Whilte Mulan is not my favourite Disney Princess, this might be my favourite book in the series so far. I love the way that Jesse Sutanto moved the story from an actual battlefield to the battlefield of business. I couldn't get enough!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This was a storytelling remake of Mulan. The book incorporated all the rom-com tropes but lacked something for me. The male chauvinist theme made sense but it fell flat for me. There was some good humor, but this story didn’t live up to the level of the other 4 books on this series.

I love this series and Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was excited for this story. I think fans of the author and series will enjoy this romance but I found the chemistry, tension, and dialogue to be a bit forced and tame. The set up and concept was great though and will appeal to many.

Worth Fighting For is an updated spin on Mulan that Jesse Suntanto fans will love. Mulan as a female finance bro was fantastic, Mushu, as always, was the perfect comic relief, and the chemistry between Mulan and Shang was palpable. This was a delightful read perfect for when you need a break from all of life's heaviness!

A modern telling of Mulan and Shang as Mulan's dad, Zhou wants to buy out Shang's family-run whiskey company. The only issue is that Shang's family only wants to work with Zhou, which becomes a problem when he has a heart attack. Mulan has to find a way to get the Li's to consider being bought out by her dad's company.
This was such a good modern re-telling of Mulan and Shang. I loved the humor and especially Mushu.

This was such an amazing retelling and a very interesting take on Mulan’s story. I really loved all of the characters and thought that Mushu was hilarious. The chemistry between Shang and Mulan was amazing and I loved how everything turned out in the end. Would highly recommend this if you enjoy strong and powerful FMCs and retellings.

This contemporary reimagining of Mulan is a delightful read! Jesse Q. Sutanto has crafted a witty and engaging story with a strong female lead. Mulan is a fantastic character – independent, intelligent, and hilariously resourceful. The "pretending to be her father" plot device is clever, and the author keeps the twists and turns coming.

The romance between Mulan and Shang is sweet and believable, with a healthy dose of banter and playful chemistry. The setting of the ranch provides a charming backdrop, and the descriptions of the ranch life and the family dynamics are vivid and engaging.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

MULAN is one of my favorite Disney movies and I was thrilled to hear that it would be getting a retelling, however, as much as I loved the little glimpses of the movie, the novel fell a bit short for me.

WORTH FIGHTING FOR took a while to get into and didn’t really pick up until Mulan and Shang met in person and headed to the Li family ranch. Part of this could have been because the finance business and company acquisition details hold no interest for me. But once I got past that and was able to see Mulan “proving” herself to the Li family and her banter-filled interactions with Shang, I felt compelled to keep reading to see what would happen next.

I loved Mulan, Shang, Mushu, and Auntie Jiayi, and definitely could relate to Mulan’s need to work twice (or even three times!) as hard as her male counterparts while dealing with misogynistic men. However, this is where Mulan’s first lie, taking her father’s name, didn’t necessarily make sense to me. I can understand using her father’s name and position in the company to help close an incredibly important deal, but the men of the Li family, who were the ones making the decision whether or not to sell, were very patriarchal. I don’t believe simply changing her name to her father’s and seeming to be a partner in the company would have swayed them because she was still young and female. It was pretty clear from their lack of respect for their sister’s opinions that handing over the reins to Mulan would never happen, no matter her place in the company or how well she proved herself through shearing sheep or herding cattle.

I went into this book with minimal expectations as I have yet to read the others in this series. This is not a thought provoking book by any means, other than the female empowerment side plot. However, this book was such a fun time and had such good vibes. It read sooo easily and was enjoyable. A huge thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this in return for my honest review.

Based on the story of Mulan, this book tells the story of Mulan a “female finance bro” who has struggled her whole life with being a woman in a male dominated field and growing up in a culture that values women over men. When her father is hospitalized before a meeting with a potential client he cares a lot about, Mulan (with the help of her cousin, Mooshu) must pretend to be her father to win over Shang and his old-fashioned family who don’t believe a woman can lead the buyout of their family business. It has a lot more depth and up front feminism than many a romance novel, which made it easy for me to engage with and relate to the characters on multiple levels. It was really great to see representation of what it’s like to be career driven, handling a male-dominated work environment, and prioritizing family/love instead of just seeing one dimension of that.

“Worth Fighting For” tells you what it is - a take on Mulan - from the jump. Of the “Meant to Be” books, it’s the one that is most obviously derived of its source material. While I enjoyed that, and think it’s a brilliant modern take on the story, I wouldn’t recommend to readers looking for a more subtle reference.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC of this book! I’m flattered.

I absolutely adore the movie version of Mulan and was so excited to get my hands on this book. Overall though, I am feeling let down. I’ll start with the good though!

I thought her approach of using the example of women in the finance world was a very smart way to retell the original story. I especially loved how she used this new storyline to explore traditional vs. modern cultural expectations within the Chinese community, especially among immigrants. This version of Mulan was complex, and her character develops nicely throughout the book. I also think Shang, Auntie Jiayi, and Mushu were great supporting characters that furthered the exploration of modern gender roles (or lack therefore). The four of them together made a fun little group.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of the positive was lost in the writing, which felt rushed and immature. If I never hear the phrase “finance bro” again in my life, it will be too soon. The dialogue often felt awkward and forced. And at times it felt like she kind of lost the thread of where she was going with this whole “acting like a man” thing. Plus the insta love was so insta-lovey, even though there was not a ton of interaction or chemistry between Mulan and Shang. I think it just could have used much better editing.

