Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang


Series: The Kiss Quotient #2


From the critically acclaimed author of The Kiss Quotient comes a romantic novel about love that crosses international borders and all boundaries of the heart...

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions — like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better— that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. 

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working... but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love.



 

I absolutely love Helen Hoang's storytelling abilities and writing style. In The Bride Test she gives us pretty well-rounded characters who are very intriguing. I loved both Esme and Khai and I could relate to a lot of things in this book. My parents came to the Netherlands as immigrants, and they have done everything in their power to give me the opportunities they didn't get. So I could really relate to Esme that she wanted a better life for herself and her family. I was already intrigued by Khai when I met him in The Kiss Quotient, I just love the type of characters that we don't see a lot of in the typical romance genre. I just loved that Esme was accepting of his behavior and quirks even before she really understood what autism meant. It wasn't always easy, but they overcame their hurts and struggles by being patient and understanding.

I absolutely loved every side-character in this book and I am already looking forward to reading Quan's book. He was the best big brother and very supportive of Khai. He was also very hilarious and I couldn't get enough of him. The reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars was because there was a lot going on in the last 10% of the book. I think it would've been better if some things happened a bit earlier in the book. I think if that was the case then the characters could've grown even more, which I would've loved to see. Besides that I wouldn't change anything about this book. It was fun, light-hearted but also a bit emotional at times. I will definitely read anything this author writes. I love that she gives the reader a diverse group of characters and tells their story phenomenally, and isn't afraid to touch on some important issues. I highly recommend this book to any romance reader!
 

Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT. She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.


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