This book! THIS BOOK!!!! It hits me all in the good places! It is touching and funny and sweet and so much more!
My/Esmeralda is such a strong woman ! She was given a hard life and she still finds way to see the beauty in it. Being the daughter of immigrant Asian parents, I recognize and understand so many parts of this book and lemme just tell you all : the fish sauce really smells but is oh so delicious!
And Khai, sweet and closed Khai, who breaks my heart, makes me angry and fills me with so many emotions at once.
Helen Hoang’s the Kiss Quotient was great but this one is even better in my opinion! So don't hesitate, do yourself a favor and go enjoy The Bride Test !

I really want to like Helen Hoang's writing--I like her characters! Esme is so compelling!--but this story just didn't click for me. There was an element of physicality in this book that made me feel really uncomfortable.

That being said, I absolutely love how much time is spent inside Esme's head. Her journey towards valuing herself was very rewarding, and I really wanted her to find happiness. Also, the family support network is heartwarming and obnoxious, as many families are. Hoang's endnotes are more than worth the price of admission.

Helen Hoang's sophomore novel is sure to keep fans of The Kiss Quotient satisfied. This awkward and endearing story of Esme and Khai's budding (and bumbling) relationship is fun, sexy, and facepalm-inducing.

Helen Hoang has done it again! Khai and Esme were both wonderfully drawn characters, and their romance was beautiful. I cannot wait to see what Hoang comes out with next (please give Quan a book!)

Wow! What a great follow up to Helen Hoang's last smashing success, The Kiss Quotient. I enjoyed The Bride Test from page 1. I enjoyed that it was a different perspective, both culturally and neuro-typically than other romance books. The "romance" parts of the book were steamy and great.

Highly recommend!

The Bride Test was a fun read filled with a diverse cast. I loved that the book brought awareness to those on the autism spectrum. This would be a great read and author for those who liked the Crazy Rich Asians series.

This was a beautiful novel about belonging and inner strength that was inspired by the author's own mother, who came to the U.S. from Vietnam as a refugee and grew to own four restaurants. The love and respect for this character was actually visible to me while I was reading.
Esme, the heroine, was originally intended to be the awkward third wheel in this story. She doesn’t have the “glamour” that a typical romance heroine possesses. In fact, the story opens with her cleaning a toilet at her job as a janitor/maid. She’s used to poverty, and her naivety when she arrives in the U.S. makes for some awkward moments. But her honesty, boldness and belief in her own self-worth make her an incredibly resilient and memorable character.
She originally moves to the U.S. to “marry” Khai Diep, an autistic accountant who believes he is incapable of love. Esme helps Khai come to the realization that he is worthy and capable of deep emotion and reunites him emotionally with his friends and family. She also takes her future into her own hands, learning English, finishing her GED, and ultimately going on to college to pursue her PhD—accomplishing everything she wanted to and then some.
I found myself caring so much about these characters and their love for one another that I was almost in tears by the end of their story. I’m so proud of both of them and all that they’ve done, and I can’t wait to read about their futures in coming books.
I am also so, so ready to read Quan’s HEA! He deserves some love!

This book was adorable! I love Khai!! He was such a likable character with so much dept. I really enjoyed how he got to know Esme before he informed her about his Autism. He is so matter of fact that it is too cute when he opens up to her! I loved Khai's family, especially his Mom and the respect he has for them. I like how they are all so supportive of him and his life. He's just the right amount of nerdy and hot! Lol Khai learns so much about himself in this book and so does Esme. They find their own kind of affection and love. Heartwarming story!!

For Netgalley and Edelweiss:

I like this book and the first one in the series, ‘Kiss Quotient’, for different reasons even though they are broaching similar topics. In the first book I felt that there was a more of a plight for the main character that had autism. As a reader I really felt for that character and the struggle she went though. However, in the Bride test even though the main character had autism as well, it felt a little stagnant and was just there in the background. What I really loved about ‘The Bride Test’ is the role of family and the Vietnamese culture. The line drawn by family support vs family evasiveness into the main character’s life is absolutely wonderful. The Mother was just a gem and so realistic. The characters are all so warm hearted and kind. Some of them I would even call a bit naive, but that only adds his and her charm.

Khai Diep's mother is eager for grandkids. So eager, that on her trip home to Vietnam she interviews potential women to be his bride. Esme is cleaning the toilets in a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City when a rich American offers to fly her to America to marry her son. She has the summer to see if they will suit. Esme is no stranger to hard work and she is determined to make a better life for herself but Khai's autism means that he processes the world and love in a different way.

Why I started this book: Hoang impressed me with [book:The Kiss Quotient|36199084] and I was eager to read her next book.

Why I finished it: I read this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I laughed and cried. So wonderful to have a story about non-standard romance leads, to show the strength of immigrants and their challenges. This story was more realistic than [book:The Kiss Quotient|36199084] but no less engrossing and heartening.

Another it out of the ball park for Helen Hoang!

The Bride Test is so good. It's not as steamy as the Kiss Quotient but there is so much sexual tension. You laugh, cry and be glad that your mother didn't go to another country to find you a spouse!

