Helen Hoang is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. The characters in this book felt very realistic and interesting, and I enjoyed their story immensely.

5 stars! To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin with my level of love for this book, which is something I never expected to say in all sincerity. I wasn’t sure how well The Bride Test could follow up Ms. Hoang’s first novel, The Kiss Quotient, so I went into this novel with my expectations super high with a level of dread that it wouldn’t supersede its predecessor. I’m proud to announce that all of those fears were unwarranted because this novel was exceptional from beginning to end. I loved the presence of the characters from all standpoints, both main and secondary, and how easily they came to life and breathed every emotion into all the pages they appeared on. I’m not going to lie, I have been in the biggest book funk of all times, lasting well over two years and this novel and Hoang’s ability to pull her reader in had me pouring over every word and character interaction from the very first second I picked the book up one night and well into the wee hours of the morning about five hours later when I finished it. This book was the very definition of unputdownable for me, and that’s an experience that I’ve craved and haven’t found in a book for so long.

I could wax poetic about this book, the depth of characters, and realness that the author brought to every situation and complication the novel presented, or go on and on about the levels of sexual tension and flat-out sexiness this book inherently is, but I’ll leave that as something to entice you and experience for yourself. And in case it isn’t absolutely obvious at this point, I’m definitely recommending this book. Not only that, but I’m insisting that you shortlist it and push it to the very top of your reading list. I’m relatively positive you won’t be disappointed. I know I wasn’t. Just like I know this certainly won’t be the last book I ever read of Helen Hoang. She’s created a fangirl for life in me.

If, like me, you fell in love with Helen Hoang’s storytelling in The Kiss Quotient, I’ll let you know right now that The Bride Test is every bit as charming, poignant, arousing, and heartbreaking as its predecessor.

Here, we have Khai, a successful accountant who believes he is as incapable of feeling human emotions as a ledger. His mother wants him to get married, and she decides it’s time to go old school: she imports a prospect from Vietnam.

Esme is ready for a change. A mixed race young woman with considerable familial responsibility, she not only is ready for a change, she knows that by agreeing to Khai’s mother’s proposition, she will be that much closer to finding the father she has never known.

The conflict is immediate. For one thing, Khai doesn’t want anyone moving into his home, least of all a complete stranger being paid by his mother. There is something about Esme, though, that draws him to her. She’s hot, yes, but it’s more than that.

Esme wants to connect with Khai. She sees beyond his quirks and into the man he is, and she likes him. Those moments when he shows her kindnesses are beautiful. She isn’t accustomed to people doing nice things for her, and, much like dressing for a wedding, she has to learn it.

There were times in this book when I wiped tears away as I swiped to the next page. There were also times when I thought I would faint from swooning over Khai and Esme. Yes, Khai is on the Autism spectrum, but as Helen Hoang shows so beautifully, he is not flawed. He is not less than. Esme sees that. The question is whether Khai will give himself the chance to love her.

I am completely under Helen Hoang’s thrall, and I don’t want to stop. Her characters enchant and educate, letting you see a few quirks do not diminish you.

This is my first Helen Hoang book so I had no expectations. I heard about The Kiss Quotient — it was big on the book blogging community — but I haven’t had time to read it yet. But when I got an ARC for the second book, I couldn’t miss the opportunity.

Right from the beginning, I was hooked. It even made me stay up late until 4 AM even though I had work in the morning. It was that good.

WHAT I LOVED:

• Focus on autism. When I read the blurb, I was really looking forward to understanding more about it. I even searched the symptoms and sure enough, they were there. However, as someone who has zero to little knowledge about it, I really wish it was explained further.
• The humor. There were conversations that were so ridiculous, you just can’t help but laugh.
• The heroine, Esme. I definitely appreciate diverse characters, especially when they’re Asian. It makes me feel represented. Esme is not your usual heroine. Although she came to America to possibly marry a guy to help her family, it is not who she solely was in the story. She is fierce and determined. Most importantly, she knows her worth.
• The hero, Khai. He is such a sweet, sweet guy. He might be different from what society dictates is normal but he cares in his own way. He shows up when it matters.
The romance. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for love stories. This was such a swoon-fest.

