This was a fun read! I enjoyed the couple and the writing was a lot of fun. I will for sure be reading more from this author in the future!

Thanks NdtGalley for the preview!

Gosh I really wanted to like this book. I was excited about the diverse characters and cool premise. The most exciting thing was the sec scenes and everything else fell short for me. The couple didn’t have me rooting for them and their conversations were so redundant.

This was not only about romance but also discussed important themes such as communication in relationships, immigrant family life and finding the courage to pursue your passions.

So I did not like Andre he is a sucky person... he’s dismissive of the opinions of others treats his 26 year old sister like she’s 16 and is just nonsensical. Oh and I can understand moving and starting over but what part of that means you need to never tell your girlfriend of 2 years that you lived with anything about your family? Saying you have a mom with a restaurant
and a younger sister doesn’t change that. It’s like telling the girlfriend that you have a family emergency and need to leave. He’s just so unnecessarily secretive and weird for no reason and makes things difficult for everybody. I don’t know if it’s the writing that makes him so awful or he’s intentionally awful so if that’s the case then the writing is spot on...

It’s a romance so you know how it’s going to go... he’s trying to save his family’s failing business and she is trying to win a competition at her sex toy sales company she wants to open her own sex toy shop... they partner up to benefit both of them and of course old feelings/attraction gets all stirred up and so sex sex sex.... it’s all your typical romance nonsense and shenanigans. Very predictable in fact I could have written this review after reading the first chapter. But I did like Trixie and wish she had better taste than Andre because I really didn’t like him from his first pov I knew I was never going to like him no amount of redeeming could save him because he sucks for literally no reason and him saying he didn’t want to be like his father nonsense was also dumb because he already was sucky before that.


I wanted to like this book and I’m super late reading like by 2 years and I had an arc copy and won a signed arc from the author but I think I really just don’t much like contemporary romance so it’s a me problem... oddly enough I do think this book is perfect for like a Netflix rom com movie.

Now I’m moving on to book 2 in the series with the hope that it’s better even though yes I said I don’t like romance. Sometimes a romance can shock me by making me so it so you never know

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I am so here for more sex positive romances and stories that encourage using sex toys as a way to liven up sex life if wanted, but there is so much cissexism and heteronormativity baked into this that I couldn’t get more than a few pages in before I set it aside. A case of me being the wrong audience.

I didn't finish this book, I didn't hate nor love it. I think you should give it a try but i didn't really read enough for form a solid opinion.

I was super excited about this book but unfortunately DNf'ed - I wanted to love it but just couldn't get into it. I love interracial storylines, especially when neither of the love interests are white!! I was ready. But the writing was bland, the conflict was bland, and I didn't love either of the characters. Super bummed.

I truly think this could work well for others though so don't take my review as bible!

I know that prefacing a sentence with "I know [x] is bad, but . . ." is normally a terrible way to star a sentence, but for real, I know gentrification is bad, but please explain to me why shaming people for needing gluten free or dairy free food is acceptable?? I know that I'm mostly just sensitive to this because I will forever and always miss real bread of all varieties, but the beginning of this book did so much casual insulting of restaurants that serve people who need vegan/gluten free/dairy free food that we got off to a rough start.

Now, obviously that's a personal problem, and I obviously finished the book, so let's talk about why I didn't just let that personal irritant go. I did not buy the romance in this book at all. This book does this weird thing where it pulls emotional punches that I think objectively needed to land and then when something softer would have worked does like a KO punch. This metaphor has stopped working for me, but seriously, this book provides really wonderful characters, they're just not characters that make sense together. Andre makes strides in communicating, but the whole time he's making these strides, Trixie is still shutting him out emotionally. And then when Andre blows up about something that really walks the line between making sense and being the most self-centered out-sized reaction I can possibly imagine, it's like he's lost all sense of how to communicate. A grand gesture does not a romance make. And also, at no point does Trixie really seem to unbend or compromise or meet Andre halfway? And I know that Andre messed up PROFOUNDLY the first time they dated, but... Like, then don't get back together?

Honestly, I think I have an unpopular opinion here, but this book didn't work for me at all and finishing it really made me not want to read anything for a while because I just did not like this. That said, I hope Thien-Kim Lam has a long and illustrious career because I do think she writes characters well and I loved the sex positive nature of this book. Like a lot. Plus, the cast of side characters are really intriguing. But this book? Not for me.

What would you do if you were holding a vibrator and looked over and saw the bartender was your Ex-boyfriend?

In Happy Endings, we are introduced to Trixie Nguyen and Andre Walker, ex-lovers reunited by chance in a new city. Trixie left New Orleans to find and create a new life after a previous one went up in flames when she flunked out of school and her boyfriend broke up with her over a post-it note.

