I will read anything Jesse writes and I was so stoked to hear she was writing a Mulan retelling. This book is so enjoyable and I loved it!!

Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies, and it was fun to read a modern version of Mulan. Seeing her in contemporary society added so much to the story.

Modern-day Mulan retelling, but instead of a gender swap, Mulan just assumes her father’s name Zhou in the course of business negotiations with Shang and his family. We’ve got a company buyout situation with an old-school, traditional, patriarchal whiskey distillery, where Mulan needs to prove that she’s the man for the job. We get a lot of slapstick humor here with her trying to impress everyone at a ranch and definitely a lot of awkward situations ensue. Meddling aunties and misogynistic uncles abound, but at least Shang isn’t like the rest of the males in his family. Cousin Mushu definitely brings the spark of humor to the story and was one of my fave supporting characters. Clever and funny retelling here, with a fade-to-black romance mixed in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue and Jesse Q Sutanto for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Don't be mad at me. Be Nice- but.. I've never seen Mulan. (((Runs away hiding while you all throw trash at me.))) I know, I know, but it came out when I was 14 and in those days- I was spending my allowance on movies I could make out with boys during instead of engaging my inner child- okay!?

So maybe I should have watched it before I read this to really give you all a full Disney review- but NO! I'm here for people like me that haven't seen it and went into this book blind- and let me tell you- FIVE STARS. I enjoyed the story, the pacing, the whacky Mushu bestie (even without seeing the movie I know the pop culture impact from the movie) the patriarchal commentary, but current and cultural. This is the third book I've read in this series and I really think they are all wonderful interpretations!

I was unable to actually read the book as the font was way too blurry to read. I deleted it and redownloaded it and still had the same issue. It's really disappointing to me because Mulan is one of my favorite movies and I love this author. I don't want to give a bad review as it isn't the authors fault and I wasn't actually able to give it a fair review.

Excellent version of Disney movie.

Mushu is not just the funny, supportive sidekick. She also embodies the importance of female friendship. Here, Shang is not just the physically attractive MMC CEO. He’s also a devoted son and flips gender stereotypes with his talent in the kitchen. And, Mulan, what about our central character? Her reason for impersonating her father is more than filial piety and career advancement.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Hyperion Avenue, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WorthFightingFor #NetGalley

I enjoyed this, though I think it’s my least favorite in this series so far. Granted, I haven’t read the Ariel or Rapunzel retellings in this series yet, but compared to the first two, this one just didn’t hit the same.

It started off kind of rough. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but I had a hard time getting into it for the first third of the book or so. The last 2/3 does pick up plot-wise though! I also really enjoyed the characterization of Mulan, Shang, Auntie Jiayi, and Mushu. The names though… something I liked about the first two books was that the character names were a sort of play on the characters they’re based off of (Cindy instead of Cinderella, Isabelle instead of Belle). I’m not sure if the Ariel and Rapunzel books do this, but in this book the three main characters of Mulan, Shang, and Mushu are their exact names from the movie, and it REALLY threw me off for a while (especially Mushu). The characters themselves were great, but that detail kept taking me out of the story.

So why 3 stars? Because I overall had a good time! Seeing Mulan in a male-dominated industry was a great way to modernize and retell her story, and all the farm/camping shenanigans were just fun! I also really loved how the author tied in so much of Chinese culture and food into the story.

Overall, if you’re a fan of Mulan or this series, I say give it a go - we all have different tastes after all and this may be your favorite yet!

TW: toxic masculinity, sexism, racism, medical content

Mulan was my favorite Disney princess growing up, so it’s no surprise that I ended up enjoying this modern adaptation so much. Every book I’ve read by Sutanto has been really entertaining and features such a fun cast of side characters, this being no exception.

Overall, I couldn’t put this book down and really enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC!

