These are some of my favorite romance books! I am a major Disney fan and these are all so well done. This one, modeled after the story of Mulan, was amazing. I felt the chemistry and loved it so much. Going to recommend this, and the whole series, to my Disney-loving friends.

you know, this was a good idea in theory, just not all well thought out in my opinion.

i think what bugged me the most about this book wasn't plot (which was very fast paced and semi-enjoyable) or the instalove (i can't say i liked it, considering most of shang's and mulan's interactions were basically summarized rather than actually seeing them fall in love), but the way it's so dated. the dialogue the way millenials think gen z sounds like, and on top of that, i really kinda hate reading common slang words used in books anyway. it dates the book and if it is going to be used, it should be subtle, rather than loud and obnoxious.

that small detail took away most of my actual enjoyment for the book; i felt so tired while reading it because of the second hand embarrassment i got from the dialogue. the characters were fine, but everything else about this felt mashed together. the more i think about it, the more i think that this was just...not good.

sorry guys. i love mulan as much as the next person, but this was unfortunately not for me.

Jesse Q Sutanto is an auto-buy author for me, so I requested this as soon as I saw it, having no idea that it was part of Disney's Meant to Be Collection or that it was a modern take on Mulan and I really, thoroughly enjoyed it.

What It's About:
Mulan, an only child, works incredibly hard at her dad's firm proving that she has earned her position in the company legitimately (rather than through nepotism). Her dad, Zhou, has set his sights on acquiring a company, but after looking at the numbers, Mulan disagrees with him. When Zhou is suddenly & unexpectedly unable to finish the deal, Mulan promises she will secure it for him - Just one teeny-tiny problem... The family (The Li's) who owns the company is very traditional and will only work with a man and only trust Zhou. No problem for Mulan - She will pretend that she is Zhou (since all communication so far had been via email).

Mulan (posing as Zhou) and her cousin, Mushu, head off with the Li family to their ranch/distillery where Mulan is put to the test, proving she is "man enough" to take over and save their company. Hilarity ensues (so many funny moments) and attraction forms between Mulan and Shang Li.

This is a no spice contemporary romance that includes mistaken identity and defies gender stereotypes.

My Thoughts: I loved it (I am a huge fan of this author and of Mulan). I enjoyed the humour (Mushu is a great character!), I enjoyed Shang's mom's story and I enjoyed Mulan's family.

Here we go again! The next-up in the Meant to be Series is my girly, Mulan! Being obsessed with Tangled Up With You (despite it being a completely different author than the duo that is Christina Lauren), I am not gonna lie, my expectations were pretty freakin’ high for this book. Which, okay, maybe this was my first mistake. But a girl’s gotta dream… so, no. I am at no fault friends.

First things first! The positives. With Mulan being my favorite Disney film, I will say, I did enjoy this more than the live-action film. They did what should be a no-brainer, and KEPT Shang as the male lead. I would say “duh,” but as we all know, Honghui would say otherwise. Another positive: there is romance! Thank you God, because for some reason Disney is, like, grossed out by it according to the last gajillion animations. And one last positive? Jesse Q. Sutanto is a good writer and can write an entertaining plot. I appreciate this, as so many books often lose me with an utterly boring plot.

Okay, now moving on to what I did not like about this novel. The big one? Mulan did not feel like the animated Mulan, but the instant bad-ass Mulan we get from the live-action. From mere personality qualities alone, I knew this novel would not inflict emotions anywhere near those which the animated film makes me feel. What I love so much about Mulan is that she’s insecure & unsure about who she is, who she thinks she “should” be, and who she WILL be. Everyone mistakes Mulan for this girl bred and oozing with bravery, when in reality, she is first and foremost, a scared young woman. Do not fight me and go read/listen to the lyrics of Reflection instead. It is only when Mulan fears something more, that she bravely steps in for her father as his faux son. I have always LOVED this about Mulan. The love for her family, her HUMILITY, and her servitude towards her family is her true calling that leads her to self-discovery. And dang, just how beautiful is it, to selflessly live for the ones you love most? She literally saves her family and country because of it and that just makes me wanna cry to be completely honest.

Instead, in Worth Fighting For we have this version of Mulan who is obsessed with social status, money, and fighting a mental battle her “finance bros” that she cannot stand even though Shang himself, exposes her identity as ONE. Mulan does not pretend to be her father, Fa Zhou, merely out of her father’s need, but in my opinion, this obsession with having to prove herself to others as a female in the finance world. This would not bug me as much/be cool if she 1) did not already know how good she was and 2) if her parents did not appreciate her and recognize her as the awesome daughter/working class member that she is. Like girl, you rock and your family knows it, what is the actual problem here? I also say this because the fake identity is again, imo, completely pointless and blown out of proportion. There was absolutely NO reason it should have gone on for that long, but okay.