Andre returned to DC when his mom got sick, leaving behind the love of his life in New Orleans. It was not until he saw her at this mom's restaurant holding sex toys, did he realized he missed her and wanted her back.

Trixie is a sex toy consultant and is hosting an event at her ex-boyfriend's restaurant. When Andre comes back into her life, she has to decide if he is worth the heartache all over again.

Happy Endings is an OPEN DOOR romance book with a lot of stem, sexual references, and food references. Do not read on an empty stomach or you will crave soul food Happy Endings also features interracial dating as well as dual POV and is a second chance romance. This is Thein-Kim Lam's debut novel. I am thankful for the ARC that I am just getting around to reading. Overall enjoyed the book and looking forward to more by this author. Hopefully more Boss Babe stories.

When I saw this book I was drawn by the cover. FINALLY an interracial romance that did not have a BM and WW as the main characters.

We love a steamy read, we love a woman who is confident and we could use more of those in romance novels. I love that Tricia was selling sex toys and didn’t mind talking about self pleasure.

As a black woman I loved the portrayal of Andre and his culture. Though their sexual relationship was not the relationship lacked the swoon we all need but this is normal like real life. Still would recommend this for own voices readers

Happy Endings , the debut novel from Thien-Kim Lam, is a second-chance romance that is sex positive, features a wonderful heroine, and delights with a textured, multi-cultural community that takes the reader on an adventure. Trixie Nguyen is determined to prove to her parents that she can be successful in selling sex toys, not the traditional career path for a Vietnamese woman.

Andre Walker is trying to save his family’s soul food restaurant, When Trixie relocates to DC, she meets her ex, Andre, who dumped her when they lived in New Orleans by post-it note (I do not recommend this - a step below breaking up via text). However, this is a romance and circumstances require that they team up for success. Trixie decides to to open a pop-up sex toy shop in his restaurant and things really start getting interesting.

This book excels at showing two people learn about themselves as they grow into a relationship, learning to be a part of a team. The friendship group is amazing and the families are well=drawn. I'm a sucker for the ensemble cast and this romance delivers that. Wonderful debut!

I feel so torn about this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed the sex positive writing, not just for the main characters, but for all ages. However, Andre felt extremely static throughout the entire story. His growth at the end wasn’t much of a growth. It was more, he still does the same exact thing as before, but now says sorry, for his terrible choices. I really enjoyed Trixie, as well as the own voices perspective of her life. I wish more of the story was on her arc, than split between her and Andre.

This one missed the mark for me. The group she’s a part of being called “Boss Babes” just rubbed me the wrong way. Totally made me think of the MLM stay at home wives who push the latest scam product. I appreciated parts of the story but just felt the story as a whole was very underwhelming. 2.5 stars

Did anyone say it yet? I'm gonna say it!
Thien-Kim Lam is turning on all my contemporary romance buttons with the cultural diversity and interracial romance AND second chance romance AND laugh-out-loud humor. She hit EVERY BUTTON in all the right ways, not unlike her characters...
It's a classic second chance romance, and you KNOW it's going to have an HEA, but that didn't make me read it any slower. It was fast-paced and cute and definitely, a good weekend read.
I can't wait to read more from the author. What a fantastic debut novel!

Cute rom-com with a semi-unlikely premise. I did enjoy the characters, but didn't feel like there was enough tension. Lots of steam though! Overall, not bad. I'd recommend if you are looking for a quick romance!

I got about halfway. I just can’t get past the male MC. I think she took him back way too easy for everything he did. It’s a DNF for me.

Thank you for an advance copy of Happy Endings. I had a hard time connecting with this story, and this one ended up being a DNF for me.

Trixie Nguyen is determined to make her sex toy business a success, proving to her traditional Vietnamese parents that she can succeed in a nontraditional career. She's made a fresh start in Washington DC, and her first pop-up event is going well—until she runs into the ex who dumped her. With a Post-it note.

The last person Andre Walker expected to see in his soul food restaurant was the woman he left behind in New Orleans. Their chemistry is still scorching, but he's desperately trying to save his family restaurant from gentrifying developers. The solution? Partnering with his ex to turn Mama Hazel’s into a vibrator pop-up shop for hungry and horny clients.

Thanks to their steamy truce, both businesses start to sizzle and their red-hot desire soon reignites deeper feelings. But when Trixie receives an incredible career opportunity, will pride ruin their second chance at happiness?

I was super excited for this one but I just couldn't quite get into it. It seemed like it dragged and I found myself waiting to really "get into" the story. I wish there had been some more flashbacks so we could've seen the couple before.

Okay I love these characters and want more from them so badly!! I love their romance and this story. Such a great romance, highly suggest you check it out for something fun!