Member Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a refreshing and captivating experience, and I found the writing to be both engaging and accessible. The story flowed smoothly, making it easy to stay connected to the plot and characters without feeling lost or overwhelmed. The author struck a perfect balance, keeping things interesting while still making the content feel approachable. Overall, it was a wonderful read, and I would definitely recommend it to others who are looking for an enjoyable and easy-to-digest book.

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Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. Chryssy is such an amazingly relatable character. Her feeling that love is cursed with her and her family and taking holistic measures to better oneself. When Chryssy meets the handsome musical Rockstar, Vin Chao, she can't deny a connection there. When Vin proposes a fake dating to benefit his image in the media, Chryssy agrees. As soon as they get physically close holding hands and kissing, they both know this feeling is different than all the others they have dated.

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Thank you for an advanced copy!

This book drew me in because of the tropes I had read the first by this author and did not finished that book.

This is a DNF for me. I got to about 30% and while interesting it just didn’t capture my attention to keep reading and wanna finish the story. Cool POV and really like the characters, especially the aunties.

May come back later to finish, but at the moment this is not for me. This was very interesting & like the characters and the dual POV, but I’m in a slump and nothing is working for me at the moment.

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This delightful rom-com blends Chinese traditions with a family curse, featuring Chryssy, an herbalist, who finds herself fake dating Vin, a bad boy celebrity cellist. I loved Chryssy and Vin, and the supporting cast, especially Leo and the aunties, is such a highlight!

I loved the perfect mix of laughs and swoon-worthy moments, all wrapped around messages about slowing down to savor life and embracing the art of reinvention. If you want a heartwarming read celebrating love and cultural richness, this book is for you!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for a copy of this book.

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A fun romance. I enjoyed the culture it brought to life. I really loved her last book too. Thank you for lettting me read early.

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I absolutely adored the dedication: “To those looking for their love song.” Right after, there’s this beautiful quote: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” by Lao Tzu. It set the tone perfectly. And then the opening hooked me with this gem: “We learn the value of love through loss.” I was all in from there.

One thing that really resonated with me was how the story ties physical symptoms to emotions. I’ve felt that in my own life a few times, so it hit home. Plus, fake dating? One of my absolute favorite tropes! The romance, the banter, the chemistry—it’s all there, and I actually prefer that it’s fade-to-black, which made it even better for me. I loved how the book weaves in healing from heartbreak, not just for the main characters but even showing how the heartbreaker can hurt too. So good!

This book surprised me—it’s shorter than I expected, but it’s so deep and beautiful. It’s all about love, family, and self-discovery, with this big emphasis on healing and rest. I was obsessed! It even inspired me to run to 99 Ranch for some chrysanthemum tea. The little details—like the pearl lesson at her dad’s restaurant, the flower names for the Hua women, the dragon boat race, all the music references, and that mysterious family curse—made it so rich. I’m not super familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine, but now I’m itching to book another acupuncture session.

Honestly, this book was a treasure. Highly recommend! A quick thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this gem—I’m so grateful!

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Read If You Like:
- Fake dating and celebrity romance tropes
- Stories rich in Chinese culture and traditions
- Family dynamics and multigenerational curses
- Heartwarming rom-coms with vibrant characters
- Novels by Helen Hoang and Jasmine Guillory

Chryssy Hua Williams, a Chinese herbalist, co-manages a healing retreat for the broken-hearted alongside her aunties. Despite her initial skepticism about the Hua family curse—believed to doom their love lives—Chryssy's string of nine failed relationships has her reconsidering. Enter Vin Chao, a renowned cellist with a reputation as a heartbreaker. A chance encounter between Chryssy and Vin at a child's birthday party sparks unexpected media buzz, leading Vin's publicist to propose a mutually beneficial arrangement: a fake relationship to boost his concert ticket sales and promote Chryssy's family business. As they navigate this faux romance, genuine chemistry develops, challenging their initial plans and beliefs.

