Thank you Netgalley for this audio arc. This was my most anticipated read of the year. I love Lauren Kung Jessen's book. This is my second arc of her and it did not disappoint. The audio goes so well with the book to follow along as an immersive read. I liked the narrator's voices and the story line wa excellent. I was so happy for Chrissy's happily ever after. I rated this a 5 stars.

Yin Yang Love Song is my new favorite by Lauren Kung Jenssen. Characteristic of the author's style, she includes a lot of Chinese tradition and culture in a way that feels fundamental to the story and yet accessible to learn about -- definitely a reason to be a fan. In this one, she and her family are proponents of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) and Chrissy is even creating a company of teas based on TCM for heartbreak and other ailments that might throw off your yin and yang. Throughout the story, she teaches Vin, her love interest and in many ways her foil, about TCM and we as readers learn about it as well. One of my favorite parts of it was Chrissy describing her Yin nights and how she makes time to relax and restore her well-being. Chrissy was on a path to becoming a doctor but found herself way out of balance and burned out to the point where she had physical ailments. She knew she needed to make a change so she turned to TCM and pursued creating her own business. The conversations about what makes life worth living, how we can make life sustainable, how we find balance, how we find a way beyond burnout, how we heal ourselves, and how we pursue our passions and greatness while also taking care of ourselves was such an integral part of the book and something I think so many readers can relate to so deeply, especially in these challenging times. This part of the story -- their journies to wellness--were not only relatable but really life and hope-giving. The romance between the two characters was sweet and was a great model of healthy relationships. I appreciated that the author modeled ways to respond well in relationships and support each other. Even their disagreements they handled with respect and appreciation for each others' points of view, which was refreshing. The conversations about destiny -- her family is "cursed" and Vin is considered a "heartbreaker" -- and how we make our own destiny were also so interesting. I loved these conversations about love -- self-love, romantic love, platonic love, and celebrating relationships of all kinds. If you're a romance reader or just want a good read, I highly recommend this one!

I always love an audiobook with multiple narrators, and Yin Yang Love Song is a beautiful story that I really enjoyed listening to. The narrators sounded exactly as I pictured Chryssy and Vin would sound, and it made a great story even better to have both characters represented so well. This was my first novel by Lauren Kung Jessen, and I loved it. I listened to the whole thing in one day!

Yin Yang Love Song is the story of Chrysanthemum, or Chryssy, a Chinese herbalist who meets a famous musician, Vin, at a celebrity's party, and unexpectedly hits it off with him. They end up spending time together at her family's retreat on an idyllic setting in coastal Washington. Vin is there to support his brother, but forced proximity and time spent with Chryssy soon brings them closer. They become good friends, and decide to fake date for a short time for publicity for both of their careers. As they spend more time together, their relationship grows and soon they are both unsure they want to end their fake relationship as they initially planned to. Chryssy's extended family of "aunties" are important characters who permeate the story and teach both Chryssy and Vin many life lessons. Chryssy is haunted by the legend of the Hua family curse, which is an important issue throughout the book that is nicely resolved at the end by the family working together. Both Vin and Chryssy have the chance to spend time and have honest discussions about their lives with their parents in the story. Jessen does a beautiful job of weaving the family members into this love story. They are quirky and provide a lot of humor to the story even while the main characters are fairly serious. Chryssy and Vin have great chemistry but the evolution of their relationship is not rushed and feels very natural. Jensen builds the tension and affection between the two slowly but very effectively. The whole story is heartwarming and the characters are loving and very relatable I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially in audio book form.
Thanks to Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for providing me an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is my second audiobook from Lauren Kung Jessen and it did not disappoint.

Yin Yang Love Song is a refreshing romance grounded in old world traditions but lives fully in the modern world. Chryssy is cursed to be heartbroken and Vin is a heartbreaker who, through the ups and downs of life, they find a path forward together.

I love learning about new to me things and in this book it was wonderful to learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I would absolutely recommend this book!

This was just such an adorable story of two people in particular: Vin and Chryssy. She believes she is cursed in love as she's had 8 (yes, eight) recently failed relationships. Plus, her entire lineage of of females have been "cursed in love." Then, she meets Vin and they agree to an arrangement of a fake date, and one in return...thus begins their adorbs relationship.

Self-sabotaging is in question here. Chryssy is so sure she's cursed so that when they begin to feel more than "fake-date material," she questions everything. Her mother and father are divorced as well. Without giving much of the plot, I want to say that I loved the various discussions between Chryssy and her father as well as her mother and their views on love and what Chryssy should/shouldn't do regarding trying to find that perfect love.

Characters' personalities were so different and believable. Chryssy is just so sweet and full of positivity when it comes to life in general (other than her curse) that I couldn't help but to love her. Vin took me more time. Oh, and I loved a scene where she tries to come up with nicknames but I don't want to spoil that either. If you read it (and I hope you d0) look for that scene if you want a good laugh.

Their journey was told in two different POV's by both of the MC's and they went back and forth. I had the audio version and both the male and female did an excellent job of portraying the characters. Both annunciated very clearly, their emotions were effectively portrayed, and they were both very credible.

A sweet romcom with added Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both Chrissy and Vin are fighting against overwork and TCM helps them both. The audiobook narrators did a good job in realising the characters. With swearing and a non-explicit sex scene. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an absolutely lovely love story about traditional Chinese medicine that I knew very little about. It makes it sound very appealing to me to investigate and my own life. The book and riving itself were a little juvenile, but they were perfectly lovely closed door romances. Slow burn.

🔥 Yin Yang Love Song is a fake-dating rom-com with all the best ingredients—meddling aunties, a cursed love life, and one very bad idea that obviously spirals into real feelings. Chryssy and Vin have off-the-charts chemistry, and the audiobook narration by Eunice Wong & Eric Yang makes every moment even better—from the witty banter to the slow-burn tension.

If you love cozy romance with spice, swoony musicians, and family chaos, this is your book. Full review on my blog! 🎶💖 The Soft and Slow Life . com

I enjoyed listening to Yin Yang Love Song but truthfully liked each character and their interests separately more than the romance. It was so fascinating to learn about Chryssy’s herbalist family history and Vin’s cello life, and I was more interested in that than their story together. The audio narrators were great and helped keep my interest during slower parts.

Super cute fake dating romance between an herbalist who is cursed in love and a rock cello player with a reputation of being a heartbreaker. Chryssy has pretty much sworn off relationships since she has been dumped so many times and chalks it up to the family curse of never having lasting love. A chance encounter with a rock cello player, Vin, at a kid’s birthday party, causes all sorts of public speculation. Vin needs the gossip to help him sell concert tickets, so he asks Chryssy for help. She also gets more business at her family’s inn as a side benefit, so she agrees to the fake dating scheme. Of course, these two end up super compatible with each other and a slow and sweet romance develops. I liked seeing these two work as partners with their respective struggles and really communicate well with each other. The story totally sucked me in and I read it in a day. Fade to black on the intimate encounters and no third-act break-up. Great narration from both voice actors.

Starting Feb with a love story? Call me a hopeless romantic I guess! From the author of Lunar Love and Red-String Theory, Yin Yang Love Song is as sweet and funny as Rom-Coms come.

Heart healer Chrissy has to fake date Vin, one of two heartbreaker musician brothers, in order for her business to prosper and his reputation to remain intact.

With a gaggle of adorable aunties, moonlight garden strolls, and a bunny named Goji Berry, this descriptively stunning novel is a perfect Valentines season pick.

Thank you to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC. Both narrators were excellent in capturing the voice of these love struck characters!

Lauren Kung Jessen’s Yin Yang Love Song was an absolute delight, and the audiobook format only amplified its charm. Both narrators brought the characters to life in a way that felt perfectly aligned with the story’s emotional depth and playful spirit. Their voices seamlessly captured the tension, romance, and humour, making it easy to connect with the protagonists on a deeper level.

What really drew me in was the thoughtful infusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine and cultural elements throughout the narrative. Jessen beautifully weaved cultural heritage into the plot, adding layers of meaning that enhanced the listening experience. The story felt vibrant, heartfelt, and grounded in authenticity. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a well-narrated, culturally rich romance.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was undeniably sweet! I read Lunar Love last year and was so excited to get the approval for Lauren Kung Jessen's latest novel. I loved the complexity of the main characters' relationship, and also the family history. I am a big fan of Jessen's work - can't wait to read more! The narrators did a great job too!

