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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
romantic! and lovely to read from the perspective of a woman emigrating from Vietnam!
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked how much it reminded me of Kiss quotient (plus more Micheal and Stella!) but Khai’s neurodivergence looked cruel at times- especially from the perspective of someone left completely in the dark. I actually teared up.
It was a missed opportunity since Esme would have been so supportive!
His moments of kindness to her were too few and far between when I already felt like the power scales were tipped far to much in favor of the man. (Money, culture, language, immigration status, etc) it also killed me that she felt she had to hide her daughter.
(Side note, I have this nagging issue with consent in this book- her desperate- dire!-social and financial circumstances blurred the lines of consent for me. She was prepared to force herself to do anything to get him to love her- all so she could survive and feed her daughter).
As we marched on, I was so sick of the “but I don’t love you” cobweb flimsy argument. I dislike “misunderstanding” almost as much as I hate lies in contemporary romance.
But then the 5 star ending- and the authors note redeemed it all. A bit rushed- Hoang wrapped up all the problems (marrying wrong brother, missing dad, secret daughter, I love you and immigration issue) in 1 quick convo!
Esme got a job, an education and brought her family here and didn’t even need to marry anyone to do it. Great unexpected feminist ending!
It was a missed opportunity since Esme would have been so supportive!
His moments of kindness to her were too few and far between when I already felt like the power scales were tipped far to much in favor of the man. (Money, culture, language, immigration status, etc) it also killed me that she felt she had to hide her daughter.
(Side note, I have this nagging issue with consent in this book- her desperate- dire!-social and financial circumstances blurred the lines of consent for me. She was prepared to force herself to do anything to get him to love her- all so she could survive and feed her daughter).
As we marched on, I was so sick of the “but I don’t love you” cobweb flimsy argument. I dislike “misunderstanding” almost as much as I hate lies in contemporary romance.
But then the 5 star ending- and the authors note redeemed it all. A bit rushed- Hoang wrapped up all the problems (marrying wrong brother, missing dad, secret daughter, I love you and immigration issue) in 1 quick convo!
Esme got a job, an education and brought her family here and didn’t even need to marry anyone to do it. Great unexpected feminist ending!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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:
Yes
وايد حبيت الرواية الاولى وكنت متشوقة اقرا الثانية ، لكن للأسف خاب ظنّي
القصة بدايتها جميلة جدا وكنت متحمسة ابي اخلصها بسرعة عشان اعرف النهاية
لكن ، و هذي الفقره المهمة ، لما ( خوان ) شرح ل ( ازميرالدا ) شنو معنى مرض اخوه
اهني بلشت عصبيتي تطلع على هالغبية
القصة بدايتها جميلة جدا وكنت متحمسة ابي اخلصها بسرعة عشان اعرف النهاية
لكن ، و هذي الفقره المهمة ، لما ( خوان ) شرح ل ( ازميرالدا ) شنو معنى مرض اخوه
اهني بلشت عصبيتي تطلع على هالغبية
I picked this book up after reading rave reviews from Roxane Gay about the author. This is a sweet and very thoughtful book. Effortlessly written and enjoyable.
Not as good as The Kiss Quotient, but I still found it enjoyable.
My poor husband. While I read this book, I burst out laughing so many times that I'm sure he wondered what was wrong with me. Khai, the autistic hero, and Esme, the Vietnamese cleaning woman, have a lot of obstacles to overcome before they can make sense of their feelings. Hilarious, and at times heartbreaking, this book is a great second verse for Helen Hoang. I especially loved reading the back matter where she describes how Esme was such a compelling character to write that the determined young cleaning woman made the author completely reimagine what this love story would be about.
i love helen hoang
their back and forth was annoying but it’s a super cute story universe
their back and forth was annoying but it’s a super cute story universe