Mulan, but make it Bay Area boardrooms, bro culture, and one dreamy heir to a whiskey empire.

In this modern twist on the classic tale, Mulan works at her father’s finance firm. When a key deal with a traditional (and deeply misogynistic) whiskey company hangs in the balance, and her father falls ill, Mulan steps in—disguised as him—to salvage the negotiation. Cue cattle-wrangling, whiskey-soaked sexism, and one very swoon-worthy Shang.

Shang’s family owns the whiskey company, and let’s just say the men—especially James and the uncles—are walking red flags. The mother’s a tough one too, and the aunties aren’t far behind. Shang, thankfully, is the exception: thoughtful, principled, and possibly the only redeemable man on the ranch.

That said, the book starts slow. The first 30% feels bogged down with character introductions—so many names that it was hard to keep track. It made it harder to settle into the actual plot, which doesn’t really kick into gear until later. Still, once the story finds its rhythm, it has its charms: humor, heart, and a romance that grows in the right direction.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that will likely find a big audience, especially among fans of modern rom-coms and reimagined heroines. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me pacing-wise, but I wouldn’t discourage giving it a try.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really like this series because it blends my favorite Disney Princess with my favorite book genre and they’re always done so well. I wish there was a little bit more romance in this one but the storyline and characters were good. I loved the ending and thought it fit the story/modern day perfectly.

I would recommend.

*Worth Fighting For* by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a smart, heartfelt, and modern reimagining of the Mulan story that delivers both nostalgia and fresh perspective. I loved the clever nods to the classic Disney film — they were subtle enough not to distract from the story but thoughtful enough to make me smile every time. The way Sutanto weaves these moments into a contemporary setting was seamless and added a fun, familiar layer to an otherwise original narrative.

What stood out most to me was the strong feminist angle. The book shines in its depiction of women pushing forward in a male-dominated field, showing the struggles, sacrifices, and solidarity that come with it. The protagonist’s determination felt both inspiring and real, and I appreciated that her strength was portrayed with nuance rather than just boldness. It’s empowering without ever becoming preachy.

The inclusion of Chinese-American culture throughout the book made the story feel grounded and authentic. From family dynamics to cultural references, these details enriched the characters and gave the story more emotional weight. It was refreshing to see a cultural identity celebrated so naturally within a modern retelling.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the other princess romantic retellings, you’ll definitely appreciate this addition to the series. *Worth Fighting For* brings heart, humor, and a meaningful update to a beloved story. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Do you love the movie ‘Mulan’? I first saw the Disney movie when I was a kid and have since watched it a million more times with my own daughter. When I heard that Jesse Q. Sutanto was writing a modern-day spin-off, of course I had to read it!

‘Worth Fighting For’ follows a young woman named Mulan who works for her father’s finance company in San Francisco. Their latest focus is acquiring a family-run whiskey company. While Mulan is put off by this brand’s male-focused marketing, her father believes that this product will take off someday.

In the midst of developing a deal, Mulan’s father ends up in the hospital, leaving Mulan having to secure the contract for their company. There’s only one problem: The whiskey owners only want to work with a man. Mulan, however, has a plan: She will pretend to be her father in order to strike a deal.

The entire time I was reading this, I had the song ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’ from the original ‘Mulan’ movie stuck in my head. I had fun seeing the similarities between the original story and this spin-off, but truthfully you do not need to have any knowledge of ‘Mulan’ to enjoy this book.

The spin-off’s main focus is on misogyny and gender stereotypes — topics that the movie portrays for a much younger audience. I was horrified by how Mulan is treated throughout this book, but you will be left feeling equally empowered by the end. (It sounds serious when I say it like that, but this book is a straight-up rom-com, so keep that in mind!)

Though this story came across a bit cheesy at times, overall I did enjoy it and loved all the characters in it. I do wish we got to see more of Mulan and Shang’s relationship, though, as it felt a bit rushed at the end, and I always love reading the dialogue this author writes!

If you liked Jesse Q. Sutanto’s book ‘Dial A for Aunties,’ then this book will be right up your alley. The author even briefly includes one of her other book characters, Vera Wong, in this too!

Mulan in a power suit? Sign me up. Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Worth Fighting For is a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud, gender-bending rom-com that gives our girl Mulan a modern glow-up—and drops her straight into the chaos of private equity and whiskey-making menfolk. It’s like The Proposal meets Yellowstone, with a whole lot of fake-it-til-you-make-it feminist flair.

