Unfortunately, I DNF'd this 10% of the way in. I found the writing to be too juvenile and disjointed for my taste. I was also confused by the FMC's voice - at first she's all "I'm a boss woman in this all-male world" and I loved that for her but then a few pages later she was completely the opposite and had no self-esteem going for her. I feel like I had whiplash.

So fun. Mulan's story has always been one for pushing the boundaries of what a woman is and defying expectations from the men who see her as lower than. Unfortunately, this is something that rings true in the 21st century, and I loved how relevant it felt for today's climate of being a woman in so many male-dominated spaces. Mulan and Shang were lovely in this book, and seeing their love story play out in the corporate world was fun.

Minus a star cause I think it dragged in some places.

"When I came to this country, I only had one wish: the American dream. This dream is what drives this country. It is built by immigrants, all of us who have left our countries behind."

💕 Tropes
- Insta-Love
- Mulan Retelling
- Chinese Culture
- Forbidden Romance

💭 My Thoughts
Maybe I'm biased because of my love for classic Disney films, but I had a great time with this one! I loved the way all of the characters were written (especially Mushu, who I adore as the sassy, full-of-life cousin of Mulan). I appreciated how Worth Fighting For was not only able to provide a fun, hilarious time but also give insight into the realities of sexism women often face in male-dominated fields. It was also great to see the way Chinese immigrant culture was woven throughout the story, including the impact it can have on multiple generations. As a whole, Jesse did a great job reimagining the tale we all know and love while still staying true to the heart of it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a free digital copy! All opinions are my own.

A Mulan reimagining set in the Bay Area amongst finance bros. What a ride.

Mulan works at her father's finance company. Zhao wants to invest in a misogynistic whiskey company. The deal hinges on him, the only one the whiskey company will do business with. When he falls ill, Mulan pretends to be him.

Who owns the whiskey company? None other than Shang, his mother, and her incredibly anti-female brothers and nephews. James is the worst. His father and uncles are a close second. Shang is dreamy.

3 stars

Let me start off by saying I love mulan, and was excited to get an arc of a mulan re-telling but for me personally it felt a little to exact with the lyric references and almost exact story line in a different font. It didn’t help that we spent the first 30% of the book getting to know a generous amount of side characters, and the fact that it was quite insta love but I didn’t mind too much. What really saved it for me was the female empowerment and how women in men’s fields in tough, and obviously Shang because who wouldn’t want one. Overall I would say that I would recommend this book if you love the movie mulan, believe in gender equality no matter the field, and lastly if you want a man like a prince.

Mulan pretends to be her father when he falls ill to secure the deal with whiskey company, Wutai Gold. When the CEO, Shang, invites her to a retreat at their ranch, chaos (and romance) ensues.

Read if you like:
- Rom-coms
- Personal growth
- Fish Out of Water

If you dreamed of being Mulan as a kid and you’re still obsessed, then you need to read this! A modern retelling with romance at the forefront and humor sprinkled throughout.

3.5 a good retelling!

I did feel like the first 30% of the book was spent learning about 20 different characters. It was a lot, and I don’t think I needed as much info about so many individual characters. I was ready to dive into the story sooner! Overall, I think this will be a popular book. It was a little bit slow for me, but I wouldn’t discourage the read.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

"It hits me then how exhausting simply existing as a woman, and a woman of color at that, has been in the finance industry."

Mulan's father was in a middle of acquiring a whiskey company when he fell ill. Mulan took it upon herself to seal the deal, but the company is old-fashioned so she pretended to be her father.

I don't know why it took me so long to read a Mulan reimagining but I am here for it.

Premise sounded really intriguing and I wanted a fresh take of a fake identity trope so I was excited to read this book especially with the Mulan retelling.

"All my life, I’ve felt pressured to hide my true self, because everything centers the men in my life. Trying to impress them, or prove them wrong, or make sure they’re not disappointed."

