Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang
Publication: May 7, 2019
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)
Genre: Romance
Pages: 315
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
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.
REVIEW:
A few months ago my book club read the first book in this series The Kiss Quotient. I also at some point had purchased the second book in the series for one reason or another. Probably because I already had a book by her and figured why not. Anyway, I knew the moment that I finished the book that I needed to read the second book and I needed to read it sooner rather than later. I feel in love with the author’s writing style. The second book is based around the cousin of the main character from the first book.
First off, I literally binged over 60% of this book in one night it was that good. I couldn’t put it down. I knew that I had to stop reading it and get some sleep when my watch said 1 AM. Khai is autistic he has problems with relationships. His mother takes it upon herself to find a wife for him. My is a young woman in Viet Nam. She wants better for her family. When she gets picked to come to America to marry Khai. Khai doesn’t want a wife or a relationship. My (Esme is the American name she picked) takes it upon herself to wedge herself into his life. The events that take place are quite an adventure. This book like I said was really good. The first chapters are a little slow in my opinion but then it picks up and takes right off.
Khai’s transformation with Esme is amazing. You see him really bloom being around her. Esme as well also comes out of her shell. I am really proud of her taking night classes to learn English and too better herself. The only thing I really didn’t like was how long she kept her having a child from everyone. Yes, I guess I understand why she did it but it just felt like she was hiding her or something like that. I loved the way that Esme wedged herself into Khai’s life. She did what she knew best and took care of him. Yes, she did little things that would annoy him but that just seemed to endear her to him in the long run. I am definitely reading the next book in the series. From what I read it is about Khai’s older brother Quan. I can’t wait to find out about his story.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up a copy of The Bride Test by Helen Hoang on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave a review for the author when you are finished. You can check out more from author Helen Hoang HERE on her site. Also check out our review of the first book in this series, The Kiss Quotient HERE.
