So first, I would like to thank NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book. I absolutely loved it!! I honestly love this entire series. This is only the third book in the series that I’ve read so far, but it is my second favorite. I had a lot of high hopes for this one because Mulan is one of my top five Disney princesses. Hence, I love her, and I feel that there aren’t enough retellings about her. So, I was very excited to hear about this one and then I had the opportunity to read it early- just the icing on the cake! I loved it from start to finish. I found myself smiling throughout the entire book. I will say there were a lot of modern references, but it wasn’t that bad, just wasn't expecting them. If you know Mulan's story, then you know that she was going to have to in a way pretend to be a man and that was going to be a big secret which would leave a big reveal. Honestly, the big real for me was like stressing me out because I knew it would be bad, but I didn’t know the extent of what would happen. I also like how we see the appearance of Mushu. She was lovely. I loved how she and Mulan are best friends and she is by her side through everything. I also love this because I feel like in comparison to the movie Shang, the book Shang has a softer side. I love that you get to know his family as well. Mulan's family is trying to work with his family and that dynamic was interesting and fun. I loved all the aunties; they were hilarious! They just added so much more. The epilogue was also very cute, but and it left me wanting more because I just love Mulan and Shang!

This book was SO good! I loved the Mulan retelling in a modern story! I couldn’t put it down and was left in suspense even when I knew the outcome of Mulan. The characters were so real and lovable and Mushu was hilarious. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

I have loved the series “Meant to Be” so far! I really enjoy retellings of Disney stories. Hoping this series continues. Worth Fighting For is a contemporary romance reimagining of Mulan set in the Bay Area amongst finance bros. This was a super interesting retelling. I really enjoyed the message of women struggling in both male-dominated business industries and more traditional family dynamics. Mushu was my favorite character- she was hilarious. Shang and Mulan were also portrayed very well, each challenging traditional gender roles. The only things I didn’t like were the insta-love aspect of this romance and the uneven pacing (specifically the sudden rushed ending). Overall, I would give this book 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me with an eARC of Worth Fighting For ahead of its release in June 2025. Here are my honest thoughts:

I absolutely adored Jesse Sutanto’s Dial A For Aunties, so I was really excited to dive into this new release! The premise immediately caught my attention, especially because my favorite Disney princess is Mulan. A modern-day retelling seemed like it had so much potential.

However, while I loved the idea behind it, the execution fell a bit short for me. I found the characters didn’t quite live up to my expectations, though I did appreciate the bond between Mulan and Mushu. As someone who works closely in finance, I also struggled with the portrayal of Mulan as a “finance bro.” It just didn’t feel authentic to me. I found myself putting the book down several times, and ultimately, I decided to DNF it around 28%. I do hope the final version will have some edits that improve the pacing and character development, as the concept is still one I’m passionate about.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC copy

Modern Mulan retelling? Sign me up.
Whiskey manufacturers & “finance bros” - I can’t say I saw this coming but I am obsessed.

Jesse Q. Sutanto has become one of my favorite authors. If she writes it I’m going to want to read it. This book was no different. I loved the characters well most of them. The family dynamics is always good for a little giggle. You can’t get away with anything with aunties around!

I read this right after reading Tangled Up in You and I found that this book was much harder to get through.

“Worth Fighting For” had potential as a Mulan retelling, but it didn’t quite work for me. It felt too tied to the Disney movie, lacking fresh twists to keep me engaged. The romance between Mulan and Shang fell flat—without any real spark, I struggled to stay invested. The large cast of family members was a bit overwhelming, and I wished for a deeper exploration of Chinese family dynamics and culture. Ultimately, I found myself uninterested in what happened next and decided to stop reading at 33%.

Mulan is my favorite Disney princess and movie, so l immediately requested this. Now as a huge Mulan lover I had a lot of expectations and concerns going into this. I was worried in the first 10% of the book because I did find it a bit underwhelming. However, it quickly picked up and it was really fun ride. I loved the women empowerment and cultural aspects of the story. I also enjoyed this modern version of Shang. He was very cute and golden retriever-like. Mulan and her inner dialogue was hilarious and relatable. Their romance was simple and sweet. Mushu was a fun as well, she was definitely giving Awkwafina vibes but I loved it.

Overall, this a nice and charming retelling that doesn't take itself too seriously. Although at times cringey and a bit of a rushed ending, I still feel this delivered. If you are looking for a light, fast-paced story, with relatable funny moments then this book is for you!

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

I was really excited to read this book since it was a mulan retelling. I wasn’t very interested in the story so it was hard for me to personally finish. I am excited to look for other novels by this author.