Lauren Kung Jessen masterfully intertwines themes of identity, family, and tradition in this delightful rom-com. The narrative offers a fresh perspective on the fake dating trope, enriched by the inclusion of Chinese cultural elements and the endearing dynamics of Chryssy's aunties. The story delves into the complexities of modern love, the weight of familial expectations, and the journey toward self-discovery. With its engaging plot and well-developed characters, this novel is a must-read for fans of heartfelt romantic comedies.

Thank you Forever for my gifted ARC!

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Tropes:
Slow burn
Closed door romance
Fake Dating

This book was so much fun. I loved the rom com element, but also the culture that was brought to the book.

Chryssy and Vin are actually the best. I LOVE the fake dating trope, and they pull it off so well. Jessen does such an amazing job of writing well rounded and relatable characters. Everything feels intentional, and I love that.

Add in family, music, and culture, and you get a good book that is engaging but also different than the run of the mill rom coms you can find.

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Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen is a tender romance between Chryssy, a Traditional Chinese Medicine herbalist cursed to never find everlasting love and the heartbreak cellist, Vin… what could go wrong! After their supposed meet cute went viral, the two decide to fake date to help boost each of their careers. The lines quickly blur between what is pretend and what is reality as their time together challenges their way of life and how they see themselves. As always with Lauren Kung Jessen, the characters feel effortlessly authentic. I absolutely loved the coastal Washington setting. I loved getting to know the side characters as well! One of my favorite things about reading is being inspired to learn more about something that will better my life. I am super excited to get more into herbal remedies, specifically herbal teas!

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This is absolutely another new gem by Lauren Kung Jessen.

I felt that the story between Chryssy and Vin was fun to follow as they attempted to navigate fake dating and heartbreak.

This book is perfect for anyone that enjoys celebrity stories, slow burns, dual POVs, and self-care vibes. I enjoyed also learning about Eastern medicines as well through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for gifting me this ARC.

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A charming and cozy rom-com featuring some of my favourite tropes—fake dating, close proximity and celebrity dating. Chryssy, a love-cursed Traditional Chinese Medicine herbalist whose work heals the brokenhearted, agrees to fake date rock star cellist prodigy Vin Chao who, along with his fellow cellist brother Leo, are renown for being heartbreakers. Vin needs to cause another splashy tabloid heartbreak to sell out their next upcoming world tour, while Chryssy is launching a new tea business and could use the boost in publicity from dating a mega celebrity.

The story is told in dual perspectives alternating between Chryssy and Vin. This feel-good story was more of a slow burn, focusing on love, personal growth and healing. It did take me a little while to get through because the pace was quite slow, but the journey was worth it in the end. Bonus note: I adored Chryssy’s family.

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Thank you @readforeverpub for the #gifted ARC of YIN YANG LOVE SONG by Lauren Kung Jessen (out Tuesday January 29, just in time for Lunar New Year). They also provided a copy of the ALC. It's a romance that is 1st person, dual POV. Chrysanthemum (Chryssy) and Vin both have reasons to enter in a fake dating arrangement. Vin, a rock star cellists known for breaking hearts, needs to sell concert tickets for his next world tour. (Someone(s) at Forever must have a thing for cellists). Chryssy, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, needs help promoting her family's upcoming tea line. However, this is more than the two of them falling in love, and navigating their feelings. It's each of them working through past heartbreak, trauma, and opening themselves to possibilities once they are able to see and feel things clearly.

This is now my favorite LKJ novel. Can we please get a story for Leo? If not a full novella, at least a bonus story? He deserves an HEA.

In regards to the audio, both Eunice Wong, and Eric (or is it Erik?) Yang are new to me narrators, though both have extensive audio credits. I enjoyed listening to them narrate, and they each brought just the right amount of worry and anxiety to their respective characters.

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Always glad to be introduced to a new-to-me author! I found Yin Yang Love Song to be a satisfying read. I loved the voice and to be honest, I’m always looking for new pairings (there are SO many lawyers!) so I loved that the main characters were a Chinese herbalist and a cellist (come on, who doesn’t love the cello??).

Thank you to Forever for making this available to read and review through NetGalley.

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I really enjoyed the author's other two books and this did not disappoint! It offered a fresh, unqiue perspective on a common romance trope. Overall, I thought it was an interesting read that combined culture, love, identity, and personal growth.

