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A review by ihateprozac
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
5.0
[b:The Kiss Quotient|36199084|The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)|Helen Hoang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527983633l/36199084._SX50_.jpg|57828311] was good, but The Bride Test was PERFECTION. There’s honestly nothing about this book that I didn’t love. I laughed out loud, I cried, and I smiled to myself like an absolute dork!
The Bride Test is a very different story to The Kiss Quotient, because Khai was diagnosed at an early age and is very cognizant of his triggers. Esme doesn't have any knowledge of autism from her life in Vietnam, which means she comes into their relationship with no judgement. But while Khai has his career and autism on lock, the boy has nooooo clue about relationships! He is peak virgin himbo n00b energy and it makes for some awkward bedroom hijinks.
I really loved Esme as our heroine. While a marriage of convenience and a secret daughter sounds super dodgy on paper, the reality was far more complex. Our hero & heroine are aware of what their arrangement entails, there are clear boundaries and consent, and there’s an exit strategy if it doesn’t work out. Esme hiding her daughter still reads as lying by omission, but it also reads as a young impoverished mother wanting to forge an identity outside of caretaking for 3 generations of her family - even if only for a summer.
I loved how this book was so heavily steeped in Vietnamese identity. Vietnamese food is such a big part of this story, and Helen Hoang’s writing had me positively salivating! We see firsthand Esme’s acute culture shock and how terrifying it is to be dropped in another country with minimal support networks. She proudly clings to her life in Vietnam, while tentatively eking out a new life in California and changing her circumstances.
God damn I loved this. So wholesome and heartwarming and I care about these characters so. damn. much. ;____;
The Bride Test is a very different story to The Kiss Quotient, because Khai was diagnosed at an early age and is very cognizant of his triggers. Esme doesn't have any knowledge of autism from her life in Vietnam, which means she comes into their relationship with no judgement. But while Khai has his career and autism on lock, the boy has nooooo clue about relationships! He is peak virgin himbo n00b energy and it makes for some awkward bedroom hijinks.
I really loved Esme as our heroine. While a marriage of convenience and a secret daughter sounds super dodgy on paper, the reality was far more complex. Our hero & heroine are aware of what their arrangement entails, there are clear boundaries and consent, and there’s an exit strategy if it doesn’t work out. Esme hiding her daughter still reads as lying by omission, but it also reads as a young impoverished mother wanting to forge an identity outside of caretaking for 3 generations of her family - even if only for a summer.
I loved how this book was so heavily steeped in Vietnamese identity. Vietnamese food is such a big part of this story, and Helen Hoang’s writing had me positively salivating! We see firsthand Esme’s acute culture shock and how terrifying it is to be dropped in another country with minimal support networks. She proudly clings to her life in Vietnam, while tentatively eking out a new life in California and changing her circumstances.
God damn I loved this. So wholesome and heartwarming and I care about these characters so. damn. much. ;____;