Love the Chinese representation this book brought. The whole chaotic family dynamic added a lot of plot to the book itself that made me laugh out loud, and I did love Shang and how he was written.

I resonate with Mulan so much, I love her right off the bat. She's smart, knows how to navigate the finance worldand persistent, but behind all that, all she wanted was to make her parents proud.

"Shang brought me back into myself, a self that I’d thought was missing. And I don’t want to lose that self again."

The romance was also good. I love how both Shang and Mulan was just their true self when they were with one another.

Overall, a great Mulan retelling!

Worth Fighting For is the fifth book in the Meant to Be series and it was ... not for me. This is a Mulan retelling and I LOVE Mulan. So I expected to love this one. And yet, I did not. It was really hard for me to get through and the insta-love wasn't helping. If you love Mulan and retellings, maybe give this one a shot. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me.

A cute, modern retelling of Mulan, Worth Fighting For is a standalone in the Meant to Be series, which features multiple authors.

Mulan wants to prove that she is worthy. Worthy of her job, worthy of her status of heir, and worthy of love. When her father can't make an important meeting, she goes in his place to secure the deal by using his name. Mulan never counted on meeting Shang.

Read if you like:
-Oops I'm Falling in Love
-Only One Bed/Only One Tent
-Femininomenons

While this book was cute, it was also a stretch to call it a Mulan retelling. It was so loosely inspired by the movie that it felt like a bit of a let down. If you can truly separate it from the Disney classic in your mind, then you'll definitely enjoy this.

I really loved this retelling of Mulan with modern twists. I don't love lying about identity as a trope, but I think Jesse did a good job generally, so it made me feel better about it. I loved the little adventures and challenges Mulan was faced with all with trying to do her best to withhold what she was hiding. Mushu was a great side character. The story was fun, the end did feel a little rushed and the resolution was a happy ending, but I think I would have liked more conversation and description of the talks and the relationship with Mulan and Shang described more emotionally with more dialogue between them. All in all, it was a fun book and I definitely would recommend it to friends who want a fun, light hearted romance book.

Worth Fighting For is a modern-day retelling of Mulan set in California, and it’s part of the Disney Meant to Be series. This version of Mulan works in venture capital finance, while Shang runs his family’s whiskey business - talk about a fun, unexpected twist.

Early on, the book felt a little heavy-handed with its references to the original film. Lyrics from the movie and repeated mentions of Mulan’s “masks” pulled me out of the story a bit and felt more distracting than clever. But once the narrative found its rhythm, I was hooked.

I loved watching Mulan navigate not one but two male-dominated worlds: first in finance and then again on the ranch. Her strength, grit, and quiet determination really shine, and it was refreshing to see her portrayed as capable and confident from the start.

Shang might just be my new favorite Disney-inspired prince. He starts out cold and distant, but as the layers peel back, we get to see the more vulnerable sides of him, and it’s handled at just the right pace. The romantic tension and emotional depth really landed.

A standout surprise was Mushu reimagined as Mulan’s female cousin. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it until I started reading her dialogue in Awkwafina’s voice - and suddenly, it all clicked. She ended up being one of my favorite characters in the book.

And of course, the overbearing aunties? Perfection. They brought so much warmth, chaos, and authenticity, and felt like such a real part of a large immigrant family dynamic.

Overall, this was a clever, heartfelt modern spin on a classic story that takes its time to shine, and definitely one worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I will add my review to instagram closer to publish date. Thanks!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest opinion.
"Worth Fighting" For by Jesse Q. Sutanto (out June 3, 2025) is part of the Meant to Be Series, a charming collection of Disney Princess reimaginings (this one inspired by Mulan) and the concept is honestly adorable. Set in the world of high-stakes finance and whiskey dynasties (yes, really!), it blends humor, heart, and mistaken identity in true Sutanto style. Mulan is a strong, smart heroine, and watching her try to navigate a corporate retreat while pretending to be her father is as chaotic and fun as it sounds. But… if there’s one thing that held me back from loving it, it’s the insta-love. That trope almost never works for me, and unfortunately, it didn’t here either, the spark between Mulan and Shang felt too quick and not quite earned. Still, if you enjoy clever rom-coms with bold heroines and a Disney twist, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

