I have read some Jesse Q. Sutanto, and all the Meant to Be series, and have the same attitude towards both: fine, but could be great. I was hoping the combination of the two would be amazing, and instead I found myself frustrated basically the entire time reading this.

Part of my frustration could be seen as a perspective thing. I am a white trans person; Sutanto is a cis Chinese woman. It makes complete sense that she and I would watch Mulan and come away with different ideas of what constitute the key themes that should be adapted.

That being said, I thought it was a bad adaptation of the movie. The cast consists of Mulan's family, Mushu, Shang... and a bunch of original characters who exist to be misogynists and nothing else, with basically no other allusions to the movie. The plot is so far removed as to be unrecognizable. More importantly for a romance novel, I really disliked the romance. Mulan constantly being horny over Shang was grating, repetitive, and unfunny. I didn't buy into their relationship at all.

And all of could be forgivable, except for the final sin: it's not a good book. The plot was contrived, full of ugly misunderstandings and outright lies. The humor was unfunny. (As someone who has read the other Meant to Be books, I think this can be exemplified by all the F-bomb fake-outs. I love to say fuck as much as the next guy, but when the publisher clearly said it's not allowed, putting in a bunch of "fu--" isn't funny, it's annoying.)

This book isn't a total loss. It gets partial credit for the sweet relationship between Mulan and her father, and a couple of really nice characterization moments in the third act. But for the most part, I would tell my friends to skip it. Sorry, Disney.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

i didn’t know this was a mulan retelling when i requested the arc. probably wouldn’t have requested it if i had known.

loveeeee the female empowerment because ... well, i mean, obviously. women are superior.

mulan just isn’t a fav movie of mine which sort of had this book set up for failure from the start :((( i would absolutely recommend this, it just wasn’t for me!

thank you to hyperion avenue & netgalley for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

Note to Self (or anyone reading this) - I need to start watching the movies before I read the Meant To Be version. I mostly say that because I feel like there are far more references and connections than I am picking up on which is a me/reader problem. I appreciated the creative retelling of Mulan's story. I really appreciated the humorous scenes and the way family dynamics were woven in. It was a fun read, but also had some feels. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2025 release.

😭😭😭
I was really looking forward to this one! I love Mulan and have thoroughly enjoyed this series of retellings—Tangled Up in You is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite meet my expectations.

While the writing style didn’t personally click with me, I could have looked past that if I’d connected more with the characters or story. Sadly, I struggled to engage with either. The references to toxic masculinity and “finance bros” felt overwhelming, and it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The romance also left me wanting more. I would have loved to see greater chemistry and buildup between the characters. The transition to their first intimate moment felt sudden and lacked the tension or emotional development I was hoping for.

Though this book wasn’t for me, I appreciate the opportunity to read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced reader copy—this review reflects my honest thoughts.

Worth FIghting For is a cute modern retelling of Mulan where Mulan is a businesswoman poised to take over her father’s company. When he suddenly has a heart attack and is hospitalized, Mulan has to try her hand at taking over earlier than she anticipated. Mulan’s father was trying to buy out a small whiskey company, and he urges Mulan to go through with the deal. Unfortunately, the company, led by Li Shang, is mostly very traditional and don’t want to do business with a woman. Mulan pretends to be her father and finds herself having to prove that she is every bit as capable as a man would be time and time again to win over Shang’s uncles and cousins to convince them to sell to her. As a budding romance builds between Mulan and Shang, she finds herself feeling guiltier and guiltier about her lies and about mixing business with pleasure.

I enjoyed the premise of this retelling, however, I found myself feeling somewhat disappointed about a few aspects of it. I think Mushu’s side character didn’t quite capture the magic of Mushu from the Disney movie (this is, after all, a Disney retelling). I also felt like the romance between Mulan and Shang fell a bit flat. I did really enjoy the relationship between Mulan and her parents and between Shang and his mom. Overall, this was a cute and fun read,

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC!

I adore the Meant to Be series, and I was so excited to see Mulan was next! The author did a great job writing a story that was both true to the original and also relevant to the times we live in. The book touched on important topics, like the challenges women face in the workplace and stereotypes that create barriers when trying to push forward. The book contained all of the cozy, swoon-worthy romance that I was expecting, and I enjoyed reading every minute of it! Shang was the cutest, and I sighed every time he was on the page. His willingness to challenge those around him and support Mulan reminded me so much of movie Shang, lol! It was a quick, cozy read that is a great continuation of this adorable series! Also a great read for when you are making a blanket to stay warm in this winter. A cozy blanket and a cozy book= 3.5 star read. Keep them coming! Brb, off to watch Mulan and listen to the nostalgic soundtrack...

