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rosemaryandrue's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Despairing of her son ever getting married, Khai’s mother helps being Esme to the United States as a potential bride.
This was definitely a unique plot line, and I liked the leads, Khai and Esme. I liked how they both helped each other grow and become more comfortable in themselves. I also loved reading about an immigrant heroine in a contemporary romance novel as this isn’t something I’ve come across often before.
However, I wish their relationship was developed more on screen - while they suited each other, I was not sure why they loved each other. I also wished that Esme’s daughter Jade played more of a part in the story as she is mostly shown as part of Esme’s motivation than as a character in her own right.
This was definitely a unique plot line, and I liked the leads, Khai and Esme. I liked how they both helped each other grow and become more comfortable in themselves. I also loved reading about an immigrant heroine in a contemporary romance novel as this isn’t something I’ve come across often before.
However, I wish their relationship was developed more on screen - while they suited each other, I was not sure why they loved each other. I also wished that Esme’s daughter Jade played more of a part in the story as she is mostly shown as part of Esme’s motivation than as a character in her own right.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Grief
naysia_reads's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Grief
mabelsyrup's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Lord Jesus have mercy on me cuz i WOULD jump Khai’s bones in a HEARTBEAT if given a chance AAAAA
.
Where do i start; the fun and fast paced writing? Khai? The angst that managed to not feel overdone/cringe/drawn-out? Quan? All the little nods to Esme’s immigrant experience that felt so real and relatable and sometimes made me tear up cuz whoa i am seen in a way? Khai AND Quan? The fun character interactions and dialogues? The slow burn? IT WAS ALL FANTASTIC
The Bride Test managed to live up to the hype after The Kiss Quotient and it did so without as many smut scenes (I could’ve used some more but all the pining and push and pull and the actual scenes we got were so fucking good dammit)
Khai and Esme were such good characters individually. Together? its weird because they feel more grounded and subtle so I’m not like insane over them as a couple but THAT is what makes them better. They were both complicated and struggling but still managed to deliver such fun thoughts and scenes i cant even explain the amount of times i laughed out loud and giggled and blushed reading this.
One thing i also really loved was the aspect of Esme being an immigrant, SPECIALLY a tourist visa immigrant like its probably obvious but i went all “is this fucking play abt us”. So many things she thought and went through were so refreshing to see even if it is slightly glossed over. AND the fact that she applied for that student visa and still got rejected made me so “happy” I would’ve been so frustrated. “Marriage and birth couldn’t be the only ways to belong here” no, they’re not! But they’re the only ways that don’t cost you thousands of dollars, uncertainty, lawyers and honestly luck.
Some other things i loved reading from Esme’s experience:
“…that was more than she’d ever dared to dream of. This country girl had a high school diploma” not abt me cuz i did graduate high school before moving but it reminded me of my mom who grew up in a mountain with one little school
“The lonely country girl inside of her looked at the big empty couch and felt homesick all over again” it made me think about my tiny bedroom back home with my old 00’s tv
“Speaking English like she wouldn’t with Khai” bro i wish THAT was explored more cuz talking to your significant other in your native language should be considered a type of love language fr
Khai as i said was MY ideal man yes. He was fun, complicated, hot, reasonable mostly and did i say hot? Him pining for Esme and having 18+ thoughts abt her gave me the biggest butterflies ever. I love that he was a virgin and he didn’t know wtf he was doing and actually fucked up. Him being clueless is probably the reason why this book was so funny like of course he doesn’t what a clit is lol and him getting turned on by some hammer pants and repeating the pull up set like 4 times yea that cracked me up.
Uhm things i didn’t like? I guess the last 4 pages, i wish Esme either didn’t have an American dad or if she did that she ended up not finding him; that whole bit felt rushed and like the author didn’t care about that plot point until it was necessary and only added it so that Esme staying didn’t depend on Khai. But literally that’s it lol
“Her imperfections stuck out for the first time. (…) She was a real person, flawed. Oddly, that made her more beautiful”
“His hold on her was secure, and he wasn’t breathing heavily. He made her feel safe. And small” THIS! As a taller person I refuse to be carried even for a second
“Will i have the chance to use this tonight?” I BUSTED
“She talked enough for both of them, and he was a good listener”
As soon as i get The Heart Principle I’m reading that shit
.
