Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Bride Test

Taylor Swift songs: “Speak now (tv)”, “New Year’s Day”

Age rating: 17+ (3 steamy scenes, 1.5/5🌶️)

We love autism and POC rep!! In this book the mmc is autistic, and both MCs are Vietnamese. This is a more modern version of a “mail-order-bride” trope, where the mom brings a girls from Vietnam to the United States to live with him for the summer and hopefully marry him (so they both find love and she gets a green card). You can tell that the author dealt with this topic with so much intentionality and care!

I also loved the focus on Esme’s independence and work ethic/drive! She really would’ve made it on her own (become a successful US citizen) even if she wasn’t with Khai. She is so brave and strong.

I liked this one as much as “the Kiss Quotient”, but in a different way. “The bride test” is MUCH more of a slow burn, as the mmc deals with past trauma and doesn’t think he has the emotional capacity for grief and love. But the payoff is sooooo worth it! Seeing Khai slowly open up and love her with his actions for so long without realizing it?? The best!! So much of this book was Khai experiencing this undeniable pull to a person for the first time, and discovering that he has the capacity for emotions that people once accused him of being incapable of (love, grief, etc.) Their love is so tender! They truly just want to never be apart from each other, and show their love in the little ways every day.

TW/CW: fmc is a single mother, death of childhood friend and grief, ableism, past trauma surrounding emotional capabilities, death, and motorcycle accident.

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angelfireeast24's review

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emotional hopeful tense 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

4.0

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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4.25

this was so good!! esme&khai hold my entire heart istg. i put this off for so long because i tried to read my physical copy a few months ago and couldn't get past the prologue bc i was afraid the book would have me SOBBING - i am pleased to announce that it did not have me crying my eyes out, but there were definitely moments of tearing up. this was so wholesome, funny, and swoony. i wanted to just hug both esme and khai for their pasts, but i loved that they ended up together, because to me, they fit with each other perfectly. i do think the ending was a little rushed/didn't tie everything up for me, but overall, it was fantastic and i definitely recommend this series!!

⚠️: grief, ableism, death of family member, car accident, classism, abandonment

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auudrey's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? No

3.25

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k_bb's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I love a frivolous Romance novel, but this book just took itself too seriously. I also felt that the author's portrayal of love on the spectrum was seriously problematic. There's this implication that autistic people can only find love through forced situations (sex workers as in the first book or arranged would-be wives in the second). For a silly romance, it was OK, but like many silly romances, aspects of the story were completely unbelievable, characters were flat etc. What was baffling was that the author had a little write up at the end that made it sound like she thought she was actually doing good through her portrayal of immigration and autism in the novel, meanwhile her portrayals were highly stereotyped and two dimensional. Honestly, this book is just cringe.

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