A review by armontheroad
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

5.0

Listen, Helen Hoang has a grip on me that I never want her to shake! Did I, once again, sob my eyes out over her characters? Yes. Did I also laugh so hard that I probably should have taken my inhaler? Yes. Hoang creates these authentic characters who leave you with no choice but to care deeply about them! I thoroughly loved this. I adored seeing our characters grow, I loved how Esme learned to be proud of herself and be independent, I adored Khai in ways I cannot put into words without having an Autistic meltdown. However, I want people to be aware of some of the content before going into this novel. From the synopsis, you are aware that Khai doesn’t believe he can love because he doesn’t experience grief. Grief is an underlining theme throughout this story and it should be made aware that the cause of his grieving is the person he cares most about being in a fatal vehicle accident. There are a few lines that rubbed me the wrong way: Esme commenting how she doesn’t care if she “looks like a prostitute” and Khai saying he “looks like a drug addict”. These are very, very minor sentences in this book but I want readers to be aware they exist before their reading experience. Overall, I adored this and will pick up anything Helen Hoang writes!

CWs/TWs: Sexual content (moderate), grief (moderate), car accident (minor), vomit (minor).

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