The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (ARC Review)

Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang
Type: Fiction
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
(Penguin Random House)
Published: May 7, 2019

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.

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.

Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient was one of my favourite reads of last year. So, it should come as no surprise that The Bride Test was one of my most anticipated releases of this year! I remember being a little heartbroken when the pub date for this book was pushed (by a few months I think), but I would say that the wait was worth it. Both, Esme and Khai were instantly likeable, and their relationship was very cute! They also had chemistry, although for me it wasn’t quite as “sizzly” as Michael and Stella’s chemistry.

What I did enjoy more in this book was the overall plot, as well as the side characters! I really really like Khai’s brother, as well as some of the other people in their family. Where this book lacked in “sizzle,” it definitely made up for in emotion. I felt a lot more emotionally connected to the characters than I did in The Kiss Quotient. That being said, I don’t know how I feel about even comparing the 2 books because they’re completely different stories. Yes, they’re part of the same series, and some of the same characters appear in both books, but ultimately, they can be read separately as well. Overall, I really enjoyed The Bride Test and look forward to seeing what Hoang will write next.

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.