Where do i start; the fun and fast paced writing? Khai? The angst that managed to not feel overdone/cringe/drawn-out? Quan? All the little nods to Esme’s immigrant experience that felt so real and relatable and sometimes made me tear up cuz whoa i am seen in a way? Khai AND Quan? The fun character interactions and dialogues? The slow burn? IT WAS ALL FANTASTIC
The Bride Test managed to live up to the hype after The Kiss Quotient and it did so without as many smut scenes (I could’ve used some more but all the pining and push and pull and the actual scenes we got were so fucking good dammit)
Khai and Esme were such good characters individually. Together? its weird because they feel more grounded and subtle so I’m not like insane over them as a couple but THAT is what makes them better. They were both complicated and struggling but still managed to deliver such fun thoughts and scenes i cant even explain the amount of times i laughed out loud and giggled and blushed reading this.
One thing i also really loved was the aspect of Esme being an immigrant, SPECIALLY a tourist visa immigrant like its probably obvious but i went all “is this fucking play abt us”. So many things she thought and went through were so refreshing to see even if it is slightly glossed over. AND the fact that she applied for that student visa and still got rejected made me so “happy” I would’ve been so frustrated. “Marriage and birth couldn’t be the only ways to belong here” no, they’re not! But they’re the only ways that don’t cost you thousands of dollars, uncertainty, lawyers and honestly luck.
Some other things i loved reading from Esme’s experience:
“…that was more than she’d ever dared to dream of. This country girl had a high school diploma” not abt me cuz i did graduate high school before moving but it reminded me of my mom who grew up in a mountain with one little school
“The lonely country girl inside of her looked at the big empty couch and felt homesick all over again” it made me think about my tiny bedroom back home with my old 00’s tv
“Speaking English like she wouldn’t with Khai” bro i wish THAT was explored more cuz talking to your significant other in your native language should be considered a type of love language fr
Khai as i said was MY ideal man yes. He was fun, complicated, hot, reasonable mostly and did i say hot? Him pining for Esme and having 18+ thoughts abt her gave me the biggest butterflies ever. I love that he was a virgin and he didn’t know wtf he was doing and actually fucked up. Him being clueless is probably the reason why this book was so funny like of course he doesn’t what a clit is lol and him getting turned on by some hammer pants and repeating the pull up set like 4 times yea that cracked me up.
Uhm things i didn’t like? I guess the last 4 pages, i wish Esme either didn’t have an American dad or if she did that she ended up not finding him; that whole bit felt rushed and like the author didn’t care about that plot point until it was necessary and only added it so that Esme staying didn’t depend on Khai. But literally that’s it lol
“Her imperfections stuck out for the first time. (…) She was a real person, flawed. Oddly, that made her more beautiful”
“His hold on her was secure, and he wasn’t breathing heavily. He made her feel safe. And small” THIS! As a taller person I refuse to be carried even for a second
“Will i have the chance to use this tonight?” I BUSTED
“She talked enough for both of them, and he was a good listener”
As soon as i get The Heart Principle I’m reading that shit
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
(listened to audio book from library)
i do not read romance books often (i am trying to read more this year!) so the writing style and the ridiculous premise was off-putting at first… but once i accepted the plot and each character at face-value, i was hooked.
i have never read a contemporary/non-fantasy with Vietnamese characters and the subtle inclusion of authentic Vietnamese traditions and family dynamics was very interesting. it was so lovely to see a cast of characters that weren’t cookie cutter white bread with values that reflect those of Vietnamese people in current day. i feel like i truly learned something about the immigrant experience and about Vietnamese culture!
this story had the perfect amount of will-they-won’t-they moments, didn’t make me wait a painstakingly long time for romantic/sexual payoff, and had a happy ending. the pacing in the first 3/4 was perfect, but the timeline of events for the last ~3 weeks of the novel felt slightly rushed. the exposition introduced very intriguing sub-plots so, understandably, each one needed to be addressed and closed before the book ended. overall i liked how each sub-plot was handled and the epilogue was adorable icing on the cake.
i was generally pleased with the neurodivergent/autistic representation, though at times i felt like Khai was infantilized by other characters (could have been intentional by the author?). occasionally it felt like his absurd choices and opinions were attributed to his autism rather than him simply being an adult human man. all this to say, it was cool to see an nd person as a lead love interest and read how trauma informed his decisions and feelings differently than Esme’s. and his idiocy about love would have been believable had he not been autistic because… he is an adult
human man.
