I did not think I'd like this book, bur I enjoyed it quite a bit. The characters were much more realistic in this book, than the first book. The ending is rushed. But, overall, it was a good story.

I was excited about this book after reading "The Kiss Quotient" and me excitement was totally warranted. The characters felt very realistic and relatable. The story is about Esme Trang, a single mother and maid in Vietnam who is persuaded to come to California by a mother who wants her to marry her son, Khai. Khai has been reluctant to open himself up to love, his autism has made him believe that he is incapable of feeling, and he didn't want to burden anyone with his inability to love. He was not happy when his mother showed up with a bride for him, but agreed to try it for the summer. As Esme and Khai try to learn to live together and relate to each other, they become closer. The conflicts are realistic and both characters are allowed to make mistakes. The secondary characters, especially Khai's brother, are well realized. Many books with an autistic main character tend to be message books, it was refreshing to read a story where Khai's autism was part of his character, but not the only thing about him.

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<p>Esme was always looking for a way over, around or through the obstacles in front of her. I couldn't help but admire her strength and perseverance will simultaneously being proud of her willingness to leave herself open to be hurt after everything she had experienced in her life. Even when everything happening was out of her control and life kept snatching her dreams away from her she kept pushing through.</p>
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<p>Sweet sweet Kai. My heart broke for him so many times in this book. Realizing that the fact he processed emotions differently make him feel like he didn't have feelings was devastating. Knowing that he had unconsciously pulled back from every relationship in his life both to protect himself and the people he cared about made me want to wrap him in giant hug. I am not an expert on autism so I can't say whether the portrayal was accurate. I can however say it felt like it was handled well as the reader. I appreciated that Khai was presented as having all the same emotional and physical desires as all of the other romance heroes we read do. Khai was everything anyone could want out of a hero.</p>
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<p>The only thing I struggled with was how long Esme kept Jade a secret. It bothered me just like the secret baby trope did because it felt wrong. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood why she felt like she had to make that decision but I wished she had been honest sooner.</p>
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<p>Fans of the Kiss Quotient will certainly enjoy the Bride Test. I felt it was a much stronger storyline and the characters were more developed. For those that haven't read Kiss Quotient, the Bride Test could be read as a standalone book easily. </p>
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Helen Hoang has stolen my heart again. The Bride Test is full of heart and hope, examining life and love with Autism as well as the immigrant experience while also telling a sweet love story. It’s the perfect follow up to The Kiss Quotient.

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.

At its core The Bride Test is the story of a successful autistic Vietnamese-American CEO and the immigrant bride his mother has moved into his home without his permission.

That synopsis was enough to sell me, but if you need more, this is story about loneliness, feeling out of place, choosing love despite difficult circumstances, and really good sexual chemistry. Khai and Esme have a love story you don't want to miss.

This was a great second novel from Helen Hoang. I think I enjoyed it even more than her debut book, The Kiss Quotient. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

I loved The Kiss Quotient. It was my favorite book of 2018, and I read a fair number of books each year, the vast majority of them romance. But I'm also wary of sophomore efforts when the first is such a smash.

No need to worry here. The Bride Test is every bit as heartfelt and swoony and sexy as TKQ.

Khai is autistic, and convinced that he doesn't have the emotional capacity to love, or grieve, or feel anything deeply. He's not going to saddle someone else with that burden, so he is determined not to let any woman close enough to form feelings for him. It wouldn't be fair if he can't return them.

Esme doesn't seem to belong anywhere. Not in Vietnam, where she is set apart with her mixed-race heritage, unwed mother status, and poor economic standing. And not in California, where she goes--by invitation of Khai's mother--to live as Khai's fiancee as she tries to make him fall in love with her. She understands English but doesn't speak it well, and Khai is a tough nut to crack. But Esme needs the opportunity to make a better life for herself and her family, especially her daughter, and this is her shot.

I loved that Khai's family--his brother and his mother, particularly--understand him so well. Often, when you read about neurodiverse characters, the people closest to them don't seem to understand them. Here, his family seems to understand him (and what he's capable of) better than he knows himself.

Esme's determination to make a better life, to make the most of this opportunity she's been given, however things turn out, really made me cheer for her. She never gave up, no matter how heartbroken she might feel.

And the sexy bits? Very sexy, but also written so that they revealed so much about Khai and Esme. Every scene moved the story forward, uncovered another bit about the characters.

This book had me laughing, crying, and sighing with satisfaction. I'll be rereading this book many times, I'm sure

Helen Hoang has written another excellent book. She has managed to create two characters unlike traditional romance characters, one autistic, and the other a poor, ESL, immigrant. Kiep's journey in particular is an excellent arc as he goes from claiming to have no feelings to beginning to understand that he does and what they mean.

