I love the use of Chinese Medicine (TCM) and music in this love story between Chryssy and Vin. They meet at a celebrity party and agree to help each other out with fake dating. Vin is hesitant about TCM and how it can help heal a brokenheart for his brother. I love their interaction and how she opens up another world to him.

Their family dynamics played a big part in the story and each of the aunts were so much fun. After reading this, I feel the need to find some cellist music to listen to.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy of this.

Yin Yang Love Song
Lauren Kung Jessen
4.75⭐️

Pub Date: 1/28/2025

LKJ did it again! Another phenomenal book from her! All 3 books have hit the right spot every single time!

How do I even start? So many good tropes here- opposites attract (literally since Chrissy is forever heartbroken and Vin is a heartbreaker), fake dating out of necessity (but done so so well!) turned into a beautiful friendship, then into love 🥰 I'm usually not a fan of fake dating but this relationship was written so well and it was well-rounded. Chrissy is so chill and easy-going and the couple just slid right into a good routine and fitted right into each other's lives. Ofcourse, Chinese culture is ingrained into this book and I love it. I understand the references but even if you don't have a Chinese background, the culture/topics were written so well that you'll just ease into it.

I just love the sassiness and the banter. So much character and definitely adds to the flavor of this duo. It's cute and entertaining, but also had some significantly meaningful and profound parts. The premise and plot were just cozy. One way to describe how this book made me feel is that it's like a warm hug or cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, there were friction points, some difficulties that each character was dealing with individually and then with each other. There was a little bit of a slow part in the middle when they're trying to figure out their traumas. This is a necessary part of character growth but it was a bit slower than I liked. But this was so bingeable. It made my heart flutter and definitely placed some butterflies in my belly. It's clean, closed-door romance. But the tension and build up was so so soooo good!

Ps. Love the small nod to RST! But this is a standalone. So no need to back read the other books before reading this one. I do recommend checking out her other 2 books tho because they are just GOLDEN!

I have been following LKJ's books since Lunar Love 2023, then Red String Theory 2024 and then here we are! She is definitely an auto-buy author for me now! 3 for 3!

Thank you @netgalley and Forever Publishing for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet story about a practitioner of Chinese medicine and a rock star who meet cute and then, thanks to a photo that goes viral, find themselves fake dating and then...... Chryssy lives with her aunties and runs a retreat that uses Chinese medicine to heal broken hearts. They're experts, having been under a curse for generations. Vin and Leo are cellists who play rock music-Vin is a heartbreaker but Leo's heartbroken (he's actually a hoot). When Vin brings Leo to Chryssy, they all discover so much more about each other and themselves. What's in the mysterious box? No spoilers but you won't find out til the end. I liked this for the information on healing herbs and flowers but more importantly for the family spirit both of the Huas and Leo and Vin. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. No real surprises (well, the box) but it's a good read and was great for a snowy day.

Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen is a delightful rom-com that blends Chinese traditions, family dynamics, and a charming fake-dating trope. Chryssy Hua Williams, a Chinese herbalist with a "cursed" love life, teams up with bad-boy cellist Vin Chao for a mutually beneficial fake relationship. While the plan is to "break up" and boost both their careers, unexpected chemistry complicates everything.
Chryssy and Vin’s connection feels genuine as they help each other grow, blending their personal struggles with their professional lives. The story's themes of slowing down, embracing the present, and letting go of the past are heartwarming. The inclusion of Chinese heritage, traditions, and herbal remedies adds a unique and refreshing touch.
Though the pacing stumbles slightly in the middle, the ending ties everything together with a sweet and satisfying conclusion. Perfect for fans of fake dating and heartfelt romances, this story is sure to leave readers smiling.

As a bunny mom, when I heard that there was a bunny rabbit in this book, I wanted to pick this up! I love seeing rabbits as pets in a book, as they deserve more love than they are given.

In Ying Yang Love Song, Chryssy, whose family runs an herbalist retreat, agrees to fake date Vin, a heartbreaker sensational cellist musician in exchange for promoting her business and being another heartbreaking breakup for Vin to increase ticket sales.

As for the fake dating, this is my least favorite trope as I feel that a lot that I read is all the same, and felt the same with this one. It didn't make me feel like this added anything to the genre, or that these characters even had a lot of chemistry.

I did like learning about the different teas and the benefits they can bring, as that is something I'm exploring in my personal life. I did feel like Vin was written as a male version of Taylor Swift. With wanting to know what life is like not being a music sensation, and people always wanting to know when the breakup will be the moment he is in a new relationship, what the songs would be written about it, and the ever present question and gossip of… how did it end?

I think those that like fake dating, the music scene, and want to learn about natural remedies would enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What happens when a heartbreaker who doesn’t want to break anymore hearts meets a woman with a multigenerational curse to never find love? Cue a fake dating storyline and yes we all know where that ends. But add more tea, flowers, self-love, and introspection.