This was a great interpretation of mulan, I loved it every second was an adventure I very much enjoyed. Thank you for letting me read this story.

The 📖: Worth Fighting For by @jesseqsutanto.

In this Mulan retelling, Mulan is a smart and driven young woman working at her father’s private equity firm. She’s figured out how to navigate an environment filled with finance bros.

In the middle of a critical acquisition of a whiskey company, her father falls ill. Ready to prove her worth, Mulan decides to handle the remainder of the project and see the acquisition through. And since her father conversed with the company via email alone, it shouldn’t be too difficult to just take his place—right?

This book was such a sweet and fun read, filled with a lot of heart. @jesseqsutanto has a way of writing endearing characters and this book is no different. The modern setting provides a lot of fun but overall, the plot maintains the core of the original story: a young woman defying all the obstacles in her way to succeed. Also-the Mulan-Shang track is pretty cute.

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a delightful modern reimagining that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're a fan of the classic Disney movie Mulan, you'll find this novel offers a fresh, modern twist while still capturing that same spirit of courage, identity, and self-discovery.

Set in the business world, the story follows a smart and ambitious Mulan who pretends to be her father in order to secure a family-owned whiskey business, Wutai Gold. She must navigate the intricacies of both the deal and her blossoming relationship with Shang, a key player in this business world. The book brings that same determination and fierce loyalty from the original Mulan, but it's brought to life with a contemporary edge—think high-stakes business deals and rich family dynamics.

The romance between Mulan and Shang is a slow burn that's both steamy and sweet, building gradually yet keeping the tension alive throughout. Their chemistry leaps off the pages, with the right balance of playful banter and heartfelt moments.

Sutanto’s writing captures the essence of modern love, identity, and strength while keeping the heart of the original Mulan story intact. This is a fantastic read for anyone looking for a clever, romantic, and empowering tale with a touch of humor and a lot of heart. Highly recommended!

Who to recommend this to: readers interested in Asian-American romantic leads. Also, not that the book is set in California, from the cover I had expected Kentucky.

This book was fine, I'm interested in other books by this author, and I liked the main character of Mulan as well as some of the background characters, but Shang was rather underwritten. Personally I would have liked to see more pushback against a private equity takeover, given their tendency of hostile takeovers but the pushback was focused on sexism.

Worth Fighting For was the best Mulan retelling I have read. It had heart, humor, and great characters. There hasn't been a book that Jesse Q. Sutanto wrote that I haven't loved. She hits another home run!

Instead of Mulan fighting the Mongols, she is a financial analyst in her father's company. She pretends to be him after his heart attack in order to buy a family-run whiskey distillery that is owned by misogynists. Mushu still brings the laughs, but is Mulan's underachieving cousin/co-worker in this depiction.

This was so fun to read that I couldn't put it down and finished within a day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

★★★☆☆ 3/5

⋆ Tropes :
▹Insta-love
▹Headstrong & Intelligent FMC
▹Mulan Retelling
▹Chinese Culture

Worth Fighting For is a Mulan retelling set in a modern-day scenario, where Mulan is a finance bro looking to help her father buy out a whiskey company owned by none other than Shang, our burly, incredibly handsome, and witty male lead. And of course, we follow Mulan in this book as she takes on her father's identity.

: ̗̀➛ Main Characters

Hua Mulan is our female lead, a twenty-seven-year-old finance bro who has spent her entire life dedicating herself to being the best son possible for her parents after a childhood trauma rooted itself in her ability to love or accept herself. She wears too many masks, pretending to be different people in order the get the best results possible. Due to this, she has forgotten who she truly is.

Shang is our male lead, and the CEO of Wutai Gold, a family-ran whiskey company. He is witty, great at banter, aloof in the beginning, and incredibly handsome. He was raised in a traditional Chinese household, one strong on their beliefs, and are very misogynistic. Shang has set out to redefine his roots by supporting women and taking up household tasks otherwise seen as emasculating.

