I love the characters in Lauren Kung Jessen's stories, and this was no exception. Ambitious musician Vin and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbalist Chryssy have an awkward first encounter, then cue the fake dating trope with different pivots.

Here I did find the plot to be slow moving at times. I liked learning more about TCM than I had understood before, and how the extended cast in the story weaved in.

Thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC.

Forever eARC
I really enjoy this author's romances and how she incorporates her Chinese culture - this time through Traditional Chinese Medicine. I am also a sucker for a cello player, so I was so excited to see this as Vin's profession. I liked how she juxtaposed heartbreak through Chryssy and Vin. It was such an interesting way to see how people cause and heal heartbreak. The exploration of familial curses was also so raw and honest. The scene between Chryssy and her dad was one of my favorites in the book. This was sweet and deep. I can't wait to continue reading this author.

Last year I fell in love with Lauren Kung Jessen's books, and was eager to see what her third book would bring. There's so much about this book that I loved -- highlighting the importance of rest, showcasing traditional Chinese medicine in contrast to western medicine for healing emotional wounds, Chryssy's family, and more. And I LOVED Chryssy and Vin as characters. However, I wish we got more time of them together. There were so many adorable, and meaningful moments between them, but they easily spent half the book apart from one another -- I needed them together more often to believe their love was something beyond instalove/lust. This book also did a lot of telling instead of showing -- we heard about Vin and his brother's "heartbreaking" reputations from their side of the story, but never from anyone else. I think some third party exposition in the form of gossip site articles, or even comment sections on Vin and Chryssy's social media posts would've shown how the external world was impacting their lives and relationship without it constantly just being the anxiety and thoughts swirling around in each of their heads.

That being said, the Pacific Northwest vibes were impeccable in this book and I have already recommended it to my friends who love gardening, and being outside.

I'm excited to keep reading more books from this author in the future!

Yin Yang Love Song
Lauren Kung Jessen

I wanted to love this so badly!!!! I’m so sad it didn’t work for me. Like the previous two I wanted to squeal and root for our MCs but I just never got there with this book.

It’s dual pov but I can’t tell the difference between their voices, I was confused very frequently on whose pov it was.

It feels so surface level, cheesy in a not fun way. It was not like the author’s previous work, it felt like it was a book I guess I’d recommend to middle schoolers? It read very YA which is fine if that’s what you’re expecting to read.

the writing feels so blocky/chunky like not smooth sometimes I feel like I missed lines or pages.

I knew this book wasn’t for me when even talk of oysters and mushrooms couldn’t save me!

I should have DNF’ed at 50% my eyes glazed through the last 30%. This is easily my least favorite of the three.

This was a really sweet love story about two actual adults (too rare!) who I believe are in their thirties. Chryssy is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner at a healing retreat for the broken hearted that she runs with her aunties. All the women of the family have lots of practice with healing broken hearts because they are cursed to never find lasting love. Vin is a rock star cellist with a reputation for breaking hearts. What a unique premise!

At first I felt like I wasn’t connecting with the characters, but the more I read the more I wanted to pick the book back up, and I came to really care for Chryssy and Vin. I was inspired by their emotional growth and maturity and found the relationships with both their families to be so lovely. Really glad I read this and highly recommend it!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

First and foremost, I absolutely love Lauren's writing. She can do no wrong in my eyes. I loved her first two novels. and I love this book. Just like the other books, this book made me laugh out loud, and a maybe tear or two accidentally slipped out of my eyes. As an Asian American, I appreciated and related to the Chinese tradition mentioned in the book; it made me connect to the characters even more. Lauren is my new Abby Jimenez. I will forever read anything she writes. At this point, I'm willing to trade my left kidney for her next novel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the free Book/ARC Forever!

Another amazing story from Lauren! I absolutely loved Lunar Love and Red String Theory, so I was thrilled to dive into this one. Yin Yang Love Song feels different from the others but in the best way possible. The mix of humor and raw emotion had me hooked from the start. I loved how Lauren wrote about baking, teas, flowers and family (there’s even some curse breaking)! I learned so much about Traditional Chinese Medicine, the healing power of flowers and herbs, and the art of making tea!

Chryssy and Vin are absolutely adorable together. I loved their fake dating and how they helped each other grow in ways they never expected. Chryssy is such a strong, compassionate character, and Vin’s vulnerability was so cute. I love a great fake relationship that turns real!

3.5 ⭐️

This was a refreshing take on romcom(?) romance. The side quests and mystery behind fmc's family history was a fun journey to go on as a reader. Elements of TCM and cultural aspects of growing up in a mixed immigrant family was nice to see from the author.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Super cute fake dating romance between an herbalist who is cursed in love and a rock cello player with a reputation of being a heartbreaker. Chryssy has pretty much sworn off relationships since she has been dumped so many times and chalks it up to the family curse of never having lasting love. A chance encounter with a rock cello player, Vin, at a kid’s birthday party, causes all sorts of public speculation. Vin needs the gossip to help him sell concert tickets, so he asks Chryssy for help. She also gets more business at her family’s inn as a side benefit, so she agrees to the fake dating scheme. Of course, these two end up super compatible with each other and a slow and sweet romance develops. I liked seeing these two work as partners with their respective struggles and really communicate well with each other. The story totally sucked me in and I read it in a day. Fade to black on the intimate encounters and no third-act break-up.

