I am obsessed with the Meant To Be series; where each Disney princess is being retold by some of the best romance authors around. I was stoked to find out we were getting a Mulan one written by THE Jesse Q. Sutano and i am happy to report it exceeded my very high expectations.

As the right hand of her father’s hedge fund company, Fa Mulan knows what it takes to succeed as a woman in a man’s world: work twice as hard, be twice as smart, and burp twice as loud as any of the other finance bros she works with. So when her father unexpectedly falls ill in the middle of a critical acquisition, she is determined to see it through. There’s just one hitch: the family company in question is known for its ultra masculine whiskey brand, and the brood of old-fashioned aunts, uncles, and cousins who run it—lead by the dedicated but overworked Shang—will only trust Mulan’s father, Fa Zhou, with the future of their business.


I loved everything about this book and especially the little nods to the Disney story. Mushu may not be a dragon but she is an absolute spitfire of a cousin and one of the many aspects that made this book hilarious. I’m not exaggerating when I say I laughed out loud on numerous occasions and it’s been forever since I’ve done that with a book.

And while yes this book is comical; it’s also very real account of what women have to deal with everyday in business. You’ll feel enraged on behalf of Mulan and countless other women thanks to the incredible writing style and amount of emotion the author has poured into this. It’s also a testament to the struggles immigrants have to go through. And when you do finish this book I highly recommend reading the authors note at the back to hear of her own family’s story.

Overall, this is hands down my fav in the series and one of my fav romances ever.

This was everything that I was hoping for from the previous entries in the Meant to Be series, it had that Mulan element that I was looking for and enjoyed the modernization of it. Jesse Q. Sutanto does a fantastic job in writing this and keeping the spirit of this perfectly and work with the modern setting. I was invested in what was happening and was glad I was able go on this journey. I’m excited to read more from Jesse Q. Sutanto and from the Meant to Be series.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So let me start off by saying I’ve read 4 out of the 5 Meant to Be novels already. And this is by far my favorite. I had high hopes for this book because Mulan is my favorite Disney movie and this did not disappoint. Jesse Q Sutanto brings this story to the 21st century so well. I loved Shang and Mulan so much. And was rooting for them the whole time. Overall it’s well written and such a feel good story. It’s also a pretty quick read and if you’re like me you’ll be smiling giddily through most of it.

I absolutely love this series! And I love this author for both her mysteries and YA romances. This was a retelling of Mulan and I loved Mushu!!! I hope they publish a special version with sprayed edges so I can have a pretty copy for my bookshelves! Can't wait to re-read and annotate this!

Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 0/5 🧼

Summary: Mulan works for her father’s financial company and has spent her life striving to be the son she thinks he always wanted. When a new potential client raises some red flags, she voices her concerns. But when her father is suddenly unable to finalize the deal himself, Mulan knows she has to step in, get creative, and save the deal because it means so much to him.

Thoughts: Mulan is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, so I went into this book with equal parts excitement and fear—would it live up to my (very high) expectations? Knowing it was written by Jesse Q. Sutanto gave me the confidence to dive in, and wow, I’m so glad I did.

This story was absolutely stunning—a perfect harmony of tradition and modernity. It struck such a beautiful balance between humor and heartfelt emotion. One moment I was laughing out loud, and the next, I was blinking back tears.

I especially loved the financial aspects woven into the narrative and the unforgettable grand gesture moment that was truly inspiring.

I loved how the author provided reasoning for the actions of characters that called to grant some empathy but it never felt like it excused it. I can’t recommend this book enough—definitely one you’ll want to add to your list!

Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I am leaving an honest review, voluntarily.

3.5 stars
Good story, good characters, passable romance.

As much as I love the Disney Mulan movie, reading a Mulan book is almost like knowing the future, you know there’s a car crash coming, you know somebody’s gonna get hurt, you know it’s gonna be bad.
You spend the whole book cringing, covering your eyes, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I can officially say I would not like to know my fate! Hahaha

Every time I lie got bigger all I could think was “nooooooo!”

I liked bringing the story modern but honestly I hated Shang’a family, I would have just left them and their company to rot with how they spoke about women.

A few times I nearly DFN because it got to be a little too bullying.

The best characters were Shang and Mushu easily!

This is super closed door with only vague illusions to sex, so the romance feels very friends, with kissing, anytime it builds up to something romantic it cuts off slightly too soon.

The biggest con for me was the change from it being a military aspect to a male dominated company.
As a woman who works with military and police officers, I am here to tell you the original Disney movie had it right, men underestimate women in and around those fields. I would have loved to see her be in a modern military or police force

This next book in Disney’s Meant to Be collection brought high hopes to my heart but fell short for me. I didn’t find myself Connecting with the story like I did with the first couple of books. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Mulan is my all time favorite Disney princess so I was so excited to finally get her book
Jesse did such an amazing job portraying these characters. I love that we got Mushu and that she’s just as much a trouble maker as she’s been previously portrayed if not more and I live for it. I screamed at Shang’s man bun and then again at his stupid smarmy cousin being so freaking sexist. -really I wanna fist fight that man-
I did not expect her to go bull riding and I am an absolute fan, and then for her to start a bar fight? Amazing.
About died at all the times he called her Zhou because I genuinely felt the second hand embarrassment for her.

Auntie Jiaya is probably the love of my life tbch “I am, as youths call it, going inside my villain era.” Yassssd

“Okay, but might I remind you that I did go to Princeton? It’s kind of a little competitive?” “Oh yeah, how did I forget when you mention it every other conversation?”

I loved all the little nods to reflection and also the legally blonde reference.

I love the Meant to Be series, the Disney Mulan movie, and Jessie Q. Sutanto so this was bound to be a hit. "Worth Fighting For" was a great modern mashup.

This was a quick read. I loved the character and the story from the start and the ones I didn't love (looking at you Mushu) quickly grew on me. I hope there are more of these books in the future.

Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

This was absolutely AMAZING! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH AND THIS WAS THE PERFECT ADDITION! Loved everything about this and how the author kept the plot! Amazing job!!!

This story was so sweet! Loved the Mulan story with a twist. The family members were fun characters and it was interesting to learn about Chinese culture. I would have liked more romance, it felt a little rushed, but overall it was a cute story!