Mushu is Mulan's cousin, and an absolute joy of this book. She is hilarious, confident, and speaks far too much. She works at the same firm as Mulan, although finance has never been her passion. She is loyal, fierce, and so incredibly loveable.

: ̗̀➛ My Review Rants

I actually really enjoyed this book. The first ~10% of the book I was a bit questionable about it, it's very heavy on the Gen-Z way of talking and read similarly. However, once the plot started developing, I became addicted to reading it. It flowed so well and there were very few moments where I felt bored or like there was nothing happening.

The entire ranch portion of this book is hands-down my favorite. I had such a blast reading through Mulan's experience there and I wish that it had never ended. I could've stayed on that ranch forever and never looked back again, and I feel by the end of it, Mulan felt similarly. I will say, almost every single cheesy romance trope you can think of; yes, it was in this book. Usually, that would leave me put-off and not as invested, but I just ate all of those tropes up in this one and did not mind it. It didn't take away the enjoyability, although it did definitely pull me out of the immersion at times.

I really loved the self-discovery in this book as well. As a half-Chinese woman, I've experienced all too well how it can feel to give up so much of yourself for others and never really look back on who you were meant to be. To see Mulan take that step, thanks to Mushu, to finally rediscover who she is, what she likes, and have the ability to go for it was heartwarming. A very sweet journey of learning who you truly are and finding peace with that while saying goodbye to the you who was never truly you.

My only gripe with this book would be the ending, last roughly ~20% of the book. This is the one time where I feel a book would've benefitted from being longer than it was because the finale of it felt so rushed, and the conclusion so anticlimactic that I finished this book thinking, "that's it? There's no more?". While the relationship between Mulan and Shang developed throughout this book, it was built on an insta-attraction/love, and from there I noticed there wasn't much development between them by the end. There was a lot of time clipping, summarization of their times together, and small, cute things they'd done together in passing, but no true development or time spent forming their relationship and by the time the ending conflict was resolved, I felt like I had missed so much.

: ̗̀➛ Final Thoughts

A solid 3/5 stars feels comfortable for me with this book. I enjoyed it for what it offered, and while I did have some minor issues with it, as a whole I still had a good time with it. While I wish there was a bit more to it, what it did have was a good read. I had a nice time reading this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: A Girl Worth Fighting For - Mulan Soundtrack

💭What I thought would happen:

A Mulan retelling x Jesse Q Sutanto….SAY LESS! The cowboy hats on the cover are throwing me though….is it like Yellowstone as well…is Mulan like Beth (she ain’t)

📖What actually happens:

🙃Smart woman in a finance bro world
💻Mergers & Acquisitions
🥃 Whiskey
🔥Hot CEO
❌Sexism x 100000
💕Mulan proving herself
🐑Farm life

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

One of my favourites of January and I cannot wait for more people to love this one. I mean who didn’t love Mulan?!

Mushu is still the best character. Very much has an Awkwafina silly and outspoken vibe. I dug it!

The female rage that comes with this book is just so FRUSTRATING yet accurate. Some of the men (not all men😈) of Shang’s family are twat bag ding dongs. Of course Mulan had to work 100x harder than any man to prove herself (no, there is no drag undercover in this but the deception was written well)

The amount of times finance bro was written in the first 25% kind of definitely made me roll my eyes as I don’t think the author really knew anything about the finance world and kept referencing back to that stereotype (as a female in finance I was quite annoyed).

This one is worth fight for! Prioritize it in 2025! It’s out June 3!

I recently dived into the Meant To Be series and was especially excited for the Mulan retelling by Jesse Q. Sutano. I must say, as a born and raised Disney Addict, it blew my expectations out of the water. Fa Mulan, working tirelessly in her father's hedge fund, battles against the odds when he falls ill, determined to keep the family business afloat amidst a sea of traditionalists, led by the overwhelmed Shang. The book is both hilarious and poignant, filled with clever nods to the Disney original—Mushu, for instance, becomes an outrageous cousin that had me laughing out loud multiple times. Yet, beyond its humor, it offers a raw, emotional reflection on the challenges women face in the business world, highlighting the struggles of immigrants as well. The author’s note at the end shares her personal family story, making the experience even richer. Overall, this Mulan version stands out as my favorite in the series and ranks among my top romances ever.
Huge thank you to the author and to NetGalley for sending me the ARC of this incredible book.

