This was a fun romance, with depth to it. I loved learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine and all the facets of it. I also really loved the musical aspect. I liked Chryssy's and Vin's romance (fake dating trope done well.) I loved how they worked through their own 'curses' and grew together. I was not a fan of the Curse in Chryssy's family. It ultimately felt too cheesy and overdone. Otherwise, an enjoyable audiobook with good narration (listened to at 1.75 speed) but limited in who I would recommend to.

This book follows two incredibly hard-working adults, trying to protect their family’s legacies. Chrysanthemum lives and works with her auntines at their healing retreat center, focusing on healing people’s broken hearts. Vin is one-half of a famous cello duo with his brother, Leo. They’re booked and busy, with a huge new tour about to start, but Leo is heartbroken and has fully given up.
When Chyrssy and Vin meet, there’s an instant spark, but they both know nothing can come of it. Every woman in Chryssy’s family has been cursed with a life of break-ups, and Vin’s whole brand is based around him being a heart-breaker. But that’s a perfect pairing for a fake relationship. At least, that’s what they tell themselves.
I really enjoyed this book, especially Chryssy and the aunties’ retreat that features traditional Chinese medicine. In almost every chapter, Chryssy was sharing information about a different traditional Chinese medicine practice, and explaining the reasoning behind it. Her bright and warm personality shone off the pages, and did most of the heavy lifting in this story.
Vin Chao was the big hurdle in this book. Here’s what’s important about Vin: he was a cello prodigy and is still a phenomenal cello player. He’s also he and his brother’s business manager, and is work obsessed. That’s really it. His reserved personality didn’t come with any hidden sides, just the burden of living out his parents’ dreams. Any chemistry he had with Chryssy seemed more friendly than romantic.
The plot was also slower than many romances, but I enjoyed the change in pace. I appreciated the side plots with Leo’s heartbreak healing and the mystery of the Hua family curse, even when they took away from the romance plot. The dynamic of the aunties cracked me up, and I enjoyed that both of Chryssy’s and Vin’s parents were also featured.
Overall, this was a fun read that felt cozy and inviting. Was it the best love story ever? No, but it was sweet all the same, and definitely had me rooting for their relationship the whole time. I think this is a great option for someone who’s looking to branch into or out of romance, since the romance elements are secondary to the story as a whole. Also, reading this will make you want to drink tea while listening to a cello playlist, so be prepared!
Thanks to Netgalley, Forever, and Hachette audio for the free advanced book & audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

What I found most interesting about this book was the setting: a sort of spa near Seattle that focussed on traditional Chinese medicine. Learning more details about that, and the vivid descriptions put me right in the scene, and it felt like a place I'd like to visit myself.

It was also a well-created audiobook. The two narrators were strong. I especially appreciate the fact that they took the ownvoices approach, particularly for all the Chinese terminology throughout the book.

What didn't work for me were the characters. They were all a little too thinly drawn to really form a connection with them. The aunties were almost indistinguishable from one another. And the love story between Vin and Chrissy felt a bit forced, and the emotional pay-off not earned.

This is my first novel by author Lauren Kung Jessen, and I liked its quiet, romantic feel, and its likeable main characters Chryssy Hua Williams and Vin Chao, and the quirky aunties and cousins in Chryssy's family.

Chryssy, formerly studying to be a doctor, now works with her relatives at the family herbalist and wellness business, which offers a healing retreat for those suffering broken hearts.

The family has no men associated with it, as the Huas feel that they are plagued by a curse, which ensures that none of them will ever experience long term romantic happiness with a partner. That none of them has managed to sustain a relationship only reinforces their belief in the existence of the curse.

Chryssy definitely believes in it because she has nine failed relationships, including a broken engagement. At an event showcasing their business, she meets celebrity cellists Vin Chao and his older brother. They are the Heartbreakers, and have tremendous fame for their playing, but also for the string of failed relationships in their wake.

Vin's brother is not doing well, and decides to go on a retreat to recover from his broken heart (from his last relationship). Meanwhile,Vin is annoyed that their manager wants Vin to start another Heartbreaker relationship with Chryssy, with whom he was photographed at the event, as this will make for good publicity and generate ticket sales for their upcoming worldwide tour.

Chryssy agrees, as long as she can use their dating to publicize the family business; so win-win, right? And it starts out okay, though the more they get to know each other, they realize that they're attracted to one another, but also really like and respect the other. Chryssy begins to worry about their upcoming Heartbreaker mandated breakup, as this is the most comfortable and satisfied she's been in a relationship.

Vin also inadvertently starts Chryssy and her family on a search to understand the root of their curse.

The main characters are cute, and though Chryssy is the more self-aware of the pair, both have a lot to learn about trust and working through issues in relationships. Vin seems pretty shallow at first, but as he also takes advantage of the retreat's offerings, he begins to challenge some of his assumptions, especially after a surprising announcement by his loving parents.

I liked how Chryssy's family tackled the curse, or what they thought was a curse. There was nothing magical about it, in fact, and instead based on misunderstandings of their family's past.

