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Member Reviews

This was a fun and easy read to get through (binged it yesterday). Takes place in London and follows the reunion of Renee and Ket Siong, both from Malaysia and both dealing with some major family drama and shadows from their past. I didn’t fall madly in love with either of the characters but it was an enjoyable read and Ket Siong has such swoonworthy moments. Solid 3.5 stars - recommend if you love second chance romances and a bit of family mystery and intrigue.

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I enjoyed the book for the most part but I honestly had a really hard time connecting with the main characters. It felt very “Crazy Rich Asians” without allowing the ultra wealthy to have relatable circumstances or traits/issues with the readers. I spent most of the time not really liking them so it made it hard to root for them. I did think the writing was very well done and the pacing worked well with the story. I will definitely read other works by the author because I think there’s definitely talent there

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This book follows Renee, rich girl fashion brand CEO, as she reconnects with old flame Ket Siong, a musician and the man who dropped her and never looked back. There is a little bit of suspense looped in with the romance as the reader discovers why Ket Siong left Renee without looking back. There’s also some family drama and political drama looped in. It was an enjoyable read but not as much romance as I had expected from the title. Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC.

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DNF @22% - Too much exposition, not enough romance for me.

The writing style felt very clunky for a romcom. I personally really like books - especially romances - where I can really FEEL what the characters are feeling. Instead, I was very clear about everything the MC was thinking about, along with backstory, but there wasn’t a lot of emotions associated with these thoughts. This was especially problematic for me when the lovers finally met - I felt no connection between them, not even during the “hot night they spent together,” (per the blurb) which was a fade to black with no spicy thoughts or feelings. I have no problem reading fade to black books, so long as I can feel the emotional connection between the characters.

You may like this if you want a book like Crazy Rich Asians by way of Succession. Like CRA, there is a lot of family drama, but unlike CRA, I don’t find there to be a lot of emotions about the drama. The main plot may be about Renee’s business and the possibility of her taking over for her father as CEO of his business, and her feelings about returning to her home country after living in England for so long. Readers who have very different values from their families may find this especially poignant.

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I loved the complexity of these characters and their story navigating those complicated relationships. I loved the slow burn between Renee and Ket.

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“You date a guy for a few months one time and he’s your ex for life. Even if he threw your phone out of the window.”

A romance for grown ups, I appreciate it when a romance fades to black for the S M U T parts then picks up in the morning. I find the S M U T parts so tedious and embarrassing. So I LOVED that about this book. Set in Singapore, we follow Renee and where she fits in her family, her fighting her feelings for her ex, and what is going to become of her purpose in life. I wanted to really love it, and I did like it. I didn't love Renee, I found her a bit whiny.

Some truly funny lines, this is great especially if you like books about rich people, the 1%, elite business people. Lots of references to high end furniture, accessories, clothes, etc. I liked pausing to google the brands. Also if you like modern day culture and diversity in culture and character.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published August 6, 2024.

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"From the renowned, award-winning author Zen Cho comes a delightfully funny romance about family, class, and love in modern London.

From the outside, Renee Goh's life looks perfect. She's thirty and beautiful, runs a glamorous - and profitable - women's clothing company in London, and is dating a hot Taiwanese pop star.

But Renee is lonely. Estranged from her family in Singapore, she practically lives at the office, and now she's just been dumped by her supposed boyfriend. Who she never saw anyway, so why is she ruining her Instagram-ready makeup by crying?

Before she can curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry's, Renee's father calls. He's retiring, and, thanks to the screw-ups of her wastrel brothers, he is considering her as the next CEO of the family business: Chahaya Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. That stamp of her father's approval would mean everything to Renee, but can she cooperate with the brothers who drove her out of Singapore?

But fate isn't done with her. That same night, Renee bumps into her first love, Yap Ket Siong, who broke her heart during university. They spend a wonderful night together, but Ket Siong is pursuing a dangerous vengeance for his family. In the light of day is there any hope for the two of them?"

Grab this wonderful book by a favorite author. Pairs well with Ben and Jerry's.

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Wish St Martinz would actually address the concerns of the strike. I would love to review this book in all honesty.

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The writing was lovely, showing off an expansive vocabulary and noticeable attention to craft. I don’t know if it was ever specified that Ket Siong and his family weren’t speaking English among themselves, but I enjoyed how the grammar conveyed that without being hard to parse or disrupting the flow of my reading. I also loved how present their cultures felt in their lives despite living away from their home countries.

Renee and Ket Siong were easy to root for! I loved watching her handle her brother like a pro, even when he was infuriating her, and watching her treat the others in her orbit with care. I was frustrated at times by Ket Siong’s inability to express himself, particularly in the flashback scene where he ended things in college. I think the conflict between them would have felt real and present without the misunderstanding.

Stephen’s reappearance and Ket Hau’s reaction to it was delightful. The mystery surrounding his disappearance, as well as Renee’s work situation, kept me hooked in the stretches where she and Ket Siong didn’t see much of each other, or largely communicated off page. I did wish sometimes we’d get more of their texting on page, especially since they often left so much unsaid in person.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to picking up whatever Zen Cho puts out next!

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- I had high expectations from this book which unfortunately were not met.
- The characters were so annoying
- The asian rep, romance and chick Lit contemporary was why I wanted to pick this up.
- The complaining and entire time whining of this FMC was very off putting.
- The book felt unnecessarily stretched and there was no character growth.
- The love and chemistry between the two characters was very forced.

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I loved the will they or won’t they moments of this one! The slow burn romance was great. And loved the dash of mystery!

