Funny and cute, and an enjoyable read. The idea of a coparenting website is super intriguing. I really liked reading about Lucie and her experience throughout the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

I was very excited to see Lauren Ho was going to write next as I loved her first book. This book did not disappoint. The characters were fun and well developed and it was great getting to see Singapore through the eyes of the characters.

However, I was a little disappointed in the character development but still found the book to be entertaining.

4.5 stars - the best reads are ones that punch you in the gut due to the relatability of the narrator and then want to shake sense into them on the next page. That is Lauren Ho’s writing exactly - the story of Lucie was handled so well. A 37-year-old woman who wants desperately to have a child, but hasn’t established a connection since having her heart broken a couple years earlier. She joins an app that matches people to platonically or romantically co-parent, all around the shared desire to have a child with two parental figures in their life.

This book deals with heavy content on its face and in its undertones. The desperation to have a child is a constant ache through the first part of the book that so many can relate to. The underlying itch to find Mr. Right and pinpoint every flaw with men you go out with. The nitpicking once you’re in a relationship and not sure if something or someone better is out there.

I am grateful for Ho’s honest writing that clearly comes from a place of personal experience - it is raw and it is heartfelt. The pacing of the novel is quick, but feels well developed. There were a few loose ends at the end of the book, but I think that makes it realistic. I loved learning about Singapore and different facets of Asian culture as a whole in this book as well.

All in all, this was a strong sophomore novel and I can’t wait to get my hands on the hard copy once it’s released in June. Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun read and just what I needed for a snowy weekend to relax and escape. I enjoyed reading about Singapore, though I was slightly confused when the book began in NYC. The characters were interesting and well drawn. The one girl, 2 guys trope was not unusual, but well played none the less, I wanted to read more about the parents and, if there is a sequel, that is an area to be explored. Lucie's relationship with her parents seemed unresolved. Thank you for the ARC.

Luci Yi is not Romantic….

Yet, she is.

Luci has a complete breakdown at the children's store and comes to the realization that she desperately wants to have a child of her own. Employed by her hilarious friends, she joins a dating app (of sorts) for individuals looking to co-parent a biological child.

Lo and behold, she finds Collin! He’s everything Luci’s looking for in a platonic co-parenting relationship.

The next section contain spoilers:

So Luci and Colin end up getting pregnant on their first try! It wasn’t a huge part of the plot which kind of bothered me because I wanted more from that. Then everything went very quickly, they moved to Singapore (within a few weeks!) and start living together.

The plot lacked quite a bit but made up for it with the characters. I’ll take well developed, lovable characters over plot anyday.

If you like romantic comedies, and friends to lovers, this one's for you. Also if you really liked The Back-up Plan by Jennifer Lopez I think you’d really like this one!

I really wanted to love this a lot more than I did. It had all the components of a book I love: strong, female character, interesting and unique premise, and well written characters. Despite all that, I could not find any chemistry between the two main characters, Lucie & Collin. I honestly didn’t feel like Lucie had any chemistry with anyone. Her interactions with everyone seemed so sterile. And for a good quarter to a third of the book her interactions with her ex, Mark, was just unbearable to read.

And yet…. I still really enjoyed other parts of the book! It dealt with really heavy topics very well. Family issues, generational differences, divorce, women’s roles in society, miscarriage, spousal cheating, and so many other incredibly mature topics were touched on in this book. And the author wrote them very well. I appreciated how the author didn’t try to romanticize the difficulty of dealing with trauma and loss.

In the end, it is a solid 3 star read for me. There were plenty of aspects I really enjoyed and some aspects that I didn’t quite love. I will likely still check out the author’s first book though.

General Fiction/Women's Fiction. Not a Romance (you can remove the romance and you'll still have a complete story)

I started this book at the beginning of my vacation, like literally as soon as I arrived at the airport and settled into my seat in the boarding area, and I didn’t want to put it down. I was hooked immediately. The pacing of the first half (first 2/3rds) of the book is great, and I really enjoyed Lucie’s stream of consciousness/first person POV. I did start thinking it was a slog when a secondary character got more page time. Overall, enjoyed the book.

The novel starts with Lucie going into a fancy boutique to purchase a gift for her friend’s triplets and this leads to her crying at the store. We learn of Lucie’s desire to become a parent, and how it seems to not be in the cards due to not being in a current relationship (there’s also a hilarious whale movie reference), when one of her friends mentions co-parenting apps, similar to dating apps. At first Lucie is against the idea, but she slowly becomes interested, and ends up signing up. Those first few messages with people that were the highest potential matches were very cringe (similar to dating apps), but eventually she clicks on to Collin’s profile, and they hit if off.

While there is a romance, most of this journey is really about Lucie’s pregnancy, her friendships, deciding how she wants to proceed at work, how she wants to parent, how she will handle co-parenting, and of course dealing with her own family. Also, her ex-fiance is now back in the picture.

I’m not sure if we are supposed to like or dislike Lucie, I can see this going either way. I love that she’s independent career women, but at the same time she tends to be insecure and will accept decisions that others make on her behalf. You see her fighting for what she wants and what she deserves, but also there are times when she doesn’t speak up. She owns her mistakes, but I think some of these mistakes make it a bit harder to like her.

In regards to the book, while I thought Ms. Ho’s debut was okay, I had a lot of issues with the writing, it seemed as though she was unsure about her audience. Some parts of the story were written with a white gaze in mind, which didn’t fit in with the format of the novel. In her second novel, most of this has been removed, or it fits in better with the story, as they aren’t direct explanations to the readers, but to Collin, who has agreed to move to Singapore to raise their child.

Check for content notes if you need them but the ones I can think of: miscarriage (off page), cheating (physical, and emotional), pregnancy, overbearing Asian parents (stereotype parents who are afraid of “losing face”), complicated parental relationship, controlling partner

Received eARC from Putnam/PRH via NetGalley in exchange for a review, and I know I’ll be pre-ordering a copy of this book.

I was a big fan of Last Tang Standing, am a big fan of this book, and will likely be a big fan of whatever Lauren Ho writes in the future. I loved how complex all the relationships (including romantic, familial, collegial, and platonic) in this book were and how the story was told in a way that didn't shy away from the messier parts of these relationships. Lucie's journey as our main character was so rewarding to follow. There were parts where I was so incredibly frustrated by her initial stubbornness and unwillingness to consider others' perspectives – but that's precisely what made her journey so realistic. I really enjoyed the depth at which we got to explore the love triangle Lucie finds herself in, as well as the way we saw Lucie naviagte her evolving relationships with her parents and friends. I'm nuts about this book (Lucie-style pun intended).

Definitely a cute, non-traditional romance. This would make a great little rom-com for television or film. The love triangle was interesting but readers can always identify the clear winner.

3.5/5
I was really intrigued by the idea of a platonic co-parenting turned romance trope and it did not disappoint. I loved that our protagonist was the ambitious, career-driven, completely independent breadwinner in the relationship. The story delves into some complex gray area themes on parenthood and marriage in the modern day. It challenges the typical romance arc in new and unique ways. While it kept my attention throughout, I found the love triangle between Lucie, her co-parent, and her ex-fiance a little forced. She tended to flip back and forth between them in ways that made me dislike her and feel bad for the two. I couldn't help but feel like they were emotionally strung along by her until the last few chapters when she makes up her mind.

I really liked this! It was a cute and fun read, which is always something I gravitate towards. While being incredibly sweet, this book also has a ton of heart - it's genuinely so gripping and romantic and just a little bit dramatic. Overall a perfect easy read.

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic... until she is. I loved this book. A fun read that I didn't want to put down.

I was fascinated at the idea of this. I'm not sure if Co-Parenting match websites are a thing but I do love the idea of all of it.

I did find myself frustrated with Lucie and Collin. I just wanted them to fall in love right away because they were both so good for each other and had such great chemistry. Then Mark came along and I wanted to punch him in his face- or at least for Collin to.

I also loved the friendship dynamic with the "Fab Trio" and their love and banter.