The story's pace was much more measured than I expected, and I liked the way traditional Chinese medicine was explained throughout the novel, and the perceived benefits. I also really appreciated the focus on wellness throughout the story, and the way Chryssy, and later Vin (and his brother), were striving for a balance in their lives.

The author used her characters to focus on confronting and dealing with assumptions and habits/traditions passed down through generations with the intention of finding balance and happiness in one's life. I was left both happy for where the characters find themselves by the novel's end, but also found myself peaceful and contented.

I went back and forth between the prose and the audiobook, and appreciated the talents of Eunice Wong and Eric Yang. Eunice's measured and calm tones immediately helped me picture Chryssy, while Eric's voice easily brought Vin's brash and somewhat sarcastic self to life. I liked the various aunties and cousins, particularly one of the elders, whose forthrightness was both a source of humour and sense.

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Hachette Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Just finished listening to the audiobook version of Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen, narrated by Eunice Wong and Eric Yang. Released last week it is just in time to get me in the mood for Valentine's! He plays the Cello, she practices TCM and runs an herbal tea business. He's known as a heartbreaker, and her family believes the women are cursed to never find true lasting love. After a chance run in it seems like they could help each other out by fake dating leading to a fake breakup. But does life ever go the way we expect it to?
The narrators did an excellent job at getting the feelings and emotions of this novel to really come through.
Definitely a 5 star read for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for a audio review copy of this novel!

#audiobook #yinyanglovesong #valentines #romance #closeddoorromance #slowburn #fakedating #tcm #herbaltea #netgalley #justfinished #newrelease #cello #heartbreaker #cursed #everlastinglove

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the eALC.

Yin Yang Love Song was definitely a slow burn.

Chryssy and Vin meet up at a party where they argue over who gets to use an electric socket. And since Vin is kind of a famous musician (love that he plays cello), the internet is all over a photo that gets taken of them. So they decide to use it to their advantage and start fake dating.

Their relationship has a very slow progression. They definitely start out as strangers and evolve to friends—which slowly evolves to lovers (although basically no spice, FYI). It felt a lot less about the romance and a lot more about the understanding of self and personal growth.

The side characters were fun and interesting and really made the story more fun. And all the information about Traditional Chinese Medicine was so educational and I wanted to learn more.

Overall, Yin Yang Love Song was a fun and quick read but I was hoping for more romance. But both narrators were top tier.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio arc. This was my most anticipated read of the year. I love Lauren Kung Jessen's book. This is my second arc of her and it did not disappoint. The audio goes so well with the book to follow along as an immersive read. I liked the narrator's voices and the story line wa excellent. I was so happy for Chrissy's happily ever after. I rated this a 5 stars.

Yin Yang Love Song is my new favorite by Lauren Kung Jenssen. Characteristic of the author's style, she includes a lot of Chinese tradition and culture in a way that feels fundamental to the story and yet accessible to learn about -- definitely a reason to be a fan. In this one, she and her family are proponents of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) and Chrissy is even creating a company of teas based on TCM for heartbreak and other ailments that might throw off your yin and yang. Throughout the story, she teaches Vin, her love interest and in many ways her foil, about TCM and we as readers learn about it as well. One of my favorite parts of it was Chrissy describing her Yin nights and how she makes time to relax and restore her well-being. Chrissy was on a path to becoming a doctor but found herself way out of balance and burned out to the point where she had physical ailments. She knew she needed to make a change so she turned to TCM and pursued creating her own business. The conversations about what makes life worth living, how we can make life sustainable, how we find balance, how we find a way beyond burnout, how we heal ourselves, and how we pursue our passions and greatness while also taking care of ourselves was such an integral part of the book and something I think so many readers can relate to so deeply, especially in these challenging times. This part of the story -- their journies to wellness--were not only relatable but really life and hope-giving. The romance between the two characters was sweet and was a great model of healthy relationships. I appreciated that the author modeled ways to respond well in relationships and support each other. Even their disagreements they handled with respect and appreciation for each others' points of view, which was refreshing. The conversations about destiny -- her family is "cursed" and Vin is considered a "heartbreaker" -- and how we make our own destiny were also so interesting. I loved these conversations about love -- self-love, romantic love, platonic love, and celebrating relationships of all kinds. If you're a romance reader or just want a good read, I highly recommend this one!

I always love an audiobook with multiple narrators, and Yin Yang Love Song is a beautiful story that I really enjoyed listening to. The narrators sounded exactly as I pictured Chryssy and Vin would sound, and it made a great story even better to have both characters represented so well. This was my first novel by Lauren Kung Jessen, and I loved it. I listened to the whole thing in one day!

