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A review by decklededgess
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
trigger warnings: death of family member, gentrification, death of parent, infidelity mention, toxic relationship mention
Wow this was such an unexpectedly soft book. Steeped in Chinese culture, this book uses the Chinese Zodiac as a propeller for the plot. The two main characters have companies that use the Zodiac to help people find relationships. Olivia has a 50 year old family run matchmaking company, and Bennett has a startup dating app. They butt heads over the concept of tradition and culture despite both of them having near identical cultural backgrounds and upbringings. This adds a delicious tension to their rivals dynamic.
I loved the competitive aspect of the story as well, where they give each other the challenge of finding a love match using their own methodologies to prove who has the better matchmaking strategy. It brought in an interesting element of forced proximity that naturally allowed Olivia and Bennett to grow together and learn about each other while still pitting them against each other.
The family aspect of the whole story was really lovely as well. It grounded the story in love and culture, something I find a lot of "founder of dating app" romance books lack. The book was sweet, rich in love and culture, and poetically written as well. A stunning novel!
Wow this was such an unexpectedly soft book. Steeped in Chinese culture, this book uses the Chinese Zodiac as a propeller for the plot. The two main characters have companies that use the Zodiac to help people find relationships. Olivia has a 50 year old family run matchmaking company, and Bennett has a startup dating app. They butt heads over the concept of tradition and culture despite both of them having near identical cultural backgrounds and upbringings. This adds a delicious tension to their rivals dynamic.
I loved the competitive aspect of the story as well, where they give each other the challenge of finding a love match using their own methodologies to prove who has the better matchmaking strategy. It brought in an interesting element of forced proximity that naturally allowed Olivia and Bennett to grow together and learn about each other while still pitting them against each other.
The family aspect of the whole story was really lovely as well. It grounded the story in love and culture, something I find a lot of "founder of dating app" romance books lack. The book was sweet, rich in love and culture, and poetically written as well. A stunning novel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death, and Death of parent