I devoured this book!! The story follows two old best friends from college, Derek and Zoey, who have both faced academic hardships due to racist asian stereotypes and overbearing instructors/theater directors. These individuals lacked any sort of remorse towards them in college, which is what sadly led to Zoey’s decision about leaving theater altogether, straining the friendship they had. This is especially true when Zoey leaves and never responds to Derek’s messages, until one day the unexpectedly run into each other ten years later!!
I was hoping some more time before fully realizing Derek’s intent as to why he showed up unexpectedly looking to her, but it works out súper well! Zoeys passion for costume design reignites and so does the passion they had for each other. I admire how this book tackled issues present in theater groups, as well as family issues that seem to be universal in ever POC family. It was a super cute and shockingly spicy at times!!

"Z, I'll trust you until you can trust in yourself."

This one was super cute!! Thien-Kim Lam has such a love for theatre, and it made the theatre kid in me so happy. This was a book of pure Vietnamese joy, and the demisexuality representation was really nice as well. I love a second chance romance, and this one hit the mark.

A quick couple of notes: the Boss Babes are supposed to be in their late 20s, but they read VERY much like mid 30s. Case in point: a character saying "getting their digits." C'est la vie. It doesn't detract from the story, but I wanted to note it. The ending is also a very "and everybody clapped" type vibe, but since this book was supposed to be pure joy, it worked.

Note for NetGalley: there were a lot of typos in my eARC. At one point Derek is written as "Derk" and I giggled throughout the book because of it.

Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam is a delightful and witty romance that blends humor, culture, and self-discovery in a refreshingly modern way. The story follows the journey of a protagonist who, navigating her career and personal life, finds herself in a complicated romance that challenges her perceptions of love and herself. Lam’s writing is sharp, with a great balance of humor and heartfelt moments, offering a unique take on navigating relationships and personal identity. Themes of self-empowerment, vulnerability, and the courage to pursue love on one's own terms are central to the story, making Something Cheeky a fun and inspiring read. Perfect for fans of contemporary romance that is both light-hearted and meaningful.

This book was a very enjoyable read. I read it in a few sittings and was hooked after just a short time reading. The story was well paced and the characters were well developed.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Something Cheeky in exchange for an honest review.

Zoe Tran is kicking butt and taking names. She is running a highly successful, plus-size lingerie boutique. She's out to represent curvy women like her and she's wining awards for her work. Her only real regret is the unfortunate rupture in her friendship with college best friend Derek Bui.

Meanwhile, Derek's been doing well too. Rising through the ranks of the theater world, he's finally in the position to write and produce the musical of his dreams: an adaptation of a Vietnamese folk tale. Back in the college, he and Zoe dreamed of producing it together, so when it's time to make the dream a reality, Zoe is the only costumer designer that Derek will consider. He's been in love with her since those early days, and this job is the perfect chance to reunite. And if he finally manages to declare his feelings, so much the better. The only canker in the scenario is his overtly nasty and racist mentor but Derek is determined to make all his dreams come true.

Overall, it's a big of mixed bag. Zoe and Derek are likeable and their shared professional drive is admirable. They get together a little too quickly to enjoy any real sexual tension, though, and thereafter any narrative tension is driven primarily by how they respectively relate to Derek's bastard mentor. That tension is understandable and human, but not sexy or surprising. The most inspiring, exciting parts relate to the theatrical production, including the gorgeous descriptions of Zoe's costume designs.

The one thing to know is that the title Something Cheeky isn't terribly accurate. You might expect something cheeky, something fun and lighthearted. It has it's moments, but the story is really defined with the issue of racism (A big, important issues that merits discussion..) It sets a different tone than the title suggests. There's more anger and angst, especially toward the end. This is not a carefree romp, puking cats and side character shenanigans not withstanding.

Suggested for readers who enjoy friends to lovers, readers who enjoy stories set in theaters, and readers who love seeing curvy representation on page.