Yin Yang Love Song is the story of Chrysanthemum, or Chryssy, a Chinese herbalist who meets a famous musician, Vin, at a celebrity's party, and unexpectedly hits it off with him. They end up spending time together at her family's retreat on an idyllic setting in coastal Washington. Vin is there to support his brother, but forced proximity and time spent with Chryssy soon brings them closer. They become good friends, and decide to fake date for a short time for publicity for both of their careers. As they spend more time together, their relationship grows and soon they are both unsure they want to end their fake relationship as they initially planned to. Chryssy's extended family of "aunties" are important characters who permeate the story and teach both Chryssy and Vin many life lessons. Chryssy is haunted by the legend of the Hua family curse, which is an important issue throughout the book that is nicely resolved at the end by the family working together. Both Vin and Chryssy have the chance to spend time and have honest discussions about their lives with their parents in the story. Jessen does a beautiful job of weaving the family members into this love story. They are quirky and provide a lot of humor to the story even while the main characters are fairly serious. Chryssy and Vin have great chemistry but the evolution of their relationship is not rushed and feels very natural. Jensen builds the tension and affection between the two slowly but very effectively. The whole story is heartwarming and the characters are loving and very relatable I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially in audio book form.
Thanks to Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for providing me an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is my second audiobook from Lauren Kung Jessen and it did not disappoint.

Yin Yang Love Song is a refreshing romance grounded in old world traditions but lives fully in the modern world. Chryssy is cursed to be heartbroken and Vin is a heartbreaker who, through the ups and downs of life, they find a path forward together.

I love learning about new to me things and in this book it was wonderful to learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I would absolutely recommend this book!

This was just such an adorable story of two people in particular: Vin and Chryssy. She believes she is cursed in love as she's had 8 (yes, eight) recently failed relationships. Plus, her entire lineage of of females have been "cursed in love." Then, she meets Vin and they agree to an arrangement of a fake date, and one in return...thus begins their adorbs relationship.

Self-sabotaging is in question here. Chryssy is so sure she's cursed so that when they begin to feel more than "fake-date material," she questions everything. Her mother and father are divorced as well. Without giving much of the plot, I want to say that I loved the various discussions between Chryssy and her father as well as her mother and their views on love and what Chryssy should/shouldn't do regarding trying to find that perfect love.

Characters' personalities were so different and believable. Chryssy is just so sweet and full of positivity when it comes to life in general (other than her curse) that I couldn't help but to love her. Vin took me more time. Oh, and I loved a scene where she tries to come up with nicknames but I don't want to spoil that either. If you read it (and I hope you d0) look for that scene if you want a good laugh.

Their journey was told in two different POV's by both of the MC's and they went back and forth. I had the audio version and both the male and female did an excellent job of portraying the characters. Both annunciated very clearly, their emotions were effectively portrayed, and they were both very credible.

A sweet romcom with added Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both Chrissy and Vin are fighting against overwork and TCM helps them both. The audiobook narrators did a good job in realising the characters. With swearing and a non-explicit sex scene. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an absolutely lovely love story about traditional Chinese medicine that I knew very little about. It makes it sound very appealing to me to investigate and my own life. The book and riving itself were a little juvenile, but they were perfectly lovely closed door romances. Slow burn.

🔥 Yin Yang Love Song is a fake-dating rom-com with all the best ingredients—meddling aunties, a cursed love life, and one very bad idea that obviously spirals into real feelings. Chryssy and Vin have off-the-charts chemistry, and the audiobook narration by Eunice Wong & Eric Yang makes every moment even better—from the witty banter to the slow-burn tension.

If you love cozy romance with spice, swoony musicians, and family chaos, this is your book. Full review on my blog! 🎶💖 The Soft and Slow Life . com

I enjoyed listening to Yin Yang Love Song but truthfully liked each character and their interests separately more than the romance. It was so fascinating to learn about Chryssy’s herbalist family history and Vin’s cello life, and I was more interested in that than their story together. The audio narrators were great and helped keep my interest during slower parts.

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. Great narration from both voice actors.

Starting Feb with a love story? Call me a hopeless romantic I guess! From the author of Lunar Love and Red-String Theory, Yin Yang Love Song is as sweet and funny as Rom-Coms come.

Heart healer Chrissy has to fake date Vin, one of two heartbreaker musician brothers, in order for her business to prosper and his reputation to remain intact.

With a gaggle of adorable aunties, moonlight garden strolls, and a bunny named Goji Berry, this descriptively stunning novel is a perfect Valentines season pick.

Thank you to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC. Both narrators were excellent in capturing the voice of these love struck characters!

Lauren Kung Jessen’s Yin Yang Love Song was an absolute delight, and the audiobook format only amplified its charm. Both narrators brought the characters to life in a way that felt perfectly aligned with the story’s emotional depth and playful spirit. Their voices seamlessly captured the tension, romance, and humour, making it easy to connect with the protagonists on a deeper level.

What really drew me in was the thoughtful infusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine and cultural elements throughout the narrative. Jessen beautifully weaved cultural heritage into the plot, adding layers of meaning that enhanced the listening experience. The story felt vibrant, heartfelt, and grounded in authenticity. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a well-narrated, culturally rich romance.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was undeniably sweet! I read Lunar Love last year and was so excited to get the approval for Lauren Kung Jessen's latest novel. I loved the complexity of the main characters' relationship, and also the family history. I am a big fan of Jessen's work - can't wait to read more! The narrators did a great job too!

Thank you so much again for the 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.