This book is the third rom-com from this author. It was a good read that continued to have fun banter and realistic obstacles to overcome.

The Chinese culture aspects in this book were interesting. I learned a lot and appreciated how the author educated the reader along with the male main characters.

I enjoyed the story being told from both the male and female main characters point of view. I liked how Chryssy and Vin supporting each other and grew together.

I enjoyed the music references and showing the demands of a professional musician.

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the advanced reader copy.

#yinyanglovestory #laurenkungjessen

The story is told in alternating POV’s by Chrissy and Vin. It goes deep into their past and delivers a slowly developing plot.
I was a huge fan of the aunties with all their flowery names and also liked both of the MCs’ families, including the adorable pet bunny, Goji. I was intrigued by the inclusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine and learned a lot about health benefits of flowers and herbs. I loved the food and music references. Everything was so well researched and perfectly described. If I ever get heartbroken, I want to go to the Wildflower Inn. And I’m reminded in an author’s note ‘that I can take breaks and rest, I can change my life if I want to, I don’t have to be perfect and can bloom even if nobody is watching’.
All in all, I had a great time reading this novel, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

i only read a few chapters (i got to 14%) but i just didn’t care about it at all so i have to declare it a dnf😭

LKJ is a very solid middle ground author for me. I read her books because they are different from the classic romance and they always bring an awareness to Chinese-American culture that the romance book industry is lacking. I appreciate learning a lot about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in this book, especially as someone who has benefited from acupuncture for chronic pain. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about TCM and trying to read diverse voices in contemporary romance.

Romance wise, the relationship between Chryssy and VIN was a little lackluster for me, and I found the book to be a tad more fitting of women’s fiction. It reminded me of a far less spicy (mild?) iteration of Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. Though this novel wasn’t entirely a closed door romance (the door was left ajar for one scene!) so that was a nice change from her previous two books. I liked the scene settings and the dual POV. The story also encompasses the feelings of burn out and perfectionism, which is something I could relate to (and am sure others can too). Even if the plot of an herbalist dating a famous musician isn’t necessarily realistic, it can be in the Hallmark romance world.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was pretty slow paced, but also very cute. I really enjoy the Chinese culture and getting to learn a little about TCM. I also thought Vin and Chryssy were very cute together. The curse plot was entertaining but at some points seemed to be a bit much.

Thank you to Forever publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

One of my favorite books I’ve read this month. Chrissy and Vin were no match for their fake dating scheme. I loved it!! Chryssy’s family curse might have been my favorite part.

I wish this hadn't started right in the middle of an event; I don't like beginnings that make you feel like you missed something. However, it got better as it progressed and I genuinely enjoyed the concept and the way it all played out.

Thank you @ReadForeverPub and Netgalley for the review copy.

Lauren Kung Jessen emerged as one of my favorite authors in 2024 - not just from reading her first two books last year but also getting to meet her in person at, like, 3 different events (!!). She is so kind, warm, and thoughtful, and those feelings translated into my reading experience with Yin Yang Love Song.

I highlighted so many quotes in this book that hit home for me. As someone who fancies herself a bit of a “recovering perfectionist,” the healing elements and conversations that occurred between the characters in this story — not just Vin and Chryssy but the side characters as well — put words to feelings I have been working through the past few years. Some of the passages served as reminders of what is important in life and love, which I really appreciated given the current state of our world. Vin and Chryssy had reservations about relationships, but watching their fake dating scheme turn into genuine friendship and feelings was not only heartwarming but also felt authentic.

If you are looking for a gentle romance with lots of music, floral notes, and reflection, I highly recommend Yin Yang Love Song.

I really enjoyed the concept of this, but I struggled with the execution of it. I had a hard time believing the chemistry between the two main characters. I also found the dialog to be cheesy at times, which took me out of it more than I liked.

🌱 Book Review 🌱

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: Out now!

Rating: Not for me

This was a cute read and definitely helped combat those winter blues. I did find that the romance between Vin and Chryssy not believable and too slow for me. I loved learning about the herbs that were used from traditional Chinese medicine!

For fans of:
🌱 First person POV
🫖 Dual POV
🌱 Fake dating
🫖 Curse breaking
🌱 Chinese American rep
🫖 Herbalist and Musician
🌱 Traditional Chinese medicine

I loved Lunar Love and Red String Theory, so I was beyond excited to start this book. The idea was so fun, I really enjoyed the backstories of both the MMC (his life as a prodigy-turned workaholic musician) and FMC (TCM specialist/ cursed woman) and their journeys to figuring out what they wanted. I had a bit of a hard time really getting invested, especially in the first half, but in the end I bought into the story and the romance.

3.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.