3.5 stars! I liked a lot of things about this book but my favorite part was all of the different types of relationships explored in the book. Chryssy and Vin’s romantic relationship, Vin and Leo’s relationship as brothers and also working together, Chryssy’s relationship with the aunties and the differences between her relationship with both her mom and dad, and Vin and Leo’s relationship with their parents. I really enjoyed all of the different types of interactions at play. I also really enjoyed the use of TCM in the book. I didn’t know much about it going in but I felt like I learned something by reading this book. The biggest downside for me was the pacing. I wasn’t able to truly dive in and found myself needing to put the book down several times when I felt it was dragging. I really love Lauren’s writing though and will definitely keep recommending her books!

4.25⭐️

something i’ve always loved about lauren kung jessen’s books are the unique occupations of her fmcs. every time i’ve picked up her books, i love that i get to connect with these women through our chinese-american backgrounds. and that was no different with chryssy. i learned a little bit about traditional chinese medicine through my parents and a group research project in high school but now i’m a little more inclined to try some of these teas even though i’m 100% a coffee girlie.

there were so many good conversations in this book, whether they were between chryssy and vin, or vin and one of the aunties, that i absolutely loved. these conversations were mostly about heartbreak, love, and burnout but i thought they were important conversations that we should all have. they certainly were applicable to my own situations and they were healing in a way.

the love between chryssy and vin is a slow burn but they have cute banter and are determined to make their love work despite all the heartbreak around them. chryssy sort of forces vin to slow down and smell the roses (literally, no pun intended) while vin shows chryssy that she doesn’t have to be afraid to fall in love.

Jensen writes the sweetest love stories. There’s a really strong, beautiful element of magical realism in this romance. It really is a vibey romantic feeling. I really enjoyed the elements of Chinese culture and medicine and how that was woven into the story of Hua family. On a personal note, I really do enjoy it when I learn about a new culture setting while enjoying my romance novels!. (Also very funny is I think the third romance I’ve read in the past year that involved cello players.) I don’t always enjoy dating trope, but I thought it was well done here. I thought this was a really fresh take on the dating romance!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don't think that Lauren Kung Jessen can do any wrong when it comes to sweet romance books. I really enjoyed the way that this one focused on healing (not just from heartbreak) and on slowing down. As someone who has experienced burnout before, this book resonated with me quite a lot and for that I am very grateful!

I thought that Vin and Chryssy's love story was very sweet. The way that they were both able to better the other as their friendship progressed into more made me smile as I was reading through their story. It felt very real, which doesn't happen often in romance books for me.

The way that all of the Hua women were named after different kinds of flowers was such a fun and unique touch to the story!

Overall, this is a sweet closed door romance that was genuinely just very sweet. It made me think and reminisce on burnout and how detrimental that can truly be in a person's life. So all in all, I would definitely recommend this book!

🎵 Book Review 🎵

This was my first read by Jessen. Yin Yang is a fun fake dating romance with elements of Chinese culture and healing remedies.

I loved Chryssy’s relationship with her aunties and the strong bond of family. I also fell in love with the family’s inn of healing heartbreak through acupuncture, herb remedies, and flowers.

In regards to the chemistry between Vin and Chryssy it lost me. I had a hard time believing in the chemistry and overall relationship between the two. The “feelings” came too quickly and I didn’t feel any tension or fire between the two.

The romance felt “too perfect” but there was no chemistry. It also was a tad overly cheesy for me.

I did love the life lessons about slowing down in life and providing rest and balance. Also, that sometimes you can make certain perspectives in life and it hurts your life/heart with the negative impact. Love that message.

Overall, I’m looking forward to more of Jessen!

Thank you to @readforeverpub @netgalley for my copy.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

Thank you Netgalley, Forever ( Part of Grant Central Publishing) and Lauren Kung Jessen for this early copy of Yin Yang Love Song. I'm so incredibly thankful and grateful for this opportunity.

Once again, Lauren has created such a magical and lovely LOVE story. From the first sentence, I was completely captured and ready to devour this book. I've been so lucky to read each of her novels early and it's truly something I've come to look forward to each January. I enjoy starting my year out with something so new and fresh each time. This one specifically hit home for me with it being set in the PNW, it was such a nice feeling to read.

Now, onto our main characters, Chryssy and Vin. Chryssy, comes from a family who presumes to be cursed when it comes to love. She doesn't quite believe in it until her 9th breakup occurs and she in so many ways, decides to not give into love, until she runs into celebrity cellists and bad boy Vin Chao. Through their innocent run-in, he offers her a deal - for them to fake date. It will help his image/ ticket sells and help her family business get the attention it needs. They agree to fake " break up' since he's a known heartbreaker but as they get to know each other more, there's a different outcome from what they expected and planned.