This one took me a bit to get into, but once I was hooked I was HOOKED. It's so refreshing to read sex-positive stories among Asian women, especially when it's not overly done. This was a very cute read and I am looking to reading more from this author!

Something Cheeky really exceeded my expectations. I’ve come to love the witty dialogue that fills the pages on Lam’s novels. The theatre community will love the nods to popular musicals and theatrical works.

Zoe was an absolute firecracker from the jump. I knew I liked her character from Happy Endings and was super excited to read her story. Through Zoe I was able to learn more about demisexuality and what that looks like. I think it was very important that from the beginning we have already established that Zoe and Derek are very familiar with each other. He was straight up pining for our girl but it was nice to see Zoe transform her platonic love for him into seeing him as a romantic partner.

Derek’s character has the kind of complexity some authors shy away from to maintain the escapisms of contemporary romance. The reality is that so many POC in the industry face an enormous uphill battle trying to tell the stories of marginalized communities while simultaneously making them palatable for white audiences. Up until the end I wasn’t sure what direction he would go in but I don’t think I would lose any respect for him. He was facing a tough challenge and I loved the outcome.

Something Cheeky is witty, fun, and insightful! Derek is hopelessly in love with Zoe and I love some good old fashioned pinning. Zoe is confident and funny and an all around Boss Babe! While this is a romance novel, we get exposure to real life issues like diversity, racism, and fatphobia. Yet it only adds to the depth of the story, while still being lighthearted. I was giggling from page 1! My one critique is that the ending was kinda of quick. We get to the big conflict but it gets resolved of course and then the book is over. There was no time for processing just closure. Overall a solid 4 star read! Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this ARC.

Derek y Zoe se conocieron en la universidad. Ambos tienen ascendencia vietnamita y comparten su pasión por el teatro. El sueño de los dos era participar en una producción con un casting completamente asiático; él se encargaría de la dirección y ella de los vestuarios.

Al graduarse, pierden contacto, pero años después, él la busca para pedirle que participe en su producción, y ella acepta. A lo largo de su camino para lograr sus sueños, tendrán que enfrentarse a muchos obstáculos, como el racismo, la misoginia, el acoso, entre otros.



Ojalá la versión final tenga epílogo.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam is a fun, steamy rom-com that brings together chemistry, humor, and heart. With relatable characters and a witty narrative, Lam captures the excitement and awkwardness of modern romance, while exploring themes of self-acceptance and love. It’s a quick, charming read that’s perfect for fans of spicy, feel-good romance. A delightful blend of heat and heart!

3.5 rounded up! I was really won over by this one, but Lam's romance novels have been a really lovely surprise for me since I read her first — inclusive, sex-positive, representative of the sort of body types you don't always see in the genre with consistency. Plus the backdrop of this one is sure to delight theater nerds, even if it doesn't shy away from how much progress still really needs to be made when it comes to showcasing underrepresented groups in ways that aren't just embracing stereotypes. And I loved, loved, LOVED that Zoe's demisexuality really came into play here, particularly regarding her longtime feelings for Derek — she had other insecurities in terms of her career, but she always felt very self-assured in her identity compared to the growth arc he needed to have to make their HEA worth it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Derek Bui and Zoe Tran were best friends in college. But a disagreement during their senior year drove them apart for 6 years. When Derek arrives in the DMV, Zoe’s hometown and where she has established herself as a business woman, he hopes to repair their friendship and recruit her as a costume designer in a pivotal, career making stage production of Vietnamese folktale Tâm Cám. With an all Asian cast and crew. Something Cheeky follows the evolution of their relationship: from reunited friends to flirtatious collaborators to lovers. At the beginning of the book, the pacing moves so swiftly that it left me thinking I was missing some broader context and felt a little choppy. (I didn’t quite realize this was connected to Thien-Kim Lam’s prior books.) Still, if a reader is picking this book up, it might be helpful to read the others, Happy Endings and x, prior to jumping into this.

