Reviews with content warning for Car accident - The Bride Test

Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

99 reviews

overthinkereading's review against another edition

emotional funny

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone.”

I adored this romance highlighting Khai, who we briefly met in The Kiss Quotient (where we learned he is autistic), and My/Esme, who travels from Vietnam to the U.S. to become his spouse.

While the story has some of my favorite tropes (fake relationship, forced proximity, one bed), it simply became a favorite as we witness deep, accepting love blossom between these two people who are each struggling in their own way. The representation of Khai’s challenges with identifying emotion and Esme’s struggles as an immigrant woman from difficult circumstances were especially moving.

Recommend to readers looking for: open door romance, Own Voices representation (neurodivergence and AAPI), and HEA

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ju_harue's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25

Estava precisando ler livros que me pegasse a aponto de não parar de ler até o final chegar, essa leitura foi assim.
A forma como a autora aborda autismo, a cultura vietnamita, com tanto propriedade e sensibilidade, é fundamental pra contribuir com essa leitura rápida, porém marcante.
Adorei saber mais sobre o processo, no final do livro, não teria como Esme não ser a protagonista.

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isfantasi's review

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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

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eligru's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

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nutmegandselkie's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.25

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kemikemi's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-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

3.5

This book was sweet and I think the official summary/synopsis for it does it a disservice with it describing esme as a ‘mail order bride’ for khai when the actuality of it is Khai’s mom searching for a girl for him to marry and striking a deal with a girl she chance-meets on a whim and gut instinct to bring her to the usa for a trial run with Khai is simple to explain and makes it seem less weirdly predatory on Esme.

Overall, Esme and Khai’s romance was nice and seeing how Khai’s autism affected both how he experienced/processed emotions and how he perceived his emotional experience was really interesting; it created a meaningful third act plot obstacle as well as growth arc for him as he finally understood that he had always loved and grieved. Esme immediately accepted him for who he was (and she didn’t even know what autism was), but in the end all she wanted was to be loved and have that out-loud confirmation of love, and he was so convinced that he just straight up didn’t experience metaphysical emotions that it hurt my heart as I was reading it to see everybody trying to show him that he did indeed love this woman but he was having a breakdown because he was so solidly convinced he couldn’t. Esme’s personal arc was also really nice; she was determined to do everything she could to begin a new and better chapter in her life for her family but refused to sacrifice her dignity and be treated less than (it just killed me that her insecurities along with Khai’s lack of direct explanations led to her constantly reading his actions to be him looking down on her/rejecting her/wanting her to be someone else 😭).

However, I’m only rating it 3.5 stars because I think I’m finding out that I am personally not head over heels for contemporary adult romance as a genre; it was a great story but I just was not captivated by it like I have been by other recent relationships and romances I’ve read. If this is your thing, though, then give it a go!! We need more Asian-American romance novels in the world.

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