Throughout this novel, we see so many lessons of letting go of what's not meant for you just because it seems it is meant for you. To slow down in life and let yourself enjoy the now instead of waiting later. Life doesn't always have to be on the go and it doesn't always have to go as planned. Their connection and how they help each other was really so beautiful and sweet. I loved how they both used each other's careers to relate situations to each other, it shows how much they listen to each and care. Truly, just melts my heart thinking about it, I felt so giddy and happy!

Lauren, knows how to really pull the reader in and make them think about such topics that are presented, while also intertwining the rom-com feel and making it fun. Like her previous novels, this one is no different but also is at the same time. I felt like we got to see a new direction and feel in this novel, I truly loved the vibe so much. One of my favorite novels of 2025 already.

Also, I really appreciate how the Chinese culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine was explained and expressed throughout. I learned so much that I never knew about and it makes me want to go find new teas, remedies and ways to release my own stress or anxiety. Hands down, a 10/10 book! :)

Yin Yang Love Song is a romance book that blends themes of work-life balance, parental expectations, and finding one's own purpose.

Chryssy is a chinese herbalist specializing in tea and mending heartbreak. Vin is a world-famous cellist who's known for being a heartbreaker. The two end up fake-dating to help with each other's public image.

I enjoyed this book immense along with every other book Lauren Kung Jessen has published so far! She does a great job tying in asian culture to asian-american characters and having them balance these cultures with their american upbringing.

Thank you @readforeverpub for an early reader's edition of this book! Yin Yang Love Story comes out 1/28

This was a spunky read. The clashing of personalities leading to romance was entertaining to read. I liked the look into being a Herbalist, it was really interesting.
The way these two butted heads, but were also attracted to each other created great chemistry. The opening scene hooks you and keeps you reading to find out how these two will continue to "torment" each other.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Words can’t really express my thoughts on this book, so let’s talk feelings.

Happy. Every page I turned I just felt happy, smiling ear to ear.

Healthy. Chryssy & Vin’s relationship was healthy. Yes, they were fake dating but they were up front & straightforward about everything. They talked. They discussed. There was no miscommunication & it was beautiful.

Strong. All the talk of TCM and flowers and Qi and listening to your body, it made me feel strong. And also made me want spring to get here faster so I could be outside & tending to my flowers again.

Love. At every corner of this book was love. Not only Chryssy & Vin’s but the brotherly love between Vin & Leo, familial between Chryssy & her aunts & her parents & the rest of her family. Vin’s love of music. Chryssy’s love of cooking and TCM. It was everywhere and so woven throughout that you couldn’t help but feel it too.

I already know that this book is going to stay with me and that it’s going to be in my favorites for 2025.

Another sweet and thoughtful read from Kung Jessen, its love story braided with running themes about the importance of family, connecting with nature, one’s agency in writing one’s own story, finding balance and making space for rest when work pressures mount, and both the destructive and healing powers of belief. With two main threads that link these themes—one about music and one about Traditional Chinese Medicine—the story provides so much for a reader to engage with. I loved learning about various flowers and herbs, and how they affect the body, and I could feel the author’s genuine love of music throughout the work. Perhaps, most of all, I loved the celebration of generations of women, united in both struggle and hope, coming together to make something beautiful. In short, it’s a book about healing that in itself is just that.

3.5 rounded up

This author continues to bring such a fresh take into romance from what I have read in regards to the emphasis she continues to put on the inclusion of ancestry and heritage in the current generation's life. This one having to do with a curse was a little hard for me to fully get into but I liked how it ended up resolving itself at the end of the book. Chryssy was a down-to-earth character that I connected to in terms of needing to guard her heart and opening giving away pieces of herself if it meant everyone was meeting their goals. Vin was hard for me to completely understand at times and it felt less mysterious at times and more unclear personality. The beginning hooked me, the middle was muddled a bit but the end did bring it back. I enjoyed the epilogue, a very cute ending to a real relationship.

I truly adore Lauren Kung Jessen's writing style, characters, stories and overall vibe.
She allows you to truly escape your world for her world and I love when an author can do that - its truly a gift. You won't want to miss LKJs recent release!

A really cute fake-dating story between a Chinese herbalist whose family believes their chance at love is cursed and needs to promote a new business and a bad boy cellist who needs to increase ticket sales. Of course they end up having insane chemistry. I love a good fake dating story and this was fascinating with it's aspects of acupuncture and herbs woven in. If you like her other books, you'll like this one!

Thank you to Forever via Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charming, endearing, healing and sweet. I typically love fake dating but this one didn’t quite hit for me. I wanted more depth and more tension from the romance. I did really enjoy the TCM aspect and the familial plot line.