The Bride Test was a delight! I went in to this novel with high expectations, having been a huge fan of Hoang's previous book, The Kiss Quotient. She absolutely delivered again!

This story is told in alternating POV between Khai and My/Esme. Khai is a man who is convinced that, due to having an ASD diagnosis, he does not have the capacity to love. He buries himself in work and physical fitness, and tells himself that this makes for a wholly satisfactory life. My is working in hotel housekeeping in a hotel across the globe in Vietnam. She has a daughter out of wedlock and struggles to support her little family, along with her mother and grandmother. A chance encounter with Khai's mother provides a way out: she can fly to America, seduce Khai and become the wife his mother knows he needs. What could possibly go wrong?

Hoang writes incredible characters. Khai and My/Esme come vividly to life with all of their flaws and strengths. This book is absolutely female positive, despite the proposition/premise. I was particularly taken with My/Esme and her incredible drive and determination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the complimentary eGalley. All opinions are my own.

More serious, less smutty, equally sweet, compared to The Kiss Quotient.

So, mail-order bride scenario in romance is not exactly my idea of a good time. (And neither was a male escort one in The Kiss Quotient). But what Helen Hoang undoubtedly has a talent for is creating characters that are kind and empathetic.

Esme is recruited by Khai’s mom to seduce and marry him, so that he finally can have someone to be with. He is on the spectrum, and isn’t good at relationships, for obvious reasons. Now, this can go wrong in many ways, but Khai’s mom is super nice and truly believes Esme is the best match for her son. Esme isn’t exactly a seductress, but a goofy girl with a big heart (and some mistakes in her past). And Khai believes himself incapable of feeling emotions.

I feel like The Bride Test is a weightier, more serious work. Hoang draws on her parents’ immigrant past, adding a big dose of realism to this romance, but not exactly going all the way there, it is a smutty romance after all. Esme and Khai’s personal journeys are more real too, and so are their problems.

I liked The Bride Test a lot, and inhaled it in a matter of hours. I didn’t like it quite as much as The Kiss Quotient, because apparently I like fantasy scenarios more than real ones. And I clearly prefer a lot of smut too. Esme and Khai’s relationship is a steamy one , but I would have preferred it... even more so. The book has the sexiest haircut scene though. It’s amazing how arousing a conversation about boundaries and sensory sensitivity can be! @.@ And when Khai and Quan and Michael are in a different scene together, it’s a total riot! You are in for a treat.

Now, more wait for the next Helen Hoang romance. I don't know what it is yet, but I hope it’s Quan’s turn.

The Kiss Quotient was one of the breakout books of 2018 for me, and I was really looking forward to The Bride Test.

However, unfortunately for me it didn't have the oomph that The Kiss Quotient had.

Esme and Khai just didn't have that extra something that Stella and Michael had, I just didn't fell the connection with them. At All. It wasn't until the very end that I felt much more than meh for Khai.

I did love the diversity of the story, I love that this series has characters on ASD spectrum and the way their quirks are dealt with was great.

You can read this as a stand alone, however there are appearances by characters from The Kiss Quotient that those who have read will enjoy seeing.

Another thing that got to me that might not bother anyone else was the plot device of the green card to get Esme to the USA. I just felt that this did a disservice to Esme in particular, as as the story progressed we can see she is so much more than there "for his money and a green card". Again, the is probably just me.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy The Bride Test, however I think I had lofty expectations after my enjoyment of The Kiss Quotient.

I did enjoy this enough that I will dive into the 3rd book whenever it arrives.

Let me just start off by saying that I adored the hell out of this one!

After having recently read The Kiss Quotient and feeling as if it weren't for me, I was a little hesitant going into this one, but knew that I wanted to know more of Khai. Boy, did I get that, and *then* some! I was definitely more attached to this one and loved it so hard and I think it has to do with Esme and her background. Later, in the author's note, we know the story comes from Helen's mother's story as an immigrant coming to the States and it's a story I've seen and know too well. I appreciated Esme's efforts to make a life for herself and her daughter and I liked that Khai and his marriage proposal wasn't the end-all be-all. What really did it for me with this story was our ability to like these characters not only together, but individually. Khai and Esme were their own person and we got to know both of them so well and see how they came to their own, and so when they came together, my heart just couldn't take it! I hurt with them, I swooned with them, and really just rooted for them all the way through!