****SPOILER****
My only issue with the story was the handling of Esme's child at the end, as it felt like an afterthought for Kiep to find out.

The sophomore follow-up to the Kissing Quotient was everything I had hoped for and SO MUCH MORE! The characters were complex but thoroughly relateable. I cannot say enough good about The Bride Test. Officially on my Keeper Shelf for life!

Writing: 3/4 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 3/5

An erotically charged, utterly non-traditional, romance novel. Diệp Khăi is a successful, Vietnamese-American accountant, with his own business in Sunnyvale. He was also diagnosed with Autism and decided long ago that his “Stone Heart” and “inability to feel emotions” disqualified him from having romantic relationships. His grandchildren-desiring mother (Cô Nga), however, is not willing to give up. Unbeknownst to Khăi, she travels to Việtnam to find him a bride.

Esme Tran (Việtnamese name — Trán Ngọc Mỹ) cleans bathrooms in a nice hotel in Hơ Chi Minh city. While resting between disappointing bride interviews in the ladies’ lounge, Nga finds what she is looking for in the attractive, diligent, and polite Esme. Esme has a few secrets of her own — she has a five-year old fatherless daughter, and longs to find her own father — an American named “Phil” who went to UC Berkeley over 20 years ago. Esme accepts Nga’s offer — a job and a visa for the summer and a chance to convince the reluctant Khăi that he wants to marry her.

Well-written, with alternating chapters offering alternating character insights in addition to steamy prose. In an interview, the author revealed her own recent Autism diagnosis and the evolution of the Esme character based on her own mother’s immigration to U.S. As a side note, I enjoyed all the Vietnamese names written in the full alphabet and made the (somewhat difficult) effort to include them here. It’s a beautiful looking language which I admit to knowing nothing about. If you’re interested, scan the Wikipedia article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_alphabet.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 7th, 2019.

The Kiss Quotient was my favorite book of 2018. When I saw that Helen Hoang had unseated Colleen Hoover, queen goddess of romance, as the number one goodreads choice award for romance I was shocked. But it was deserved. The Kiss Quotient is the romance book we all deserve.
So I was very nervous for the sophomore book. Would it have the dreaded sophomore slump? Could it live up to the hype.
The answer is yes! Yes! Yes!
I think I might like The Bride Test even more than The Kiss Quotient. Is that blasphemous?
This book follows Khai and Esme. Khai is Michael's cousin from the first book.
Esme is from Vietnam and has been asked to come to America by Khai's mom. Khai's mom wants her to spend the summer with her son to see if the two of them match and get married.
The romance that follows is sweet and slow burn. I appreciated this so much because it gives time for character development and also for them to get to know each other.
Fans of Helen Hoang will not be disappointed. It may be the best romance novel of 2019.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and romantic story of an immigrant coming to America for a better life. Hoang's author note actually brought me to tears and made me appreciate the story in a new way. I will always look forward to a story written by Helen Hoang.

Helen Hoang has done it again! The Kiss Quotient blew me away last year and was easily one of my favorite books of 2018. I’ve been anticipating her sophomore novel since it got announced last year. Now I’m happy to report that after flying through The Bride Test in just a few hours I loved it just as much as her debut💕 I wish her all the success because her books are PHENOMENAL!

This wasn't as good as The Kiss Quotient but it was still a decent book. Kind of sweet but lacking the heat of her first book.

This book was fantastic! The Characters (especially Esme and Khai) I felt like were more developed than Helen Hoang's debut novel. My only gripe, and it wasn't even gripey enough to knock it down a full star, was that we didn't have that much development of the sister. I loved Quan as a character too though and how he was always trying to help out Khai even when Khai didn't want it.

Also, I loved how Esme was not a perfect person, she had her own flaws too, but Khai loved her through them anyway. I don't think I would have been as okay with one specific scene as Khai was.

I could not put this book down! Just like her first book Helen Hoang manages to delight her readers with a mix of romance and comedy. Her work is so unique that she will always have me coming back for more.

I was hesitant at first, the idea of the heroine reducing herself to essentially a mail ordered bride. I really enjoy a strong heroine and it didn't seem like that would be possible in this setting, but boy was I wrong. Emse is fantastic, her growth over the course of this book is really something to look up to.

And Khai... oh my goodness Khai... He's POV had me in tears I couldn't stop laughing. Definitely one of the best romantic leads I have ever read.

This checked all my boxes plus more:
-Believable characters who grew over the course of the book
-Steamy romance scenes that weren't over the top or unrealistic
-A fantastic immigrant story at a time when we really need to hear positive stories like that
-A main character with autism who was much more than his condition

My super minor complaint would be that I wanted more of a detailed epilogue!

