This was a very enjoyable read, and I have the feeling it will find a wide audience.

The interwoven stories of generations of women in this family were engaging, often funny, and sometimes thought-provoking. At times I felt the fight scenes were over the top, but they were definitely fun to read! I appreciated the way the author showed the depth and individuality of so many different women, connected by complicated love.

I thank Atria Books for this ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This read was quite good. It reveals how a curse affects mainly three generations of Vietnamese/Vietnamese American women, about 13 in total. Each character is distinctly crafted and well-rounded. They are vocal, strong-willed or stubborn, and entwined in their family dynamic. I immediately thought of Jeannie Mai from The Real (add her mother, Mama Mai too).

Dial A for Aunties also came to mind. But the meddling, drama, and antics that occur here are more intense (though there is no murder).

The first half of the book has an almost oppressive feel. The women are mean and bitter...almost needlessly so. There is much snark. They lash out at each other and nurture age-old animosities. Those of us from Asian families will recognize this dynamic which is on steroids here.

But then we see an unfolding resolution of sorts. Intricately plotted and smartly rendered, the book shows how the curse takes hold of these characters and how these characters can change their relationship to the curse (and each other).

Ok, and just to note that the Asian male characters, only supporting actors here, are diverse. Many are appealing. And there is fun-poking at a Kevin Nguyen "type," and oppas (2 of them!). There is also some clever commentary about white men, "Asianphiles" or what we call those with "yellow fever." The characters cheekily refers to one British man "William" and "colonizer."

I would readily recommend this book. I enjoyed the read and was satisfied with an ending that beautifully wrapped things up and wasn't pat or neat.

*I received this book as an ARC from Atria Books, and #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so very much for allowing me to read and review!*

The Fortunes of Jaded Women takes you on a multi-generational story of the women in a Vietnamese family that have been cursed due to the decisions of a female ancestor. Now, it is up to them to try and reverse the curse and mend their familial and romantic relationships if they have a chance at happiness. Every chapter is about a different character through current events and flashbacks. The author’s storytelling abilities has you hooked from the beginning and takes you on an equally funny and heartbreaking journey. I absolutely loved this book and at the end, I wanted to keep reading about these characters. I would definitely recommend this book!

Not all that long ago marrying for love (in many cultures) was unheard of. When one woman dared go against this a curse was placed.
Now generations later this so-called-curse, needs to end. Mai has had enough bad luck of her own to want to change all of the fates of the Duong women before she goes mad from their daily drama.
This novel is perfect for fans of Lisa See and Amy Tan. Carolyn Huynh joins these authors who expertly weave together strong family bonds, and strong-headed women, who are making their way in trying times.
This is epic women's literature on how women think something like a curse is in their way and the forces nature they become when forging the life they deserve. More than 5 stars.

The Duong women are cursed. Generation to generation these Vietnamese women are cursed to only bear females, and never a male who could call their ancestors home. Spanning three generations and twelve women , this often humorous tale is one of estrangement, love, grief, joy, and of course, family.

When Mai flies to Hawaii to seek guidance from her psychic, Auntie Hua, she is given a prophecy: a death, a marriage, and a pregnancy, with the admonishment to make peace with all her family or this could be the year she loses everything.

I am struggling between a rating of 3.5 and 4 stars but I rounded up to 4. This book was super entertaining and made me laugh out loud lots of times. I think the writing was great with good storytelling. I loved all the family history and found all the generations fascinating. I also love reading about family drama and there was plnety of it throughout the book. The only issue I had was that I got a little confused with all the names (I feel like there were sooo many) but I would not consider this a flaw of the story. I am looking forward to getting a hardcopy of the book as publication date gets closer.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy for an honest review.

Gripping and memorable, with a cast of fascinating female characters. Perfect for fans of Lisa See.and Jessie Sutanto.

this book managed to blend together fun fantasy elements with tradition and culture, and modern slice-of-life family/personal drama in a way that was captivating to read.

there are a lot of characters to keep track of but i didn’t find it too difficult. the writing is very similar for everyone but the author reminds you of details when the perspective switches enough that i was rarely confused on who was who, and the few times i was, it was easy to figure out. i felt invested in everyones stories. i would’ve liked more detail on some in particular, like Lily, or Joyce. and even with the women we heard from the most, i would’ve loved to know more about their lives and journeys. but it’s not a complaint, there’s only so much you can do in one book. really i think this has great potential to be a series, or a tv show adaptation would be so cool.

the family dynamics were great, the romantic relationships and their downfalls were great, and seeing it all combine at the reunion is definitely my favorite part of the book.

there are so many important topics touched on here, but it never feels too heavy or pessimistic - it’s still a fun, lighthearted read with a core of a strong family of women.

Very funny while dealing with heavy topics. It was about the mother-daughter relationships and how Asian women, but specifically, Vietnamese-American navigate life and relationships.

I enjoyed reading this and could somewhat to relate to some characters but it was hard at times to keep up with them all.

I did cry a couple times so ouch… but I loved it.

I wonder if I would have liked this book more if I were Vietnamese? I think I was expecting something a little more lighthearted than this was.

It's the story of a set of estranged sisters, immigrants to Orange County, CA and their daughters, a family "cursed" to only have girls. The sisters have been estranged for 10 years, and their attempts to mend things is filled with so much fighting, that it turned me off at times. (I have a really hard time thinking of 60 year old women getting into brawls, esp more than one.)

I could sympathize with their first-generation daughters a lot, women who are trying to find their identities, straddling the line between Vietnamese and American.

