The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Release Date - May 7, 2019
Publisher Website - Penguin Random House Canada

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  320 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love. 

Helen Hoang's first novel The Kiss Quotient shares a few similarities with her second book. They both are romance novels that have characters who are autistic. The Bride Test, however, is not just a retread of that plot. It offers up a story that it entirely its own and a different portrayal of autism and how it effects people differently.

The heroine of this novel is a strong, brave, determined woman who I absolutely loved by the end of the book. Esme's a woman who is determined to make her own path and puts in the work to achieve the dreams that she has. Helen Hoang's strength is creating these characters that you cannot help but root for.

Esme and Khai both have to learn something about themselves as part of their journey. Esme's arc is all about her learning self confidence and finding her own way. Khai's is a little more complex, but it mainly deals with dealing with things he buried deep inside himself and healing from that trauma. Their personality traits lead to a lot of miscommunication and the introspective parts of their story are needed to bring them to a place where the both understand each other and can fully love one another.

The romance in this is one of the best I have read. It's respectful and very equal. Both Khai and Esme grow and learn from their relationship. They compromise to ensure that each person gets what they need while making concessions for who the other person is. Neither of them wants to change the other but instead fully accepts the other person for who they are. They, most importantly, get one another (at least eventually) and that makes all the difference. It's an incredibly sweet, caring romance that I found really refreshing. It also showcases consent as the sexy thing it is. This is something that was true for The Kiss Quotient as well so I happy to see it be the case again here.

The relationship between Khai and his brother Quan is a part of the story that really stands out. Their love for one other is clear and it often provided some of the more humour filled moments of the story. Quan's way of helping Khai sees things more clearly is really well written and possibly one of my favourite elements of the story.

While this book can be read without having first reading The Kiss Quotient I highly recommend that you do. Fans of Stella and Michael's story will be rewarded with a fun cameo that made me smile just as much as Esme and Khai's story.

If you're looking for a romance that is a slower burn with some wonderful characters I highly recommend The Bride Test. Helen Hoang continues to showcase why she's one to watch in the romance genre. It's the type of book that is meant for summer reading and I anticipate many will enjoy it as much as I did.

Waiting On Wednesday ... The Bride Test

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

I loved Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient so much that I was obviously thrilled to find out that there would be a companion novel set in the same world.

The Bride Test features some characters mentioned in The Kiss Quotient (and I am hoping for a cameo or two) but otherwise seems like it could be read on its own. If it is anywhere near as adorable and fun as The Kiss Quotient it'll be a perfect summer read!

The wait for this is long but it just gives everyone who hasn't read The Kiss Quotient plenty of time to join the rest of us in (im)patiently waiting for Khai and Esme's story.

Expected release date - May 7, 2019

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Release Date - June 5, 2018
Publisher Website - Penguin Random House Canada

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  336 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

It's summer and with that comes me wanting to devour more romance novels than I typically do. I had heard a ton of praise for The Kiss Quotient and could not resist when offered the chance to review it. All of the advance buzz this novel has was more than deserved. It's a charming own voices romance that is guaranteed to make you swoon and leave you with a smile on your face.

Helen Hoang does with this novel exactly what Salley Thorne did with The Hating Game. She instantly turned into an insta-read author for me. I think those who loved The Hating Game will love The Kiss Quotient just as much and I highly recommend it to those readers in particular. The stories are not at all similar, but the feelings the authors are able to invoke, and the light, fluffy feel while still creating a lot of substance is equally strong in both novels. Helen Hoang writing especially shines in The Kiss Quotient in that she manages to make creating the characters feel effortless. Stella has Asperger's and yet this book ensures that this is only part of who her character is. It is both important to the plot and just another thing we learn about Stella. The balance of this was great, and I feel it could have only come with someone who also has Asperger's like Helen Hoang.

This novel has all the usual beats that a romance novel should. It follows the known formula perfectly. It ensures that the reader gets exactly what they are looking for but also manages to be something pretty unique. The characters are where this novel really shines. Stella, for me, was a character that I hadn't encountered in a romance novel before. She was both compelling and interesting, and I ended up loving her. I hope that get to see more diversity in not just the characters but the stories being told in romance novels. It was never far from my mind that women like Stella might be seeing a character like themselves in a romance novel for the first time and how important that was.

Michael is exactly what a romance novel hero needs to be. He's charming, sexy, patient, has a well placed tattoo,  and just a little broody. It is easy to see what Stella sees in him. He, like Stella, is fleshed out rather well and has a lot of backstory that forms his character. I liked that both main characters had interactions and lives outside of each other. The family relationships in particular are written rather well and are important to each of the characters story arcs. It made each of them feel a little more real and I always appreciate when we see that the characters have lives outside of their romantic interests.

The synopsis of the novel immediately mad me think of a gender swapped Pretty Woman. It is easy to see the comparison. A rich person hires a sex worker in both. Michael certainly has a good heart (much like Julia Robert's Vivian in Pretty Woman). The stories both end up with them falling in love. What I appreciated about The Kiss Quotient is the amount of time that was spent getting to know Michael. We learn his reasons for becoming an escort. We get to see who he is when he's not with clients. We see him as something more than just a fantasy being offered and I think that is why this story works.

This book also sheds light on women finding pleasure in sex. Stella had some disastrous sexual encounters that were not pleasurable for her at all. She needed a partner who was patient and took the time to work at it with her. This was something she hadn't been aware of as she hadn't experienced that sex could be, and should be,  pleasurable for her. She accepted that her experience was the way things were supposed to be because of  not knowing anything different. It's really a sexual awakening for her and that was empowering to read as a woman. The story makes a pretty strong statement that your partner should care about how you are feeling. That they shouldn't ignore the signs that things are not okay. Michael's anger at the men who ignored the clear physical indicators that what was happening was not enjoyable for Stella even serves to make him even more swoon worthy.

The Kiss Quotient is simply a book made for summer reading. It's fun, sexy, romantic, and funny. Those who love a good romance read should definitely toss this one into their beach tote and enjoy a romance read that is both unique and familiar all at once. You'll immediately want to read it again and share it with others. It's one that is not to be missed for romance fans!

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

I had some pretty exciting arrivals this week in my mailbox. First up is a book from Penguin Random House. I decided to request this for review after seeing people rave about it. I like a good rom-com and this sounds especially adorable. 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (goodreads)

A huge thank you to Penguin Random House for sending it along. It's been added to my review schedule so expect a review in the next little bit.

Next up is a new Funko Pop that I added to my collection. It's Steve from Stranger Things when they go into the tunnels in season two. The white flecks in his hair is supposed to be ash (and it sort of sparkles in real life) and his trusty bat is in his backpack!

Steve quickly became a fan favourite (and personal fave) in season two so I was happy to see him added to the newest Stranger Things wave.

 

What bookish goodies made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!