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A review by juwench
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
5.0
There is something heartbreaking about this book - my chest was aching half the time I was reading. Perhaps as an immigrant myself, though with a very different story, the theme of being far from family was with me. Perhaps I have just seen Miss Saigon too many times. But this is a delicious treat, but bittersweet to start, and the ride is SO worth it!
This is wonderfully written, plotted, character driven (which I love) but without assumptions about how people think and feel being made - it tells the whole story of the internal lives of the characters in clear detail, and is the better for it. Throughout this series, Helen Hoang has given portraits of three individuals who have neurodivergence in common, but are also entirely unique. This ability, to see the many differences between people, as well as their similarities, is something that feels like a gift to me, both as a mental health advocate, but also as a person who continues to explore and understand my own neurodivergence. The permission to be whole while not being the same implicit in all of these books, and the beautiful message of the romance genre (the reminder that there are people in the world who will love us for our unique selves) - these are sparks of hope and joy that are so needed.
This is wonderfully written, plotted, character driven (which I love) but without assumptions about how people think and feel being made - it tells the whole story of the internal lives of the characters in clear detail, and is the better for it. Throughout this series, Helen Hoang has given portraits of three individuals who have neurodivergence in common, but are also entirely unique. This ability, to see the many differences between people, as well as their similarities, is something that feels like a gift to me, both as a mental health advocate, but also as a person who continues to explore and understand my own neurodivergence. The permission to be whole while not being the same implicit in all of these books, and the beautiful message of the romance genre (the reminder that there are people in the world who will love us for our unique selves) - these are sparks of hope and joy that are so needed.