I'm so glad Helen Hoang decided to share her writing and bless us with both The Kiss Quotient and now The Bride Test. I'm not sure which book I enjoyed more!

I'm glad I took the time to read the acknowledgments at the end of the book because the insight about Helen's inspiration made this story about ten times more moving and important. I hadn't thought about it until it was pointed out to me (cringe), but the romance world doesn't have nearly enough stories about women who are less than perfect. Sure, there are stories where women have perceived flaws, but they're always trivial - and usually end up being proven wrong but their love interest! Esme was "flawed" in the book world - she barely speaks English, she's a level of poor that's not represented often, and she's uneducated. Not a combo I've seen in many heroines before. And as a reader, I loved her. She was relatable, determined, engaging, and seemed like so much fun. If someone deserved to be depressed or concerned about her life, it was Esme and instead she was always smiling, always happy, and so, so deserving of love.

I already can't wait to read this book again. Esme and Khai's story is one that I hope gets a lot of attention (and I'm sure it will). Helen Hoang has firmly cemented herself as one of my favorite authors. I devour her books and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!