Our heroine, Mulan, is thriving (barely) in the testosterone-soaked trenches of finance, where success means outperforming the bros and sometimes out-belching them. But when her beloved father falls ill mid-deal, she does what any devoted daughter with a highly developed sense of imposter syndrome would do—she impersonates him. Naturally, this leads to her being stuck on a rugged ranch with a family of skeptical whiskey distillers and one seriously swoony Shang.

Y’all, I snorted. I swooned. I cheered. Mulan’s antics are gold, but it’s her grit and soft heart that make her shine. And Shang? A gruff, honorable cinnamon roll in cowboy boots. Their chemistry is chef’s kiss, equal parts sweet and sizzling, with some of the best banter I’ve read in ages.

Yes, you’ll need a tiny suspension of disbelief (the logistics of this impersonation plot are a touch far-fetched), but the joy ride is worth it. Sutanto’s signature humor, lovable cast, and clever nods to Disney make this a standout in the Meant to Be collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced copy—I’d go axe-throwing with Mulan any day.

This is book #5 in the Meant to Be series which are all Disney retellings. This Mulan retelling by Jesse Q. Sutanto was fantastic!

I absolutely adored Mulan, Mushu & Shang throughout the book. The aunties and Mulan's parents were fantastic. The characters and business folded into this retelling fantastically and I flew through this book!

3.5-4 stars. This book was a fun read. I thought this was a very clever way to retell the story of Mulan. I saw Jesse Q. Sutanto speaking about this book at LJ day of dialogue and she was soo funny I knew right away I had to read this book! The banter and humor in this book is great. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. Jesse has a way with writing that made it easy to picture the characters and their interactions with one another, The characters were lovely. Mulan was a strong female lead, and Shang was totally swoon-worthy. Mushu was absolutely hilarious. My only complaint with this book was how quickly Mulan and Shang fell in love. I think if this book were just a little bit longer and Mulan and Shang's love developed a little less quickly, then this would have been a solid 4-5 stars. I will certainly be recommending this to any romance readers!

It was cute, a nice addition to the Meant to Be Series. It wasn't my favorite of the series but easy to read and worth the time.

I was thrilled to read this book ahead of the release since Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies. I love that the tone and themes of the movie are maintained while making the book interesting for an older audience. The chemistry between the main characters was compelling.

*Worth Fighting For* offers an intriguing take on Disney’s reimagining of *Mulan*, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the book tries to expand on the emotional depth and internal struggles of the live-action film, it lacked the heart and spark that made the original *Mulan* story so beloved.

Jesse Sutanto brings thoughtful elements and attempts to bridge the gap between tradition and modern storytelling, but the connection to the characters felt somewhat distant. The themes of identity, honor, and empowerment are present, yet the execution didn’t fully capture the emotional weight or energy I was hoping for.

It’s an interesting companion to the reimagined film and may resonate more with fans of that version, but overall, it fell a bit flat. A solid concept that didn’t quite land in its delivery—3 stars.

This was a really fun, light hearted, modern re-telling of Mulan. Mulan is a finance guru, working in her father's capital company. She works hard, doubly hard, to prove that she is just as good as her male counterparts. When her father has a heart attack and is sidelined, Mulan takes over an acquisition for a whisky company. She assumes her father's persona in an attempt to get the male centered company to see their future.

In the meantime, through escapades and funny episodes, Mulan falls in love with Shang, the whisky company's CEO. The book follows the plot of the movie quite well but is modernized. There is even a mention of dear Vera Wong.

I really enjoyed this - it was short, sweet and feel good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the digital advance reader's copy.

This is the fifth book in the Meant to Be series, "inspired by the classic fairy tale stories we all know and love, perfect for adult readers who crave contemporary rom-coms."

These are stand-alone reads, each based on a Disney animated movie, which is the only reason I keep reading them, as romance is not my normal cup of tea. They are the lightest of light frothy reads, perfect for escaping real life.

Quick summary: Mulan takes her father's name and pretends to be the CEO of their family finance company in order to win the masculine-centric Wutai Gold account. As she begins to know the family, particularly Shang, she starts to regret her decision to pretend to be someone she's not. Can she still win the account and Shang's heart once she reveals the truth?