#5 in the Meant to Be series and I loved this retelling of Mulan. I have not read this author before but very much enjoyed the writing.

e-arc provided by Netgalley

This was another mediocre installment in the Meant To Be series I liked the romance even though it was a little insta-lovey/lusty for me - also I found Mushu to be extremely annoying for the first like 80% of the book up until they decided to give her an actual personality/aspiration besides making everything worse - overall this was alright a solid middle of the road romance for me

Hello Fellow Readers,

So, I've never read a Mulan retelling before, but now that I know they are out there, I must try to read all of them. Worth Fighting for by Jesse Q. Sutanto was so much fun. I can only imagine how much fun Sutanto had coming up with all the hijinks for Mushu and Mulan. Mulan was a great character, and I love seeing her grow and develop as the story progressed. Shang was so sweet, and you can see why Mulan fell in love with him. Mushi is just precious and should have everything she ever wanted. The one big problem I had, however, was the development of Mulan and Shang's relationship. Sutanto did a lot of telling but not showing, which hindered the ending and made it feel rushed. This is such a shame because they did have excellent chemistry. This is one of those rare instances where an added chapter or two dedicated solely to their relationship would have helped.

Overall, an enjoyable romantic retelling.

This was a fun modern spin on the Mulan story. The cover is so pretty. Fans of Mulan will likely enjoy this!

I really, really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately it was a little bit of a swing and a miss for me. I think I was trying to draw too many parallels between Sutanto's story and the OG Disney Mulan, and kept getting distracted by all of the ways that the characters were different. Hello? Mushu is supposed to be a dragon.

The "finance bro" and "hard-ass feminist" stereotypes also came on a little strong for me. Mulan's mom is so traditional she still wears a dragonfly brooch but tells Mulan that "Fate and Destiny are [her] bitches?" My pó po would never.

All in all, I think that this could be (and will be) a hilarious and engaging story for many readers out there- but it just wasn't for me!

**Thank you very much to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue books for the eARC in exchange for a genuine review! All opinions are my own.**

Worth Fighting For is a short and sweet Mulan retelling following Mulan as she pretends to be her father to woo a company that’s considering selling to her father’s hedge fund while also wooing the CEO, Shang. We get to see Mulan completely out of her “finance bro” element and doing things around the company’s ranch to prove that she is capable of taking on their company. This was a fun spin on the story—especially Mushu, Mulan’s fun-loving cousin in this story—but you do have to suspend your disbelief just a bit about how she managed to persuade the family that she is the person they’ve been emailing with all along, especially her father—I mean, did they not do a phone call or Google *anything* about the company? Shang and Mulan were very insta-lovey, which I don’t love per se, but with as quick as the book goes it couldn’t really be done another way. I didn’t feel very strongly either way about this book, which is sad because Mulan might be my favorite Disney movie *ever* and I wanted a little more:(

When Mulan's father falls ill and is stuck in the hospital, it's up to her to acquire Wutai Gold Whisky. There's only one problem: it's a family business and they're "old school" and don't believe a woman could help their brand. So, Mulan pretends to be her father in order to impress the family at a week-long visit to the family farm. Mulan is doing a pretty good job of impressing the family, but the closer she gets to Shang, the more the lie weighs on her. Mulan needs to confess her lies, but she's worried it will ruin everything.

This was a really fun take on the Mulan story. The characters are complex, and setting it in the finance world is interesting. I liked all of the strong women, like Auntie Jiayi and Mushu, and of course Mulan, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book. I've never read any of Jesse Q. Sutanto's other novels, but I'm excited to try them. This will definitely be in my readers' advisory rotation.