This was a fun read! Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q Sutanto is a modern Mulan retelling with all the characters you loved in the Disney classic. Mulan is high up in the finance world, and instead of the Disney version where she is impersonating a man to go to war, she playing the role of managing partner at her fathers firm to smash the archaic belief that a woman couldn't handle a large account. This book took a deep dive into the ancient believes in the Asian community that the men take care of the business while the women stay quiet. It was fun and a little romantic, while still being ok for all readers.

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the fifth book in Disney’s Meant to Be which features our favorite princesses in modern-day, contemporary romances. Hua Mulan is a no-nonsense hedge fund manager at her father’s firm, fighting every day for recognition and a place in a male dominated career. When her father suffers a heart attack before a critical acquisition, Mulan steps into his shoes, pretending to be him to woo the clients, a traditional Chinese family who own a whiskey business.

Mulan is one of my favorite stories, so I was excited to dive into this one. Hua Mulan is unlike the warrior from the Disney cartoon. Here she is working in the finance world, fighting “finance bros” who think less of her contributions because she is a woman. Add in the insecurities she feels as her parents’ only child and overhearing an Auntie say “it’s a shame she isn’t a boy” and you get this character. Mulan is strong-willed, determined, and a fighter.

Shang is introduced rather early in the story as the CEO of the company Zhou is looking to acquire. He is the opposite of what I expected. He isn’t the stalwart general we all know and love, but a kind and empathetic man surrounded by his misogynistic uncles and cousins. Shang knows that his family’s business cannot continue running as it has been which is why he found Zhou and truly considered selling to him. When he meets Mulan pretending to be Zhou, he is clearly taken aback, but willing to give her a chance even if his uncles are not.

I really struggled with this one. There were aspects I enjoyed, like Mulan and Shang themselves, but the story was hard to believe and buy into. Mulan spends a majority of the book as Zhou, not pretending to be a man like in the movie it is based on but just him as the lead of the company and who Shang has been conversing with through emails. At first, I was intrigued and thought it would lead to some funny moments (which it does), but I soon found myself uncomfortable with her lying.

While Shang’s family definitely has a lot of blame to shoulder (specifically their treatment of women, which I understand to be cultural and mostly accurate if not a little dramatized for entertainment purposes), my real problem was Mulan’s consistent lying. She lies her way through an entire trip to Shang’s family’s ranch. She sheers sheep, tries to herd cow, and rides a horse, all of which she has no prior knowledge of how to do. She is manipulating this family to seal a business deal, making them like her as Zhou so they will trust her in buying their company. It’s just wrong on so many levels. The author does address this some with Mulan’s guilt, but it is never enough guilt to make her come clean.

Overall, I thought Worth Fighting For was an okay read. While I enjoyed Mulan and Shang’s relationship, I struggled with the lying. And yes, I know that Mulan lies in the original story to take her father’s place, but in that situation she wasn’t manipulating anyone. She was fighting for her country and protecting her father. I was uncomfortable with how long that went on. The book itself ended on a high note though and redeemed her somewhat. If you are a fan of the series so far and a lover of Disney or contemporary romance, I think you should give it a try.

I am currently still reading this book. Life is hectic but the book is okay so far. There is a father and daughter. The daughter is working for father’s company. I will have to continue to see if it gets better. I am interested to see where the book goes.

Absolutely love this Meant to Be series and recommend the books to everyone—thanks so much to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC of Worth Fighting For, a modern retelling of the story of Mulan.

I thought the book was well-done and it was my first time reading a book by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I really enjoyed the strong female main character as I think that is what a lot of readers are going to pick up this book looking for since the movie character was so heroic. They will find not a character that’s literally fighting a war, but one that fights a battle against inequality in the corporate world as well as struggles with traditional cultural values. The author tackles these subjects well and also builds a swoon-worthy romantic story amongst it all. 4 ⭐️, definitely pick it up if you are a fan of the movie version!

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a first person-POV contemporary romance retelling of Disney’s Mulan. Mulan works at the same finance company as her father, Zhou, battling finance bros every day as they belittle her knowledge despite her high credentials. When her father is hospitalized, Mulan not only takes over his attempted acquisition of a family-owned whiskey company, she also pretends to be him with the goal of finishing the job. What she’s not expecting is to fall for Shang, the company CEO.

