The Bride Test

I received The Bride Test on Saturday, a few days before today's release date, through Book of the Month. I've been really excited about this one, because it's another adult romance with an autistic main character, like the first book, The Kiss Quotient. (The author is also autistic.) There's actually a lot of #ownvoices representation here; Hoang has an author's note at the end talking about how much of Esme's personality and struggles are based on her own mother, who immigrated from Vietnam as a refugee at the end of the Vietnam war. I love that in writing the book, Hoang grew closer to her mother as she learned about her history. Definitely don't miss the author's note at the end of this book, if you read it!

I have mixed feelings about this one, but unfortunately the part I really have mixed feelings about is very spoilery, so I can't talk about it without ruining major plot points! Overall, I did really like the book, and Khai showed a lot of the same traits my husband does. The first book's autistic character is female, so it was nice to see a character so similar to my husband this time. The characters from The Kiss Quotient do make a token appearance in The Bride Test, and I'm hoping Hoang will finally write Quan's story next! There is an untitled third book in the series due out in 2020, so I'm crossing fingers for Quan!

I absolutely adored Esme in this book. She is hardworking and strong-willed, and knows what she's worth. I wish she'd been a little more honest with Khai, but I can understand being too afraid to be fully honest with someone who could have such control over your future. I did really enjoy this sequel, and I can't wait to hear what the plot will be for the third book.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

This started really good (better than The Kiss Quotient), then got better, then completely derailed during the drama near the end. 4 stars only for the cute fluffy stuff for 80% of the book.
Was the damn drama required near the end? Should you be pushing an autistic person that way? It seemed so weird and I cringed a lot because it was really uncomfortable.
But apart from that, I liked the characters and the interactions a lot.

Also, there is no way Esme looked up tax laws in Indonesia when Khai asked about it and other English words, but when he mentions he's autistic, she doesn't Google that!

My last book I will read as a 20 year old! Tomorrow I turn 21! (a very not important age in Australia as 18 is the legal age to drink here so no I will not be getting crazy drunk lol)

I liked this book but wasn't that connected to it. A little unrealistic at times :/

I finally read a book about an autistic character! I have autism (I don't think I mentioned that before) and I suffer through the same things as the dude in this book did (yes I already forgot his name).
I can't touch people and they can't touch me.
I can't detect sarcasm all the time.
I have sensory issues like getting anxious because of loud sounds, I have misophonia which means I hate sound lol, I hate textures, i hate some body movements.

People often label me as a non verbal autistic person but no! I have a seperate problem called selective mutism and that's the reason why I haven't spoken in 20 years, not because of autism! I am on the high functioning end of the spectrum so I'm lucky compared to most but the fight is real. My mutism is what hinders my everyday life so yes I could maybe function in society with my autism, I can't with my mutism so my life has no many options, no future basically.
This book has brought up a lot and I've had to think about my own autism and how I am ashamed to say I have it. We are normal people but every body sees us as dumb, lesser, weird.
I can't wait to read this authors other books!

“Happy people don't wear all black.”

There's something about the way Hoang writes romance that doesn't work for me. I honestly couldn't feel the love blooming between the two protagonists, but I'm obviously in the minority.

I also discovered that I might be more of a prude than I though (got tired of steamy bits very quickly) and that I have a real aversion for the mail-order-bride trope. The power imbalance between the wealthy and the desperately-in-need counterpart makes me uncomfortable. Moreso, there was so much angst and there were so little good moments between Khai and Esme that I honestly felt she stuck it out for the financial stability. And the fact that she lied about her daughter until the last moment also felt rather sketchy.

Seeing autistic representation in books never fail to make me feel so happy and seen. This book demonstrates perfectly some of the struggles that autistic people experience when it comes to relationships or their everyday lives.

You know you're really enjoying a book when you potentially put off reading it because you don't want to finish it. I don't care how cringey or silly this book might seem to others but this is so special to me as someone who is autistic.

I truly believed for a long time that I wouldn't ever find someone who could accept me as I am, my autistic quirks and all. I told myself I wouldn't be able to experience love or understand when I had felt it.

“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back”

I think this is really important to include because I think it's such a beautiful quote. No one should ever settle or accept less than what they deserve.

“I love you. I told myself I didn't. Because I was afraid to lose someone again, and I doubted myself, and I wanted only the best for you. But the feeling has gotten too big to deny. My heart works in a different way, but it's yours. You're my one.”

This is definitely a comfort read for me.

