This was just okay for me. The romance was fine but I had a really hard time with Kimmie. She came across really juvenille at times even though she was supposed to be 30. I also didn't see why she kept on lying about the mistaken identity thing even though there were plenty of opportunities for her to come clean.

Matt was great, I loved the whole back story about why he wanted to become a firefighter, the only critisism I would have about him is that he was probably a little too perfect, I mean if someone had basically catfished me like that I don't think I could forgive them that instantly.

I did like how the romance unfolded between Kimmie and Matt and the cast of side characters were great.

Overall I would recommend this if you are in the mood for a easy quick romance.

If you're in the mood for a lighthearted but predictable romance, then Crazy Bao You by Lyn Liao might just be the book for you. With its cute storyline and likable characters, this book is a perfect companion for a lazy day at the beach.

The book follows Kimmie Park, an Etsy shop owner from Oklahoma, and Matt West, a charming firefighter from New York. Despite the distance between them, their connection grows through PMs. However, Kimmie is hiding her recent internet fame from Matt. As a business opportunity arises with Matt’s father, Kimmie must decide whether to reveal her true self and risk losing everything.

While the plot may not offer many surprises and the characters are hardly deep, it's hard not to root for Kimmie as she confronts her fears and pursues her dreams. If you're seeking a light-hearted and charming romance to relax with, Crazy Bao You is a delightful choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy! And happy publication day!

3.5

Honestly, one of the most ridiculous things I have read in a while, and what a wonderful palate cleanser. This was a really fun read, and it was just so silly that it really made me giggle at points. The beginning introduces you to the main character Kimmie and she is dumb Asian bitch representation done well, sometimes we need strange behaviours from Asians and they don't need to be criticised. Yes, her twerking in anger is ridiculous but it's so funny, it made me laugh on my commute and I needed that at the time.

This book I think came at the right time for me, when I needed it the most, I had been reading a lot of serious books and my life was also becoming more serious and stressful this was a good escapism. Kimmie and Matt have good chemistry and sometimes it's just nice to turn off my brain and just be absorbed with their story and their romance. The pacing of this story was very off, it switches up quickly and lingers on the most unimportant things, for example, it tries to incorporate complicated family dynamics but only really manages to give a superficial perspective and the author doesn't seem to want to linger on this topic, but a bao drawing can take a whole paragraph and give a lot of meaning to a character and shape who they are - but trauma doesn't?

This book is unrealistic, yes, and just by looking at the cover, I thought that Matt was a POC, maybe Latino, and turns out he's a white man???? Someone tell the cover artist to read the book please, cause like I was hoping for a non-white interracial relationship and I always get baited with these covers and it ruins my experience (there's nothing wrong with WMAG romance, but can we please represent more non-white interracial romance?).

Overall, I realised that this was almost like a fictionalised autobiography of the author and just wondered why she did that. Anyway, it was harmless fun, and I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading it again.

This was such a heart-warming read! I found myself not being able to put it down. It had me laughing and crying, almost simultaneously.

Liao’s writing style made it easy to stay engaged! The story is told from both Kimmie and Matt’s POV and the story goes back and fit easy to keep reading and *tapping* the pages!

What I love most is the theme of being authentically you. Considering we live in a digital era and it’s so easy to fake who you really are, Liao demonstrates the importance of embracing all your quirks and how the ones who support you through it all are the real OGs.

This is definitely a cutesy summer read. If you enjoy closed door romances the this is the one for you. Even though it’s not extra spicy, Liao does a great job of depicting Matt and Kimmie’s electric chemistry.

Although this is a romance novel, there is another main theme of self-growth. This is seen throughout ALL of the characters and really just makes the story so wholesome.

I’d recommend if you like:
🥟slow burn
🥟mistaken identity/catfishing
🥟insta love
🥟found family
🥟Etsy shop
🥟NY firefighter

Thank you @netgalley and @lynliaobutler for this soul-warming ARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

#bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #booksta #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #slowburn #romancenovel #mistakenidentity #crazybaoyou #instalove #foundfamily

REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
The first thing I noticed about this book was the wordplay behind the title, I loved it! I also loved the cover.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
Now! The book, I really liked everything about it except from Kimmie. Don't get me wrong, Kimmie was an okay person, but she was annoying throughout the book because of how she pretended to be another person and when she allowed her superstition(she said so herself) to prevent her from moving on with her life. I understand that she was traumatized, but she could have sought treatment.However, I liked that Hana, her aunt, was able to talk some sense into her and she came clean at the end, so I forgave her.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
I really liked Matt, I admire his courage in seeking a new career when he already had a perfect job. I really admire Firefighters, they are so honorable.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
I liked the romance between Kimmie and Matt. It was cute, easy, and fast, with no misunderstanding or miscommunication. Just like I want it in a romance.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
I loved Kimmie's business acumen, Crafty bao, it was very important. I also liked that she was able to have a relationship with her birth mother, Ruby.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼
This was a very good book, equal parts of Self Discovery and Romance. You should read it!

CRAZY BAO YOU is a hit!

Lyn Liao has the uncanny ability to breathe life into characters from the first page. By the end of the 4th chapter I'm already talking about Kimmie and Matt at the dinner table like they're old friends, and was I ever rooting for those two silly sweethearts to fall in love with each other as hard as I was falling for them.

The absolutely delightful CRAZY BAO YOU was exactly the heartwarming story I needed to read today.

Rating: 4.0 stars

The minute I saw the title and that Kimmie, our FMC, owned an Etsy shop in OK, I was intrigued. It's so unusual to see a rom-com set in the smaller southern states that I felt like I needed to check it out.

I'm not going to lie, it took me a little to get into the book because some of the scenarios were a bit unrealistic and cringe (the twerking - how did that even happen/make sense?). However, once I got a bit further in, I really started to enjoy it!

It was nice to get more than just a love story with Kimmie's adoption stuff, her fear of traveling, and both MCs having lost at least one parent. None of it felt forced and Kim and Matt's relationship felf natural. It does have a bit of an insta-love vibe and I feel like the mistaken identity would have been harder to get over (personally) than displayed in the book. However, Liao did a wonderful job balancing the hard conversations with the lighter romance.

Overall, I had a great time! If you're looking for a silly and creative romantic comedy, this just might be the book for you. I'll definitely be checking out more of Liao's work!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Lyn Liao, for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

5 stars.

The Vibes:
- mistaken identity/catfish
- adoption
- fireman and Etsy shop owner
- loss of parents

My Thoughts:
I requested this one instantly when I saw that the FMC lives in Oklahoma. I rarely see my state as the setting for a book, so I was instantly intrigued. When Kimmie realizes that Matt thinks the photo of Kimmies best friend is actually kimmie, I wish she would have just cjeared up the misunderstanding. I know we wouldn’t have a book otherwise but ahhhhh. I felt so uncomfortable when Matt is just gushing about how beautiful Kimmie is (actually referring to Kimmies friend but thinking it’s Kimmie) and Kimmie is like. Oh thank you so much, you’re hot too. Aghhhhhhhhh. But hear me out. Anytime that a book can surprise me or keep me on my toes- it’s got wonderful potential. I read a lot of books, and it’s rare that a book doesn’t follow the typical romcom formula. This one certainly marches to the beat of its own drum. The plots in this book were just so good that I was so into every minute of the book. There’s a lot going on. A lot. But I can’t describe how much I enjoyed this entire novel. I can see how this one may not be for everyone because it follows multiple plot lines with a lot of chaos- but the culture, the chemistry, and the wackiness of it was just everything I never knew I needed.


Releases June 6.

Thank you so much to LLB, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Lyn Liao, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was adorable! I give it a 4/5!

It's a very modern love story about a girl who accidentally went viral, and dealing with the repercussions. Its about trauma, from losing your parents, finding out you're adopted, wanting to reconnect with your birth mother. There were so many themes in this book -- online dating, fake identity, and following your dreams!

I love how Kimmie and Matt's love story unfolds, but I almost love the friendship/sisterhood between Kimmie, Alicia, and Hana. I am glad that though Kimmie lost her parents, she still had Alicia and Hana by her side.

Too cutesy and cheesy for me. And there’s no excuse for twerking at work. Ever. Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy

Rating: 3/5⭐️

Publication Date: June 6th 2023

Author: Lyn Liao Butler

Review: I almost gave up on this book i'm not going to lie, i thought a lot of the book was very cringy. To me is wasn't the typical romantic book (in my option). Once i got a little closer to the midway point/ more towards the end of the book it turned more enjoyable and more ROM-COM. I felt like the plot could of tired a little harder and could of gone a little more into it.

I knew going into it, it was about a Asian-American and i think this was the first for me and i have to say i enjoyed that aspect.
It wasn't overly steamy at all it was a cute love between Kimmi and Matt.


Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review #NetGalley #bookstagram #kindle #kindleedition #eread

By the end I loved Kimmie and Matt. They did talking through all their problems in the end which made the miscommunication trope so much better. If you don’t like that trope it does take a long while to into but it did end good. I loved the addition of the text between them as well as her social media post.

You know when you get a good feeling about a book before you even start it?
That was me with this book.
It was goooood.

The book opens with Kimmie going viral in a VERY embarrassing video of her yelling at her boss and being fired. It was VERY cringe-y and at this point I didn't know how I felt.
Kimmie is also the owner of an online Etsy shop and called The Crafty Bao, from which Matt West buys a tote bag for his grandma online and then communicates online with Kimmie.
Kimmie and Matt hit it off but Matt is under the impressions that Kimmie is the woman in her business Instagram photos... which she is not.
Kimmie doesn't want to rectify this is if he saw her face he would recognise her from the viral clip.
It's a case of mistaken identity!

So much else happens and the book is FULL of twists and turns and ups and downs... it's a great read.
Kimmie is so lovable, she's a character and a klutz and she's easy to empathise with.
Matt is a FDNT provide firefighter... need I say more.

Such a sweet and easy read. I'll be buying a physical copy of this for sure!

Thank-you to NetGalley and Lyn Liao for this ARC in exchange for a review!

I really wanted to love this one. The title and the premise are so so cute, but the writing and parts of the plot just fell short for me, I ended up DNFing at 30%. The writing just didn’t click with me. And I couldn’t get over the fact that she twerked while quitting for no reason, and had no memory of doing so afterwards? It just doesn’t make sense. Also, it felt like the best friend Jason was the Black guy reduced to stereotypes like “he should have played basketball” and the first thing he asks Kim is if she likes Barbecue and when she says decides she’s “good people” with no other information about her.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher & Lyn Liao for an ARC copy of Crazy Bao You in exchange for my honest review.

There were so many things I enjoyed about this own voices rom-com - we need more Asian-American female leads in this space, and various cultures in this space. Seeing Kimmie's growth, both in her personal life/relationships, as well as her business were fun to track, and watching her discover more of her identity when she finds out she was born Taiwanese is just wonderful. (Not to mention any description about food - I LOVE it when authors are very detailed in speaking about specific cultures.)

I'd say this book falls under the miscommunication trope umbrella (mistaken identity), which isn't necessarily my favorite trope, and I felt like Matt was instantly forgiving (then it felt like it pivoted to insta-love).

This book wasn't particularly steamy, though it's not completely closed-door either - I'd say 1.5/5 peppers if you like to grade books on that scale. 3/5 stars over-all for the book.

#CrazyBaoYou #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher IBPA for a digital ARC - pub date 6/6/2023. As the cover would lead you to expect, this book is pretty adorable with a hint of that cartoon-y rom-com that is so endearing. You know the kind of thing - mistaken identity ala The Truth About Cats and Dogs, awesome family/friend support group, smoking hot hero, quirky heroine. To my delight, it was also a lot more. Both leads had depth to them and stood as believable characters with fears and joys and desires... and some of the most adorable banter. Kimmie Park believes she is safe in her hometown in Oklahoma until she flips out on her boss and the video goes viral but that's okay, right? She can still stay safe and keep her little Etsy shop away from that and cling to her safe life because dreams kill. No, really. However, dreams have a way of finding you whether you like it or not and Kimmie's come in the form of a NYC firefighter, her birth mother, and a potential collaboration with a national retail company. You know things will go sideways as you read along and they do, of course, but not in the way you might be thinking. For one thing, there is actual communication between the leads as if they were actual mature adults.

Which is another nice thing about this book - both leads are 30 or older. The cast also has multi ethnic representation; the heroine is Tawainese, her aunt is Korean (trust me, it makes sense), her best friend is Mexican-Japanese-white. Working out trauma is treated as a good thing. Sexuality is treated as a natural thing. (Though the book is not full-on steamy so don't go in looking for smut) Above all, communication is something that can move mountains.

Oh, and the food in this book. Let me just say that you should have snacks available while reading. Also be delighted that, at no point, is Kimmie shamed for enjoying food. In fact, Matt thinks of it as just another thing to love about her. The book recognizes that joy can be found in food, in crafting, in work... In so many places, really, and that joy is something that can conquer fear.

If I had to complain about anything, I would have to say that maybe the last chapter or so with the "twist" could have been dropped and the book still would have been lovely. I know why the author included it (to drive home the work to get the Happily Ever After) but I could go either way on that being a necessity. Overall, it was a super cute read with lovely characters. Nothing too heavy but not total fluff either!

This book had me laughing out loud in the first chapter and then completely charmed by the end. Kimmie is such a relatable character and I love how she was portrayed as awkward, but also self-confident in her abilities and talents. Matt is perfect through and through for Kimmie and I loved watching both of their characters develop together.

This book was just super cute. I love that they started messaging online first and got to know each other that way. Matt was just so perfect and he liked Kimmie no matter what. I kind of want a follow up book about Alicia where we get to see their wedding.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Crazy Bao You was a delightful story that kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I could predict how the story was going to go, the author switched gears and I loved it. This was a refreshing take on multiple romance tropes - meet cute, long distance dating, mistaken identity. The relationship between Kimmie and Matt was so real and endearing too. They were uplifting and supportive, funny and emotionally raw. This was a great read!

Thank you to Netgalley, and author Lyn Liao for the ARC!

This book had a lot happening in it but I really enjoyed it and liked the two leads and the family and friends around it too!