I feel like the first thing that has to be discussed is specifically gender and Queerness. For many people, Mulan is a Nonbinary/Trans icon and was something of a Queer awakening and in recent years, Shang has become more and more of a Bisexual icon as his attraction to Mulan when she’s posing as Ping is hinted at in the film. In this adaptation, Shang is not Bi and Mulan is not Enby. However, we do still get explorations of gender in regards to sexism in America and China. Mulan rubs up against the more traditionalist values in Shang’s family regarding women and Shang himself does not subscribe to gender essentialism and even bucks against it by enjoying feminist fantasy (like The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang) and cooking and takes no issue in serving people at the family table. There is a lot going on in the book around gender and being of Asian descent, it’s just not what some people might be hoping for.
This is more on the humorous side compared to some of the other books in the series. Mulan is not sent to a training camp for soldiers but instead has to prove she’s her father by pretending to be knowledgeable about farm life. The situation and Mushu, who is Mulan’s cousin here, help to create the more humorous aspects and provide a way for Mulan to spend time with Shang. It is not a ‘city girl falls in love with the countryside’ type of story, but Mulan does grow a sense of appreciation for the countryside, which is pretty cool considering it gives her more perspective on her father’s childhood.

Shang and Mulan’s romance arc has some of the same hurdles of identity and Shang not believing Mulan has it in her that the movies do. It’s Mulan proving that she can do it and is a lot more resourceful and tough than she’s given credit for that help create the shift. I’m very glad that’s in there because it is such a cornerstone of their relationship no matter how understanding or kind Shang might be in a less stressful situation than a war. Their relationship is enhanced by Shang’s disregard for traditional gender roles and Mulan’s own ambitions, creating some parallels to the film.

I would recommend this to fans of the original film who want an exploration of sexism in modern society and readers of romance who are looking for a female lead who doesn’t want to abandon her career.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I adore these Disney retellings of the animated movies but set in modern day and new spins on all of the characters, Mulan is one of my favorites and Sutanto really did her justice in this. We get Mushu and Shang and I just loved it all. It all felt true to the movie while taking every moment and spinning to work with the story. Mulan cannot pretend to not be a woman but she can pretend to have another name and be hyper masculine in her interests, I will happily gobble up the next Meant to Be book and may need to go check out other works by Sutanto after this. 4.5 stars.

There are so many things about this that I loved. I loved Mulan as a movie and I loved this retelling. Like so much. I wanted to marry him and the end, cried.

Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion for the arc!!

Mulan is my favorite Disney Princess movie so once I saw that there was going to be a Meant to Be novel of a Mulan Retelling and Jesse Sutanto author of Dial A for aunties was going to do it I was immediately excited! While it didn’t have that wow factor fully for me I devoured every second of this and really enjoyed it!

Mulan is so strong and capable and she doesn’t let any man tell her what she can and can’t do! Her parents are supportive and they want the best for her in a career that is usually male dominated! Mulan fights for the right thing and loves wholeheartedly! She is a great character to have met and see in a modern remaking of it!

Shang… could he be any more of a gentleman! A hardcore fight the established patriarchy guy! We see him break out of his shell and start fighting for the things he cares about when he wouldn’t be subjected to this anymore! He loves with everything and he is hysterical! I really enjoyed a lot of his lines! The first scene he was introduced in I knew he would be perfect because like who gets you coffee (the rest I won’t say but iykyk)

Mushu being a female was definitely an interesting twist but I think one that worked well in this story! She was just as fierce as Mulan but also played her wing woman and accountability partner. She definitely had some sass and I think that brought back the Disney Mushu a bit more.

The family dynamics grow and change in this but you can tell it’s written with a lot of heart and soul due to the authors background. Shang’s mom! Girl go off!👏

One thing I would have liked is maybe a homage to cricket. Like maybe one of them have a pet or one of the animals they meet to be named Cricket that would have been the best!

