I was very excited to receive this E-Arc as my favorite movie of all time is Mulan so thank you Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley.

However, though this is a retelling of Mulan. The story is nothing like the movie, so do not expect to many movie references.

I'm rating this 3 stars because I honestly didn't feel there was much interaction between Mulan and Shang for this to be considered an actual romance. I felt the story heavily focused on Her career. This gave 90% career 10% romance. Which was kind of disappointing.

I did however enjoy the dialogue between Mushu and Mulan. I felt Mushu's character made the whole story enjoyable. I think there was so much more that could have been done with this retelling in my honest opinion.

I am greatly struggling with my review for this book. Because my love of Mulan runs DEEP. To be honest, when it came out, I was more on the older end of wanting to be a princess era so I encountered some feels for princesses later in life. My adulthood frankly. Mulan is one of those. I have been obsessed with the story of a strong woman who will do what she must for her family. The ending of romance is a bonus--she wants to save her country first and foremost. Oh how it warms my heart that my daughter now is into Mulan herself.

So let's just say this book had HUGE shoes to fill going into it. And I have loved every other Meant to Me book. Whether because I have appreciated the modernizing of the princess I loved.....or the writing style because an author I liked wrote it. But, I must confess that upon ending Worth Fighting For, I was very very mixed. And that was not how I wanted to be.

Perhaps it was the author--I was less familiar with Jesse Sutanto than I am say Jasmine Guillory or Christina Lauren. Perhaps it was my Kindle's formatting and so many hyphenated words that didn't need to be and I was distracted. Perhaps it was due to the setting being in the business world and while an accurate way to involve a woman in a typically male dominated profession, I was slightly bored by it all. I still loved Mulan. I still loved Shang. This version of Mushu cracked me up. All good things with an ending that made me smile. But the smile was just not as bright as it has been other times.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At first, I was a little skeptical about this book. I had trouble getting into it and felt the start was a little slow. But as soon as I caught on, I was hooked. I loved the twist to the Mulan tale (something I didn't think could be done before). Mulan is a tough businesswoman, but I appreciated that the readers got to see her anxiety a bit. Shang is definitely a dreamy incarnation of Li Shang. And I thought Mushu as the sassy cousin was fun too. I thought this was a perfect addition to the Meant to Be series. I really enjoyed it.

I was curious how this would translate into a more modern story. It worked really well. The banter was great. There’s obviously some suspension of belief for this series but I really enjoyed this. One of my favorites in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was fantastic! I had great expectations because Mulan is one of my favorite Disney films, and I was not let down. I found the book amusing as I watched Mulan, a city girl, attempt to blend in on a farm, and Mushu was ridiculouslyfunny! I was unable to put it down! Overall, I thought this book was excellent and thoroughly enjoyed it. Anyone who has been enjoying the Meant to Be series or who simply adores Mulan should definitely check it out!

Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid, so when I saw there was a book reimagined as a contemporary romance of Mulan, I was excited to read it. The direction the author took with the story was unique with many cute, subtle references to the original movie scattered throughout the book, but the story overall felt slow at quite a few parts and sometimes a little forced/rushed in others. I didn’t feel as invested in the characters, didn’t feel that the chemistry was really there between the main characters, and just overall had a harder time getting into it. I thought that it was a decent read, but it just didn’t quite meet my expectations. I wanted to love it, but it was just ok. Thank you Jesse Q. Sutanto, Hyperion Avenue, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Mulan meets modern world. I loved the premise of this adaptation and was so excited to hear that Mulan was next in the series and that Jesse Q. Sutanto was the author. I enjoyed this book, but was left wanting a bit more in terms of the story pace. Overall, I liked the read!

This was so fun to read a modern day retelling of “Mulan”! I fell in love with the characters very quickly, and was rooting for both the love interest and the professional success! Reading more about traditional Chinese culture and assumed gender roles throughout the book was very informative and made me root for Mulan’s success even more. The writing was engaging, thoughtful, and also humorous! This is a new author for me, and I’m happy to have been introduced to her as part of the “Meant to Be” series!