THE BRIDE TEST was a realistic and beautiful romance with a whole lot of heart and a few tears. Now I absolutely need Quan's book!!

Esme is a single mother barely getting by scrubbing toilets. One day, a wealthy woman strolls into her restroom and, liking Esme's determination, moral fiber, and the striking green eyes she inherited from her American father, flies Esme from Vietnam to California to marry her son Khai. Khai is smart, kind, and a total hunk, but he's convinced his autism renders him incapable of love, hence his mother's marital intervention. Esme upends his orderly existence, making odoriferous soup and doing yardwork in terribly distracting pants. Her painstaking courtship and self-improvement drive are charming. On the other hand, too many major plot points are left to simmer until the last second.

I was very impressed by the Bride Test, I think it was a wonderfully well written book that drew me in and kept me emotionally involved throughout. I'd been looking forward to reading this since being blown away by the Kiss Quotient, the previous book in the series. As a librarian and POC lover of romantic fiction, I'm always on the lookout for new diverse and inclusive romance, and Helen Hoang definitely delivered. The story revolves around Khai, a Vietnamese American with Asperger's and Esme, a young Vietnamese single mother. Esme is brought to America by Khai's mother for a trial run as his fiance. I immediately fell in love with Esme' and Khai. Esme's humor really resonated with me and I loved her determination and strength. I felt deeply for her and really found myself pulling for her throughout the book. Hoang created characters that the reader could really relate to and I think you can she that her own life experiences and that of her family greatly influences her writing and gives it a real personal feeling. The book brought out a wide range of emotions me. There were laugh out load moments, and also moments where I found myself crying with the characters. Overall I think this was an amazing book, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Expectations were high for this follow-up to Helen Hoang's brilliant debt, "The Kiss Quotient." While on the surface, Hoang has characters of similar conditions, it is by no means a regurgitation of her first novel. Khan, who is Vietnamese-American and with autism, is his own person and his form of autism affects him on a completely different level than it did Stella from "The Kiss Quotient." His love interest Esme, a mixed race women who immigrates to the US, not only has to find ways to navigate her relationship with Khan, but her own life in this foreign country. The daily challenges they both face together and as individuals are unique, educational, and relatable.

Beyond the romantic storyline, "The Bride Test" is also a story of acceptance and struggles of an immigrant woman. Hoang loosely based Esme on her own mother's experiences and the strength as a woman to rise above all obstacles to rise from nothing to achieve one's dreams. As always, Hoang does a spectacular job of beautifully fleshing out her characters, intricately weaving various plot points, and maintaining the integrity of these characters and their struggles without being offensive. More authors should follow suit in spotlighting diverse characters who come from unique circumstances and making them the protagonists, not the sidekick. I am excited to once again recommend Helen Hoang's books to patrons and offer such diversity to our library collection.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Helen Hoang's first book, The Kiss Quotient, was one of my favourites of 2018. Again, this book has an autistic protagonist. I didn't love this one as much (can anyone top Stella & Michael?!), but I would still definitely recommend it.

Khai is Viatnamese and autistic (and is Michael from The Kiss Quotient's cousin! A fun little cross over). He lost his best friend when he was young, and his lack of feeling at that loss made him think he was incapable of love.

Esme is living in Vietnam when Khai's mother travels there to find a woman who would be compatible with her son. Esme is a single mother, living in poverty, so she accepts her offer thinking this is an opportunity that won't come again for her family.

There are so many lovable characters in Hoang's books, and notably in this one, Quan - Khai's brother. (WHO IS GETTING HIS OWN BOOK!!!!)

Overall, I love Helen Hoang, and the issues she tackles in her books - from autism, to diversity, representation and inclusion - and of course the romantic scenes that we all know she knows how to write.

Esme does good work as a hotel maid in Vietnam but wishes for better for her young daughter. Khai, a brilliant Vietnamese-American on the spectrum has closed himself off from romantic love. Enter Khai’s mother who convinces Esme to come to the US and convince Khai to marry her. Romance with personal growth for each main character creates a smart, fun, sexy, fulfilling read.

I actually enjoyed this even more than The Kiss Quotient!