I could honestly keep going for quite a bit longer, but to nip this review in the bud I just wanted to drop real quick that the romance between Mulan and Shang did very little for me. Mulan’s constant eye-goggling/descriptions of Shang’s beauty felt repetitive and honestly, pretty shallow. Okay, do NOT get me wrong—as the reader I want to FEEL how hot Shang is through the heat radiating off the pages, but alsoooOOOOO, I truly believe that actions speak louder than words and that sometime, this course of action makes the reader FEEL more. So, personally I would have loved to read more moments mixed in where Mulan became flustered with “oo la laaa moments” only after having conversations that centered either bonding, arguing, and/or dissing one another, i.e., Shang is supposed to be quite the hot jerk, not the freakin’ cinnamon roll featured in Mulan 2?!!

Which alas brings me to my final thoughts: like the live-action & Mulan 2, I am overall—and it PAINS me to say this—disappointed in this retelling of our beloved Mulan. I think as a novel separate from Mulan, it is great! But since the names are literally used as is, there is no escaping that this Meant to Be novel is worth fighting…..for?

Special thanks to Netgalley for this ARC! I do think you all should still read this! I am not a hater, I promise! Congratulations to Jesse for this novel! I know lots of Mulan fans will feel differently than meeeee!

🌺WORTH FIGHTING FOR BY JESSE Q SUTANTO🌺

I love retellings! And Mulan is one of my favorite princesses. When Mulan steps in for her sick father in a high-stakes business deal, she pretends to be him over email—only to find herself at a ranch retreat, with grumpy and moody Shang.

This book has everything: forced proximity, witty banter, and Sutanto’s signature humor (Mushu, Mulan’s cousin, is a standout). The cultural depth and family dynamics make it even richer. My only gripe? The deception lasts a little too long.

If you love modern fairytale retellings, corporate-meets-cowboy vibes, and characters who fight for what they love, this one’s worth picking up!

**Thank you very much to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue books for the eARC in exchange for a genuine review!**

▫️east asian culture
▫️corporate romance
▫️take-charge heroine
▫️fairytale retellings

Review: 3:5 Stars

A Mulan retelling set in the modern day world?!! I’m sold as Mulan has always been one of my favorite Disney movies. This is set in the world of finance where Mulan’s dad's firm is interested in acquiring a whiskey company, Wutai Gold, who only wants to deal with her father. Unfortunately for Mulan, the company refuses to deal with anyone else but her father and thus, begins her role to impersonate her father to play the part.

I love Jesse’s writing. There were so many scenes where I felt for Mulan and would cringe in embarrassment and lol'd so hard because of the scenarios she put herself in. Of course, there is Shang, the CEO of Wutai Gold who she has undeniable chemistry with.

I love the depiction of Mulan here as she grew up with some childhood trauma and thus, feel the need to prove herself as the best possible child her parents need her to be. She wears so many facets of herself such as the dutiful daughter or the “finance bro” mask to get what she needs. It was lovely to see how Mulan went through a journey of self-discovery to find herself and her character development was relatable.

Shang on the other hand grew up with a single mum and was raised in a very misogynistic external family of uncles, cousins and aunts. There is a very interesting contrast he brings where he is amazing at cooking and household tasks which others would see as un-masculine. And of course, we have Mushu, who is Mulan’s cousin and she brings the hilarious moments in the book.

My favourite plot moments were the moments in the ranch. Poor Mulan where in the quest of proving herself, she went through a good amount of incidents such as falling in cow dung to do so. There were some moments where the talk was very heavy on the Gen-Z slang and the trope got very trope-y buttt I still enjoy reading it as the storyline flows pretty well.

My only issue with this book is the romance…there were more lust moments than romance…and when they finally got together, the time spent together was in summarized format and more attention was given to the overall plot points of resolving the overarching plot. I need more to make the romance more believable.

Overall, it was a fun and relatable read!

3.5 stars rounded up

Worth Fighting For is the fifth book in the Disney Meant to be collection, and I was so excited to read it!

Mulan has a finance degree from Princeton and works for her father’s hedge fund company. Despite her credentials, she has to work hard to be taken seriously in such a male-dominated field. While in the process of acquiring a family-owned whiskey company, Mulan’s father gets sick and puts his daughter in charge. Desperate to impress the Li family and make the deal, Mulan pretends to be her father, who had only corresponded with the company’s CEO via email. When she meets CEO Shang, sparks fly and her job suddenly gets a lot more difficult.

-Insta-love
-Girl power
-Only one tent

This was a sweet story and I wanted to love it! Unfortunately, the romance fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Mulan and Shang. I enjoyed the family relationships, especially between Mulan and her parents and Shang and his mom. The male family members were incredibly unlikable, although I know that was the point. I just wasn’t hooked and I found myself skimming some of the chapters wishing there was a little bit more emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

4.25 - this was an amazing edition to the meant to be series. I was so interested on how this story would portray the Mulan we all grew up with and I thought it was perfect! I loved the different relationships Mulan had, especially with Mushu. There were some moments I truly laughed out loud too. There were also moments I could totally resonate as a woman in finance.