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Love, curses, and new beginnings! This book was full of Lauren Kung Jessen’s signature Chinese traditions. I have learned so much from reading her books. I really enjoyed the focus on self care and ways to help fight stress and burnout.

I enjoyed the dual POV! It was great to get both Vin and Chryssy’s POVs! I thought the premise of a heartbreaker musician and a traditional heartbreak healer getting together was unique. I found all of the characters to be likable. I definitely enjoyed all of the different flower names in Chryssy’s family!

I recommend reading this book if you enjoy Chinese traditions, love, and clean romance. Looking forward to reading more from Lauren Kung Jessen n the future!

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So I absolutely adored the first two books and was soooo excited for this one! And it's so good!

I thought this book was well written and romantic. I loved learning about traditional Chinese medicine and that this is an own voices novel. It definitely shines through in the story. It's has moments of cheesiness, but the author does that so well. It's sometimes just what I want in a romance. While not my favorite in the series, I loved both main characters and thought this was a really thoughtful romance!

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I read 33% of this and tried both audio and ebook versions and I was bored out of my mind the entire time. I felt no connection at all to the characters, and they didn't connect to each other either, which is all I want in a romance.

I'm so disappointed because I LOVED Red String Theory and was hoping to fall for this one as well.

Chrissy is flat and detached and cynical. Vin is flat and detached and jaded. They felt more like acquaintances, but they had such a tight rein on their emotions that the "romantic" parts just felt stilted.

The audiobook narrators did a good job with what they were given, but couldn't really improve on it. I didn't mind their voices but the characters were so flat there was no bringing them to life. They were just... there.

*Thanks to Forever and Hachette Audio for providing an early copy for review.

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C h r y s s y was a very interesting character because she ran a healing retreat with her aunties. This retreat was for people who were broken hearted to get back on their feet. And they use different Chinese herbal medicines to help with this. She Help, she had the curse of the family.This was about people being broken hearted and could not fall in love. This Book took place in seattle and WH IDV EY island? I recognize the places Because I live here. I like how she tries to find love.And meets this man Named v a n c h a s. They do this type of ploto break up to increase their sales. And this is just so funny as the book goes on. She starts to fall in love with me.And this leads to a lot of different complications.In the book but it's very interesting how they take Herb medicine and which is Chinese, and they use this to help with the curse. Hurts to help people fall in love. This was very interesting how they went about it and it's, I love the book.

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Overview: Chryssy, a traditional Chinese Medicine herbalist, comes from a long line of women who have been cursed to experience heartbreak. Vin is a cello-playing rock star whose musical talents are overshadowed by his history of breaking hearts. Vin proposes a fake-dating arrangement, followed by a public breakup, to help sell tour tickets and reinforce his image as a heartbreaker. Chryssy has no interest in a relationship yet agrees to this high-profile arrangement as it will help launch her new herbal tea collection. But what happens when two people who have no interest in falling in love end up falling for each other?

Thoughts: I have a tendency to rush through romances, but this is the rare book where I found myself slowing down to enjoy the blossoming romance between Chryssy and Vin, who were both such lovely characters. I absolutely loved the setting of the Wildflower Inn in the Pacific Northwest and all of the aunties - I wish there were a place like that near me!

Take home message: Yin Yang Love Song is a lovely low-conflict contemporary romance that encourages readers to slow down and enjoy life’s moments. Perfect for fans of the fake relationship trope, tea lovers, and classical music nerds.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This book read like a warm hug of self-care. Chryssy and her aunts run an inn where people can go to recover from a variety of types of heartbreak. After meeting the Chao brothers at an event, they come to stay so that Vin's brother can recover from his heartbreak. Chryssy and Vin agree to fake date for publicity, and she knows she won't fall in love with him.

I really love the appreciation for traditional Chinese medicine and the approach to self-care and balance. The imagery throughout the book is beautiful. I wanted to walk in the moon garden with Chryssy and Vin. And I enjoyed her aunties and family relationships just as much.

This book raised some really big questions about fate and self-fulfilling prophecies. And it made me question some of my own life choices. I am always impressed by a book that can move me so deeply.

And of course, I enjoyed the romance.

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