For me, it was written better, the plot was more engaging, and the characters were more compelling. Plus I found myself laughing more. All of which is surprising, because I adored The Kiss Quotient.

Esme and Khai were both stand-out characters, but I think my heart belongs to Esme. She’s so brave for fighting so hard for a new life and she has such a kind soul.

This was a complete win for me.

Helen Hoang's biggest challenge with this book was having it stand up to The Kiss Quotient. The Bride Test starts out so differently that I was a little bit thrown and worried about our heroine. The hero is a right jerk at first but the shift really made this book come alive. Overall I enjoyed this and once things got moving I really rooted for this couple.

I have to say—Ms. Hoang has fast become one of my favorite authors since The Kiss Quotient came out. Just like it’s predecessor, The Bride Test is genuine, romantic, and perfectly awkward. We have Khai and Esme as our front runner and lovely main characters.

Khai not only has autism but he’s also the cousin to the hero in the first book, Michael. He has no feelings and knows for sure that he will never fall in love. He can’t. Then we have Esme, a woman from Vietnam, who’s given a proposition to come to America and convince Khai to wife her.

What I loved and adored so much about the book was watching these two adorkable characters figure out love for the first time in their lives. There were so many memorable moments that had me laughing and crying; sometimes at the same time! Khai was unintentionally funny at times and Esme was insanely strong and independent. Her sheer will and determination to make a better life for herself was admirable.

We see glimpses and cameos of characters from TKQ and Michael is STILL swoony. Now for the next book I’m hoping it’s Quan’s book because HOT DAMN...he’s something else. So please, please, please be his book! I’ll forever be grateful. Overall, this was a great second book from Helen. I can’t wait to see what more she comes up with.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Can a modern mail order bride/arranged marriage lead to love?

When Khai's mom meets My/Esme in Vietnam, she thinks My would be perfect for her son. My/Esme agrees to spend the summer hoping it will lead to marriage and a better life for her and her daughter. But Khai believes he can't love, so what is the point? My/Esme isn't willing to settle for anything less.

The writing draws you in, and flows so smoothly; it's easy to get lost in the story. I'm not big on secrets in my romances and hated that poor Jade was such an unknown. I do want more of Linh and Gleaves romance, now! (My's parents.) The author's note at the end was so interesting to me. I loved that Hoang was able to learn so much about her own mother and incorporate the background into My's character. Three and a half flames for sexy times.

I went into this book tentatively. I liked Helen Hoang’s debut novel, The Kiss Quotient, well enough, but I didn’t love it. However, The Bride Test proved me wrong. I loved it.

Esme and Khai are the best. Esme is such a sweet character and with real struggles and vulnerabilities that I had no real grasp of as a non-immigrant. She proves to herself and others that she’s a go-getter and will not settle, which I really liked about her. The whole “mail order bride” premise had me nervous, but Esme was a great character. Khai is a really endearing character too. You can’t help but like him. I loved what Helen Hoang did in her first novel about educating the reader on what it’s like for someone with autism. It was really informative for me, and she continues to do that in The Bride Test through Khai.

The romance was great too. Khai and Esme have a sweet relationship that developed naturally. No insta-love here.

The plot is cute, but it has some substance too. A must read for me.

A wonderfully written tale about complicated love! I never got the chance to read the Kiss Quotient, but have heard amazing things about the authors work and I can certainly see why! This is a wonderful read and so very heartfelt. I can't wait to go back and read the first book now!

What a cute little read. Great chemistry between the characters and interesting perspectives. Plus steam! Can't go wrong with this one.

Having loved The Kiss Quotient, I knew I would be in for a treat with Hoang's new book. I was not disappointed. Khai is on the spectrum, and he knows he doesn't feel anything for anyone, not even those closest to him. His mother, on a trip to Vietnam, persuades a young mother who cleans the bathrooms in a hotel to come to the US and maybe marry her son, which would give her so many more opportunities. Once in the US, Esme, the American name she has decided on, finds a strange connection with Khai, though it takes time. She works to better herself and find her American father while falling for Khai, but he remains convinced that he has no feelings. Can they work this out, or will Esme return home with a broken heart?

I really liked how Khai, a virgin the first time, didn't realize how unsatisfied Esme was. The relationship, as I said, took time, and that was realistic.