Something Cheeky is likely to delight theatre nerds. It closely follows the production of Derek’s play, taking you behind the scenes and providing so much insight into all the unseen technical aspects of stage production. Even the labor laws governing union actors! I loved that the Vietnamese cultural elements were front and center. At the same time, it also doesn’t shy away from portraying real life challenges facing the AAPI community: yellow fever, cultural appropriation, racism, and media representation/stereotypes. This became a central plot device, really amplifying the stakes when it came to the overall theater production and Derek and Zoe’s relationship. It begs the question, how much are you willing to compromise your identity and values to be more palatable for whiteness? Two additional aspects I really enjoyed-fat representation and demisexuality. Zoe’s demisexual orientation made the former best friends to lovers relationship arc believable, given that she and Derek had a history with a strong emotional connection. And yes to unapologetic fat femmes always!

“Every story needs a white guy as a villain.” And oh man oh man was this villain a real piece of work. You can kind of see it coming from a mile away, even as he lurks insidiously, continually shares unnecessary feedback, and delivers micro aggressions with impressively annoying frequency. But that’s the external conflict here, and I don’t want to give that dude more air time than he deserves.

I think this is the first book I've really liked under the series. I read book one, but i didnt feel the couple had chemistry. I tried book two, and it just didn't feel like escapism putting the one Black girl with someone unemployed.

Maybe this one worked because both the characters were Asian-American and both had some semblance of success in their own right? I think I was always curious about this particular FMC because it seemed very cute to have a plus size lingerie line.

The MMC was a theater director putting on a Cinderella rock musical that has an all Asian cast. How fun is that?!? And she's hired to do the costumes? Even sweeter!

Friends to lovers is normally my least favorite trope, but i thought it worked well for them given it helped them relate to each better based on similar backgrounds. It's a great palate cleanser if you've read a ton of dark romances in a row like i have!

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 2.5/5
Tropes: best friends to lovers, workplace, mutual pining

So many parts of this story were really cute. Zoe and Derek had great chemistry, and i loved all the cultural references.

I loved that Zoe built a career out of running a lingerie boutique for plus size people. And I also loved that her weight was never part of the story. She just was a fat person and that's it.

I felt more growth in Derek's character than hers, especially when he finally stood up to his longtime mentor when he tried to run Derek's show into the ground by white washing it.

The pacing did have some slow parts but overall, I enjoyed the book.

We meet our FMC Zoe in her element— at her plus size lingerie store, Something Cheeky, helping a client find a bra that makes her feel confident. It was such a great opening scene I was instantly swept into the book.

I loved the characters in this book, the new best friend and the old college best friend. The banter was so fun!

However, there wasn’t any subtly to the romance aspect. Yes, we expect a friends to lovers with a happily ever after but I think this book would have benefited if it was just Zoe’s POV.

DNF’d 20% through

I love Thein Kim's books. But this one left me wanting. I think the plot dragged a touch but I did enjoy the laugh out loud moments and the steam. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I still will revist Lam's work in the future.

This was beautifully done romance novel, it had that feel that I was looking for from the description. The concept was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the cast of characters. It uses the romance element perfectly and enjoyed how everything was created. Thien-Kim Lam was able to create a great story and characters and look forward to more.

Beautiful best friends to lovers trope set in the world of theater with a focus on finding your voice and not being typecast into a box. Thien-Kim did an amazing job really building this world and these characters, I honestly felt like I was watching a show at points.

Loved the representation of different sexualities (esp the demisexuality), anxiety and the struggles immigrant children go through (as one myself I can relate). Very well done. Feel like anyone can pick this up and find something to relate to.

This book was so cute! If you are looking for a friends to lovers romance then this book is for you! The romance was so cute! I would highly recommend this book!

I really liked this, but I felt like the communication between the characters felt awkward and stunted sometimes. It made it hard to read through some of the scenes. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to friends.