This review has been copied from my blog literarylovebooks.com

Last year when I picked up The Kiss Quotient I had no idea what kind of impact it would have on me. I’m a cover reader, (yes, I know, but I can’t help it) so when I saw the cover I thought: Oh, cute cover. I’ll read that. And that was that. From the moment I started reading I was hooked and read it in what felt like a minute. When I finished The Kiss Quotient and realized there would be a sequel I was ecstatic! Then I realized I would have to wait an entire year to read it and then I was very un-ecstatic… However, my Fairy Publishers granted my wish and gifted me a copy of The Bride Test- THE book I wanted to read this year. The one I talked about constantly. The book I would give up all other books to read.

I read it in 3 days. I know that doesn’t sound like much but I worked 40+ hours this week and have an hour and half commute one way. So, to say the least I’m tired but I wouldn’t trade being tried for anything. You know why…? Because THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!! Good god!!!

I kid you not, even though I was dying to read this book I was a little nervous. As anyone would be. Sequels have a lot to live up to when you loved the first book, plus I didn’t think I could love this book as much as I loved The Kiss Quotient. I was wrong, if you’re wondering. I loved this book EVEN MORE than The Kiss Quotient. Which, honestly, I didn’t think that would be possible. But it is and I did!

I don’t even know how to go into this book without making this review AT LEAST 10 pages long and you all hating me for going on and on and on… like I have been….

Anyway…

The Bride Test had everything I absolutely loved in The Kiss Quotient only amplified. Khai is the character you just can’t help but love. He takes the whole “strong, silent type’ trope to entirely different and amazing level. I couldn’t help but ache for him and his confusion and frustration. It was so palatable!

And My! She is just everything. I loved and admired how she did not just sit back and let her fate be dictated for her. She took charge of her own life. She did not want to be the woman the people around her were trying to shape her to be and she fought back. She took the hard road and was happy to do it.

My and Khai together burned the pages. Their love was so real and intense and hard won. I truly don’t know which character I liked more. I usually have a clear winner but in this, I can’t decide. They both bring such different views to the table, with such different out looks on life, it feels impossible to choose.

And again, I have to point out how much I enjoyed, loved, relished reading a completely different cultural setting than what I’m used to. I was a Art History minor in college so everything I know about cultures steams from that starting point- which doesn’t always give you the best understanding of a culture and their way of life. Hoang has managed to capture Vietnam in a way I would have not known without reading The Bride Test (I’m not one for historical books that aren’t on cool women or mythology…) I’m not familiar with the Vietnamese culture- especially modern day Vietnam- so, reading a book that so heavily emphasis the culture was completely amazing to me. Reading this all encompassing romance does more than just give you a lovely romance to read. Hoang focuses on the hardships of people from all walks of life. How everyone has their misery, sorrow, adversity, dreams, hopes, and ambition that they bring to the table.

If you can only read one book this year, make it this one! It was funny, sweet, endearing, and so sexy! I have no power over if you do or not read this book but as you see The Bride Test pop up around you in May just think of me scowling at you if you don’t impulse buy it or jumping with glee as you buy it and start reading! Please, let imaginary me jump with glee in your mind!



-Happy Reading!

Oh my heart, it is so full! The Kiss Quotient was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2018, making The Bride Test my most anticipated adult fiction novel of 2019 and boy oh boy did it deliver.

I loved every single moment of this perfect, perfect book.

The Bride Test tells the story of Khai, Michael’s Vietnamese-American, autistic cousin, and Esme, a mixed race woman living in Ho Chi Minh City, trying to provide for her mother, grandmother, and very young daughter. The diversity is real, and it is everything great about this novel.

Khai believes he is incapable of expressing bigger emotions like grief or love after being told once when he was a teen that his heart was made of stone. But with a little help from his loveable helicopter mom, Esme enters Khai’s life and everything begins to change. Together they learn the ins and outs of what it means to love and grow and be together.

Seriously, this book just has my whole heart. I loved Khai and Esme together so much. They are wonderfully formed, fully fleshed out characters that are real. Neither is perfect, but they learn to communicate with each other and help each other and figure out how to work together to create something lasting between them.

In the beginning, Esme doesn’t understand what it means to be autistic, but she knows Khai is sweet and special and she takes the time to ask him what is and isn’t okay. When a monumental thing happens between them that Khai kind of messes up, he figures out what went wrong and (with a little help from his brother Quân) he learns how to fix it. Another aspect I loved was how independent Esme is. Here is a woman, brought to a foreign country where she knows hardly anyone, who tries day in and day out to learn and to better herself and get around with as little help as possible. She was very independent when she was in Vietnam, and now in America, with the opportunity to marry and obtain a better life, she still strives to do things for herself and provide for her family.