Delightful! A wonderful follow up to The Kiss Quotient. I can’t wait to read more from Helen Hoang.

The Kiss Quotient was my favorite novel of 2018, and while Khai and Esme can’t supplant my love for Michael and Stella, they certainly worked their charms on me. What is amazing about story writing is that author Helen Hoang states in her author notes at the end of the story that Esme wasn’t originally intended to be the romantic heroine of this story. She was originally intended to be an impediment to Khai’s true love, but Esme charmed Helen charmed as well and the story changed to Esme and Khai. After finishing this marvelous story, I couldn’t imagine it going any other way. Esme was strong and honorable and absolutely perfect for Khai.

In Kiss Quotient, Stella as Asperger Syndrome and Michael learns to work with Stella’s quirks so they can reach a happily ever after, but Michael’s cousin Khai is just a smidge further on the autistic scale. Khai doesn’t believe that he can feel love and because of his stone heart, he has never pursued any type of romantic entanglement. So his mother takes things into her own hands and seeks to find a potential wife for him in Vietnam. She brings My over to California and gives her the summer to convince Khai to marry her. My picks Esmeralda (Esme), as her American name after her daughter’s favorite Disney character. Yes, that is the one lie of omission that brings Esme guilt throughout the story. She hasn’t confessed to Khai or his mother that she has a child. When she was a teen, she was pursued and seduced by a boy who wouldn’t marry her since her family was so poor.

Esme works hard to try to seduce Khai and he is not responsive to her attempts. She tries to make herself useful to him by straightening and doing chores, but he is unhappy with how she is doing things. She feels that her attempts to win Khai’s love are doomed to failure since he doesn’t seem to have any interest in her. When Khai confesses to her that he is autistic, she has no idea of what this means, but when he explains his sensitivity to touch, that she understands. Knowing that this is something Esme would never have guessed if Khai hadn’t told her specifically, she makes him agree to be more open with things that will bother him so she can adjust.

Once they work past this hurdle, Khai and Esme’s relationship begins to grow more intimate, except sex won’t solve all their issues. Esme sees what a kind and wonderful person Khai is and she is quickly growing to love him. But as her time in America begins to come to an end and Khai’s mother needs an answer whether there will be a wedding before Esme’s visa expires, Khai still isn’t willing to believe he could ever love Esme back.

While I liked watching Esme and Khai’s brother Quan work to break through Khai’s belief that he can’t feel emotions like other people, I absolutely adored Esme. In the beginning of the story, the one question she got right that the other candidates didn’t showed that even though Esme was dirt poor, living with her grandmother, mother, and daughter in a one room shack, she wouldn’t act sell her soul or stab Khai in the back for money or to achieve the American Dream. When Khai’s mother chased her down, she finally agreed to meet Khai and would marry him only if she could win his love.

With that opening scene, we could see the depth of Esme’s character. She tried to win Khai’s love but when she feared he wouldn’t love her back, she refused to marry just for a green card and while she continued to strive to win Khai, she took classes at the adult center to learn English and accounting to improve her life. After being tossed aside by the father of her child for an appropriate wife, Esme finds she keeps being passed over. She suffers from low self-esteem, but instead of being a sad sack and allowing life to kick her around, she fights harder every time life kicks her. And when she doesn’t believe Khai will ever love her, she is depressed, but then she starts to investigated how else she could extend her visa. She is very honorable. She cared too much for Khai and wouldn’t use him to stay in the country. Because she believed she had more value than life kept showing her, she wouldn’t accept less than his whole heart.

We also see this in the fact that Esme knew Quan was the CEO of a company but Khai never bothered to fix up his house so Esme doesn’t think Khai has money. She is convinced he has a closet- sized office and when she sees the company logo on TV and realizes it must be a big company and thinks he should be able to go far someday if he works hard, not knowing he actually owns the company If she just wanted money, she could have pursued Quan instead.

It was a delightful story and I breezed through it in a day because I simply didn’t want to put it down. If you didn’t get a chance to read The Kiss Quotient last year, do yourself a favor and grab both of these stories. You can thank me later.

The Bride Test proves that Helen Hoang is not a one hit wonder, ya’ll. This one was so good! Did I love it as much as The Kiss Quotient? Not quite, but that was a really tough act to follow. Still, it was wonderfully written, delightful, and swoony.