Moral of the story this was a blast and loved it a lot!
4/5⭐️

A modern reimagining of the Mulan story and the fifth book in the Disney "Meant to be" series. I enjoyed this one a lot, there were some clever twists on the Disney movie and I liked the strong female main character fighting for her position in the male-dominated finance bro world who impersonates her father in order to win a big deal with a family whiskey company. Good on audio and a cute, closed door romance with mistaken identity and lots of family drama. While it wasn't my favorite in the series, I still had a good time with it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Meant to Be novels are always a delightful summer treat, and its newest entry captures that summery sweet energy in all the right ways. This latest entry, Worth Fighting For, is a retelling of Mulan in the modern day. The author, Jesse Q. Sutanto, pulled no punches when it came to tackling misogyny, traditional Chinese values, and how both intersect in modern times. (Something I have always appreciated about Sutanto’s stories is her ability to blend humor, family, and Asian perspectives. These are the stories and the voices we need more of in mainstream fiction, and it’s exciting to see this voice’s addition to the Meant to Be series.) Outside of those heavier themes, the antics of Mulan and our cast of characters had me grinning from ear-to-ear as I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions. That laughter was due to the character banter and Sutanto’s breezy writing style.

While this book felt like comforting hug paired with laughs, it also tackled some more serious topics. Those topics being misogyny and how its rooted in Chinese family values, even in the lens of modern day. While there were moments where it felt uncomfortable or tough to swallow the misogyny on the page, Sutanto deftly challenged those notions and explored the theme through Mulan and Shang’s reactions to those moments. Seeing misogyny challenged on page was refreshing, especially when we saw female empowerment win out in the end.

The one element that cost a star in this rating was, surprisingly, the romance between Mulan and Shang. While these two were super sweet together and I adored their banter, their romance moved a little quick for my taste! The romance trajectory went like this: the romance began as flirting, then there was a closed-door scene, and it wrapped up with much of the romantic relationship unfolding in summary or off-page moments. As a girl who adores romance and adores banter, I wish more of the “falling in love” stage of Mulan and Shang’s relationship had unfolded on page and less in summary.

Despite that one narrative hiccup, I adored this novel and read it cover-to-cover in a single sitting. It was a great entry into these adult re-imaginings of fan-favorite Disney stories. I hope we continue to get more of these books in the future.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I’m a big fan of Disney’s Mulan so I was really excited when I heard the next book in the Meant To Be series would be set around this story.

I really enjoyed the overall concept of Mulan working in a male dominated field, Mushu’s witty remarks, Shangs ability to go against his family’s views, and Mulan’s funny hurdles she had to go through on the ranch. However, I really struggled with the romance and the connection between the MCs. It’s also just such a difficult concept to place in a modern setting, with too many mentions of “finance bro”, and I struggled to really connect with the story and the characters. I did appreciate the author’s note and her connection to this story, but overall I did struggle a bit with this one.

Thanks Hyperion Avenue for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I seriously LOVED this book so, so much!! If you’re a fan of Mulan (and really, who isn’t?), this laugh-out-loud, swoony, and empowering contemporary re-telling is everything you didn’t know you needed. Part of the Meant to Be series, this story brings all the charm and magic of the classic tale but reimagines it with a fresh, modern voice that’s full of heart, humor, and girl power. 💪💃

The main character is fierce, smart, and relatable—and watching her transformation unfold was so satisfying. She’s thrown into a totally new world (hello, fish out of water vibes!) and faces pressure from family expectations while figuring out who she really is. And let’s talk about the romance—forbidden, full of chemistry, and perfectly closed-door for those who love a little tension without too much spice. The opposites-attract energy was spot on, and the love interest? HOT. 🔥

There’s also a hilarious sidekick that adds so much personality and charm, making this story even more of a delight. The blend of Chinese culture, wit, and heartfelt moments made this not just entertaining but also meaningful. I laughed, I swooned, I rooted for every second of it. Such a joyful and empowering read—I didn’t want it to end! 💖