I found the writing easy to get into, and I think the writer did a good job of setting the place. But I struggled a bit with the characters (there are a lot, and I kept losing track of who was whom), and I felt at times they were just a bit superficial.

But there is clearly a mystical/magical realism element that I liked, and I think I might have liked this a little more if there was less fighting and more of the mystical.

At the end, I honestly felt a little let down, because it felt like the cycle of regret was just repeating.

This book, following the lives of several generations of Vietnamese women, mothers...daughters...sisters...was absolutely wonderful. I am not Vietnamese but I found so many similarities to my own life as a mother and a daughter. My daughters, who were born in China, deal with some of the same issues that the younger generation in "The Fortunes of Jaded Women" dealt with. I could actually hear my oldest daughter's voice as I was reading.

This story was told with warmth, and humor, and hope. There were times I was well and truly laughing out loud while other times I found myself fighting tears...both happy *and* sad. Carolyn Huynh's writing style is delightfully smooth and easy. Reading her work is like enjoying a glass of your favorite wine, and much like that favorite wine, I found myself wanting more. More than once I caught myself casting the film version in my head. Make no mistake, this book would make a great movie!

If I had to name one thing I was disappointed in, it would be the ending. I don't like being left hanging. Unless of course she plans on writing a sequel, in which case? I am sooo there!

Many thanks to Atria Books for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women follows a Vietnamese American family “cursed” to only give birth to daughters. The book began mystical and fun. The first scene (the curse) hooked me. I found the antics of the older relatives laugh-out-loud funny. Where the book lost me was the amount of characters and how none of them were developed enough to let us experience (and love) them fully. I think if the cast was smaller or simply less surface-level, this would have been a favorite of 2022 for me.

The Duong family is cursed to only have daughters. They also are stubborn and hard-headed. Mai Nguyen hasn’t spoken to her mother, sisters, or daughters for ten years. After going to her psychic, she is told that she has to repair all of the rifts or she’ll never have a chance again. Considering that she can’t meet her sisters without it turning into a brawl that gets them kicked out of establishments or her daughters won’t call her back, getting close won’t be easy.

A fun, deep look into the connection between Vietnamese mothers and daughters. There is love between everyone but there is also a lot of snipping and nagging that the knowledge of love gets lost. This is a charming, fun book.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I really liked this story of multiple generations of women from the Dương family, all of whom are allegedly suffering from a curse cast against the women of their family generations before when Oanh Dương left her husband when she found true love. His mother wasn't super happy about it, so she sought a witch who would curse the Dương women to only give birth to daughters and never sons. The current generation of Dương women includes four mothers and eight daughters, mostly living across the US, and most of whom are essentially estranged from one another. Mai Dương, now Mai Nguyễn, goes on an annual visit to a Vietnamese psychic in Hawaii, who predicts for her family a funeral, a wedding, and a grandson. She brings her sisters together and they all try to reconcile with each other, with their mother, and with their own daughters. I loved all of the Dương women, who are very real - funny and stubborn and sad and angry and joyful. There are so many funny details here, and the epic fights among the Dương women, well known throughout Little Saigon, are funny and touching even when they're intense. I look forward to seeing what Carolyn Huynh comes out with next!

The Fortunes of Jaded Women takes a broad look at a family of Vietnamese American women who have been "cursed" so they can only give birth to daughters. I became dizzy with the number of characters - three mothers and several daughters and their lovers. Huynh zooms in on various women for short scenes but not enough to get to know them or always remember who is who. I found many of the characters catty and unlikable.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women
by Carolyn Huynh
Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ATria
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. For fans of Jonathan Tropper, KJ Dell’Antonia, and Kevin Kwan, this “sharp, smart, and gloriously extra” (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, The Last Story of Mina Lee) debut follows a family of estranged Vietnamese women—cursed to never know love or happiness—as they reunite when a psychic makes a startling prediction.
I loved this book! The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a perfect light read, with a hilarious and crazy climax and a sweet ending, plus it’s filled with insight into the Vietnamese-American experience.
4 stars

I now see why this book keeps getting recommended to me. I falsely assumed it was going to be another cross generational downer (nothing against them, I just like to mentally prepare since they can be triggering). What I read instead was a darkly hilarious book about mothers and daughters and curses. Not the swear word variety - the eye of newt, burning sage, chanting to rid the curses type of curses. I loved this.

At first I worried that there were too many characters to remember- and there are MANY, but they each had a distinguishable voice and equally interesting in their own right. I loved the over the top visuals and could tell where the Korean Dramas/Chinese Soaps had influence. They were so ridiculous and batsh*t…yet worked.

This book gets an extra star for a reveal towards the end that had me laughing out loud and then I immediately reread it to laugh again.

With that said, the first half (more serious) felt like a different book to the 2nd half (much funnier). Almost as if it was written by two different authors. Interested to hear if anyone else felt that way.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Fortunes of Jaded Women” focuses on a family of Vietnamese women who deal with a curse over several generations. The curse is that the family only has daughters, who will never know happiness. Mai Nguyen is told by a psychic that her family will have a marriage, birth and a death within their family that year. This is a well written story about how relationships come apart and back together again. I liked the insight into the Vietnamese American culture in California, and the diversity of stories and experiences included in this novel.

There are so many characters it was difficult to follow, and I felt like I needed a refresher on the family tree every so often. Having to remember which character I was reading about was distracting. Overall I think the book is well written and I’ll definitely read this author’s next book.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The best part of this novel for sure were the characters - while sometimes, the volume felt a little overwhelming, the way they were drawn was wholly entertaining. Rich family drama, great representation - this was a fully enjoyable debut!