What a lovely book! I definitely think Helen Hoang lived up to the TKQ hype with this story. It was a darling take on the mail order bride trope and she knocked it out of the park! It was such a cute story.

When Khai Diep's mother brings Vietnamese Esme Tran to live with him for the summer, she's hoping for a match that will end in marriage. Khai's just hoping Esme will leave his stuff alone and Esme is hoping for a better life for her and her young daughter. Told with heart and humor, this steamy romance novel features a neurodiverse male lead and a feisty, independent female lead based on the author's mother's experiences. Buckle up; if you have fans of the author's first novel they will be clamoring for this one.

Simply couldn't wait for this book to come out after falling in love with Hoang's The Kiss Quotient, and ended up reading it in one sitting once I had it in my hands! I loved The Bride Test; it had just as much heart as its predecessor, but offered new characters with their own lives and motivations that I fell for immediately. Esme and Khai's romance had me enthralled at every turn: I was smiling along whenever a new barrier was broken, crying with every setback, and experiencing just about every emotion in between. I can't wait to suggest these books to patrons, whether they love romances specifically, or just enjoy unique, character-driven stories with delightfully happy endings.

Vietnamese My--who takes on the western name of Esme--is coming to America because she passed a test. No, she's not going to a college, though she would like to, having left high school to raise her young daughter. Nor is she coming for work, though she needs the money to support her family. The test she passed was one presented by a Vietnamese-American woman looking for a bride for her son. A test she passed unknowingly, issued in the bathroom of the hotel Esme works at. Now Esme is in America for the next three months with two goals: find the white father she has never known, and woo Khai Diep into marrying her.

Terminator. Heart of Stone. Incapable of love. These are all the things that Khai believes to be true descriptors of himself, as his autism effects how he feels and expresses emotions, perceives the world around him, and how he interacts with people. All of the order and routine of Khai's life is turned upside down the moment his mother arrived with crates of fruit and telling him when to pick up a woman at the airport--a woman who his mother wants him to marry. Next thing he knows, his life and routines are completely upended by a gorgeous woman who hacks at the dead trees in his yard with a meat cleaver, reorganizes his pantry, and starts to make him question how happy he is and what he wants for the future.

Both characters are fantastic, and I love that even though the focus is on the will-they-or-won't-they? aspect of the story both Esme and Khai have their own additional story lines and character development. As they grow together, they also grow separately. This separate personal growth leads to stronger romantic growth. They learn a lot about themselves and each other, and both Esme and Khai find themselves doing what they once thought to be impossible. For Khai, that involves healing, grieving, and soul-searching. For Esme, that means taking chances, taking control of her future, and daring to dream.

Readers of The Kiss Quotient will be happy to see the return of several familiar faces, as well as fall in love with new characters. The Bride Test is a delightful romance that you won't be able to put down!

I had been in a book slump (made obvious by my lack of NetGalley reviews) until I got the notification in my inbox that I was approved for another Helen Hoang book. I devoured The Kiss Quotient and couldn’t wait to read more from the same author.

I finished The Bride Test in one day and found the characters equally as charming and endearing as in Hoang’s previous book. While I didn’t always like them and the choices they made, the author created them as real, raw people dealing with real, raw life and everything that gets thrown at them. I loved that the story went beyond the typical “boy meets girl, boy seduces girl, boy marries girl” narrative and focused on Esme’s individuality and independence as well. Another great read! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

It took a little longer to get into this book than I was hoping but once Khai and Esme started actually interacting with each other the pace picked up. I found myself confused by Esme's lack of knowledge about some aspects of America and her apparent ease with others, like reading emails and websites in English. In spite of that, this was an emotional and compelling story of two "strange" people finding their "one" person. I also can't wait for Quan's story which I hope will be coming in the future.

The Bride Test is a delightful love story. Hoang once again offers up an amazing hook. I was drawn in and couldn’t put this uplifting book down. Khai and Esme are magical. Getting to know them felt like a privilege. They are awkward and uncertain, and also brave and determined. I absolutely adored them together from the very beginning. Their chemistry was undeniable. I couldn’t get enough of Khai’s family. I feel greedy wanting his brothers’ stories (but I do). The Bride Test feels light-hearted and warm yet delves deep into important issues. The storytelling is thoughtful and I was thoroughly entertained and enlightened. The ending left me with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Absolutely sublime. This book reminds me of why I read romance. Beautifully written, funny and heartwarming.

Having heard great things but not yet read "The Kiss Quotient", I was eager to try this second book by Helen Hoang. Focusing on major themes like the immigrant experience and autism, this novel's characters, both primary and secondary, simply shine. Esme is brought from Vietnam to California to hopefully become autistic Khai's wife. Their journey is complicated and filled with surprises, but it is one well worth taking, and love most assuredly wins out in the end.

A unique love story that pairs a new immigrant struggling to understand her new country with a man with autism who is afraid to become attached to anyone after losing a best friend. Thrown together by a meddling mother that wants her son to be happy the 2 must learn to understand and trust each other to find love and happiness.

I love the way Helen Hoang writes. The Kiss Quotient was a breath of fresh romance when it came out and I'm thrilled that she's gifted readers another book in the same vein.

But don't mistake this as a repeat! The Bride Test is unique unto itself, and while it has a similar set-up, an autistic lead bumbling through love, the story is completely different and addicting. I love that Hoang features heros and heroines that don't often get the spotlight. I also love that the situations are repeatedly awkward in new, and surprising, but incredibly sweet ways.