Anyway, I see what Sutanto was trying to accomplish here and I applaud her attempt. She clearly put her heart and personal experiences into this book, and she covered some really important topics. It just did not do it for me.

Perfect! An amazing adaptation of the story of Mulan, Worth Fighting For was had just as much humor and heart as the Disney movie. Sutanto’s Mulan was brave but relatable, and Mushu was perfect comic relief. I need this to be made into a movie!

Thank you, Hyperion Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc. The opinion in this review is my own.

This was a well written rom-com, retelling of Disney's Mulan. Mulan is a female working in a male dominated industry of finance. She gets into some funny antics and the romance was strong.

It's not my favorite romance but it was still solid. The writing is very well done. I'd definitely recommend this to any Disney adult who enjoys fairytale retelling. It's worth the time.

I want to thank Hyperion Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Worth Fighting For is a modern day rom-com retelling of Mulan which happens to be one of my favorite leading Disney female characters and this book did not disappoint! The story itself is super cute and the characters are lovable and funny. I found myself laughing out loud quite often at the banter between the main characters. I also really love the way the author captures what it is like to immigrate to America, the cultural challenges, family dynamics that occur throughout the generations, and the expectations to make your parents proud. I truly enjoyed this book 4.5⭐️!

Received an ARC of this thanks to @netgalley ! This was very good. It’s an updated take on Disney’s Mulan. Their Meant to Be series is very fun (My favorite was Rapunzel’s update). This one handled Chinese ancestry and culture is a very interesting way! I really liked seeing how the author blended Chinese culture with the American ranch culture. All in all, a good, quick read.

Jesse Q. Sutanto fans will love this. Meant to Be series fans will love this. I had so much fun reading this as I was picking out all the Muan references. This retelling felt fresh and natural to the original source material.

4.25 out of 5. I am an absolute fan of the Meant to Be Series. They are absolutely adorable, I have loved every single one of them as a Disney and a Book lover, and this new installation, a modern interpretation of Mulan does not disappoint! (past interpretations, which i link here the reviews are Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Little Mermaid and Tangled). I was actually cautiously concerned about how they would modernize Mulan, but a woman in a male dominated business really does the trick. I absolutely adored the attention to detail, even quoting parts of Reflection in the text was so good . A beautiful story about not only female empowerment but the blurring of lines and the power of family.

Apart from the Reflection direct lines, Some of my favorite quotes:

it is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman working in finance must work twice as much and get approximately 50% less sleep than her male coworkers
whenever a finance bro says “with all due respect” I know what they really mean is: you stupid little girl let me tell you every way in which you are wrong.

Before I get to the nitty gritty of the review I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue for allowing me access to this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

First off I was so excited to get approved for an arc of this book. I’ve really enjoyed the modern retellings in the Meant to Be series. Each one just kept getting better and better. I had such high hopes for this addition because it was a retelling of Mulan. One of my all time favorite Disney stories. However, the execution just wasn’t quite there for me.

In this retelling instead of posing as her father to fight in a war. Mulan poses as “finance bro” to secure a critical acquisition for his private equity firm. She is attempting to acquire Shang’s traditional family led whiskey-distillery. However she gets herself into pickle with a series of lies and must find a way to navigate her father’s wishes and her heart.

I’ll be honest I didn’t enjoy this book at first. And thought about DNFing. Mainly because the amount of times “finance bros” was mentioned was driving me up a wall. However, I pushed through because Mulan is my favorite and I wanted to see if it could be turned around. Overall, I’m glad I did. The story got so much better once they were on the farm retreat.

I really enjoyed Shang and his mother. I loved both of their characters and their backstories. I loved the relationship build between Shang & Mulan. The only thing I didn’t like with their relationship was the lying aspect. I really wish Mulan would’ve confessed earlier especially once she realized things were getting deeper with Shang. Because she didn’t it their we’re moments that did leave me feeling creeped out.

Overall, I enjoyed this addition to the series. It’s not my favorite but I would still recommend it to everyone to pick up later this June.

Worth Fighting For is the fifth installment of the Meant to Be series, a line of rom com books that play on the classic Disney movies most of us grew up with by the well known romance writers we know and love. This one is a play on Mulan by Jesse Sutanto.

I enjoyed the story and the details about Asian culture and cuisine. Mulan’s romance with Shang was cute and clean. I had never read anything of Jesse Sutanto’s before but now I’m excited to check out Dial A for Aunties!

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Grab your copy on June 3rd!

The Meant to Be series has modern retellings of fairy tales. Worth Fighting For is a modern retelling of Mulan. Mulan works for her dad at his private equity company. When he falls ill in the midst of talks with the Li family about acquiring the Wutai Gold whiskey company, Mulan decides to assume the role of her father, Hua Zhou. The handsome CEO of the company, Li Shang, has been corresponding with her father by email but they had never met and never mentioned that he was a man, so Mulan lets him and his family believe that she is Zhou. With the help of her outgoing cousin Mushu, Mulan charms the family at their ranch and the deal is all but guaranteed. One problem- she and Shang are falling in love and she knows that she will have to tell him the truth before any business deals are finalized. Is their love strong enough to overcome the lies that began their relationship? The story was very cute. There is great banter between Mulan and Shang. Mushu is also a solid character. The finance bro stuff was a bit boring but once you get past that, the retelling is great.