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.