chryssy and Vin’s romance is beautiful and feels very natural. Chryssy and her family are cursed to never have a successful relationship. This makes Chryssy vulnerable and a bit pessimistic towards romance. Vin is a famous cellist who is dubbed a heartbreaker and a “bad boy”. It was great to see both of their walls break down as the story progressed and see how love changed their outlooks on life. This is more of a slow burn story but you get a deeper sense of Chryssy and Vin’s love for each other. It’s one of those feel good stories that feels somewhat familiar but I loved Lauren’s unique take on a celebrity/ fake dating romance. The traditional Chinese medicine and the familial bonds between Chryssy and her family and Vin and his helped give this story a raw and realistic spin.

Overall if you’re a fan of closed door romances, fake dating, and a family curse then this is a must read. It features Asian American characters, an adorable bunny companion, traditional Chinese medicine, delicious food descriptions and heartwarming romance.

I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. I liked the characters and thought the plot was interesting.

This romance felt transactional, and I struggled to believe they were actually falling in love. They also lacked chemistry. The flower references were a bit overwhelming to the story.

I really enjoyed this authors previous work, Red String Theory.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever

“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.