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nbreezy17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Cancer, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Excrement
zids's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was a big fan of the Bride Test, and I thought the Kiss Quotient was fine. But Jesus Christmas, this book.
I can't even say I didn't enjoy it. I was just kind of baffled by it. It was very different than the other books in this series. It was miserable. It seemed so focused on it's own misery that the relationship between Quan and Anna kind of took a back seat.
I knew at a certain point that something like this MUST'VE happened to the author, it was extremely personal, and I don't think I was prepared to read a book about carer burnout when I was expecting something very lighthearted. It certainly didn't mention any of this on the blurb.
The end of the book didn't particularly satisfy me, either. Anna starts to struggle with suicidal ideation like fifteen pages before the book ends. This part of her story seemed like a footnote when, TO ME, it maybe should've been focused on more? Or completely omitted, really. Not much would've changed without it. Quan stopped feeling real after a while, his problems certainly weren't as big as Anna's, so he naturally took a backseat. Reading about him floating around as she tries to exit a depression really didn't do anything for me.
Also, I don't hate this as a plot point, but the fact that his cancer left him infertile AND with a bad case of body dysmorphia. This book pulled no punches. Misery all the way down.
I almost feel like Hoang's pain was a little too big for this book. The type of book she was writing and the volume of her suffering don't... match. I don't think it can't be done, but I also don't think she did it. I truly hope writing this was cathartic for her.
Again, it wasn't so much that I hated the book, it was just baffling to me how much misery could be packed into such a small book with such a bright, flirty cover.
I guess I have to accept that Bride Test was a one off for me, which makes me sad, because it made me so excited about Hoang as an author. Woof.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Excrement, Grief, Cancer, Death of parent, Infertility, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
solspringsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Excrement, Death of parent, Grief, Ableism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
lost_windsock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Cancer, Death of parent, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
cnricochet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Infertility
Minor: Classism, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
jadejade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Infertility, Excrement, Infidelity, and Medical content
loquitacass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical trauma, Medical content, Ableism, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Excrement
Minor: Vomit
micaelamariem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Ableism, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
REVIEW TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!
i devoured this book. i was up until 3am reading this and good LORD was it worth it.
i would definitely classify this as contemporary fiction and not a romance because the main focal point was Anna’s struggle to accept and honor herself, not the love story. though i liked the love story—which added fantastic levity to the serious topics presented here despite also being pretty rocky—i was completely sold by Anna’s arc: her diagnosis, accepting a caretaker role, the epiphany about her needs, her growth.
once again, Helen Hoang perfectly captures the neurodivergent experience. Anna’s relationship with her family, her friends, herself, and her art were so relatable and heart-wrenching. i can only describe my feelings/reactions towards the ongoing conflicts related to her autism as VISCERAL. chapter 41 literally caused me to sob into a pillow. i am not kidding. i had to try very hard to stifle my weeping.
the ending, though extremely fast-paced was satisfying and realistic. i appreciated that, unlike The Bride Test, not every plot point received a sparkly, happy conclusion. grief and healing are not linear, and it makes sense that Anna‘s experiences with them were not either.
i will admit, criticisms of Quan’s story are valid. though i liked that his chapters were brief, i would happily read an entire novel about his journey surviving cancer. i did not feel like his POV was needed at times, which led me to want his storyline to be fleshed out more, to be more on par with the tone and severity of Anna’s. i think each arc could have better paralleled the other and his story could have had a stronger impact. maybe Anna’s story was heavy enough and Helen Hoang felt the need to write something lighter to help the reader escape that darkness, but i think it still could have worked.
wrt the sex scenes: this book was much steamier and more satisfying (wink wonk) than The Bride Test. it also showed realistic sexual dysfunction and healthy communication of boundaries/needs. i liked the pining as much as i liked the sex scenes themselves, and i never turned the page and felt let down or disappointed by how the scenes ended. they all tended to make sense and feel complete.
overall this was a fantastic, quick read that i recommend to nd romance readers looking to see and authentic story in a new genre.
CW (not included below): autism meltdown, autism burnout, career burnout/career issues
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Ableism, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Cancer
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Excrement, Xenophobia, and Vomit
strawberrymoonceci's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Death of parent, Excrement, Grief, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts