A romantic set up gets serious when Esme is brought to the US from Vietnam by a mother at her wits end with a son not interested in love. While not necessary pre-reading, fans of The Kiss Quotient will love getting to know Michael’s cousin Khai, a successful businessman who happens to be on the Autism spectrum. This love story will give you all the feelings.

This is absolutely cute! This book is also super well-rounded to boot. An amazing second book in the series.

I appreciated a lot about this book and both its portrayal of the immigrant experience and its contribution of another type of hero we don’t meet very often in the romance genre. I would recommend this book to romance readers looking for a timely contemporary in today’s political climate, readers looking for neuro-diverse characters, readers who like fluff as much heat and readers looking for Asian and Asian American representation.

While I don't think I liked The Bride Test as much as I loved The Kiss Quotient, but I did still love it. Khai and My/Esme are both well-rounded, believable characters that you actually care about and while I got frustrated with the lack of communication, it was also believable, with both autism and language becoming barriers for the couple.

This story was surprising in how the potential bride from China showed her gumption in going after the life she wanted for herself and her family. She was so tenacious, hard-working, and resourceful in solving her problems. Of course she wanted true love which would have been the easy way out, but this author had a heroine who showed just how determined she was and found a very amazing ending to her dilemma. Bravo Ms. Hoang!

The Bride Test is a delight. What could have been a run of the mill romance is elevated here by complex and authentic seeming characters. With a lesser author, the characters motivations and actions could have come across as trite, but here they are compelling and provided new perspectives. #ownvoices for the win. A charming and sexy follow up to The Kiss Quotient.

I really liked Khai story. I liked seeing the Aspergers persepective from the male point of view as well as seeing the cultural differences that come to in this book. It was great to get a back story of another side of the family that really plays a role for the whole family as well. I enjoyed the tiny snippet of Stella and Michael's story.

I did not think it was possible, but Helen Hoang did it! She wrote a novel that I love even more than The Kiss Quotient. This story is heart felt, sweet and pulls you in from the first line. You will not want to put it down and will be begging for more at the end. The story is about Khai, Michael's autistic cousin, and Esme and how they try to form a relationship. Khai believes he is incapable of feeling love and Esme is determined to have him fall in love with her before he time in the the States runs out. Their story is sweet and heart-wrenching; making you fall in love with both of them long before they realize they have fallen in love with each other. What will she come up with next? Whatever it is, it will keep you wanting more just like The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test.

The Bride Test is a likeable story, and its diverse characters are a welcome change from the romance norm. The main female protagonist lacked the depth of character development that Hoang's writing normally boasts, however.

Helen Hoang does it again. After a slam-dunk in the romantic novel department and turning the concept of the "meet-cute" inside out, Hoang pens a wonderful second novel after The Kiss Quotient. The Bride Test is the story of Khai Diep, who is self-described as "having no feelings." HIs mother on a trip to Vietnam, and believing her son will never find a woman to make him happy, enlists Esme Tran to return to America as Khai's wife.
Esme's attempts to seduce Khai compose a perfect blend of comedy and drama, as the two seem to mostly march to the beat of different drummers. Eventually though, Khai begins to see something in Esme that he's never had before, and begins to wonder how he can possibly show her that she's the person he's been waiting for.
Heartfelt and with a beautiful prose and witty dialogues, Hoang has once again proven that the romance novel has incredible potential beyond bodice rippers and questionable millionaires.

This book had absolutely everything I could hope for in a fun, summer romance. It was funny, it was super cute, the two main characters were likable (lovable, really!), and the story and conflict made sense.

I loved getting to know Khai and Esme. They were two such different people, but watching them fall in love was so sweet and so much fun. I love how Hoang manages to write such interesting, diverse characters, and keep true to their cultural and personal aspects. Esme’s determination and devotion to her family and to doing the right thing was sweet and endearing.

Honestly, I ate this book right up, page after page, and was so sad when it was over. I am really in love with these characters and with Hoang’s storytelling. More, I say, more!

I love Hoang’s writing. She has a really adept way of switching back and forth between characters without it being jarring or uncomfortable. I also thing her narrative voice fits each character well, so that they are distinct and sound like real people. Her dedication to including neurodiverse characters in her stories is commendable and I think she does a good job of writing these characters realistically and naturally, without them coming across as pitiable or freakish/exotic. Khai’s is his own person, who just so happens to have autism, and he is written as a whole person and the story celebrates his successes as it would any other character.

This novel is written in a light, breezy style that I’ve really come to expect and love from Hoang. This would be the perfect beachy/summer read, but it’s also just a light, humorous romance that I would read any time I feel like I want to lose myself in another world for awhile.

I had so much fun reading this book. I devoured it, really, and I loved every inch of it. I found the characters to be interesting and funny and super cute. I loved watching them interact.

The story itself was interesting and definitely captured my attention. I enjoyed the ride, and even though I was certain of the outcome, Hoang kept it fun and full of interesting developments that made the journey exciting.

I was so happy to be back with Hoang, and now with a male character on the spectrum! I didn't expect to have a full range of Esme's character development, especially with how intimately Hoang explored themes of cultural expectation and motherhood. Throughout the book, Esme's well-being and personal growth was important, even as she navigates her feelings for Khai. It was nice to see Khai challenge himself and learn what it means to step outside of himself. I would really love for these kinds of intersecting stories to become normalized in romance and literature, because they do a great job of humanizing perspectives that we often don't put much work into understanding. I have a younger brother who is autistic, so I really appreciate the insights that Hoang can communicate with the world. And more importantly, showing the world that there's nothing wrong with people on the spectrum, that they just think a bit differently than others.

I loved this book. So much heart and depth. I am really loving these new “modern” romances: well written, compelling, an interesting story and vivid characters. This book had it all. And yeah some vivid sex scenes which were just a little too much. Like do we really have to have so many different words for male genitalia? But still loved Esme and loved this book.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Okay, I absolutely loved <i>The Kiss Quotient</i> and was worried that I would be over hyping this one. Friends, hype was totally worth.
While the feel between the two books is different, I still really loved this one.

It is hard not to like Esme. She is hard-working, brave, understanding, and just overall amazing. She is really the shining star of this book. I was worried that the power-imbalance would be there since she brought over from Vietnam to be Khai's wife and will have to go back if she doesn't marry him and there are scenes that are shadowed by this reality, but I think it is written well. I won't say they always had the same power in the relationship, but Esme has her own strength and knows her worth. (Which is a lot, because she is awesome!)
Khai is adorable. He is stubborn, kind enough that he doesn't want Esme to feel uncomfortable even at the expense of his own comfort or routine, and autistic. Michael (from the first book) is his cousin, so we do get to see/hear from Michael in a few cute scenes. Khai is going through some problems of his own which keep him from thinking he is capable of love. He does do a few bad things, but he learns, apologies, and tries to do his best.

I truly enjoyed reading every part of this book. There are a few things that didn't quite work for me. I wish she had been honest about her daughter much sooner. In fact, the whole reveal felt just thrown in. I'm also wondering when Esme found/finds out where Khai works because I absolutely love how we know what he does and people are confused when she doesn't-- but like, it also shows that they still don't know everything about each other-- don't know a few huge things about each other by the time they swear they love each other.

In the end, I totally loved this book and am immensely looking forward to the next one (please be about Quan who is just the greatest!). I recommend this to all lovers of romance.

Oooh, this book is just so good, and so many things! It's a fantastic love story, an amazing strong woman who finds her strength, a peek into the mind of an autistic adult, an immigrant narrative, and a bit about single parenting and the bond between mother and daughter. This is another fantastic contemporary romance by Helen Hoang, but it's got a much broader appeal than the romantic aspect. Both Esme and Khai are fully formed characters, and we get such a good sense of who they are that it's just as easy to get lost in this book as in The Kiss Quotient. This read brought me so much joy, and lost me so much sleep. When Esme gets her feet under herself, and becomes determined to make it on her own, it just brought me to tears. These are the characters we deserve to read about! Well done, and sure to be a hot read this summer.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved The Kiss Quotient (read my review here) and couldn't wait to get my hands on The Bride Test. Helen Hoang did not disappoint and I continue to be impressed by her incredible writing!

Khai and My/Esme have a very unconventional meet cute and situation. Their motivations for agreeing to participate are vastly different, but what they find along the way is so uniquely beautiful. Often when a forced proximity trope is used, things come together really quickly and ignite right away. I loved that Hoang let Khai and Esme's relationship build very organically for their personalities. Both are adjusting and learning and it was hilarious (and heartbreaking) to watch them struggle and tackle new experiences. The slow burn build up was very gradual and Hoang kept things perfectly simmering before letting things boil over. There was so much sweetness in the inexperience and wonder that these two discovered. Tears were definitely shed as they confronted their feelings (or lack of) and I felt like the epilogue suited them perfectly. I truly loved Khai and Esme together, but the real star of the book for me was Esme.

Esme grew so much throughout the book and I appreciated reading about such a strong and driven heroine. She is clawing at the ground trying to rise above her lot in life and I respected her so much. Reading the author's note at the end brought tears to my eyes because it was not only refreshing, but it also rang so true to my own family's experiences. I'm sure my own cultural background influenced the impact this book had on me, but I think the theme of being truly accepted and loved for who you are and the hope of the American dream will ring true for many. All I can say is thank you Helen Hoang for staying true to the story that you wanted to write and I can't wait for more!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

Loved, loved, loved this book. Yes, this is a sweet & funny romance, but it is so much more. It gave me an inside view of being autistic and the challenges of immigrating to another country. With it's delightful characters and witty dialogue I could not put this book down. Now I MUST read "The Kiss Quotient".

