'Worth Fighting For' is a retelling of Mulan, which i was excited about. The retelling aspect of this story worked well in my opinion... a young woman in the finance bro environment mixed with a traditional Chinese male dominating mindset. So far so good but that's about it for me.

I had issue with the timeline causing unfounded insta-love ( a weekend essentially), the MMC being so undeveloped I didn't know why she even fell for him except for his physique I supposed, and a FMC who should have been smarter than that with her choices.

I still found myself smiling at times and wanting her to be happy. That paired with the Chinese culture bits balanced everything and brought the overall rating to 3 stars.

I do think many would love this story and that it's worth reading but for me I was about 50% happy with the journey.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. I’m a fan of Jesse Sutanto’s writing and have enjoyed her previous books. I found this one enjoyable as well, and it always feels heartwarming to see characteristics of Asian families that resonate with me represented on the page.

That said, I felt the romance element fell a bit flat. The relationship between the main characters didn’t seem to have enough development, and much of the story focused more on the female lead’s initial encounter with the male lead’s family. After that, the narrative jumps forward in time, which made it harder to see their connection grow naturally. I also found some parts of the initial encounter repetitive, which slowed the pacing for me.

Overall, while I enjoyed the family dynamics and cultural aspects, I wished for more depth and spark in the romance.

This was just a little too hokey for me - the references were very on the nose and nostalgic. Very light hearted and fun but my biggest problem was Mushu - way too over the top and one dimensional here.

I loved Worth Fighting For. Honestly, the entire cast was pretty amazing. I loved reading modern Mulan and working with FinBros and the like. Mushu was just as cringe in book and on screen which had me facepalming quite the bit. I also love how well rounded/mature Shang was. Overall, definitely loved reading!

Worth Fighting For has Sutanto’s signature humor and heart, with relatable family dynamics woven throughout. I enjoyed the witty dialogue and the cultural layers that gave the story depth. While the premise was fun and the voice engaging, the pacing dragged in places and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I’d hoped. Still, it’s a charming read that will appeal to fans of Sutanto’s style and those looking for something light with meaningful undertones. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My first & definitely won’t be the last book that I read by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I was drawn in from the first page to the last. I loved the movie Mulan as a kid so I was excited to get this version! I didn’t love everything in this book, but overall really enjoyed it.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Worth Fighting For is the 5th book in the Meant to Be Series and features Mulan.

Mulan works with her father at his private equity company and he has his heart set on acquiring a family owned business. After he is hospitalized, Mulan pretends she is the person the company has been corresponding with to gain respect and be taken seriously.

The author did a wonderful job with this retelling. She has nods to the movie, but also made it her own. This book displays the challenges women face in male dominated careers and how hard we have to work to be taken seriously, We also see reverse "gender role" situations throughout the story.

I enjoyed each of the characters in the story, but Mushu was definitely a highlight. She was funny and a huge source of support for Mulan. The Li family shares their stories of coming to the US. They had nothing, but they worked hard to build the company they had.

Highly recommend picking this book up! Be sure to read the acknowledgements at the end to learn more on how her personal experience shaped this story.

The Meant to Be Series is one of my favorites and I can't wait to see what comes next. Each book reads as a standalone and does not need to be

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This did Mulan justice and for that it got four stars!!!!!! The romance took a little while to get to its peak but once it did all the banter and all the sweet moments were there! Really cute romance!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fun read! I love the Mulan reimagining in today's world and the spin it chose to make, making her a 'finance bro'. The characters were just as fun/funny as you expect from the movie and the rest of this series. The plot did drag a bit in some spots for me, but this was easy to power through! I would almost argue that the romance is secondary to Mulan finding herself (as it should be, honestly) but there were some points where the 'toxic masculinity' horse was about beat to death. I'm a gal that can go on a feminist rant at the drop of a hat and even I was thinking- 'this author does not trust the audience to trust what she is trying to tell them' and that can be taxing.

It was still a super fun super-fast read, you just might have to push yourself a bit more to get through the repetition.

I adore this series and all the authors who write for it. This book was no exception. I love the fresh take on the classic. I mean Mulan as a finance bro?! So good. From the family to the trips within the trip I was laughing the whole. Just such a good fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Hyperion Avenue, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this honest review. Swipe to see the synopsis and content warnings from the StoryGraph and a few quotes I highlighted in the copy I bought after finishing my ARC.

I’m still floored that I got an advance copy of this book. This series is such a lovely homage to the princess stories I loved as a kind, but modernized and all grown up. They feel a little cheesy at times, especially some of the tiny callbacks to the Disney films, but at the same time they make me smile almost every time.