It's an attempt at retelling Mulan in the cutthroat world of corporate finance. I specifically requested this book since Mulan is one of my favorite strong female characters growing up. The Mulan in this book is pretty much how I envision Mulan in the modern world, personality-wise. I had to DNF this as I wasn't that much invested and I also found Mushu annoying when he was one of the reasons why I loved the films.

This was a tough book to rate for me. It's my first entry into the "Meant to Be" world and a first read of Jesse Q. Sutanto so I can't speak on either things as far as how Worth Fighting For ranks on the authors previous works or series additions. After the first page that has a subtle "Pride and Prejudice' style opening, I almost quit reading the book. The slang and overt telling style of the writing made me crazy. Mushu as a female didn't bother me, what bothered me was how she spoke. Maybe I'm old now and boring but I hated it and didn't feel like it flowed well. Once we actually got about 25% in the story did get better but not enough to salvage it form my POV.

Mulan is a hardworking woman, and Shang, "I'm not like my family because I'm the only feminist" didn't sell me on their romance either, it felt pretty instantaneous.

I will say Mulan finding herself was nice after all of her masquerade.

Ultimately maybe 2.75/3stars.

Thanks Netgalley and Hyperion for opportunity to read and review.

This is my first Jesse Sutanto book and I really liked it! Honestly I wasn't sure how you would go about modernizing the story of Mulan and Shang, but this translated over to our time so seamlessly! I always wanted to see more of what a relationship between the two of them would look like, and this was exactly what I needed!

I struggled to get into the storyline at first, but it did pick up once the overall premise was set. I loved Shang's character in this book, and really appreciated the theme of parental expectations, something that reaches across cultures. Mulan's process of attempting to separate her true self from equating her identity to her work personality and her parent's expectations of their only child is extremely relatable. I thought the system of conflict resolution came across very realistic instead of one apology making everything okay and enjoyed the solution.

It's a very cute read and makes me want to read more from Jesse Sutanto!

I had a really hard time getting into this. I only made it just over half way through before it got due to be removed from my shelf. This really surprised me because the premise of the story I liked. I'm hoping maybe I can get more into an audio version of it when that comes out.

I liked this light-hearted rom-com. This is the first book I’ve read in the “Meant to Be” series. I didn’t feel I was missing information to read this fifth book in the series.Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. My reading speed if this epub version was slower since the NetGalley app did not provide the option for a black background with white letters with a dyslexic font, like how i amable to read most ARCs on NG. The story was fun to read and the character Mushu was my favorite of all. My favorite setting was at the Li family ranch. I recommend this relaxing read to those who love rom-com that mix the generations and fusion of Chinese and modern American culture. The story was funny and I liked how the main character Mulan evolved. Only part that dragged story was Mulan’s extended self reflection. Also Shang seemed a bit to perfect. All in all good 3 star book with satisfying ending. My favorite from the author is the Aunties series since I found myself chuckling over more characters.

I loved this book! I am not a huge fan of fairytale retellings but when I saw this was Mulan inspired I had to read it. Boy was i glad i did! The Mulan aspects were amazing inspired by the original story but it fit the story so well. I loved the family and tradition as well as the growth from so many characters. I also found myself giggling and kicking my feet at the easy banter between Shang and Mulan. This book has it all. This is a must read!

It's the Mulan retelling we all needed! First, I love Jess Q. Sutanto as an author so I was excited to read this. I love the modern-day spin on Mulan. Making Mulan someone who plays in the boy's sandbox was brilliant. I also loved the idea of Shang being a big time CEO. Mushu's character was spot on and a highlight of the book. Like the movie, this book is about self-discovery and love. It's pretty good and one of the best in this entire series.

4.5/5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The pacing of some events were a tad off, but I liked the dialogue and interactions between characters, and the overall premise was true to the overarching theme of Disney’s Mulan. I even loved that some of the classic Mulan dialogue lines were included in the text!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.

FIve stars. I mean, "Mulan" was one of my favorites growing up for her spunk, her intelligence, and her courage. Jesse Q. Sutanto brought such a beloved Disney classic into the contemporary environment while also adding some much needed depth within the dynamics and struggles of immigrant families, especially women! I laughed. I cried. And more importantly, I learned. Thank you, NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

I’ll start by staying I always love and appreciate these sort of modern day Disney retellings! This was a fun addition to the series.

No spoilers in my review!

I did enjoy a lot of this book, and especially Shang. He is witty and dreamy! I didn’t like Mushu at all. Mulan was okay!

The book flowed really well and it was really easy to get through.

The primary reason for the 3 stars. This book had insta-love which in general isn’t my favorite especially because I feel like relationships end up underdeveloped, and this was no exception. Their relationship felt a bit rushed and certain things skipped over at times.

I still enjoyed it but wish the ending especially was maybe developed a little bit more!