I enjoyed all of the cute references to Disney's Mulan. Some are obvious, and some are more subtle, but these Easter eggs added to the fun.

Sutanto does a good job developing the characters of Mulan and Shang and their families, even adding some thoughtful commentary about misogyny in the workplace. I found myself rooting for their happy ending, although I knew it was inevitable. Mulan's deception never felt fully believable, but I still enjoyed the story.

All in all, a quick, escapist read for fans of Disney.

*very rare language, sexual situations

Mulan with finance bros and on a ranch.

Overall: 4
Spice: 1 - kissing and closed door

Mulan has been masking to succeed in the male dominated world of her father's private equity firm - finance bros. And also making sure she appears as the perfect daughter to her parents. When her father falls ill just before a meeting with a new client, Mulan will mask again to show she is strong enough to lead the client's company to success - even though their brand is built on outdated patriarchal norms. Can she keep her mask up when the CEO of the client is gorgeous and seems to be seeking out the real her behind all the masks?

I adore this whole series, and this book stands well with the others. I recommend this series even if you are on the fringes of Disney fandom as its fun to see how the key characters are represented and they usually correct the elements that were problematic in the movies. This book still has a lot of patriarchy for Mulan to smash, but also covers current themes of masking, family expectations and gender norms. The connection between Mulan and Shang was strong (several closed door references). The side characters make the book as often is the case. Great balance of humor and heart. Highly recommend.

4.5

A modern-day retelling of the classic Mulan story, perfectly adapted to tell a story of family, the love between parent and child, the defense of legacy, and falling in love. Oh, and how to tell the man you love that you’ve been lying to him about one important/non-so-important thing.

I love that Sutanto interpreted this story through the lens of first and second generation American immigrants, who fought hard to build a life for their families, trying to balance between upholding their cultural heritage and succeeding in a new country. You can see both the challenges and the pride each generation has had in their journey, but also that no choice they made was perfect, or even the right one.

Both Mulan and Shang were encouraged by their parents to pursue their passions, irregardless of traditional gender roles, but that parental support doesn’t mean their paths were easy. Mulan deals with sexism in her company and industry as a whole on a daily basis, and that’s before she feels she has to step into her father’s shoes to impress the ultra-conservative Li family. Shang deals with the mockery of his family for his “womanly” cooking skills, and constantly has to bite his tongue around his sexist uncles to avoid family conflict. Both have pulled on masks to an extent that they are almost never comfortable in their own skins - until they meet each other.

Mulan goes through a journey of self-discovery that is similar to her ancient predecessor. Yes, she is amazing at her job, and an excellent daughter, but she has to code-switch between multiple versions of herself to satisfy everyone around her, so much so that she doesn’t even know who the true Mulan is. It’s only when she’s comfortable and encouraged to make choices based on what SHE really wants that Mulan finally starts getting to know herself, and seeing what could be a truly happy life. Although I wish she had been honest with everyone from the start <spoiler>(or at least before she started sleeping with Shang)</spoiler>, I understand that these lies are the driving tension of this story. And I was relieved to hear that <spoiler>as hurt as he was, Shang knew that Mulan hadn’t been lying about anything that happened between them. Though I wish his text would have said, “I need some time. I don’t want to break up, I love you no matter what, I just need a few days to get my head straight and deal with my family.”</spoiler>

As much as this story is about Mulan, it’s also about Auntie Jiayi, Shang’s mom, and the way her brothers have always sidelined and minimized her in the family business. I love not that she not only won the daughter-in-law contest with her sister-in-laws (lol) but she finally stood up to her brothers and helped Mulan prove to them that their family business and legacy is still viable and valuable, provided they are able to open their eyes and minds to new ideas.

I have loved the whole Meant to Be series, and this one is not to be missed. Mulan is a challenging story to retell and maintain all the elements of family expectation, legacy, and love, but Sutanto has done an excellent job doing just that, adding in so much real chemistry between Mulan and Shang that every interaction made me want to smile and giggle. I also really appreciated the afterward and reading how much telling this story means to Sutanto and her parents, third generation Chinese immigrants in Indonesia who dealt with a lot of the same issues as American immigrants. It’s truly touching. And the title “Worth Fighting For” is perfection - obviously it’s a quote from the Disney movie but it fits so well the core of the book, everything in their lives that is worth fighting for: the family business, legacy, happiness, each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy of this book for review purposes. Release date is June 3, and you can preorder a copy today!

