A review by shannahtan
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It's been a long time since I read the first novel, The Kiss Quotient. Overall, I thought this was a cute romance. Personally, I find the miscommunication trope extremely frustrating. I understand that Khai is autistic, and it took him a long time to recognize what he was feeling as love.
It doesn't make sense that Esme/My didn't look up "autistic" when he told her he was autistic before she cut his hair. She didn't know what it meant until Quan told her. Also, why didn't she ask why Khai wasn't in love with her when they "broke up"? That would've cleared so much up. I also didn't like the scene where Khai drives Esme home after the 10-year anniversary of Andy's death, and he goes inside. Then he tries to have sex with her to distract her into saying "yes" to his proposal. Weaponizing sex like that gave me the ick. I do like the pieces of Vietnamese culture put into the storyline. I also appreciate that Esme decided to move into her own place, go to school, get her GED, and apply for a college scholarship after Khai said he didn't love her, and she walked away from the marriage proposal. I enjoyed the Author's Note where Helen Hoang said she originally had Khai falling in love with an American when she first started writing the book. Then she talked to her mom, learned more about her mom's story as an immigrant from Vietnam then changed the storyline.
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