Overall Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang
Series: The Kiss Quotient #2
Synopsis:
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.
With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.
Review
Dear Helen Hoang,
It’s official. I love you.
My love for Helen Hoang began with The Kiss Quotient and it was official after I finished The Bride Test in the middle of a work night because I couldn’t stop reading.
When I found out that this book was going to be about Khai, I was so excited. The premise intrigued me, especially since the book had a version of one of my favorite tropes: fake relationship.
As with The Kiss Quotient, I felt like I was deeply inside these characters minds. While I didn’t fully agree with Esme’s choices (I couldn’t fathom leaving my young child for months at a time in an entirely different country – I lost sleep just being away from my girls for three days a couple of states away on a business trip), I felt like I understood them because her character was so real to me.
The same with Khai. He’s not a relatable character for me, but that didn’t stop me from fully being inside of his head – from understanding his decisions and his fears and his hesitations.
And oh my goodness the tension and the slow burn elements in this book were so delightfully excruciating. The butterflies were absolutely overwhelming as this relationship grew and sizzled.
I ended up completely falling in love with Quan and I am hoping desperately that he gets his own story. I also adored seeing the quick cameo of Michael in this story as well. It made me want to re-read The Kiss Quotient!
Audiobook Performance: 5 stars
Butterfly Rating: 5 Stars
Book Boyfriend Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: #+
Great review Bree! I’m also hoping for Quan’s book to be next!
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Thanks! And YES! I absolutely adored him ❤
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Fan review! I need to read this (but I also haven’t read Kiss Quotient yet either!)
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You def should read both, they’re soooo great! And I love supporting OWN Voices authors ❤
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I’ll bump TKQ up my list!!!
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The characters sound so well done and I love a good slow burn romance. Definitely want to read this! Awesome review!
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Thank you! ❤
It was very good. I adore Helen Hoang – I can't wait to read her next book (and I REALLY can't wait for The Kiss Quotient movie that has been optioned!)
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