My reviews are always made via my BookTube channel, and my thoughts of this book appear in this weekly wrap up, as well as in my March 2019 wrap up - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdsz_WqrAA&feature=youtu.be

“It felt too big. At the same time, it didn’t feel like enough.”

The Bride Test is the most anticipated sophomore novel from Helen Hoang, AKA: the goddess who we do not deserve and who gifted us The Kiss Quotient! And this book is following a couple of characters who we originally met in that debut! I didn’t love this installment as much as I did The Kiss Quotient, but I still think that this book is a treasure and that Helen Hoang is a gift to the world.

And like The Kiss Quotient, this is an ownvoices novel, Helen is Vietnamese and is Autistic. And one of my favorite things about this book is seeing the difference of Stella, from The Kiss Quotient, and the main character of this book’s Autism. I think people just like to group marginalized people together and act like their experiences are all the same, and this author does such a wonderful job at truly showing the Autism spectrum and how vast it truly is. This book has a completely different Autistic main character, because everyone’s experiences are different, and I truly loved it more than I have words to express in this review.

➽ Khai Vietnamese, Autistic, Michael's cousin from The Kiss Quotient, living in California, and completely happy being on his own, especially after losing someone very close to him when he was younger. Even though that loss has made him think that he is incapable of love.

➽ Esme - Biracial (Vietnamese and white), living in Vietnam as a cleaning woman, when Khai’s mom travels there to try to see if she can find a woman who would be compatible with her son. And Esme accepts because she is a single mom, living in poverty with her own mother and grandmother, and she thinks this is an opportunity to give them and herself a better life. Khai’s mother promises her a summer in California, where she can see if she can make Khai fall in love with her and marry her, but if not, she will return back to her family.

But with this set up, the power imbalance always is at the forefront. I always was questioning Esme and her feelings, because she has so much at stake. Also, Esme doesn’t tell Khai about her daughter for far too long, and that also felt extremely bad to me. And it’s always hard for me to root for a romance that is founded on a power imbalance and then also have it harboring such a big secret, especially after the two individuals are choosing to have sex. Now, I will say that the author does such an amazing job at putting consent at the forefront of this story constantly, yet I still could never find my footing on this shaking ground. And because of this, I can’t give this more than four stars.

I will say that, besides always putting consent at the forefront, this story has a lot of other amazing elements. Like, just seeing Esme in a foreign country, doing whatever it takes to make a better life for her loved ones, and seeing her getting the education of her dreams, I am soft and so happy. My favorite part of this book was easily the acknowledgements, where Helen really shares about her personal life and her mother’s personal experience being an immigrant and coming to American in search of a better life. I shed so many tears at how beautiful and powerful these final words were, and it truly was the cherry on an already amazing ice cream sundae.

Also, much like The Kiss Quotient, the family in this book is everything. Quan plays such a major roll in this story, and honestly was the shining light for me. And I am counting the days until we get his book next!

But this is a story about loss and love, yet also healing and becoming the person you want to be, no matter the circumstances. We get to see both Khai and Esme dealing with their own traumas, and healing separately, but we also get to see them building something really beautiful together; a future where they can be accepted and happy. And seeing them realize they were worthy of that love and acceptance all along? So damn beautiful.

“My heart works in a different way, but it’s yours.”

Overall, I just love being in Helen Hoang’s world. From the important elements and themes, to the beautiful diversity and inclusion, to some of the steamiest and most romantic scenes ever, these books are just really easy to fall in love with. I hope she never stops writing, and I hope Berkley signs her for five more books after these five, because she is a gift to the world.

This book did not make me blush the way The Kiss Quotient did. The build up was intense and went on forever, but the story was so sweet. Khai is on the autism spectrum and his mother goes back to Viet Nam to find a wife for him because she wants him to be happy and have someone who will love him (as much as it seems weird for someone to do this; as a mom, I can appreciate wanting someone to love your child and make them happy). She finds My cleaning bathrooms at a fancy hotel and convinces her to come to America. My doesn't want to leave her daughter and other family, but her mother convinces her to go. She does not tell Khai or his mother about her daughter, in fact she lies about a lot of things to try to win Khai over, so she can make a better life for her daughter in America. It is such a sweet, good book and I loved it.

I seldom give romance books five stars, but this book made me think about what life is like in other countries and how lucky we are to live where we do. Plus, a week later I am still thinking about the characters and story.