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isfantasi's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Body shaming, Car accident, Death, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
shannahtan's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
3.5
It's been a long time since I read the first novel, The Kiss Quotient. Overall, I thought this was a cute romance. Personally, I find the miscommunication trope extremely frustrating. I understand that Khai is autistic, and it took him a long time to recognize what he was feeling as love. It doesn't make sense that Esme/My didn't look up "autistic" when he told her he was autistic before she cut his hair. She didn't know what it meant until Quan told her. Also, why didn't she ask why Khai wasn't in love with her when they "broke up"? That would've cleared so much up. I also didn't like the scene where Khai drives Esme home after the 10-year anniversary of Andy's death, and he goes inside. Then he tries to have sex with her to distract her into saying "yes" to his proposal. Weaponizing sex like that gave me the ick. I do like the pieces of Vietnamese culture put into the storyline. I also appreciate that Esme decided to move into her own place, go to school, get her GED, and apply for a college scholarship after Khai said he didn't love her, and she walked away from the marriage proposal. I enjoyed the Author's Note where Helen Hoang said she originally had Khai falling in love with an American when she first started writing the book. Then she talked to her mom, learned more about her mom's story as an immigrant from Vietnam then changed the storyline.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, and Racism
hayleyvem's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Sexual content, Car accident, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
thehannahclaire's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, and Classism
teatunesandtales's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Classism and Pregnancy
angelfireeast24's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Car accident, Grief, Ableism, and Sexual assault
laheath's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
For readers who know what they're getting into with this book, I think it's enjoyable and sweet. Not your typical romance, this book deals with immigration, autism, and grief. Esme is hoping to better her life for herself and her family that she left in Vietnam. Khai is autistic, and having been hurt in the past, he refuses to let anyone else get close to him. I felt there was a lot going on with the side stories and not as much development of the relationship between Esme and Khai, which had a lot of potential for material. The ending tried to wrap everything up neatly, but it was a little too rushed for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism and Death
Minor: Car accident
kirareadssometimes's review
emotional
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
4.75
What a delightful read. This book was filled with so much love and hope and I truly could not put it down. The characters are all so lovable, even the side characters. Heart wrenching in places, eye opening in others. Just wonderful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Medical content, and Car accident
bidoofenergy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Death and Ableism
zoiejanelle's review
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