EDITED TO ADD: i just read that Helen Hoang & her daughter are both autistic! which makes me appreciate the representation much more and i now understand that she was drawing on personal experience for Khai’s characterization.
though Esme is coded as neurotypical, in my head Khai and Esme are the perfect autistic/ADHD couple. she totally brings that high energy, anxious, leave-half-empty-cups-around-the-house, and start-a-new-house-project-every-day energy that was very relatable to me.
wrt tge sex scenes: like i said, i don’t read romance much. i was not into the manly/carnal/feral descriptions from Khai’s POV, but maybe i’m not the right audience for it. 🤪 i did love that he was an… ahem… enthusiastic learner and that consent was very important to him. Esme’s POV the entire book was equally as entertaining, though i’m also not a fan of the “i’m so tiny and he’s so big!” internal voice. part of me wishes she had been described as thicker, softer, wider, or rounder seeing as she is a mother (MILF), but i understand why she wasn’t. kind of.
DESPITE my criticism, this was a thrill and a half. i really enjoyed the feel-good energy and the epic highs and lows. it was so fun to read (listen to) and i definitely want to check out Helen Hoang’s other books!
i do not read romance books often (i am trying to read more this year!) so the writing style and the ridiculous premise was off-putting at first… but once i accepted the plot and each character at face-value, i was hooked.
i have never read a contemporary/non-fantasy with Vietnamese characters and the subtle inclusion of authentic Vietnamese traditions and family dynamics was very interesting. it was so lovely to see a cast of characters that weren’t cookie cutter white bread with values that reflect those of Vietnamese people in current day. i feel like i truly learned something about the immigrant experience and about Vietnamese culture!
this story had the perfect amount of will-they-won’t-they moments, didn’t make me wait a painstakingly long time for romantic/sexual payoff, and had a happy ending. the pacing in the first 3/4 was perfect, but the timeline of events for the last ~3 weeks of the novel felt slightly rushed. the exposition introduced very intriguing sub-plots so, understandably, each one needed to be addressed and closed before the book ended. overall i liked how each sub-plot was handled and the epilogue was adorable icing on the cake.
i was generally pleased with the neurodivergent/autistic representation, though at times i felt like Khai was infantilized by other characters (could have been intentional by the author?). occasionally it felt like his absurd choices and opinions were attributed to his autism rather than him simply being an adult human man. all this to say, it was cool to see an nd person as a lead love interest and read how trauma informed his decisions and feelings differently than Esme’s. and his idiocy about love would have been believable had he not been autistic because… he is an adult
human man.
EDITED TO ADD: i just read that Helen Hoang & her daughter are both autistic! which makes me appreciate the representation much more and i now understand that she was drawing on personal experience for Khai’s characterization.
though Esme is coded as neurotypical, in my head Khai and Esme are the perfect autistic/ADHD couple. she totally brings that high energy, anxious, leave-half-empty-cups-around-the-house, and start-a-new-house-project-every-day energy that was very relatable to me.
wrt tge sex scenes: like i said, i don’t read romance much. i was not into the manly/carnal/feral descriptions from Khai’s POV, but maybe i’m not the right audience for it. 🤪 i did love that he was an… ahem… enthusiastic learner and that consent was very important to him. Esme’s POV the entire book was equally as entertaining, though i’m also not a fan of the “i’m so tiny and he’s so big!” internal voice. part of me wishes she had been described as thicker, softer, wider, or rounder seeing as she is a mother (MILF), but i understand why she wasn’t. kind of.