Thank you so much again for the ARC!

One of my favorite books I’ve read this month. Chrissy and Vin were no match for their fake dating scheme. I loved it!! Chryssy’s family curse might have been my favorite part.

I wish this hadn't started right in the middle of an event; I don't like beginnings that make you feel like you missed something. However, it got better as it progressed and I genuinely enjoyed the concept and the way it all played out.

A romance featuring the “fake relationship” trope. Big time Rock Cellist Vin Chang is a heart breaker. In fact it’s part of the brand developed for him by his publicist. Chrysanthemum (Chrissie) Hua Williams is a Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) herbalist who treats those suffering from heartbreak. A chance meeting and an opportunity for a mutually beneficial set of fake dates leads to … well, you’ll see. The end is of course predictable, but getting there is worth the ride.

A bit of Com, but mostly Rom, I enjoyed the introduction to TCM and I loved all the Hua Aunties and the wonderful family feel they portrayed. Plenty of good discussions on relationship issues. I listened to the audio book, with two different (excellent) readers narrating the chapters told from Chrissie and Vin’s perspective. My only complaint is that I think it was a bit long winded — especially on audio as I am a much faster reader — and because of that I found the last bit in particular drawn out too long — to the point of saccharinity :-) However, overall an enjoyable listen with a higher than usual (for this type of book) information rich presentations of the character’s passions.

I really enjoyed the concept of this, but I struggled with the execution of it. I had a hard time believing the chemistry between the two main characters. I also found the dialog to be cheesy at times, which took me out of it more than I liked.

Audiobook Review 📖✨☕️🎧

thank you so much partner @readforeverpub & Hachette Audio for the gifted copy and audiobook!

Yin Yang Love Song
by Lauren Kung Jessen
Narrated by Eunice Wong; Eric Yang

About the book 👇🏽

Chinese herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams never actually believed in the Hua family curse. But after Break-Up #9, Chryssy stopped laughing. Now she and her aunties run a special healing retreat center for the broken-hearted. After all, there’s nothing a proper cup of herbal tea can’t fix...but Chryssy’s innocent run-in with celebrity cellist and bad boy Vin Chao has everyone brewing about a different kind of tea. So he offers her a deal: they’ll fake-date, he’ll “break” her heart (and increase ticket sales), and in return, he’ll promote her business.

It’s like Chryssy’s whole cursed love life has been leading up to this moment. But all it takes is one kiss—and a whole lot of unexpected chemistry—to land both of them in hot water . . .  

🫖 My thoughts:

“It’s a blessing--not a curse to get to experience love at all.”

I flew right through this audiobook! It’s sweet, charming, and makes you feel good at the end of it. The narrators did a phenomenal job with this and held my attention throughout. The family aspects of this book really hit home and the aunties were fun, making me miss my own family. The story itself has that Hallmark layer that I love, adore, and will ALWAYS eat up. If you’re looking for something light and will make you feel all warm when it’s over, I highly suggest giving this one a read or a listen! Yin Yang Love Song is out now, happy publication week!

Happy reading 📖✨☕️🎧

An enjoyable twist on a romcom, using the themes of a practitioner of Chinese traditional herbal medicine and a famous cellist who is too absorbed in his own work.
The two characters’ lives collide at an event and they think the worst of each other until a twist enforces them to spend time together - and inevitably love blooms. It is highly enjoyable and addresses traditional Chinese family traditions and pressures, and opening your eyes to new possibilities. Highly enjoyable.

First of all, I listened to this on audio and the narrators knocked it out of the park. They were great, captured the difficulty of family turmoil and the fun of this novel really well. Definitely recommend reading this on audiobook!

That said, I loved the story background, his fame was different than other books I’ve read, and her business was really interesting. I loved the Chinese medicine as a central piece of this book, and it made me more interested in my own life to look at these different methods of healing. I also loved the idea of a curse, and the way it was handled— how it evolved with each family member’s own interaction with it (in that it affected them all so obviously).

The characters were well written and I enjoyed them a lot, my main confusion was that they seemed interested in each other, but it didn’t come off sensually until they were in the throes of making out. I wish there was some hint of that longing when they werent already kissing so that it didn’t feel like their desire came from no where. But overall, it was an enjoyable story!