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sarahbook's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.0
I found the characters annoying. They were repetitive and felt one dimensional. The grandma died which I didn’t care for either. My favorite parts were learning about Chinese culture.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
melissalynn117's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death
creativelifeofliz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
It took me a while to get into this book, especially because Olivia was pretty frustrating with her choices. I did eventually really enjoy it though. Definitely want to go get some Chinese baked goods.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship
kcbatts's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! Romance takes centre stage and I loved all the states of Olivia and Bennett’s relationship, from the meet cute to the rivalry, and even the third act break-up. I felt their connection was so sweet and I couldn’t wait to pick this book up everyday to check in with this duo. I also really enjoyed learning more about the Chinese zodiac and different perspectives on compatibility.
I would definitely recommend picking up this book if you enjoy:
- Rivals to Lovers
- Chinese Zodiac
- Clean workplace romances
- Books that feature strong family ties
- lots of tasty treats sprinkled throughout the book
This is the author’s debut novel and I can wait to read more from her! Thanks Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this gifted copy—it’s likely going to end up as one of my favourite romances of the year ♥️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
rusereviews's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is a debut contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.
Olivia is excited to take over her grandmother's matchmaking business, Lunar Love, until she learns of a new dating app that has turned the traditional Chinese zodiac into more "animal attraction." To learn more about her competition, she decides to use the app to find its creator, Bennet. When they both end up on a podcast together, they wager they'll find a match for each other using their respective resources, and whoever falls in love loses the bet.
It felt very appropriate that I finished this pretty close to the Lunar New Year.
Overall, this was a really cute closed-door romance. I loved a ton of the side characters, especially Olivia's grandmother Popo, and the Chinatown setting and their family business seemed very lived-in. The chemistry between our leads is solid and they have adorable banter throughout the novel.
This read like a debut, and the author's use of tense felt really awkward to me. This gets a bit better in the second half of the book, but while I was reading the first half it was pretty jarring to me. I ended up taking a lot more time to read the first half, but once I got over the midway point my reading speed picked up.
Sometimes Olivia seemed like she was written younger than she actually was. She is a very stubborn person and was kind of repetitive in her complaints and observations. This is another thing I chalk up to this being the author's first published novel. I also didn't really love that Olivia decided to lie about who she was when trying to learn more about the person behind the dating app.
I like that there are several recipes included in the back of the book, since both characters love food and there are many mentions of traditional Chinese cooking throughout the novel. I definitely plan to try some out!
Tropes in this book include: Asian American MCs, mixed-race MCs, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, closed door, opposites attract, secrets and lies
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Olivia is excited to take over her grandmother's matchmaking business, Lunar Love, until she learns of a new dating app that has turned the traditional Chinese zodiac into more "animal attraction." To learn more about her competition, she decides to use the app to find its creator, Bennet. When they both end up on a podcast together, they wager they'll find a match for each other using their respective resources, and whoever falls in love loses the bet.
It felt very appropriate that I finished this pretty close to the Lunar New Year.
Overall, this was a really cute closed-door romance. I loved a ton of the side characters, especially Olivia's grandmother Popo, and the Chinatown setting and their family business seemed very lived-in. The chemistry between our leads is solid and they have adorable banter throughout the novel.
This read like a debut, and the author's use of tense felt really awkward to me. This gets a bit better in the second half of the book, but while I was reading the first half it was pretty jarring to me. I ended up taking a lot more time to read the first half, but once I got over the midway point my reading speed picked up.
Sometimes Olivia seemed like she was written younger than she actually was. She is a very stubborn person and was kind of repetitive in her complaints and observations. This is another thing I chalk up to this being the author's first published novel. I also didn't really love that Olivia decided to lie about who she was when trying to learn more about the person behind the dating app.
I like that there are several recipes included in the back of the book, since both characters love food and there are many mentions of traditional Chinese cooking throughout the novel. I definitely plan to try some out!
Tropes in this book include: Asian American MCs, mixed-race MCs, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, closed door, opposites attract, secrets and lies
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
whatmadsreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
ninebookishlives's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Grief
onemorepagecrew's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is an adorable enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy that would be ideal for readers looking for a clean / non-spice story. In it we meet Olivia and Bennett, two CEOs of rival matchmaking companies using Chinese astrology to help pair couples for long-term happiness. Olivia has just inherited her family business, carrying on the in-person company her grandmother started over 50 years ago. Bennett just launched a new digital app that threatens to put them out of business. The rest you’ll have to read to find out 😊
There was so much I loved about this book. The cultural history, the family traditions, the questions posed about modern day love and technology, multi-cultural character representation, and the banter between the couple. I struggled to get behind Olivia at times, she felt so unjustified in her early actions. That said, I did appreciate that she was a young adult and seemingly maturing throughout the book, and the full arc of the story showed her learning several lessons in personal growth.
If you enjoy wholesome, clean romance stories with an enemies-to-lovers trope, this is an excellent choice. It’s a debut author, a new release, and a BOTM pick and I bet you’ll be hearing a lot about it – go place your library hold now!
Content warnings: Death (off-page), Grief
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
snoozayreads25's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
I really loved this story! I enjoyed learning more about Chinese traditions, and the love story was so cute!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Emotional abuse
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