Scan barcode
0live_tr33's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
ju_harue's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Pregnancy and Toxic relationship
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
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
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
embla_v's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
4.5
En riktig bladvändare som man har dramatik, humor samt är underhållande. Vad mer kan man önska sig?
Khai har autism och är övertygad om att han inte har några känslor, inga viktiga känslor iallafall. Hans mamma blir ytterst frustrerad av detta och tar saken i egna händer. Hon ska välja en brud till sin son.
Esmeralda får ett förvånande erbjudande från en mystisk kvinna som är för bra för att säga nej till. Esme får spendera en hel sommar i USA och kanske kan hon förföra en Khai till att gifta sig med henne.
Inget går dock som någon av de tänkt sig och deras relation åker bergochdalbana, men kommer åkturen stanna på marken eller fortsätta upp mot himlen?
Oerhört rolig, underhållande och intressant bok med mycket åsikter, känslor, förvirring och förälskelse. Boken har spice, 18+. Rekommenderar starkt till den som vill ha en underhållande bok med en romans som tar många svängar.
Khai har autism och är övertygad om att han inte har några känslor, inga viktiga känslor iallafall. Hans mamma blir ytterst frustrerad av detta och tar saken i egna händer. Hon ska välja en brud till sin son.
Esmeralda får ett förvånande erbjudande från en mystisk kvinna som är för bra för att säga nej till. Esme får spendera en hel sommar i USA och kanske kan hon förföra en Khai till att gifta sig med henne.
Inget går dock som någon av de tänkt sig och deras relation åker bergochdalbana, men kommer åkturen stanna på marken eller fortsätta upp mot himlen?
Oerhört rolig, underhållande och intressant bok med mycket åsikter, känslor, förvirring och förälskelse. Boken har spice, 18+. Rekommenderar starkt till den som vill ha en underhållande bok med en romans som tar många svängar.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Ableism, and Vomit
Minor: Classism, Deportation, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
thefatpaperback's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Car accident
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Classism, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
abby_shupe's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- 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
I now worship Helen Hoang. I basically could end this review here, because everything about this book was perfect - no complaints.
I did find the two main characters unlikable at first, I was asking myself if I could even imagine them together but boy was I wrong.
Everything from the relationship, to the twists in the plot, to every character, was so well done, and I even see improvements in Hoang’s writing since The Kiss Quotient; Which got five stars from me.
I LOVED that we got to see Stella and Micheal’s wedding, I really enjoyed getting another snippet of their relationship. And by far my favorite character in both books has been Quân, so I’m incredibly happy I get to read his book after I finish this review!
Relating to why I liked this so much was the uniqueness of the relationship origins. I’m used to reading a lot of enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, rivals to lovers, et cetera, romance; But this was different and I loved it. I don’t really know how to categorize the start of Khai and Esme’s relationship but I guess arranged marriage? Anyways it was a trope I haven’t really come across before and I gobbled it up.
The only possible critique I have is that the ending was severely rushed, I think 3 plot twists for the MCs were introduced in one page. I personally liked that but because this book was short and sweet, I also wouldn’t have minded if it was slowed a bit.
The epilogue was written beautifully as always, and I highly recommend this book!
I did find the two main characters unlikable at first, I was asking myself if I could even imagine them together but boy was I wrong.
Everything from the relationship, to the twists in the plot, to every character, was so well done, and I even see improvements in Hoang’s writing since The Kiss Quotient; Which got five stars from me.
I LOVED that we got to see Stella and Micheal’s wedding, I really enjoyed getting another snippet of their relationship. And by far my favorite character in both books has been Quân, so I’m incredibly happy I get to read his book after I finish this review!
Relating to why I liked this so much was the uniqueness of the relationship origins. I’m used to reading a lot of enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, rivals to lovers, et cetera, romance; But this was different and I loved it. I don’t really know how to categorize the start of Khai and Esme’s relationship but I guess arranged marriage? Anyways it was a trope I haven’t really come across before and I gobbled it up.
The only possible critique I have is that the ending was severely rushed, I think 3 plot twists for the MCs were introduced in one page. I personally liked that but because this book was short and sweet, I also wouldn’t have minded if it was slowed a bit.
The epilogue was written beautifully as always, and I highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
kingrosereads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Absolutely as cute as the first book of the series! I cannot wait to read about Quan in the next book. Khai and My were EVERYTHING and cute as hell. Cheesy and entertaining with a splash of spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy