A beautiful and unique story about fate and choice.
This was a charming and unique story about two people who never should have met who ended up getting a second chance.
Rooney has been trying to launch her art career under a pseudonym for a while with little luck. After setting up a public display of her work, she meets a man named Jack. They spend one amazing night together exploring the city. At the end of the night, Rooney realizes that Jack gave her the wrong number, and she is unable to find him again. That is until Jack unknowingly recommended her as the artist for a project that he was doing at NASA. When she arrives, he is surprised that she is the one to show up since he had no idea she was the artist. Due to the rules of his job, Rooney and Jack aren't allowed to date. But that doesn't stop fate from intervening...

I loved this so much. I enjoyed watching Rooney and Jack spend more time together and really get to know each other's hearts. I was hooked the whole time and really liked how fate was such a heavy theme in the story. Even though so much was pointing towards these characters not being able to be together, whether it's because of where they live, or their jobs, fate and also choice found a way.

This book was wonderful. The narrators did an excellent job as well.

Rooney is mildly haunted by her origin story (not as a villain... 😂) and the opportunity to keep it private has her jumping at the chance to work with NASA. After a night that seemed fated months ago, she's surprised to find that she'll closely be working with Jack, the one that got away. But destiny awaits and Rooney is determined to see it through.
I'm head over heels for this book. It's well rounded and everything I wanted to read . It's full of love and life and just a little bit of magic.
Narrated by Andrew Grace and Yu-Li Alice Shen, this audio is about 9 1/2 hours. I adored their performance and they brought the story to life in the best way.
Thanks Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, Forever for the audio advanced listener copy of Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen in exchange for my honest opinion.


This is a sweet rom-com about Rooney and Jack. Rooney is an artist who takes inspiration from the Chinese legend of the Red String Theory, in which every nuanced small action will lead you to your “Stringmate” or true love. Jack is a NASA scientist who looks at the world from an analytical science-based perspective. He does not believe in fate and feels that things happen based on a person’s choice or actions.


I love the concept of this story, I’ve always liked the idea that a small action can completely change the trajectory of what was already in motion. Parts of it had me giggling and smiling and some had me quite bored. This book was so cute and heartwarming. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this concept and looking for something sweet and easy to digest.


I wanted to like this story more but the pacing was so slow in the middle that I kind of lost interest. It was also quite predictable even though I know twists aren’t expected in romantic comedies, I wanted something unexpected. I would still give it 3.5 stars because the romance outweighed the boredom.

I just reviewed Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen. #RedStringTheory #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

After loving Lunar Love, I was so excited to listen to Red String Theory. Rooney and Jack complimented each other so well and their conversations were full of philosophical banter.
I think that Lauren’s ability to pair great chemistry with deep ideas and add in ice cream science just for whimsy is what makes her such a great writer. This book was full of hope and love but also made me think a lot.
Andrew Grace and Yu-Li Alice Shen did such an amazing job with the narration! I was swept up by the story and they absolutely brought it to life.
Thank you to Forever for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Red string theory was a fun romance centered around the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate.

For me, this book was great at the beginning as we see Jack and Rooney hit it off, a little slow in the middle, and then good again at the end. Obviously, there needs to be tension building as Rooney and Jack can't be together, and the middle takes time to explore Rooney's artistic block - and difficulty figuring out what is next. In that way, it felt more like a self-exploration novel than romance, but in the end, when it circled back around to this couple who clearly have chemistry (and are meant to keep finding one another), it all fell into place.

Ultimately, it is a sweet romance I would recommend to others. Just also make sure you are ready to order food while reading it because all of the descriptions of food made me hungry!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (4 Stars)
Steam: closed door romance, just kissing.

Thanks to Netgalley, Forever and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Narration: The two narrators were great for this book! I enjoyed it, and it split up the dual narration of the book well.

No spoiler review 👇🏻

I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect cute and cozy romance. It also has great Chinese American representation with its main characters and themes throughout this book.

This is a fun romcom with all the Serendipity vibes. This book follows Rooney, an artist and a big believer in fate and Jack, who believes more in science. Rooney believes in the Red String Of Fate, that an invisible thread connects people to people they are destined for. Something that these MCs test out in this book.

It’s cute and I love Jack and Rooney’s interactions. This is a book that just makes you feel good. A heartwarming slow burn romance book. The middle was a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed reading this!

Red String Theory is a delightful love story for readers who love love. The banter between Rooney and Jack was stellar–their conversations were effervescent! I loved their easy connection–from the print shop meet-cute to the missed connections that ended up bringing them closer and closer throughout the story.

It’s swoony, charming, serendipitous, and so sweet. Rooney has always believed in signs, and especially in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. She’s spent her entire career making art installations out of the fateful string hoping to anonymously set herself apart from her famous artist mother, and possibly lead her to her own true love.

A chance meeting with Jack at a print shop gives her pause… could he be her true mate? If so, she decides to leave it up to fate. When the two are brought together again and again, Rooney can’t help but believe. But then the two unexpectedly pair up on a professional project, and swear to not cross any boundaries, regardless of how much string is involved.

Jack, who’s a scientist and data geek in head and heart, needs more than a few missed connections to believe he and Rooney are meant to be together. But when the string keeps leading them back to each other, he’s not sure how long he can remain a skeptic.

Thanks so much to Forever for the finished copy of this easy five-star read! And for the audio copy, featuring a duet narration by Yu-Li Alice Shen, Andrew Grace. Their chemistry was as palpable as Rooney and Jack’s! It’s about 9.5 hours, and I listened at 2.5x speed via the NetGalley app.

Absolutely loved the story & the narrators really brought it to life. The dual narrators were key in making Jack and Rooney come alive. Their pronunciation of Chinese was spot on too.

The meet cute and first 20% of the book really hooked me, I was invested.
Rooney, a string artist hoping for her ‘big break’, and Jack, a NASA engineer, meet by chance (or is it fate?) in NYC and spend the rest of the day/night together.
They lose touch only to reconnect 6 months later.

Self-exploratory journey that looks at fate vs. choice and how different people believe in it.

This was a charming story about love, connection, science and myths. The characters were funny and the narrators did an amazing job of sharing this story.

Rooney, a Chinese-American artist, believes that each person is tied to another through their red string. Rooney meets Jack and believes that fate has brought them to together. However, Jack doesn’t believe in fate, he believes in science. After meeting and having an amazing night, Rooney and Jack lose touch for months, but can’t stop thinking of each other. They come back together for work and their relationship blossoms. Can Rooney convince Jack that they are fated to be together?

I loved the banter between these two characters. The differences between Rooney’s belief in tradition and Jack’s belief in science made this love story. The narrators did an amazing job of bringing Rooney and Jack to life.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and the author for the audiobook ARC.

The last 10% of the book really pushed it to 4 stars! I was so moved by Rooney & her mother’s relationship in the end as well as Rooney & Jack’s.

The concept of this book is definitely interesting and was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. I was so drawn into this story and its discourse on fate. While the concept was done well, I felt like this was just another romance with nothing that was necessarily extraordinary. If you want a sweet, cute, quick romance read this one is for you! I did receive this as an audio ARC and felt the narrators did an amazing job.

Red String Theory
By: Lauren Kung Jessen
Narrated By: Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
-This book has the perfect amount of whimsy.

-I love the intersection of art and science.

-The descriptions of Rooney’s art are so descriptive, I felt like I could see her creations in my mind!

-Rooney and Jack’s relationship is so sweet.

——
Red String Theory was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hachette Audio. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: Out Now!

Red String Theory is such a fun story. We meet Rooney, an artist who believes in fate, and Jack, a NASA Engineer who believes in science. They feel an instant connection, but also wonder if they are truly compatible.

The story follows their evolution, which was so much fun to see. It was really enjoyable to see how they worked to relate to each other and support each other.

I will say, the story did drag a little in the middle, and I wish there had been a little more story before the epilogue, but I still really enjoyed the story.

The audiobook is so well done. I love the dual narrators (I always love a dual POV)!

Check this book out. You won’t be sorry.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #fiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #redstringtheory #laurenkungjessen #yulialiceshen #andrewgrace #hachetteaudio

Wonderful storytelling paired with a swoony romance

I adored everything about this book. I will def be buying my own copy

I loved these characters and this story. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future. The audiobook is very well done and I enjoyed the narration.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for the audio advanced listener copy, all opinions are my own.