The romance and the chemistry are off the charts and just everything about this novel is swoony. I love Helen Hoang’s writing to death. She is fantastic at everything, it’s ridiculous, and I will read any and everything she ever writes.

I hope we get Quân’s story next, or really, again, just anything from Helen will be a blessing and a gift.

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

➳A romance with characters that express so much more than just physical attraction, but also grasps the heart of the reader with the tender emotions that are portrayed...

➳Once this beauty landed in my hands, I knew that there was no backing down of putting everything to the side and start it. That's what Helen Hoang does to you once you get a small glimpse of her writing. I remember last year how hesitant I was about reading The Kiss Quotient because of all the hype and love it kept getting. When it comes down to novels that are hyped too much, I like to back away from them and maybe read them in a month or so once the hype calms down. Thank the heavens I didn't, because I would have never encountered upon Helen's marvelous and unique way of putting so many in depth emotions to the page. I would have never gotten to understand, that even individuals whom may be different in some way, socially, physically, emotionally... anyway. There is still a fighting chance of finding love, cherishing that love, and grasping it for dear life. That's what Khai has demonstrated in this compelling romance novel that will have you running for more tissues.

➳In my reviews, I really don't like to talk about the story plot of the characters. I like to focus on the way the story plot comes to be and how it changes my mind and mood. Helen does so by implying this new character, in which we came across in The Kiss Quotient during Stella's and Michael's story. Khai. That intriguing and mysterious autistic young man, that had picked my interest from that small glimpse we got of him. His way of living is structured, has a routine that he follows every single day and should not be tempered with. From the point of view of his family such as his mother, brother Quan (whom shall be brought up in a moment), and his sister Vy (whom shall also be brought up in a moment...) he is a simple man who enjoys his lifestyle as an accountant, takes his shoes off once he arrives to his two bedroom home and enjoys the feeling of his old carpet against his feet. It's the little things that one would not be able to understand why they are so important in which in that unique side of him, his extended family never understands. Emotions is something that Helen touches a lot when it comes to Khai. He does not come to a realization that, even though he states he cannot comprehend emotions in general; anger, happiness, sadness, disappointment, and love—he truly is a strong human being whom expresses all those feelings.

➳That's when Mỹ, aka Esmeralda, aka Esme comes along. A twenty-three year old young lady from Việt Nam whose dreams had to take a pause because life came in the way. Supporting her mother, grandmother, a special someone who shall not be named for the sake of spoilers, is what Mỹ had been doing before she encountered upon Khai's mother whom was looking for a bride for him. She is instantly drawn to Mỹ and offers for her to come to the states for the summer and try to seduce her son, Khai. Mỹ of course has to think about it because she has to support her family. But after a very thorough decision, she decides to accept the offer and goes to the states to try and make Khai fall in love with her.

➳At first, meeting Esme with the circumstances he was put in by his mother, is not something Khai is pleased with. She moves in with her, but he is also instantly drawn to her natural beauty. Her eyes captivate him in the best of ways, making his body react in ways that have never acted before. The attraction is there and it's beautiful to read that a gentleman such as Khai, whom does not believe he can ever love anyone, expresses these feelings towards Esme;
"Strange, incomprehensible, beautiful woman. She said the funniest things and smiled all the time. His fingers itched to touch that smile, and he sipped away out of self-preservation..."

➳Weeks pass and Esme and Khai learn how to adequately be with each other. That does not stop Khai's body from acting in a non-gentleman way of course. Which I find so endearing to read from the third point of view. He knows he cannot deny that attraction, but he also knows that he shouldn't act upon it;
"She was already a song that payed on endless repeat in his head. If he started having sex with her, this thing would escalate into pure addiction, and what the fuck would happen when she left at the end of the summer?"

➳Once feelings expand, that's when the struggles begin to form for Khai. Things take a turn when Esme comes across wanting to have a life in America, a life in which she can set as an example for her next in kin. Her dreams come back to life and want to expand and explore everything that is out there for the world to offer to her, but she knows that if she doesn't fight she will not get far. That includes Khai's love towards her as well.

➳Overall, as previously mentioned... Helen has created a story that has truly gasped my heart and pierced it with her words. It made me cry, made me giggle, and made me swoon over the love and admiration Khai has towards Mỹ. Stories such as this one are not found very often and that's why they need to be cherished in the best of ways. Thank you so much to Berkley for being so generous with this advance copy. And as previously mentioned, Quan and Vy better come next. Vy's story should be mysterious to read because we really don't know much about her. But Quan however... **sighs** he is the rugged brother, with sexy tattoos that will have me drooling over him once Helen writes his story... that's IF she does it... **wink wink Helen Hoang**