Let me start by thanking the Author, the Publisher, NetGalley and whoever else is involved for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

If you were around me this past summer you would know I DEVOURED the first 4 books of the Meant to Be series! I love how the authors have the freedom to turn Disney classics into modern day Romances and let the stories grow up with the people who enjoyed me. This story is no exception.

Let’s be real- Mulan was a lot of Millennial women’s first exposure to being a BOSS in life and I feel this version of Mulan is the pay off of that influence Mulan had on us as kids. We get to see her turn into an undeniable force to be reckoned with in the male dominated finance bro world! I can only imagine that so many who read this as adults are in places they never thought they could be in due to Mulan’s influence.

I also LOVED the banter between Mulan and Shang! There were so many times I felt giddy and was kicking my feet reading the about the two of them interacting. It has been a long time since I’ve read banter this good. I love how this series showcases different authors because this is my first read by Jesse Q. Sutanto, and if the banter is good in all of her book, I am ready to read more!

If there is anything the author does well at, it is building complex relationships because another highlight was complexities of family dynamics rooted in history, culture and tradition. No matter what your background is, every woman can relate to Mulan’s need to prove herself worthy enough to be in a professional role in a room full of men.

However, my biggest disappointment in this book is that it is not an interactive read!!!!! I was sitting and reading the story, and every time food or cooking was mentioned, I was so jealous not to be in the book enjoying it. The author made everything sound delicious, and I don’t even want to count how many times I said “get in my belly now!” while reading.

Overall, this book was very good, and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend to anyone who has been loving the Meant to Be series or who just really loves Mulan!

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the next book in the Meant to Be series based on Disney’s Mulan. Mulan is working in finance at her father’s company masking her behavior to fit in. When her dad has a heart attack, she needs to take his place to try to close a deal with Wutai Gold whiskey. However, they refuse to work with a woman, so she must take her father’s name and pretend to be the one with whom they were communicating. However, as she gets to know the family, she starts to connect with the and fall for Shang, the CEO. Can she reclaim her name and still keep their respect and love?

I loved this book! Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies, so I had high hopes, and I was not disappointed. The book made me laugh while watching city girl Mulan try to fit in on a farm, and Mushu was hilarious! I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot being to describe the hold the Meant to Be series has over me. When I received the notification I was approved for an ARC of Worth Fighting For, I almost screamed out loud at work.

Worth Fighting For is a contemporary reimagining of Disney's Mulan, taking place in the business world of the Bay Area in California. Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, is hospitalized just before their company is set to acquire a whiskey company owned by a family with traditional Chinese values. To keep the Li family from walking away from the deal, she pretends to be Zhou and fights to prove to them all that she and her company are a good fit for them.

This was a truly enticing read. I finished the book in one sitting, it was impossible to put down. Worth Fighting For is feminist and strong, like any Mulan story should be, but also a story of immigration and generational trauma. No matter which generation you're in, we all learn from the ones before and after us. Acceptance, love, and moving forward together is the only way to happy ever after.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge Mulan fan as a kid and have really enjoyed the Meant to Be series so far so was thrilled to receive this ARC! This was a fun reimagining of Mulan - Hua Mulan as a “finance bro” working on partnering with Li Shang’s family whisky business Wutai Gold - impersonating her father who falls ill just before their initial meeting. The “work retreat” felt a little silly and far fetched at times but I thought it captured the culture and family dynamics well. I thought Mushu was hilarious and enjoyed how her family was reimagined. I felt like the romance plotline took a back seat and had a hard time connecting to Shang and Mulan as a couple for a large part of the book despite loving them both individually and rooting for them! Overall I thought this was authentic to the original story in a modern way and would recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this new book in the meant to be series. In general I am just in love with this series! I love the modern takes on classic Disney movies with subtle references to the original. I also love this author so I was so excited to see she would be writing one themed about Mulan! The story was fantastic and I of course loved the characters! Can't wait to read more in this series.

A great modern twist on the story of Mulan, but in the modern world. The story was engaging from the start while touching upon social issues such as a woman's role in society, discrimination in the work place and who can be a leader. You can feel the sense of cultural norms, such as the Chinese preferring to have boys rather than girls, and you want to root for Mulan who is pretending to be her father, to conduct the business deal.