If you’ve read TKQ, you know Khai, who is Michael’s cousin. His mother is a bit bossy and wants him married. She knows how Khai is and knows he will never go after a woman on his own, so she finds the perfect girl for him while visiting Vietnam.

Esme comes from Vietnam to America for a new life. She is strong, brave, and wants better than what she has. She’s nervous and hopes that Khai will like her. She doesn’t know english well and it’s hard for her to adjust at first. Khai doesn’t make it easier for her… it’s not on purpose, it’s just his way. But no matter how Khai acts, Esme is patient with him.

Khai and Esme living together was something else. Khai just doesn’t know how to live with a woman. And as their relationship progresses, things get really confusing for Khai. He doesn’t know how to express his feelings and he thinks he can’t feel certain emotions, even though its obvious he can and he does.

Helen Hoang is a gem. She’s an author who writes what she knows and does it so well. I respect her and love her words. I love so much that her characters have obstacles to overcome and are flawed. They’re real and I can appreciate that. I don’t always want to read a romance with a perfect hero or heroine, that’s not real life. Hoang seamlessly gives us the best balance of realness mixed in with just a little bit of that fairy tale love story.

Khai and Esme completely charmed me. Sometimes two people so different can be perfect for one another. That is them. Khai is autistic, and I loved that he wasn’t a carbon copy of Stella. He had his issues, but he was so lovable. I loved how sweet and determined Esme was. She didn’t want Khai for his money, she just wanted him. Yes, she was fighting for a better life for herself and her daughter, but she grew to truly care for Khai. Their romance was a slow burn and it was great watching it grow.

The Bride Test is a book you don’t want to miss out on. I laughed, I cried, I smiled and I had so many feels! And I just want to put it out there, I want a Quan book so badly! He was the absolute best in this book! This story was all consuming, heartwarming, and the best kind of romance! I can’t wait for the next book in this series, I’ll be reading anything and everything Helen Hoang releases!

Looking back to 2018, I can say that The Kiss Quotient was my favorite romance novel. The characters, their limitations and the way they fell in love brought happiness to my heart. So with that being said, you can guess how desperate I was to get my hands on The Bride Test. With all my heart, I was hoping to love it as much as its predecessor. Yet, it was not meant to be. I liked it but I didn't love it.

Why you ask?

My answer has to be that I felt there was a lack of connection between both main characters. I love Khai and Esme as separate entities but I didn't FEEL their love for each other which was disheartening.

The novel begins in Vietnam where a desperate mother is trying to find the perfect wife for his autistic son. Khai Diep's mother thinks she has found the perfect one in Esme Tran.

Esme is a young woman. Her mother is Vietnamese and her father is an American whom she has never met. Her family is poor and she lives with them in a small bedroom. She works cleaning bathrooms and here is where she meets Khai's mother. When she's offered to come to America and have the chance at a better life, she knows she has to take it. Not only for herself but to help her family.

Khai Diep believes he can't love. He's autistic and when his best friend died, he couldn't cry. He knew that day that he was different. He felt that something was wrong with him. Since then, he doesn't believe he can love. He won't have any romantic relationships. When his mother brings Esme to his home, he's shocked. He doesn't want Esme there but he also doesn't want to upset his mother. He hopes he can avoid Esme for the next three months and then she will be out of the picture.

Funny how things don't happen the way we want them too. Esme founds herself liking Khai even though she doesn't understand him half the time.

I like Esme. She was trying to do what was best for her and her family. She had ambition and purpose without being heartless. She was patient with Khai and she appreciated his uniqueness.

Khai was an extremely interesting character. His autism and the way he handled it was well portrayed by Mrs. Hoang. His love for numbers, running in his suit, not wanting to have light touches and so many other details made him endearing to me.

Like I said earlier, I love both characters, I just didn't feel their love for each other. No one is more disappointed than me. I think I have no one to blame but myself. I had such high expectations for The Bride Test.

I do hope the next book makes me fall in love again. I'm hoping it's Quan's story. He was fantastic as a character in The Bride Test. He stole so many good scenes and he was prepared to do the right thing while helping Khai realize what love was.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.