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A review by katsbooks
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.5
"Her history didn't define her. Her origins didn't define her."
“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone.”
Khai and Esme are so stinking sweet. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually teared up a couple of times while reading this book. That rarely happens to me. If a book can make me emotional, it's definitely a keeper. I really loved how we got to see Khai work through his emotions and how his autism was portrayed, in general. On one hand, I would have liked more discussion on it but, on the other, I really kind of dug how his autism was just part of who he was and wasn't a sign that something was wrong with him. The steam in this novel was definitely less than in the Kiss Quotient but I think the emotions were heightened in this one. It could also be that I just loved the characters that much. I really loved Esme. It's so rare to see the immigrant experience in romance novels. I loved that she took classes at an adult school and was so fierce and confident, while also being incredibly emotional and vulnerable. She was so multi-faceted and I'm totally here for it! I definitely wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book given that the premise is that Khai's mom convinces Esme to fly half way around the world to try and seduce him but I think the author handled the subject well and I ended up really loving how the leads fell for each other. My only real gripe is the ending. It felt like it wrapped up entirely too quickly and neatly. It's already just a little north of 300 pages so it feels like some things may have been cut/not addressed for the purpose of page count but Khai meeting Jade and Esme meeting Gleaves should have been much bigger moments than they were. I definitely would have liked to see more interaction in both of those relationships. Other than that, this was a fabulous follow-up to the Kiss Quotient. I can't wait to read Quan's story in the Heart Principle!
“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone.”
Khai and Esme are so stinking sweet. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually teared up a couple of times while reading this book. That rarely happens to me. If a book can make me emotional, it's definitely a keeper. I really loved how we got to see Khai work through his emotions and how his autism was portrayed, in general. On one hand, I would have liked more discussion on it but, on the other, I really kind of dug how his autism was just part of who he was and wasn't a sign that something was wrong with him. The steam in this novel was definitely less than in the Kiss Quotient but I think the emotions were heightened in this one. It could also be that I just loved the characters that much. I really loved Esme. It's so rare to see the immigrant experience in romance novels. I loved that she took classes at an adult school and was so fierce and confident, while also being incredibly emotional and vulnerable. She was so multi-faceted and I'm totally here for it! I definitely wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book given that the premise is that Khai's mom convinces Esme to fly half way around the world to try and seduce him but I think the author handled the subject well and I ended up really loving how the leads fell for each other. My only real gripe is the ending. It felt like it wrapped up entirely too quickly and neatly. It's already just a little north of 300 pages so it feels like some things may have been cut/not addressed for the purpose of page count but Khai meeting Jade and Esme meeting Gleaves should have been much bigger moments than they were. I definitely would have liked to see more interaction in both of those relationships. Other than that, this was a fabulous follow-up to the Kiss Quotient. I can't wait to read Quan's story in the Heart Principle!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Addiction
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, and Child death