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A review by mabelsyrup
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Lord Jesus have mercy on me cuz i WOULD jump Khai’s bones in a HEARTBEAT if given a chance AAAAA
.
Where do i start; the fun and fast paced writing? Khai? The angst that managed to not feel overdone/cringe/drawn-out? Quan? All the little nods to Esme’s immigrant experience that felt so real and relatable and sometimes made me tear up cuz whoa i am seen in a way? Khai AND Quan? The fun character interactions and dialogues? The slow burn? IT WAS ALL FANTASTIC
The Bride Test managed to live up to the hype after The Kiss Quotient and it did so without as many smut scenes (I could’ve used some more but all the pining and push and pull and the actual scenes we got were so fucking good dammit)
Khai and Esme were such good characters individually. Together? its weird because they feel more grounded and subtle so I’m not like insane over them as a couple but THAT is what makes them better. They were both complicated and struggling but still managed to deliver such fun thoughts and scenes i cant even explain the amount of times i laughed out loud and giggled and blushed reading this.
One thing i also really loved was the aspect of Esme being an immigrant, SPECIALLY a tourist visa immigrant like its probably obvious but i went all “is this fucking play abt us”. So many things she thought and went through were so refreshing to see even if it is slightly glossed over. AND the fact that she applied for that student visa and still got rejected made me so “happy” I would’ve been so frustrated. “Marriage and birth couldn’t be the only ways to belong here” no, they’re not! But they’re the only ways that don’t cost you thousands of dollars, uncertainty, lawyers and honestly luck.
Some other things i loved reading from Esme’s experience:
“…that was more than she’d ever dared to dream of. This country girl had a high school diploma” not abt me cuz i did graduate high school before moving but it reminded me of my mom who grew up in a mountain with one little school
“The lonely country girl inside of her looked at the big empty couch and felt homesick all over again” it made me think about my tiny bedroom back home with my old 00’s tv
“Speaking English like she wouldn’t with Khai” bro i wish THAT was explored more cuz talking to your significant other in your native language should be considered a type of love language fr
Khai as i said was MY ideal man yes. He was fun, complicated, hot, reasonable mostly and did i say hot? Him pining for Esme and having 18+ thoughts abt her gave me the biggest butterflies ever. I love that he was a virgin and he didn’t know wtf he was doing and actually fucked up. Him being clueless is probably the reason why this book was so funny like of course he doesn’t what a clit is lol and him getting turned on by some hammer pants and repeating the pull up set like 4 times yea that cracked me up.
Uhm things i didn’t like? I guess the last 4 pages, i wish Esme either didn’t have an American dad or if she did that she ended up not finding him; that whole bit felt rushed and like the author didn’t care about that plot point until it was necessary and only added it so that Esme staying didn’t depend on Khai. But literally that’s it lol
“Her imperfections stuck out for the first time. (…) She was a real person, flawed. Oddly, that made her more beautiful”
“His hold on her was secure, and he wasn’t breathing heavily. He made her feel safe. And small” THIS! As a taller person I refuse to be carried even for a second
“Will i have the chance to use this tonight?” I BUSTED
“She talked enough for both of them, and he was a good listener”
As soon as i get The Heart Principle I’m reading that shit
.
Where do i start; the fun and fast paced writing? Khai? The angst that managed to not feel overdone/cringe/drawn-out? Quan? All the little nods to Esme’s immigrant experience that felt so real and relatable and sometimes made me tear up cuz whoa i am seen in a way? Khai AND Quan? The fun character interactions and dialogues? The slow burn? IT WAS ALL FANTASTIC
The Bride Test managed to live up to the hype after The Kiss Quotient and it did so without as many smut scenes (I could’ve used some more but all the pining and push and pull and the actual scenes we got were so fucking good dammit)
Khai and Esme were such good characters individually. Together? its weird because they feel more grounded and subtle so I’m not like insane over them as a couple but THAT is what makes them better. They were both complicated and struggling but still managed to deliver such fun thoughts and scenes i cant even explain the amount of times i laughed out loud and giggled and blushed reading this.
One thing i also really loved was the aspect of Esme being an immigrant, SPECIALLY a tourist visa immigrant like its probably obvious but i went all “is this fucking play abt us”. So many things she thought and went through were so refreshing to see even if it is slightly glossed over. AND the fact that she applied for that student visa and still got rejected made me so “happy” I would’ve been so frustrated. “Marriage and birth couldn’t be the only ways to belong here” no, they’re not! But they’re the only ways that don’t cost you thousands of dollars, uncertainty, lawyers and honestly luck.
Some other things i loved reading from Esme’s experience:
“…that was more than she’d ever dared to dream of. This country girl had a high school diploma” not abt me cuz i did graduate high school before moving but it reminded me of my mom who grew up in a mountain with one little school
“The lonely country girl inside of her looked at the big empty couch and felt homesick all over again” it made me think about my tiny bedroom back home with my old 00’s tv
“Speaking English like she wouldn’t with Khai” bro i wish THAT was explored more cuz talking to your significant other in your native language should be considered a type of love language fr
Khai as i said was MY ideal man yes. He was fun, complicated, hot, reasonable mostly and did i say hot? Him pining for Esme and having 18+ thoughts abt her gave me the biggest butterflies ever. I love that he was a virgin and he didn’t know wtf he was doing and actually fucked up. Him being clueless is probably the reason why this book was so funny like of course he doesn’t what a clit is lol and him getting turned on by some hammer pants and repeating the pull up set like 4 times yea that cracked me up.
Uhm things i didn’t like? I guess the last 4 pages, i wish Esme either didn’t have an American dad or if she did that she ended up not finding him; that whole bit felt rushed and like the author didn’t care about that plot point until it was necessary and only added it so that Esme staying didn’t depend on Khai. But literally that’s it lol
“Her imperfections stuck out for the first time. (…) She was a real person, flawed. Oddly, that made her more beautiful”
“His hold on her was secure, and he wasn’t breathing heavily. He made her feel safe. And small” THIS! As a taller person I refuse to be carried even for a second
“Will i have the chance to use this tonight?” I BUSTED
“She talked enough for both of them, and he was a good listener”
As soon as i get The Heart Principle I’m reading that shit
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death