A review by astridrc
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

emotional 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? Yes

3.0

This is a tough one to review. At first, I was kind of appalled at how everything started: a poor cleaning Vietnamese lady is offered money and new opportunities if she marries an American-Vietnamese autistic man (who doesn't know about this whole thing). That's a dangerous storyline to delve into. It felt awkward and just problematic. The power dynamics were too much for me to enjoy the story but it really got better as it went. I still didn't feel comfortable with some information that she withholds... not a small thing. Still, I kind of enjoyed overall. I really like this author and how she manages to intertwine many past traumas and complexities into her characters, they feel human and real. Still, this is by far her weakest book.