WHAT I WISHED IT HAD:

•More moments after the conflict. This is just a personal preference but I don’t like it when the book ends immediately after the conflict is resolved. Yes, this has an epilogue but can you let a girl enjoy some happiness a little longer? 😂

I read some reviews that were a bit disappointed because The Kiss Quotient set the bar too high. Lucky for me, I read this first. This is only the beginning for us, Helen.

Let me start by saying that I LOVED The Kiss Quotient- like, you know, everyone else who read it. I had high hopes for The Bride Test and while I certainly enjoyed it I did not enjoy it as much as TKQ. I feel like as few as 10-20 more pages could have fleshed out some of the premises better- the three weddings for example- and made a world of difference. That said I am really looking forward to reading (what I am assuming will be, considering the amount of sequel-bait) Quan's story.

Adorable as The Kiss Quotient, I loved this just as much. Helen Hoang can write incredibly believable, authentic characters that you're invested in from the beginning. I also love how steamy she writes love scenes. To me, this is crucial for a good romance.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE BRIDE TEST?
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is set in the same universe as The Kiss Quotient and it proves that Hoang is not just some flash in the pan author. Her talent is genuine. This story follows Esme and Khai. Esme is essentially a janitor working in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam supporting her daughter and mother. She’s basically a single mother. Anyways, one day she happens to receive this opportunity to go to America and seduce Khai, this one woman’s son because Khai’s mother seems to think he’ll never get married and be forever alone. So, Esme takes the opportunity (it is a bit more complex than that) and flies out to California and ends up living with Khai while also attending all the weddings with him and working in his mother’s restaurant. Now, Khai is autistic and only speaks English. He can understand Vietnamese though. Meanwhile, Esme only speaks Vietnamese and understands English, but she wants to learn, badly.

For Esme, this is a huge chance to change her life around. And well, she ends up falling hard for Khai. Except, he doesn’t seem to reciprocate her feelings. I can’t really say anything at all about rep. But, I will say, I loved this book. I thought Esme’s character was very well written and so admirable. Her drive to obtain an education and make something of herself was so cool to read. I really rooted for her. And then Khai, I rooted for him as well. He makes some pretty big realizations. I think if you like character driven, you will for sure like The Bride Test. Also, definitely would recommend both books via audio.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of The Bride Test is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. I am kind of neutral with her narration. There’s some books that she’s narrated that I love and some that I could take or leave. Blessedly, The Bride Test is a book that I loved. Granted, again, this is an audiobook that I listened to at 2x speed, because I think Zeller’s narration tends to be really slow. However, it was worth the listen. I think I liked this as much as I enjoyed listening to The Kiss Quotient. The audiobook is ten hours long. It’s very compelling and honestly Zeller does a superb job bringing the story to life. Plus, it was good to listen to because I was questioning how to pronounce things in the book and it was awesome to know how they should be pronounced.

I found the overall experience of reading this book to be enjoyable, with both plot and character elements that unfolded nicely and with forward momentum. While not the best book I have ever read, I would pass this title along to other readers and librarians.

‘Nothing gets to you. It’s like your heart is made of stone.’

I always find it a little bit stressful to read the sequel of a book I loved, because there’s so much pressure: what if the sequel isn’t as good at the first book? Or what if it blows the first book out of the water and makes me rethink my entire rating system?! Because of that, it’s pretty common for me to stall a bit when picking up a sequel, which is what happened with The Bride Test. I read the first 2 chapters, put it down for 2 weeks, and then read the rest of the book in one sitting. Go figure.

But something inside of him loosened, and he didn’t mind so much the way she said his name now.
Unfortunately, I did not love The Bride Test as much as I loved The Kiss Quotient, but it’s still absolutely worth reading! Much like in TKQ, we’ve got a somewhat slow-burning romance between two people whose sexual chemistry is off the charts, but who can’t communicate well enough to get past themselves and make it work. It’s a blessing and a curse, because I love a good slow-burn romance, but sometimes these characters made me want to scream.

She would do anything for this little one. Except give her up.
Khai’s brilliant and amusing, but his stubbornness became a little cruel sometimes. Esme, I loved endlessly—her wit, her determination, her intelligence, and the way she owned her sexuality—with my only complaint being that I genuinely couldn’t imagine living with someone for weeks and never once letting them know I have a child. As a mom, there were details to that whole scenario that were so frustrating, but they were a little easier to overlook only because the logical side of me knew she was doing it for Jade’s own well-being in the long run.