Mulan was one of my favorite princesses growing up, so I was excited and a little nervous going into this story. I thought this book was on par with the first two books in this series that I’ve read, so it’s nice to kind of know what to expect from this series generally. However, the part that blew me away was in the acknowledgements/authors note, so this is my quarterly plea to get you to always read them in your books! Jesse did such a fantastic job adapting Disney’s Mulan movie into a modern romance novel, and she talks about why this book was so special for her to write.

I didn’t even realize this was a Mulan retelling until I was already into the story—I requested it because I’ve loved Jesse Q. Sutanto’s other books, and I’m so glad I did! Sutanto brings her signature humor and heart to this rom-com, giving us a determined heroine navigating family expectations, finance bros, and an inconveniently swoony rival in Shang. The family dynamics and nods to immigrant experiences really stood out to me, and I loved the clever Easter eggs (Mushu completely stole the show). While I wished for a little more depth from Mulan’s character in certain moments, the mix of humor, family, romance, and cultural nods made this such a fun and meaningful read. A perfect pick for Disney retelling fans—or anyone who loves a rom-com with heart.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC! As a huge Mulan fan, I was thrilled to see Jesse Q Sutanto at the helm of the retelling. Mulan is a woman working for her father in a world of finance bros. When he becomes ill, she assumes her father’s identity to court and hopefully retain a new client for their business. Of course, the company’s CEO is the young and attractive Shang, and Mulan realizes business and feelings may be mixing. Adorable read for the Disney fans out there!

This was really hard to get through and finish! I love Mulan but the characters didn't resonate with me.

If there is a Disney retelling, you bet your bottom dollar I will be reading it! I've loved this series of retellings so much, and was very happy to see Mulan was getting its on adaptation!

Number 5 in the “Meant To Be Series” is a modern take on Mulan. Each one of these books has been wonderful, but I have to say, this might be my new favorite! Firstly, clever take putting Mulan in a career surrounded by finance dude bros that she’s constantly trying to out bro. That would have been enough of a field to flesh out the story, but throwing in Shang’s family distillery and their completely outdated strategy of only marketing their whiskey to “real manly men” was brilliant! On the topic of Shang- the banter is amazing and their chemistry is snappy. Making Mushu her fast talking cousin was also a stroke of genius. The whole story gelled really well and the little nods to the Disney story that were sprinkled throughout were *chef’s kiss* .
** Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this story!**

As a self-proclaimed Mulan fan girl, and a girl whose first ever crush was the cartoon Li Shang in the early 2000s, I felt confident saying that this was one of my most anticipated romances of the year. Jesse Q Sutanto as the author as well? Unmatched. However, I feel like my love for the OG content and characters didn't translate to this modern setting, and while I enjoyed the book, it wasn't the banger I was hoping for.

As someone who loves Mulan, I was so excited to read Worth Fighting For. The idea of a fierce, determined heroine challenging expectations and fighting for what’s right immediately grabbed me. There are definitely echoes of that Mulan energy here—identity, family, sacrifice, and the pressure to live up to others’ expectations.

Jesse Sutanto brings her usual humor and voice to the story, and I appreciated the themes she tackled. The main character had moments that reminded me of why I admire Mulan so much—courage, vulnerability, and inner strength.

That said, the execution didn’t fully land for me. Some of the emotional moments felt rushed, and the pacing was uneven. I wanted more depth from certain characters and a stronger build-up to key turning points. It had potential, but didn’t quite deliver the impact I was hoping for.

Still, it’s an enjoyable read, and I loved the nods to the spirit of Mulan—even if it didn’t fully live up to her legacy in my eyes.

3.5

This book was cute, fun, and meaningful. Family was key to this story as was the importance of immigrant lived experiences. Mushu was the best character. An auntie in the beginning of the book even makes a small reference to Vera (a shout-out to Sutanto's wildly popular Vera Wong series). Shang is the perfect feminist specimen. I was expecting a little more out of Mulan's character in this one, but I still enjoyed it. Now excuse me... I'm overdue for a Mulan re-watch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion for the gifted e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐
G🌶️

This story had so much potential in portraying Mulan as a retelling where she was a strong business woman, but the premise ultimately fell short as it relied on Mulan lying (because Mulan plot) in a way that downplayed her intelligence and strength to the point it felt like she couldn't take care of herself.

I loved Shang (no surprise), but this book has so much potential and it didn't get there. After Mulan realized she was working to follow her parents' expectations, she definitely should have left the private equity firm to go discover a job that she loves. If you love Disney, this was fine but there are better Mulan retellings out there.