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A review by immabehazzie
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
3.0
3.5 stars rounded down
‘The Bride Test’ is a story following Khai Diep, an autistic man and a minor character from the previous book, ‘The Kiss Quotient’, and Esme Tran, a young Vietnamese woman seeking a better life for herself and her daughter. Playing matchmaker for her son, Khai’s mother brings Esme to America to see if she is a good match for her son.
I waited some time to start this book after finishing ‘The Kiss Quotient’, not sure if I would enjoy more of this series, however, I preferred ‘The Bride Test’ over the first book. I liked Khai and Esme and I enjoyed reading their love story develop. Their story is filled with miscommunications, personal insecurities, cultural differences, and the complexities of love. Unlike ‘The Kiss Quotient’, Esme and Khai felt more real than Michael and Stella did and while I can’t speak about the Asian representation (as I am not Asian) I can say that I felt as though the autistic representation hit deeper for me in this story.
The chemistry between Khai and Esme was palpable so despite my intense dislike of the miscommunication trope being overdone in this novel, I still enjoyed this book and their love story. On top of that, their individual journeys to explore their personal identities and family made this story feel bigger than “just a love story”.
I do think that ‘The Bride Test’ is a good second try at this series if you weren’t sold on it after ‘The Kiss Quotient’
‘The Bride Test’ is a story following Khai Diep, an autistic man and a minor character from the previous book, ‘The Kiss Quotient’, and Esme Tran, a young Vietnamese woman seeking a better life for herself and her daughter. Playing matchmaker for her son, Khai’s mother brings Esme to America to see if she is a good match for her son.
I waited some time to start this book after finishing ‘The Kiss Quotient’, not sure if I would enjoy more of this series, however, I preferred ‘The Bride Test’ over the first book. I liked Khai and Esme and I enjoyed reading their love story develop. Their story is filled with miscommunications, personal insecurities, cultural differences, and the complexities of love. Unlike ‘The Kiss Quotient’, Esme and Khai felt more real than Michael and Stella did and while I can’t speak about the Asian representation (as I am not Asian) I can say that I felt as though the autistic representation hit deeper for me in this story.
The chemistry between Khai and Esme was palpable so despite my intense dislike of the miscommunication trope being overdone in this novel, I still enjoyed this book and their love story. On top of that, their individual journeys to explore their personal identities and family made this story feel bigger than “just a love story”.
I do think that ‘The Bride Test’ is a good second try at this series if you weren’t sold on it after ‘The Kiss Quotient’