Helen Hoang pretty much writes everything I love. Her character's are diverse, with depth which makes them easy to love. She touches on autism, which I know affects her and her family in a very real way, but its eye opener for us readers that have no contact with it. I found myself learning along with Esme as she navigated Khai and with Michael as he navigated Stella in her first book. The tension she writes between the love interests is, wonderful. It's the kind that keeps you wanting more and more and more. Though, to be honest it's so much more than the physical tension that makes this book. I can't even begin to explain it.
I, myself am not great with words, all I can really say is that I loved this book, probably more than I loved her first book. She's one of those authors that make you want to buy whatever is published, because you know, no matter what she writes it will be amazing and relevant and it will leave you wanting more and more.

Khai is a Vietnamese-American man who has trouble navigating other people's emotions. He's happy with his work and his solitary life, but his mother wants him to get married--so she goes to Vietnam in search of a bride for him. Esme is a Vietnamese hotel maid struggling to provide for her family. When Khai's mother makes her an offer--a summer in California and a chance to marry an American and make a new life there--she reluctantly agrees to try it. Started out a little slow but ended up being a sweet story of second chances and finding your place in the world.

This was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2019 and it did not disappoint. Khai and Esme are wonderful characters and their romance sizzles. What a wonderful follow up to The Kiss Quotient.

OMG, I loved this book so much!! This was an excellent follow up to The Kiss Quotient.

My, a hotel janitor in Viet Nam, in a moment of great serendipity met Khai Diep's mother when she was present to locate a wife for Khai. Khai is not like other men, much like Stella of The Kiss Quotient, Khai has autism. I appreciate learning about Khai, especially how he believes that he cannot love, or does not love My (also known as Esme).

My presented as an incredibly strong and smart heroine. I appreciated learning about the various foods and aspects of her Vietnamese culture. My, also a single mother, has to grapple with the tough decision to leave her daughter at home in Viet Nam while she moves to California to meet Khai.

Thankfully, we meet up with some of the characters of The Kiss Quotient again....I'm really, really, really hoping that we will see Quan in a future book. I think he is my favorite....I just picture him as such a hot bad boy (but that is beside the point).

Overall, this awesome book will resonate with readers longing to learn about different perspectives, different cultures, and also those who greatly enjoy romance.

While good, not as strong as her first novel. This story revolves around Khan, Michael's autistic cousin from The Kissing Quotient. Khan's mom finds him a match in Vietnam and has Esme come over to convince him to marry her. Khan is closed off to love because of a favorite cousin passing away years ago. Khan starts feeling for Esme but can't admit his true feelings to her or himself. I felt myself understanding Khan more than Esme, which was odd. I couldn't get over the secret she was keeping from him, and it nagged me through the book. I thought more would be resolved with the mystery Dad, but it was left unfinished. Again, things tidy up so quickly and Khan goes from 0 to 100, and wish there was direct communication between Stella and Esme. The Author's note was very important to read and am glad it was included. It really helped to bring authenticity to the story.

I really loved this book. I read it in one day! Esme and Khai are such great characters and I loved how their interactions developed. I liked how they both brought out the best in one another and how she helped him feel things he thought he was incapable of.
I liked seeing characters from Hoang's other book. I felt like we got to know more about Khai's family and about Quan. Quan, Khai's brother is definitely a good guy and I would love to see him get a book of his own and maybe finally settle down.
Khai's autism is handled so well in this book and we see how he figures out his different emotions and feelings about things. He think he can't love, but he just doesn't realize how to really show how he is feeling. I am not saying he got it down in this book, but Esme really did teach him how to open up and see what he was capable of.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! After finishing The Kiss Quotient a week ago, getting approved for this arc was amazing. I started it right away. And, sadly, I realized it was going to be nothing like The Kiss Quotient.

The Kiss Quotient characters had chemistry, whereas in this book, I felt like there was little-to-no chemistry. Obviously, that’s my opinion and some of you will disagree when the book is released. But, I wasn’t a fan.

Overall, I’ll write more when the book is released in May; I don't want to risk giving the plot away. Either way, I think many of you will like this, and I still recommend it to those who enjoyed The Kiss Quotient. I have a feeling I'll end up having the unpopular opinion, but we shall see in May!

When I saw that Helen Hoang had won Goodread’s Best Romance for 2018 I was a bit confused because I’d never heard of her. I immediately purchased The Kissing Quotient and devoured it quickly. I fell in love with her characters, their background and how she was able to write a female heroine with autism so well. I was also ashamed of myself for not having read more romances with diverse backgrounds and non-Western heroes and heroines. I was also hooked on her writing.

I was lucky enough to be selected by Netgalley to read her second novel The Bride Test before it releases. I went into her first novel with low expectations and ended up being blown away. I was slightly nervous to start this one because my expectations were so high second around only be impressed once again. My heart broke for Khai and Esme both for different reasons. I loved learning more about Vietnamese culture and their language. This was a love story set in a non-traditional way and I loved every minute of it. From Khai’s quirks due to his Aspergers to Esme’s love of education, but lack of opportunity. Read all the way through to the Author’s Note and if it doesn’t make you tear up, you have no heart. (Just kidding, but really—it got to me and I’m so glad Hoang went with this version of her novel).

I highly recommend this book!!! Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A fascinating look at how a young man, Khai, with Asperger's responds to people and emotions. Esme has been brought from Viet Nam by Khai's mother for the specific purpose of marrying Khai, who is totally uncomfortable with the idea. Esme is extremely bright and catches on quickly how to work with Khai and avoid unpleasant situation. Such situation, however, do arise and make for a very interesting and entertaining story.