DESPITE my criticism, this was a thrill and a half. i really enjoyed the feel-good energy and the epic highs and lows. it was so fun to read (listen to) and i definitely want to check out Helen Hoang’s other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Vomit, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Addiction, Deportation, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
saraavowlerr's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Just read The Kiss Quotient and call it a day. Trust me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Sexual content, Car accident, and Cursing
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
This was a cute, quick read! I enjoyed it and there weren’t any major issues but there wasn’t much “wow” factor for me. I did really like Esme and Khai as leads and really was rooting for them to be together! The ending did wrap up a bit too quickly and neatly for me, but overall, it was a good listen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
bdingz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t sure about the premise of the romance in this one, especially given my misgivings about The Kiss Quotient. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment and Death
micaelamariem's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
After a month and a half of feeling like everything I read was just okay, I am so happy to have picked up this cute romance. It was what I needed. The Bride Test is technically the second in a romance series by Helen Hoang, but each book can be read as a standalone and isn’t connected to each other.
Helen Hoang lives in California with her family and has always loved romance novels. Her books investigate what it’s like to find love as someone on the autism spectrum, and thus also explore the intersectionality of being Asian-American and autistic.
In The Bride Test, the mom of an autisitc man worries her son will never get married if she doesn’t take matters into her own hands. So, she picks out a girl from Vietnam to come to America and woo Kai. Esme agrees to do this wooing so she can provide a better life for her daughter. But Kai is convinced he doesn’t have feelings and nothing goes to plan.
I absolutley adored this book. There was cute, swoon-worthy fluff, but there were also spicy scenes that made me scared to take the book in public. It was the perfect balance. On top of that, there were also a lot of scenes that made me laugh out loud.
I also loved the agency that Esme had as an immigrant to the United States. Yes she was there to fall in love, but that didn’t stop her from working hard, pursuing her own dreams, and having other plans that didn’t revolve around a man. In a romance, this is rare to see even if it shouldn’t be!
The exploration of Kai’s grief and emotions with him was also a journey I enjoyed, even though it was frusturating at times. I think it also gave me a bit more insight into what someone’s lived experience may be if they are on the spectrum (bearing in mind that it is a spectrum and people’s experiences differ). I knew a bit about Autism but I never really knew the depth it could take to recognize and regulate emotions when living with it.
There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book–even the epilogue, which is where I find a lot of romances fall short for me, was satisfying. Everything seemed to find a resolution without doing so cheaply or rubbing me the wrong way.
This was a five star read for me, the first in a while! If you’re a romance reader, then I can’t reccomend this enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Sexual content, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
wisewayfarer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Car accident
embla_v's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
4.5
En riktig bladvändare som man har dramatik, humor samt är underhållande. Vad mer kan man önska sig?
Khai har autism och är övertygad om att han inte har några känslor, inga viktiga känslor iallafall. Hans mamma blir ytterst frustrerad av detta och tar saken i egna händer. Hon ska välja en brud till sin son.
Esmeralda får ett förvånande erbjudande från en mystisk kvinna som är för bra för att säga nej till. Esme får spendera en hel sommar i USA och kanske kan hon förföra en Khai till att gifta sig med henne.
Inget går dock som någon av de tänkt sig och deras relation åker bergochdalbana, men kommer åkturen stanna på marken eller fortsätta upp mot himlen?
Oerhört rolig, underhållande och intressant bok med mycket åsikter, känslor, förvirring och förälskelse. Boken har spice, 18+. Rekommenderar starkt till den som vill ha en underhållande bok med en romans som tar många svängar.
Khai har autism och är övertygad om att han inte har några känslor, inga viktiga känslor iallafall. Hans mamma blir ytterst frustrerad av detta och tar saken i egna händer. Hon ska välja en brud till sin son.
Esmeralda får ett förvånande erbjudande från en mystisk kvinna som är för bra för att säga nej till. Esme får spendera en hel sommar i USA och kanske kan hon förföra en Khai till att gifta sig med henne.
Inget går dock som någon av de tänkt sig och deras relation åker bergochdalbana, men kommer åkturen stanna på marken eller fortsätta upp mot himlen?
Oerhört rolig, underhållande och intressant bok med mycket åsikter, känslor, förvirring och förälskelse. Boken har spice, 18+. Rekommenderar starkt till den som vill ha en underhållande bok med en romans som tar många svängar.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Ableism, and Vomit
Minor: Classism, Deportation, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Pregnancy