This was an interesting dual narration audio about a magical meeting that you could say was designed by fate and the resulting year that is full of changes for the characters. I loved the characters and the development that they both go through. Rooney and Jack meet by accident at a printshop waiting for their print jobs, but their characters are kind of like ships passing in the night, bright lights fleetingly illuminated. Rooney is a creative string artist obsessed with the idea that there is a red string that attaches soul mates, and does string art installations (and creates string art animals to pay the bills), while Jack (Jackson) is very much her opposite, science rules, and very logic based. They end up spending 6 hours together the night of the Lunar New Year in New York City but when things don't work out quite the way they planned (phone numbers are difficult), they randomly meet again when Jack's job is to hire an artist in residence for NASA, and the artist he chooses ends up being Rooney.

The story is compelling, and sweet, stakes are relatively low, but this is not cozy read, there are some heavier things going on in both of their worlds. There is only a couple of kisses on page, and nothing beyond that. The romance is not the main focus of the story.

Recommend for those who love the idea of the red string leading to soul mates or leading to opportunities to expand the self.

This is a sweet Romance where two people fall in love but is it because of the theory that we all have a red string and it will lead us to our soulmate, true love or is love all by chance? I liked reading about different cultures which this author did so well.
This is a perfect book/audio to read wrapped up in a blanket while it raining or snowing.
This is the first time I read anything by this author but it will not be my last I already ordered Lunar Love to read soon I hope.
I listened to the audio version of this story which was really well done thank you @netgalley

A cute AAPI version of Serendipity with an artist and a NASA scientist.

The art title got a little annoying after a while and I wished there was a little more depth to the chargers, but still enjoyable.

(4.5 stars!) really enjoyed this one. I love the idea of believing in fate and science but both pointing to someone being your person. This reminded me of what it is to believe in something magical again. It was sweet and tender and I loved it. The narrators were great and I would recommend to my friends!

An artist and an engineer meet and spend a magical night exploring New York City together before going their separate ways. He ends up back in California while she continues her life in New York. When their paths next cross, they still feel that gravitational pull between them, but circumstances keep them from pursuing a relationship. Are they truly connected by the mythical red string of fate if there are obstacles that keep them apart? Can they trust their love for each other?

Lauren Kung Jessen writes such cozy love stories. I adored watching Jack and Rooney fall in love in this one and watching them both grow as individuals as well. The grand gesture at the end warmed my heart.

I especially enjoyed the discussions of and meditations on fate and free will throughout the book. Rooney feels strongly that she and Jack are tied together by that red string. Jack feels like life is a series of choices.

I wish I had a wise Gōng Gong in my life to dispense wisdom and help guide me like Jack does. This quote especially stuck with me:
“‘The only difference between fate and free will is perspective,’ Gōng Gong says. ‘To some, like you, life is the sequence of choices you make when you decide how to live it. Small decisions add up. For others, it’s the individual moments that have meaning. Both are right.’”

If you’re a fan of all those small moments that add up to a big love in a romance, this one is for you.

The audiobook is told through duet narration by Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace. I love when the narrators and engineers take that extra step, so that the characters’ voices are consistent for all the dialogue in a story. I feel like both narrators captured the characters well, especially with the voices of the main characters and of Wren Gao and Jack’s Gōng Gong.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was such a fun story! I enjoyed the discussion of fate and art throughout the story! The concept of the romance in this one is so interesting and it kept me engaged the whole story! I enjoyed learning about the asian-american culture throughout the book!I loved Jessens writing style and will definitely be checking out her first book! This is a great no steam romance!

The narrators in this one were fantastic! I really liked how they would switch between the narrators during conversations! It made it feel so much more real and authentic.

If you are looking for a sweet rom-com about fate that tasks place in both the STEM and art worlds than this is a great pick!

What a delight this book was! This audiobook was nothing short of fabulous! I absolutely loved how both the male and female were narrating at the same time. It made the book so fluid and I lost myself in the story.

I adored the premise. Fate is always at the back of my mind so it was really enjoyable to have a book with this as a main premise with the other side of the story being science. It was a unique storyline that I haven't read before.

I would have loved a bit more tension between the two main characters. Those scenes had me wanting to speed up the audiobook to find out what happened next!

This is an author I will keep my eye on in the future as well as both narrators! I have already recommended this to friends to need a good light vacation read!