The Bride Test by Helen Hoang Pages: 296
Published by Berkley on May 7, 2019
Series: The Kiss Quotient #2
Genres: Romance, contemporary
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
Also in this series: The Kiss Quotient, The Kiss QuotientKhai 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.
The Bride Test is the second book in The Kiss Quotient series by author Helen Hoang. I loved The Kiss Quotient, so I was super excited to read The Bride Test, and I have to tell you…I loved this book EVEN MORE! The Bride Test is a romantic comedy about two characters that will make you fall head over heels in love with them. Helen Hoang is now a must read author for me because she knocked it out of the park two times in a row and I am just a little bit in love with her books and characters and romance. This book is everything I want in a romance, and is one that I will easily revisit time and time again just to fall in love once more with Khai and Esme. The books are each standlones but they are linked to characters from the other books. For example, Khai is Michael’s cousin.
In The Bride Test, we meet our main characters Khai and Esme. Khai, just like Stella from The Kiss Quotient, is also on the autism spectrum, and he does not think he is capable of feeling romantic love for someone. So when his mom sets him up, he knows it is doomed for failure. Insert Esme. Esme is a hard worker from a poor part of Ho Chi Minh City, so when a well-to-do woman offers her the chance to marry her son in America, she knows she has to give it a shot for her family. Helen Hoang has a fantastic way with characters. I am not really sure how she does it, but I have fallen in love with all of her characters, both primary and secondary. Everyone is so fantastically developed, nuanced, unique and still so darn relatable that I think it is almost impossible to not fall in love with them. Esme is lovely. She tries so hard to get to know Khai and to do things for him that she thinks he will appreciate. She starts out with the intention of doing it to make her fall in love with him, but watching her fall for Khai warmed my heart. And Khai is great as well. I really enjoyed a deep dive in getting to know him throughout the story. He is an awesome guy!
The Bride Test is like sunshine and smiles in a novel. I enjoyed every page of this novel from start to finish, even the ugly and tough parts. It is one of those books that will put a smile on your face, no matter your mood. I also love that The Kiss Quotient series features characters that are on the autism spectrum. Helen Hoang handles this beautifully, Khai and Stella, though both on the spectrum, are nothing alike. This was perfect because it added a realistic element to their relate-ability, because being “on the spectrum” can mean and present itself in so many different ways. Not everyone on the spectrum is the same or acts the same. I am excited to read about more characters like Khai (and Stella from The Kiss Quotient) in romance novels! Overall, this romance was a ton of fun and super satisfying! I would recommend it to everyone because this book was easily one of my favorite reads of the year in the contemporary romance category. It was just so cute and romantic! The secondary characters were also great. This time around, I really enjoyed Quan, Khai’s brother. I hope the next book in this series is about him!
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About Helen Hoang
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.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2020
Jen
Ohhh I need to read The Kiss Quotient & The Bride Test! Both you and Cookie O’Gorman loved them so I should too *fingers crossed*.