Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜
Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang
Genre: Romance
Author Info: Female Author / AAPI Author
Setting:Vietnam / California
Month Read: January 2022
Book Type: Hardcover
Publication: 2019
Pages: 300
*Book of the Month Pick
TRIGGER WARNING-
Death / Grieving / Alcohol / Sexual Themes
"My heart works in a different way, but it’s yours. You’re my one."
No Spoiler Summary:
The Bride Test is a spinoff book for The Kiss Quotient, focusing on Michael's cousin Khai. He thinks he is broken, unable to be fixed or feel love or grief. He can do small emotions, frustration, anger, impatience, but none of the bigger ones. None of the ones where you give in, or give yourself to someone else, and because of this- he can never be in a relationship. His family is aware that this is because of his autism, and how he processes emotion differently- but Khai stands resolute in knowing himself.
His mother goes to Vietnam and meets Esme, a mixed-race girl cleaning the bathroom for a job. She offers her a trip to America to meet (and potentially marry) Khai, her stubborn son who just needs to meet the right girl before he decides to settle down. Esme ends up taking the offer, and going to California and (temporarily) leaving her family behind for this new adventure. She is going to seduce Khai, and get married so she can bring her family out of poverty- and the only thing standing in her way is Khai's stubbornness.
Will Esme and Khai live happily ever after? Will he allow himself to love her, and she him? Will she be sent back to Vietnam before they can both let down their walls to open up to each other - or does fate have something else in store?
Review:
I'm a huge fan of The Kiss Quotient, which I read this past November, and am equally into The Bride Test. I think it's a GREAT followup book, and am so excited to order The Heart Principle in my February BotM box. I think this book had a little bit of everything you'd want and expect in a romance- fantastic characters, some throwbacks to book one (thank GOODNESS for more Quan!), an interesting plot, and a really enjoyable love story.
I was half expecting Khai's autism to be a huge plot point, and I liked that while it was prevalent, it wasn't all anyone spoke about and also wasn't all you thought about when thinking about Khai. He was such a fleshed out character, and I loved that his diagnosis wasn't him, because I feel like in any book with a neurodivergent character- they sort of become their diagnosis. I also loved Esme's struggles with being mixed-race, not knowing who her dad is, and having the search for him be a really interesting subplot (like her going to her night classes!) I wish we got more of her family back home, especially Jade, but I did like how everything worked itself out in the end.
I didn't get really into romance until the pandemic happened, but it's just really nice reading books that are (somewhat) predictible, because everything else is so constantly changing, and these books feel like a cozy, safe space. Has anyone else been feeling this during the past few years? I definitely would recommend this entire series.
Oh! I also forgot to mention, the sex scenes are GREAT. Helen Hoang doesn't shy away from a sex scene, and the conversation between Khai, Quan, and Michael is the absolute best. (IYKYK).
Recommendation:
Romance Series:
The League of Extraordinary Women Series by Evie Dunmore
The Kiss Quotient (for the other books in this series) by Helen Hoang
Other Romances featuring AAPI characters:
The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon (YA)
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon (YA)
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K Choi (YA)
"She needed to get ready for bed, but first, she wanted to do nothing for a few moments. Just nothing. Nothing was such a luxury"