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I'm not sure I would call this book a rom com. I felt like the mystery of Stephen's disappearance and the storyline about Renee's family business dominated the book more than the love story. The title is atrocious. It is too frivolous and doesn't accurately capture the feel of the book. Otherwise, I liked it. It just felt like the book wasn't sure what it wanted to be.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was hard to get into. I had to DNF after 10%.
I'll keep the rest of my thoughts to myself.

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I dnf’d this book. I was really hopeful about it but I was getting confused with all the different ket names and couldn’t follow along.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book!

I really enjoyed this book. While it had a lot going on, it handled it all quite well!

Typically, more girl-boss millennial MCs both me, but Renee was a really compelling MC, and I thought her emotional journey and growth during this book were super well-written; she has to come to terms with what she wants out of her career and relationships (with men and family), and in this, she had to make some pretty hard decisions. Ket was a good love interest, but I found Renee's POV more appealing. His head was hard to get into.

Plot-wise, Ket and Renee's family problems, which became intertwined professionally, were written with much care toward family dynamics, commitments, gender roles, and queerness. Renee's were, again, more appealing, even though the major mystery was on Ket's side of things.

I have two major criticisms of this book: first, I think some of the writing was a little choppy, and people didn't use contractions, which is a major pet peeve of mine; second, I think the ending was a little rushed, and I would have liked to see a bit more at the end.

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My expectations of this book were sky high because, well, Zen Cho...and I was not at all disappointed! I devoured it over a couple of days. The Friend Zone Experiment is delightful, easy-to-read, and perfectly paced, with convincing characters and an intriguing plot involving business corruption and a mysterious disappearance. One thing (of many) that I adore about Cho's writing is that her characters are not only vivid and compelling, but grapple with problems that feel incredibly relatable. Even if you're not competing to inherit your family's multi-million dollar business, Renee's yearning for approval from and connection with her dysfunctional family strikes a chord. I found myself cheering for her throughout the book--she's tenacious and brave. Cho's depiction of Ket Siong's steady reserve, deep listening, devotion to his family, and strength of character was a breath of fresh air. Highly, highly recommended for a page-turning read with heaps of chemistry but also a subtle and moving exploration of love, family, and self-acceptance.

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I really like the concept behind this book, but the execution of the story fell flat for me. There were too many subplots and melodrama that got in the way of the romance. I didn't finish it as I lost interest.

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(Review scheduled to post on my blog 7/20/24)
Renee Goh left her family in Singapore years ago. Now living in London, she has a swanky flat and runs her own successful fashion business, far away from her bullying older brothers and family expectations about the proper place and behavior for a good Asian girl. Her glamorous but tidy world is shaken up when her father calls to ask her to consider taking over the enormous family business, Chahaya, just hours after her secret K-pop boyfriend breaks up with her on what was supposed to be an intimate vacation.
Into this chaos steps Yap Ket Siong, the man who broke her heart when they were both at uni a decade ago. She doesn't know what he's doing in London, but his attention is just as focused on her as he was then, and he's even better looking. But Ket Siong's life has changed for the worse in those past 10 years. A close family friend in Malaysia went missing - kidnapped very close to their house - when he was protesting the destruction of old-growth forest to make an oil palm plantation. Since then, he's had to give up his career as a concert pianist to go into hiding with his mother and older brother.
Renee really has her hands full already keeping her own business going andputting together a presentation for a possible project between Chahaya another large Asian company (while keeping the owner's nephew/ her abusive ex away from putting his hands all over her.) Between that and her recent breakup, she really shouldn't be starting another relationship. But Ket Siong is so easy to be around - surely it couldn't hurt if they were just friends, right?
Ket Siong, for his part, has reason to believe that both of the giant corporations Renee is working with have caused major misfortune is his family's life. Certainly hanging out near someone as high profile as Renee isn't keeping him off the radar of whoever it was caused their friend's disappearance. But once again, with life so stressful, how can he stay away from someone who makes him happy?
This is a lot of frothy and moderately steamy fun, with outrageously beautiful, talented, and sometimes very rich people falling for each other. Under that, though, are some serious looks at class, misogyny, and social justice. It's a winning combination.

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💛🧡 The Friend Zone Experiment ARC Review 🧡💛

Thank you so much to Zen Cho and Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Friend Zone Experiment is a standalone contemporary romance. After a breakup, Renee runs into her childhood friend and first love, Ket Siong. She doesn’t have time for a new relationship, but life might have other plans for her

This was an interesting read. While I enjoyed the relationship between the two characters, a lot of this plot was centered around family dynamics and corporate drama which sometimes made it feel like there was a lot going on. This book bounced between the past and current timeline and it wasn’t super clear when jumps happened, so I struggled sometimes to figure out which timeline I was in.

Overall this was a three star read for me. An interesting read overall. This book did have some build up to spicy scenes, but they were mostly closed door, so overall one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of childhood friends to lovers with lots of secrets and corporate drama, then absolutely pick this one up!

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📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Renee is a FMC with so many admirable qualities. While she comes from a wealthy family and could so easily fly by on her dime, she has worked tirelessly to build her fashion brand, her dream. Fashion forward and living life on her own terms in London. When she is broken up with by her boyfriend and offered a chance to take over the family business, she also happens to reconnect with an old flame, Yap Ket Siong. Zen Cho tackles the universal themes of independence, estrangement from family, and finding the balance of living your own authentic life that young adults face…yet just on a grand, culturally rich scheme in The Friend Zone Experiment. In the midst of all of these life changes…can you be friends with an ex who broke your heart?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

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