Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Bride Test

(listened to audio book from library)

i do not read romance books often (i am trying to read more this year!) so the writing style and the ridiculous premise was off-putting at first… but once i accepted the plot and each character at face-value, i was hooked.

i have never read a contemporary/non-fantasy with Vietnamese characters and the subtle inclusion of authentic Vietnamese traditions and family dynamics was very interesting. it was so lovely to see a cast of characters that weren’t cookie cutter white bread with values that reflect those of Vietnamese people in current day. i feel like i truly learned something about the immigrant experience and about Vietnamese culture!

this story had the perfect amount of will-they-won’t-they moments, didn’t make me wait a painstakingly long time for romantic/sexual payoff, and had a happy ending. the pacing in the first 3/4 was perfect, but the timeline of events for the last ~3 weeks of the novel felt slightly rushed. the exposition introduced very intriguing sub-plots so, understandably, each one needed to be addressed and closed before the book ended. overall i liked how each sub-plot was handled and the epilogue was adorable icing on the cake.

i was generally pleased with the neurodivergent/autistic representation, though at times i felt like Khai was infantilized by other characters (could have been intentional by the author?). occasionally it felt like his absurd choices and opinions were attributed to his autism rather than him simply being an adult human man. all this to say, it was cool to see an nd person as a lead love interest and read how trauma informed his decisions and feelings differently than Esme’s. and his idiocy about love would have been believable had he not been autistic because… he is an adult
human man.

EDITED TO ADD: i just read that Helen Hoang & her daughter are both autistic! which makes me appreciate the representation much more and i now understand that she was drawing on personal experience for Khai’s characterization.

though Esme is coded as neurotypical, in my head Khai and Esme are the perfect autistic/ADHD couple. she totally brings that high energy, anxious, leave-half-empty-cups-around-the-house, and start-a-new-house-project-every-day energy that was very relatable to me.

wrt tge sex scenes: like i said, i don’t read romance much. i was not into the manly/carnal/feral descriptions from Khai’s POV, but maybe i’m not the right audience for it. 🤪 i did love that he was an… ahem… enthusiastic learner and that consent was very important to him. Esme’s POV the entire book was equally as entertaining, though i’m also not a fan of the “i’m so tiny and he’s so big!” internal voice. part of me wishes she had been described as thicker, softer, wider, or rounder seeing as she is a mother (MILF), but i understand why she wasn’t. kind of.

DESPITE my criticism, this was a thrill and a half. i really enjoyed the feel-good energy and the epic highs and lows. it was so fun to read (listen to) and i definitely want to check out Helen Hoang’s other books!

Content Warnings

micaelamariem's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

After a month and a half of feeling like everything I read was just okay, I am so happy to have picked up this cute romance. It was what I needed. The Bride Test is technically the second in a romance series by Helen Hoang, but each book can be read as a standalone and isn’t connected to each other.

Helen Hoang lives in California with her family and has always loved romance novels. Her books investigate what it’s like to find love as someone on the autism spectrum, and thus also explore the intersectionality of being Asian-American and autistic.

In The Bride Test, the mom of an autisitc man worries her son will never get married if she doesn’t take matters into her own hands. So, she picks out a girl from Vietnam to come to America and woo Kai. Esme agrees to do this wooing so she can provide a better life for her daughter. But Kai is convinced he doesn’t have feelings and nothing goes to plan.

I absolutley adored this book. There was cute, swoon-worthy fluff, but there were also spicy scenes that made me scared to take the book in public. It was the perfect balance. On top of that, there were also a lot of scenes that made me laugh out loud.

I also loved the agency that Esme had as an immigrant to the United States. Yes she was there to fall in love, but that didn’t stop her from working hard, pursuing her own dreams, and having other plans that didn’t revolve around a man. In a romance, this is rare to see even if it shouldn’t be!

The exploration of Kai’s grief and emotions with him was also a journey I enjoyed, even though it was frusturating at times. I think it also gave me a bit more insight into what someone’s lived experience may be if they are on the spectrum (bearing in mind that it is a spectrum and people’s experiences differ). I knew a bit about Autism but I never really knew the depth it could take to recognize and regulate emotions when living with it.

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book–even the epilogue, which is where I find a lot of romances fall short for me, was satisfying. Everything seemed to find a resolution without doing so cheaply or rubbing me the wrong way.

This was a five star read for me, the first in a while! If you’re a romance reader, then I can’t reccomend this enough!

Content Warnings

embla_v's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted

4.5

En riktig bladvändare som man har dramatik, humor samt är underhållande. Vad mer kan man önska sig?

Khai har autism och är övertygad om att han inte har några känslor, inga viktiga känslor iallafall. Hans mamma blir ytterst frustrerad av detta och tar saken i egna händer. Hon ska välja en brud till sin son.

Esmeralda får ett förvånande erbjudande från en mystisk kvinna som är för bra för att säga nej till. Esme får spendera en hel sommar i USA och kanske kan hon förföra en Khai till att gifta sig med henne.

Inget går dock som någon av de tänkt sig och deras relation åker bergochdalbana, men kommer åkturen stanna på marken eller fortsätta upp mot himlen?

Oerhört rolig, underhållande och intressant bok med mycket åsikter, känslor, förvirring och förälskelse. Boken har spice, 18+. Rekommenderar starkt till den som vill ha en underhållande bok med en romans som tar många svängar.

Content Warnings