A "Conveyor Belt Fiancé Situation" is a perfect way to describe this book. 😃
I can't wait to see what Lauren Ho gives us in the future. I would even love this to be a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group - Putnam for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved Lauren Ho’s debut novel, THE LAST TANG STANDING, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I immediately raced to Netgalley to see if I could get a chance to read it. I was not disappointed. The premise of LUCIE YI IS NOT A ROMANTIC is so unique and timely that I want to go back and read it all over again.

After an emotional breakdown in a baby store while purchasing a gift for her friend’s triplets, Lucie Yi decides that now is the time to have a child before she physically can’t any longer. This, however, is where the story becomes unique. Though she would love nothing more than to follow the standard love, marriage, baby carriage formula, with time being of the essence, Lucie joins a website, a sort of co-parenting matchmaking service, to find a platonic relationship with a man who she can build a family with. Enter Collin Read.

Though I wish there had been less back and forth as Lucie tried to figure out what and WHO she wanted, I thought that Lauren Ho so greatly captured how difficult it is to be a woman who wants it all, but doesn’t necessarily have time on her side. So many women will be able to relate to Lucie’s struggles and hopefully take comfort in the fact that while everything might not happen according to plan, having everything can be possible.

This is an amusing, quick read rom-com that actually led to several interesting discussions with my husband over whether the concept of "co-parenting" could ever work in real life. Not all of this is very realistic but I think that's partly the point of books like this. Take some time to escape and just enjoy reading, don't worry about the details. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for access to this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Very fun book! The “tinder for coparenting” was an interesting concept that I haven’t seen in any other romcoms yet—and I read a lot of them! I loved the diversity presented as well. Definitely worth the read.

This book establishes that I will read anything Lauren Ho writes. She's so smart and empathetic and she writes books that are both fun and really take a serious look at real life truths. Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic centers around both romantic and platonic relationships through the lens of being a parent. Lucie is a likable (if flawed) character, and the book's plot zips along as she develops and grows.

The topic of how you become a parent, and the necessary boxes to tick to become a parent, are often addressed in traditional ways in romance novels or contemporary fiction. Lauren allows us to see the complex reality of anyone's decision to become a parent, and the validity and beauty of different paths and different forms of love.

5/5.

It was so hard to put this book down and all I wanted to do was to read this one until the end and I did.
Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic is irresistible and delightful to read. From the moment I read the first chapter, I knew that I would enjoy this book, and I was right.
The characters are wonderfully flawed and I enjoyed them all so much.
Lauren Ho's writing is really something. They way she was able to hold my attention throughout the entire read spoke volumes to me.
I very much enjoyed this- it's a fast and entertaining novel with great characters and a big heart. 

G.P. Putnam's Sons,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic by Lauren Ho is a great contemporary romance that had me engaged and thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.

This is the first book I have read from Ms. Ho, and it certainly will not be the last. I loved the character cast and how real, open, raw, and relatable the main characters were. Lucie and Collin were perfect for one another, it just took a few roundabouts, wrong turns, and a baby to show them what we as readers already knew. I loved how they met, how the relationship shifted from “business” to parents, to love. It was perfect.

I loved Lucie. Is she perfect? Nope. But, she grows, matures, and finds her way to her own version of happiness, a relationship, and a family. She shows us that the order in which these elements occur is not set in stone, and doesn’t necessarily matter, as long as it is done right, for the right reasons, and done with love.

I laughed out loud several times with the wit, sarcasm, and quick banter/dialogue that was threaded throughout. That paired nicely with some of the more serious elements of hurt, loss, rejection, and feelings of uncertainty. As a fellow Mom, I sympathized with Lucie several times during moments of happiness, laughter, and firsts to the other moments dotted with sadness, fear, stress, and emotions.

I just really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this gem.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/21/22.

This was an enjoyable read. I really liked the set up with Lucie deciding to start a family on her own. I could kind of see how is ‘‘twas going to end with Colin from the very beginning, but I still enjoyed it. I liked that it was set in Singapore and I really liked Lucie’s friends.

Lucie’s not a romantic she doesn’t want to wait for Mr. Right she just wants a baby. But the way she goes about it doesn’t make her family or ex happy. What starts as a business arrangement turns into something more. And I Have to say that rather enjoyed this book. I didn’t think I would but I did.