*A sincere thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing the advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.*

I absolutely love the story of Mulan- it’s one of my favorite Disney movies & Jesse Q. Sutanto is one of my favorite authors, so I was already so excited w/ this book! The idea of having her pose as her father’s position and history rather than as a man herself was a great way to modernize the story & it helped build a lot of great drama & fun for the story.
The chemistry between Shang & Mulan was adorable & I loved their sense of humor together! It was definitely very Disney-cute but also w/ some fun twists.
Mushu’s character was definitely my favorite, and I really loved how she was used for some comedic relief especially during some heavier parts.
Like the Disney original, sexism is a theme throughout & it is difficult to swallow at times but the entire story has a satisfying conclusion & is a fun time overall.

I have read some Jesse Q. Sutanto, and all the Meant to Be series, and have the same attitude towards both: fine, but could be great. I was hoping the combination of the two would be amazing, and instead I found myself frustrated basically the entire time reading this.

Part of my frustration could be seen as a perspective thing. I am a white trans person; Sutanto is a cis Chinese woman. It makes complete sense that she and I would watch Mulan and come away with different ideas of what constitute the key themes that should be adapted.

That being said, I thought it was a bad adaptation of the movie. The cast consists of Mulan's family, Mushu, Shang... and a bunch of original characters who exist to be misogynists and nothing else, with basically no other allusions to the movie. The plot is so far removed as to be unrecognizable. More importantly for a romance novel, I really disliked the romance. Mulan constantly being horny over Shang was grating, repetitive, and unfunny. I didn't buy into their relationship at all.

And all of could be forgivable, except for the final sin: it's not a good book. The plot was contrived, full of ugly misunderstandings and outright lies. The humor was unfunny. (As someone who has read the other Meant to Be books, I think this can be exemplified by all the F-bomb fake-outs. I love to say fuck as much as the next guy, but when the publisher clearly said it's not allowed, putting in a bunch of "fu--" isn't funny, it's annoying.)

This book isn't a total loss. It gets partial credit for the sweet relationship between Mulan and her father, and a couple of really nice characterization moments in the third act. But for the most part, I would tell my friends to skip it. Sorry, Disney.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

i didn’t know this was a mulan retelling when i requested the arc. probably wouldn’t have requested it if i had known.

loveeeee the female empowerment because ... well, i mean, obviously. women are superior.

mulan just isn’t a fav movie of mine which sort of had this book set up for failure from the start :((( i would absolutely recommend this, it just wasn’t for me!

thank you to hyperion avenue & netgalley for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

Note to Self (or anyone reading this) - I need to start watching the movies before I read the Meant To Be version. I mostly say that because I feel like there are far more references and connections than I am picking up on which is a me/reader problem. I appreciated the creative retelling of Mulan's story. I really appreciated the humorous scenes and the way family dynamics were woven in. It was a fun read, but also had some feels. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2025 release.

😭😭😭
I was really looking forward to this one! I love Mulan and have thoroughly enjoyed this series of retellings—Tangled Up in You is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite meet my expectations.

While the writing style didn’t personally click with me, I could have looked past that if I’d connected more with the characters or story. Sadly, I struggled to engage with either. The references to toxic masculinity and “finance bros” felt overwhelming, and it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The romance also left me wanting more. I would have loved to see greater chemistry and buildup between the characters. The transition to their first intimate moment felt sudden and lacked the tension or emotional development I was hoping for.

Though this book wasn’t for me, I appreciate the opportunity to read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced reader copy—this review reflects my honest thoughts.

Worth FIghting For is a cute modern retelling of Mulan where Mulan is a businesswoman poised to take over her father’s company. When he suddenly has a heart attack and is hospitalized, Mulan has to try her hand at taking over earlier than she anticipated. Mulan’s father was trying to buy out a small whiskey company, and he urges Mulan to go through with the deal. Unfortunately, the company, led by Li Shang, is mostly very traditional and don’t want to do business with a woman. Mulan pretends to be her father and finds herself having to prove that she is every bit as capable as a man would be time and time again to win over Shang’s uncles and cousins to convince them to sell to her. As a budding romance builds between Mulan and Shang, she finds herself feeling guiltier and guiltier about her lies and about mixing business with pleasure.