What a difference an ocean made.
Sigh. I feel like this review’s a bit of a mess; while I genuinely did enjoy The Bride Test so much, putting my thoughts down on paper has me seriously considering all of the things I was disappointed by. I will give a caveat that the last 1/3 or so of this book is practically flawless and made me cry happy tears, but the more of this review I’m writing, the less I can justify anything above a 4-star rating. I’m very excited for the third book and I can’t wait to spend more time with Quan, and I loved a lot of things about this book, but I’m a little bit worried nothing will be able to trump TKQ for me.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Berkley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So, if you are first coming across my blog, let me tell you that I LOVE The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, if you aren't new then you are more than aware I'm sure. This author's debut novel took off with amazing writing and an own voice writing that flawlessly incorporates a wonderful fake dating romance with a heroine on the autism spectrum and Vietnamese-american hero. Stella and Michael completely stole my heart. The Bride Test is the next book and is the story of Khai, Michael's cousin and also on the spectrum. My only 'complaint' is that I would have loved to see more of Michael and Stella (though what we did see was adorable!). I absolutely devoured this sequel and I'm already impatient for another book from her! Read this!!

Here goes on the formal review.



Diversity:

In this one both the heroine and the hero are Vietnamese. The hero is on the autism spectrum and the features thereof are directly involved in the story. I absolutely loved it. At no point did it feel as though the hero is expected to change in order to be loved. (Not that I expected any different, but still, it's nice to see)

I could guess that the author had personal knowledge on these aspects because they were to naturally incorporated, simply a piece of the whole.


Code Status:

Definitely a 5 star Emergency Must See!!

After a second stellar work, Helen Hoang is definitely an Auto-buy Author for me

Allergies/Sensitivities:

Trigger warnings

There are discussion/memories of family death and coping after

Content Warnings

The heroine has never known her father and has a child out of wedlock.


History:

This set in the same world and with the same characters from The Kiss Quotient but it stands alone very well. Caution when reading it that there are spoilers for The Kiss Quotient peppered through, though nothing that I think would affect your enjoyment if you were to read them out of order.

Temperature:

I'd call this a 3.5 on the heat scale. The hero might be a virgin but there is definitely mentions of arousal from the first meeting and eventually on-page sex. I think my favorite part is that the hero doesn't immediately rock at sex and has to learn. There is actually mentions of How-To Books that are cute and funny.

Pain Level:

I'd call this a 3 in terms of angst. There are misunderstandings and different goals and conflict enough to keep the book going including some hold-your-breathe moments before that all-important HEA!

Heart Rate:

This is a contemporary series where there is no world ending disaster or massive conflict. The things at stake are the happiness and future of the characters - which are important - but nothing on a huge scale. I love my paranormals where the universe is on the brink of destruction but it's nice to have it be a more realistic level of conflict too


Breathing:

This is typical length book though, as with all books I enjoy, I would have loved more :-)



Prescription/Rx:

If this sounds good, and you haven't read The Kiss Quotient then don't wait buy now!!!

I struggled with "The Bride Test" in the same way that I struggled with "The Kiss Quotient." I found myself skimming much of the book, as I did with TKQ, and in the end I found that I didn't particularly care about most of the characters. However, Hoang is definitely a writer that I will recommend for those who are interested in contemporary romances.

I really loved The Kiss Quotient so I was beyond excited to read this. And I think I may have loved this even more. Esme and Kai were so cute together. I loved seeing Kai go from reluctantly allowing Esme to live with him to full on school boy crushing. Like TKQ, I adored the representation in this!

Hoang’s second book in her Kiss Quotient series involves the efforts of an autistic man’s family to find him a wife. The main character is a cousin to one of the central characters in the first book. Khai is a successful businessman who’s good with numbers but not with relationships. His mother is so determined to find a girl for him that she travels to the country of her birth, Vietnam, to find the right candidate. Esme is a poor, mixed race girl who has a menial job so she jumps at the chance to go to America and meet a potential husband.

Khai is convinced he is incapable of love or any deep feelings and is a reluctant participant in his mother’s potential bride project. Comparisons to the Rosie Project will be made, but this has more sensuality to it than Simsion’s book. Khai is lucky to have a worldly brother who helps him out on the romantic front. But changing Khai’s mind is another thing.