A fun, sexy, and sweet romance with lots of heart

This is one of the best romances I have read in a long time. This book had me swooning, awwing, laughing and tearing me up. I felt so deeply for the heroine's journey and was cheering her on the whole way, the romance between Esme and Khai is sweet. This book made my heart happy and I will definitely be reading the author's other works.

Gelezen als audioboek

Het feit dat het hoofdpersonage in het begin van het boek al koos om over bepaalde aspecten in haar leven te liegen, liet een beetje een zure smaak na in mijn mond. Vooral omdat ze in eerste instantie werd geïntroduceerd als een integer en gewetensvol persoon, die liever een lagere positie in het leven accepteert dan tegen haar principes in te gaan; en daarom ook uitgekozen wordt door haar toekomstige schoonmoeder, omdat ze zo echt en ongegeneerd zichzelf is.
Hierdoor zat ik eigenlijk al van in het begin van het boek op te zien tegen de gevolgen van haar keuze, maar deze kwam uiteindelijk niet. Alles wordt goedgehumeurd onder het tapijt geveegd en geaccepteerd als ok. Je zou de auteur hiervoor een pluim kunnen geven, om niet te vervallen in het gemakkelijke cliché en een andere weg in te slaan. Maar dan zit ik met de vraag waarom het er überhaupt in zat...

Zoals veel romans, las dit extreem snel, maar het algehele verhaal was voor mij een beetje middelmatig. Afgezien van de verschillende representaties – immigranten en neuro-divergente mensen – was er niets dat me echt opviel.

Op het einde was het vermakelijk achtergrondgeluid, terwijl ik achter de naaimachine zat en kleren maakte voor de verjaardag van mijn jongste metekindje.

[b:The Bride Test 39338454 The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient, #2) Helen Hoang https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548428073l/39338454.SY75.jpg 60976615]The Kiss Quotient Book TwoI am an obnoxiously picky reader of romance. Give me a thriller any day of the week. Romance not so much. The funny thing about that though is I am a hopeless romantic. I try and try but don't often find one that captivates me. But Helen Hoang just NAILS this genre for me. I adored The Kiss Quotient so much that reading this was a no brainer. I love every beat, every story-line, every character. Her dialogue sings and the relationships feel deep and real. The story is also very relatable and that makes it so much easier and quicker to read. Hoang writes with humor, empathy, and truth. Just perfectly lovely. And as someone whose brain doesn't work like most people's, I especially love her neurodivergent leads, who are sexy and smart and wonderful. This is a gem that everyone should read. Make sure you read the Author's Note at the end

wow wow wow
is there anything else I need to say
there is a great representation in the portrayal of both autisms as well as people coming in from overseas as mailorder brides. I can in expecting a relatively good story from all the hype on booktube as well as the review section on good reads. And it did not disappoint. it had a good narrative on both main characters as they move through this time together and working to understand how to coexist in their situation. the ending while not surprising tools a from that I was intrigued by. not what people were expecting from the author. there are many intricacies I want to explore again and review so I will defiantly give this a reread and post a full analysis later on

i dont understand why the author found this plot okay, because the idea of forced marriage and forced relationship isnt appealing. i understand that there are many romance books with marriage of convenience etc trop but you actually feel them falling in love. in this, i felt as though the love is being pushed upon by everyone surrounding them.

Y'all I enjoyed this so so much! Helen Hoang's writing is just so good. Her ability to immerse you in a culture while also giving a story that is inclusive and moving. This book takes place after the events of The Kiss Quotient, and we even get a glimpse of Michael and Stella, which I love. This follows Michael's cousin, Khai who's mother is on a mission to get him married. She arranges for Esme to come to the United States from Vietnam to date him. Esme is a single mother who is willing to do anything to create a better life for her daughter. Khai is autistic and has a hard time with relationships and feelings, but with Esme's help, he is able to cope and process everything he is feeling. This is a forced proximity romance, and y'all, the spice is so good. I loved this story so much. It was emotional but also very fun, and if you liked The Kiss Quotient, I think you would really enjoy this book. I love how Helen Hoang gives representation in this series, it all warms my heart so much. I listened to this on audio from Libby and I really enjoyed the narration. It was a single narrator, but she did the different characters well. This is an adult romance, 18+ for sexual content, language, and themes.

This isn‘t the series for me. Hoang's female characters are unbearably one dimensional. I rolled my eyes during most of this book. The dialogue and inner thoughts were all so predictable or cringey. There was nothing between Khai and Esme except sexual thoughts. I really think I messed up reading this after reading an Emily Henry romance. I need more than undeserved longing and butthurt characters. Quan is the best part of this book so I'm going to read his book, but I would be lying if I said I was excited about it.