I enjoyed the premise of this retelling, however, I found myself feeling somewhat disappointed about a few aspects of it. I think Mushu’s side character didn’t quite capture the magic of Mushu from the Disney movie (this is, after all, a Disney retelling). I also felt like the romance between Mulan and Shang fell a bit flat. I did really enjoy the relationship between Mulan and her parents and between Shang and his mom. Overall, this was a cute and fun read,

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC!

I adore the Meant to Be series, and I was so excited to see Mulan was next! The author did a great job writing a story that was both true to the original and also relevant to the times we live in. The book touched on important topics, like the challenges women face in the workplace and stereotypes that create barriers when trying to push forward. The book contained all of the cozy, swoon-worthy romance that I was expecting, and I enjoyed reading every minute of it! Shang was the cutest, and I sighed every time he was on the page. His willingness to challenge those around him and support Mulan reminded me so much of movie Shang, lol! It was a quick, cozy read that is a great continuation of this adorable series! Also a great read for when you are making a blanket to stay warm in this winter. A cozy blanket and a cozy book= 3.5 star read. Keep them coming! Brb, off to watch Mulan and listen to the nostalgic soundtrack...

This was a great interpretation of mulan, I loved it every second was an adventure I very much enjoyed. Thank you for letting me read this story.

The 📖: Worth Fighting For by @jesseqsutanto.

In this Mulan retelling, Mulan is a smart and driven young woman working at her father’s private equity firm. She’s figured out how to navigate an environment filled with finance bros.

In the middle of a critical acquisition of a whiskey company, her father falls ill. Ready to prove her worth, Mulan decides to handle the remainder of the project and see the acquisition through. And since her father conversed with the company via email alone, it shouldn’t be too difficult to just take his place—right?

This book was such a sweet and fun read, filled with a lot of heart. @jesseqsutanto has a way of writing endearing characters and this book is no different. The modern setting provides a lot of fun but overall, the plot maintains the core of the original story: a young woman defying all the obstacles in her way to succeed. Also-the Mulan-Shang track is pretty cute.

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a delightful modern reimagining that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're a fan of the classic Disney movie Mulan, you'll find this novel offers a fresh, modern twist while still capturing that same spirit of courage, identity, and self-discovery.

Set in the business world, the story follows a smart and ambitious Mulan who pretends to be her father in order to secure a family-owned whiskey business, Wutai Gold. She must navigate the intricacies of both the deal and her blossoming relationship with Shang, a key player in this business world. The book brings that same determination and fierce loyalty from the original Mulan, but it's brought to life with a contemporary edge—think high-stakes business deals and rich family dynamics.

The romance between Mulan and Shang is a slow burn that's both steamy and sweet, building gradually yet keeping the tension alive throughout. Their chemistry leaps off the pages, with the right balance of playful banter and heartfelt moments.

Sutanto’s writing captures the essence of modern love, identity, and strength while keeping the heart of the original Mulan story intact. This is a fantastic read for anyone looking for a clever, romantic, and empowering tale with a touch of humor and a lot of heart. Highly recommended!

Who to recommend this to: readers interested in Asian-American romantic leads. Also, not that the book is set in California, from the cover I had expected Kentucky.

This book was fine, I'm interested in other books by this author, and I liked the main character of Mulan as well as some of the background characters, but Shang was rather underwritten. Personally I would have liked to see more pushback against a private equity takeover, given their tendency of hostile takeovers but the pushback was focused on sexism.

Worth Fighting For was the best Mulan retelling I have read. It had heart, humor, and great characters. There hasn't been a book that Jesse Q. Sutanto wrote that I haven't loved. She hits another home run!

Instead of Mulan fighting the Mongols, she is a financial analyst in her father's company. She pretends to be him after his heart attack in order to buy a family-run whiskey distillery that is owned by misogynists. Mushu still brings the laughs, but is Mulan's underachieving cousin/co-worker in this depiction.

This was so fun to read that I couldn't put it down and finished within a day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.