The Bride Test
by Helena Hoang
Published by Berkley on June 4th, 2019
Genres: Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Series: The Kiss Quotient - Book Two
Format: Paperback
Source: Indigo
Summary 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
The Bride Test is the second instalment in Helen Hoang's adult romance series The Kiss Quotient. Though it is a part of this series it can also be read as a standalone. Having recently re-read The Kiss Quotient, and liking it far better than the first time I read it, as well as read The Bride Test, I can truly understand the hype around this author. Her works are surprisingly refreshing and different compared to other books and are diverse, they capture your attention and hold it throughout the duration it takes to finish reading it.
Khai, a successful accountant, likes his career and routine. Believing that he is incapable of having feelings towards another person, he sees no point in dating, believing he is perfectly happy living a single life. When his mother becomes obsessed with seeing him married off, travelling all the way to Vietnam to find him a bride and when she returns to the U.S. later informs him that this new woman will be living in his house, Khai is absolutely shocked. Somehow, she convinces him to let Esme live there with him and to engage with her for the duration of the summer, attending daily weddings with her and also do things with her that is deemed "couple" worthy. At the end of the summer if it doesn't work out between them, he doesn't have to get married, and his mom would stop trying to fix him up with other women. Kai believing he's never getting married, takes the deal. However, the moment Esme walks out of the airport, Khai's perfectly routined world gets shattered and nothing he says or does can stop it. Esme, a bathroom attendant in a hotel who lived with her family in a one bedroom, could hardly believe her luck when she is propositioned in the bathroom by a woman to marry her son. Living with a gorgeous man who is a bit strange but makes her heart beat fast every time he looks at her or is near.
The love story in this book had to be one of the best I've read. It was deeply heartfelt and fascinating to see how both Esme and Kai inspired each other to become better people everyday. They both unknowingly wanted more out of their lives and found ways to achieve what they believed to be next to impossible together. Witnessing Khai's character development as well as him navigating his unfamiliar feelings towards Esme and seeing how Esme struggled to adapt to her life in America while learning to accept herself and her feelings for Khai left me an emotional wreck. It was beautiful to read, to say the least. Their story is truly endearing, it is filled with hope, growth, and love.
There are many things I absolutely enjoyed while reading The Bride Test. One would have to be the diverse inclusivity shown, primarily towards autistic characters. Through this subtle level of education, stereotypes begin to crumble and, as we witness, growth begins to occur. Another aspect of that I found heartwarming to read would have to be the theme related to immigration and the trials and tributes one may go through in their circumstances. It brought many things into perspective for me and made me think back onto my own family and what they did in order to have a better life and to give one for the generations to come.
I can officially say I am a fan of Helen Hoang's works. I would highly recommend picking up both of her works and checking it out yourself. Don't miss your chance, so read this book!
Rating
★★★★★
About the AuthorHelen 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.