Mulan is a VP at her dad’s private equity firm.
She works in a field dominated by men while also having grown up in a culture that values sons over daughters. After Mulan’s dad, Zhou, has a heart attack and is unable to make a meeting with a whiskey company he wants to acquire, Mulan assumes his place as the whiskey owners have never interacted with Zhou outside of email.

I love the Mulan movie so I was interested enough in the storyline to finish this book, but it wasn’t great. It was extremely repetitive with Mulan finding herself in situations she didn’t want to be in, but would just “man up” and do them. Usually horribly. I also didn’t feel like we got to know Shang very well aside from him being nice to his mom. It was also as closed door as you can get. I will concede that Mushu, Mulan’s cousin, was entertaining.

This was the first book I've read by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I love the Ment to be series! retelling are my favorite. After reading the acknowledgments (which I never do) and reading of their excitement in being selected for this one and why it ment so much, first off I cried and second this was the perfect introduction to their writing!
Mulan retelling but turn up the empowerment to 11!
thank you netgalley, Jesse Q. Sutanto and hyperion avenue for the e-arc

I love this series so much! Every book in it is fun and clever and a super creative, modern reimaging of a Disney Princess story. This latest addition to the series continues the brilliance. In it, Mulan is a financial analyst at her father's hedge fund. When her father has a heart attack, she steps in in his place to try and win over a very patriarchal and sexist whiskey company. With help from her trusty cousin Mushu, Mulan heads out to their ranch to show them just how manly she can be. The author's love of both the movie and the original legend of Mulan shine through in this retelling. Highly recommended!

A cute, fluffy, and freaking hilarious, modern day retelling of Mulan, that i devoured within 24 hours.

"Finance-bro", Mulan and Mushu, ( her cousin as well as her assistant), takes the "whiskey-making-rancher", Shang as well as him big family HEADON! &it is absolutely a hilarious and great time, along with an endearing ending to their story.

Mushu is a side character with main character energy and is also the comedian of the family. (as well as my fav character...shhh)

Shang's family is stuck in their traditional ways.... so more of a women cook and serve food to other before serving themselves, while men care to the "manly" side of things... && dear Mulan is there to prove she be a "manly-man" with the best of them, in hopes they'll choose her company to buy their whiskey business

It is just a fun and giggly time!

thank you so much Jesse Sutanto, Netgalley, and Hyperion Avenure for me arc copy.

This book brought back my Disney filled childhood. I have read all of the other Meant To Be series and this one was just as good as the others! I love the modern twist on the old Disney tales, making it more relatable to us that grew up on those movies! I honestly was not one that watched Mulan much as a kid, but I loved this version so much more!

I had such a good time with this book! I loved how Mulan’s personality, family, and career were developed for a modern retelling. Her story worked really well within the finance setting to illustrate how challenging it still is for women in male-dominated fields. I appreciated how this touched upon immigrant struggles too. I also just adored Shang. Their banter was SO delightful. His relationship with his mom was precious as well. Auntie Jiayi’s whole character really enhanced this story. Definitely a very idealistic ending, but a happily ever after was to be expected!

This is a modern and updated version of Mulan (yes, THAT Mulan). From the characters’ names, to the elders who hold sexist and misogynistic views, to the idea of family honor above all else, this story was predictable. That being said, I did enjoy it. Jesse Q Sutanto’s writing is always a hit. Her wit, pacing, and story telling mixed with the perfect blend of American and Asian cultures makes for a quick and fantastic read. I wanted to fight the patriarchy with Mulan and tell the Li family a thing or two! It’s a fun read from one of my favorite authors and a twist on a classic tale.

I just love the concept of this series!! Love the female empowerment message in the book (as a lady lawyer). Some parts did feel a little cringey though (mostly in word choicing) and I think with the concept of Disney retellings, I could have done without some of the innuendos found in this story!

I didn’t hate this, but I definitely didn’t love it. I rolled my eyes a lot the first 50% because it was so hard to feel bad for Mulan when she kept making bad, and quite frankly stupid, decisions. But, I was satisfied with how it ended and loved all the female empowerment (duh). Enjoyed how Shang wasn’t super macho masculine. Best part was being at the ranch… let me eat the food and literally be there! Sounded heavenly.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue.

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the second book I have read from the Disney-inspired Meant to Be book series. This book is such a fun tribute to the classic Disney movie "Mulan", but is a dazzling story all on its own, so you don't have to be a Disney adult to enjoy it! The characters were so well developed in this book, and I loved the writing. I found myself laughing out loud and hollering at the banter in this steaming hot forbidden love slow burn romance!

This was so fun! Mulan has always been one of my favorite Disney animated movies and I loved this story reimagined. I appreciate the author including so many of the fun characters, jokes, and nostalgia from the original while also keeping it culturally authentic and including a lot of Chinese culture/language. My husband is a finance bro so all of the silly references to them cracked me up. Would recommend to anyone who loves Mulan and romance novels.

This is just another example of why retelling of classic stories is gold. Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is fun! This fake dating turned falling in love telling of Mulan with fianace and family pressure was a great addition to this series by Disney Publication. I am so excited for them to continue this journey or retellings.