✨ARC Review✨

I had high hopes for this one but it ended up being okay. The insta-love/lust of it threw me off, and while I did enjoy the banter between Mulan and Shang, their relationship happened very quickly and almost completely off-page so I wasn't exactly invested in them. Add to that the inevitable third-act breakup because of course they break up when Shang finds out Mulan has been hiding who she really is, and I was done. Their conflict was resolved very quickly too, with hardly a conversation to show for it?!

Sexism is also a HUGE theme in the book and it grated on my nerves because all these characters are the actual worst and the women just take it?! Pissed me off.

Good thing it was a short read so I could get through it quick.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

In a cheesy more modern twist, on the strong and fierce Mulan, this book is, if there can even be, a braver and stronger Mulan than ever. i loved how Jesse was able to incorporate so many important aspects in this book, which I would say really was so enjoyable and confidence boosting to see!

This book is cheesy, as the Meant to Be series is, but as a Shang girly, I loved it!! I feel like this story incorporated a message portrayed in the original Mulan, in a more relatable way. With Mulan from this contemporary romance, she is a businesswoman and feels as though she cannot fit in to the job in which she is in, which feels so realistic and relatable. And I feel like the family of Mulan and Shang's, it was super encouraging to see how parents who may be from other regions of the world, can also be understanding in emotions that first generation kids have. And I thank jesse fro making me see that in this new twist on this beloved classic.

I loved this Mulan retelling!
Jesse Q. Sutanto has become one of my favorite authors and as expected, Worth Fighting For was so so good.
I love that the plot still had Mulan as the warrior we all know and love, showing and proving that women are just as smart and powerful as men…. but set in modern day.
Oh and Shang?? Absolutely just as dreamy as in the movie *chefs kiss*
Also, side note, I LOVED the little Easter egg that Jesse threw in as a nod to her most recently released book (I would say which one but I don’t want to spoil the surprise)

If you’re looking for a fun retelling that’s a quicker read, has no unnecessary drama, is witty, funny, has romance, and fights for feminism, this is for you.

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Thank you Jesse Q. Sutanto, Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Quotes I Loved:
“People have told me that I have a similar smile, but mine is nowhere near as irresistible as his. He’s basically Asian Santa.”

“He looks good enough to pounce on and do really bad things with.”

“I drink in the way his eyes turn into crescent moons, his entire face going soft and tender while he laughs, and the way he places one large hand on his chest. My god, I am in so much trouble.”

“I know I’ll never settle for less than this kind of love, a love that is strong, and yet tender-hearted, a love that is worn soft round the edges, like a comfortable pair of socks.”

“I read online once that a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows is the sluttiest thing a man could wear, and I agree whole-heartedly.”

“Do not get in between me and my carbs.”

Mulan was a badass woman warrior in history and Jesse Sutanto portrays that beautifully in this contemporary retelling. I have always loved the story of Mulan. That was then amplified when Disney made a movie about her. Sutanto does an amazing job or twisting the tale into a contemporary storyline without loosing the original meaning and lessons from the original. In my opinion you could not have found a better author to take on Mulan's story and blow it out of the park.

Mandy Harris
Angel Wings Bookstore

The newest installment of Disney's Meant To Be series follows Mulan as she navigates the "man's world" of finance. A sudden turn of events causes Mulan to assume the identity of her father and take his place as the head of the company to secure a deal with a very traditionally family owned whiskey company. Disney love story and Jesse Q. Sutanto humor makes for a great addition to the series.

Jesse Q. Sutanto always does a wonderful job weaving her experiences as a woman of color into her writing. Her love and respect for her family history comes through in her writing, and this was one of the best parts of the book. I enjoyed the themes of overcoming stereotypes and being who you are. However, most of these themes were explored via telling and not showing. Coupled with the juvenile narration and dialogue, I struggled to enjoy the story alongside the actual message it conveyed.
The romance was built on insta-love from the beginning, and Shang didn't feel very real to me as a character, which made the romance plot less enjoyable.
Overall, I appreciate Sutanto's ability to craft a story of feminine strength and family ties. If the story and characters had been a little stronger, I would have liked it a lot more!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the eARC!