Esme is hopeful she can woo Khai but his reservations may be too much to overcome. There is humor in the family’s efforts to help Khai in his romantic exploits and in Khai’s bumbling attempts to have any type of relationship.

Readers will fall for Esme, the hardworking girl and Khai, the geek who is impervious to emotion (or so he says.) Hoang has found the right formula for a romantic story of two people who are learning what the other wants while clinging to their own personal expectations. A light romp that’s sure to please.

A desperate mother tempts a young Vietnamese woman with the opportunity of a lifetime—three months in America and a potential husband, in Helen Hoang’s THE BRIDE TEST.

Once again, Hoang weaves a poignant, layered romance with well-drawn characters you can’t help but fall for.

We meet Esme Tran, a hard-working hotel maid who dreams of a better life for herself and her young daughter. The opportunity comes along in an unexpected offer from a wealthy American woman, who searches for a good match for her son, Khai. Esme is initially shocked and horrified at the offer, but after a push from her own mother, she realizes this may be the only chance she gets to forge a different future.

Despite her determination to do whatever it takes to seduce Khai, nothing goes as planned. Khai is curt, closed off, and not interested in a relationship, much less a marriage. His autism means he isn’t always aware of people’s feelings, he often doesn’t process the world—and those around him—correctly. He longs for a solitary life, guided by his own rules and structure.

Khai and Esme collide in a storm of misunderstandings, awkwardness, anger and hurt, but somewhere along the way, they connect in a way that’s very real. Soon, Khai finds he becomes accustomed to Esme, with feelings he finds difficult to understand. Esme, in turn, realizes she’s fallen in love. But what would Khai think if he knew that truth of her circumstances—that she was a poor, uneducated maid with a 5-year-old daughter?

It’s a beautiful thing to see them come together, to see them fall in love, but also to see how their individual stories evolved. Past trauma has made Khai feel like he can never love, and Esme struggles with self-worth as she experiences both hope and heartbreak in reaching for her dreams.

I love this book for its realness, for both the humor and emotion it evokes, for the nuanced characters and the clever writing. Hoang continues to impart the kind of stories that are important to tell, the kind of stories we yearn to hear.

Charming, tender and witty—a refreshing romance that hits all the right notes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this title. THE BRIDE TEST was a fun and fast-paced read, more of a romance than I had realized it would be based on a review I'd seen elsewhere. Thus, a predictable format and outcome, but the interesting characters - particularly Khai, who is on the spectrum and struggles in relationships - make this an enjoyable and pretty charming book for summer reading. 3.5 - 4 stars.

I loved this book! It's so great to see not only a diverse character, but an #ownvoices character. And I love that the characters are intertwined with Hoang's other book (which was also great).

Last year, I read Hoang's much-hyped debut, The Kiss Quotient. Though it was way too steamy for me, I enjoyed it overall. When I read that the Michael's cousin Khai, was getting his own book, I couldn't wait to read it. He thinks he's defective and has no feelings, but his family knows he just processes things differently. It's always kept him from pursuing a romantic relationship, so his meddling mom returns to Vietnam to find him a bride. The bride, Esme, has her own complicated reasons for giving an arranged marriage a try, and I really felt for her. The couple slowly won me over, and I was charmed by them in the end.

Though it wasn't quite as steamy as TKQ, it's still too much for my taste. But I knew to expect that and just moved right on. The heart of the story was wonderful! I was annoyed by one thing that was kept secret for too long (and had an anticlimactic reveal), but it was a fun read overall. I liked seeing how Khai's autism manifested itself and loved Esme's journey as an immigrant. Hoang's letter at the end of the book made Esme's story even more meaningful, and I'm so glad it was included. I'm happy to say that I So Enjoyed It and am looking forward to Quan's book.

I really enjoyed The Bride Test! It had lots of drama and romance, and just the perfect amount of angst, I think. Having of the characters be autistic really opened up my eyes to what their minds go through. I look forward to more books by Helen Hoang!

I really like Helen Hoang’s style of writing. It’s engaging and fun while remaining meaningful. I don’t feel like I’m reading fluff but instead real characters. Once again the Bride Test is a great book full of diversity that makes my heart sing. Great follow up to the Kiss Quotient.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. Good beach read. Interesting characters.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.