In The Bride Test we get a deeper look into the American/Vietnamese culture clash. As well as a reminder that every person is different and processes situations and emotions in their own distinctive ways. Khai and Esme are so completely different but the ways in which they are thrown together and grow are both similar and yet different than other Romances I have read. We get a book that isn't pushed too far outside of the genre we expect but Hoang manages to craft and create a new experience and loveably awkward and relateable characters. It's unputdownable.

It's all rooted in communication and understanding, not only other people, but themselves, individually and together. It's a beautiful story, as well as sweet and funny. Overall, I loved it and definitely recommend it, especially if you're a fan of Hoang's first book! (It should be noted that this book definitely stands on it's own. While Michael, from The Kiss Quotient, makes a small appearance, the focus never shifts off of the story being told in this book)

Oh, and I'll wrap up with this, (small, but not really, spoiler alert), the Khai sex talk with his male relations was the highlight of this book. I died. You have to read it for that alone. The end.

* I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Helen Hoang delivers another great romance filled with enjoyable and unique characters. Esme and Khai grow through the book learning more about themselves and how to love.

I was captivated by Khai and Esme's story. I particularly enjoyed Esma's acceptance of Khai and his odd ways. She didn't understand what autism is, but liked Khai for himself. There were a lot of communication issues and they both needed to learn how to talk so the other understood. I was surprised at the epilogue and would have wanted something different, but the lessons here on acceptance and love, family and standing up for each other, along with some humor, are wonderful. Highly recommended.

Helen Hoang outdoes herself. The Bride Test is undoubtedly cute, sexy, sweet and laugh-out-loud funny. It surprised me, however, with its depth and approach to important issues below the surface.

Khai is a Vietnamese-American with autism; Esme is an impoverished, uneducated Vietnamese immigrant living in America. When Khai's mother plays matchmaker with a determination for him to marry, Khai and Esme end up teaching one another lessons they never expected to learn.

The secondary characters are just as rich as Khai and Esme, and a great source of chuckling. Quan is well developed, three dimensional and wholly believable.

This book broaches topics surrounding immigrating to the United States with no money, no education and a cultural learning curve. Ultimately a tale of bravery, mutual respect, and our capacity to love.

I would whole-heartedly recommend The Bride Test snag a spot on your May TBR list. Funny, important, HOT, and engaging.

The second installment focuses on Quan's brother, Khai. In the first book, it was established that Khai was on the spectrum. However, this seemed to translate to "Khai has no feelings" which is a frequent misconception of people with autism, and I would have liked a stronger main character here. The relationship premise is interesting, and while I liked the new characters, the story just didn't work for me.

Esme/My was a wonderful character (and how incredible that she was partly based on the author’s mom) but everything else about the story was just... not compelling to me. I didn’t believe in her eventual romance with Khai the way I believed in Stella and Michael’s in The Kiss Quotient, and I was frustrated with the rushed, too-neat ending. I’d still recommend this to most romance readers at my library but I personally didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as The Kiss Quotient.

This fantastic second novel explores so much more than romance, while also being a perfect romance. I have already recommended it to more than one person as a wonderful story about immigration. Full review to come.

I've never read anything by Helen Hoang, but have heard a lot of good things about The Kiss Quotient so I was really excited to receive an ARC of this one. It did not disappoint.

I loved the back story we got of Esme/My. We get to see a glimpse of her life in Vietnam prior to her going to America. I feel like getting that bit of back story really helped nail home just how strong of a woman she really is. I loved how compassionate and patient she was with Khai. I also loved how she adjusted to his needs fairly quickly, but was also willing to push his boundaries just a little bit farther. I loved how she stuck to her guns and wouldn't settle for less than what she deserved just because others would say she should. She was just a really strong character and a great role model.

Khai just broke my heart throughout the book. I hated that he felt like he had a "heart of stone" when you could see how big his heart was throughout the whole book. I loved how sweet he was to Esme when he didn't even realize what he was doing. I really enjoyed his relationship with his mom and brother, too. Quan was such a great older brother and definitely has helped shape Khai into the man he grew up to be.

The story line itself was excellent. I didn't really know what to expect because I've never read anything that dealt with this content in this way. Usually it's some sordid affair, but this wasn't at all. It was very sweet and romantic and definitely tugged on the heart strings quite a bit. My one and only complaint is that I felt like the ending was just a little bit rushed, but maybe that's because I just wanted more of the story. I definitely don't feel unsatisfied after finishing it.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I can't think of another book to compare it to, but if the synopsis strikes your fancy, even a little bit, you should pick it up! You won't regret it.

Admittedly, I was almost afraid to pick up this book. Hoang's The Kiss Quotient was my favorite read of 2018 and I was afraid I had hyped the sequel up in my head so much there was no way live up. I'm so grateful I was wrong! This book gives us a whole new couple, new challenges, but the same writing style and authenticity that made me love her debut novel. Definitely pick up the Bride Test. It won't disappoint. Looking forward to what this author brings us next!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

An absolutely delightful book that is even better than The Kiss Quotient (if that's possible!). Drawing on experience from her own mother (don't forget to read the Author's Note). Hoang introduces us to Esme, a single mother from Viet Nam struggling to make ends meet. Invited to California by a slightly meddling mother, she moves in with Khai who sits somewhere on the spectrum. As we see their relationship develop we get to learn a lot about the immigrant experience in the US as well as exploring the Khai's different ways of interacting with people and the world. Khai's family adds a lot to the book, although I do wish we had learned a bit more about Esme's family. But - it is a charming and well-written read that anyone will enjoy.