Wanted: A man with the four C’s (Chinese, Christian, Cash and Career). Ability to cure hives a definite plus.
Melanie Koo may be a physician skilled in helping others, but the one thing she can’t fix is her own love life. That’s why her mother comes up with the perfect remedy-an arranged marriage. Being the dutiful daughter that she is, she agrees to this loveless match … until a chance meeting … chance meeting leads her straight to the cure for her hopeless heart.
Ben Peters is everything Melanie was not looking for in a guy, but she can’t help but be drawn to his passionate and kind nature and, not to mention, those adorable dimples. For once in her life, she considers breaking parental expectations to go after what she wants. The only thing standing in her way is a five foot one traditional Chinese mother and her scheming ways.
Now Melanie has to make the biggest decision of her life. Will she stay true to her family or will she choose to believe that true love can be colorblind?
Love listening to music while you read? If so, check out True To You’s playlist, available now on Soundcloud! Go here: soundcloud.com/2square2behip/sets/true-to-you
Song list:
1-One Thing by One Direction
2-Here Come Those Eyes by Chris Rice
3-Take On Me by A-Ha
4-Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
5-Animal by Neon Trees
6-Have a Little Faith in Me by Bon Jovi
7-Rude by Magic!
8-Say What You Need to Say by John Mayer
9-Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry
10-Brave by Sara Bareilles
11-Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden
12-Still into You by Paramore
more
Melanie is Chinese and Ben is not. There starts the problems, well at least for her mom. They were so adorable and he was sooooo understanding. There is a part near the end that I just wanted to shout at Melanie “please stop and wake up”!!! She came through!!!
Very engaging! I almost couldn’t put it down! I really loved the hero and heroine. I enjoyed learning about some Asian stereotypes and especially loved how prejudice was overcome. The insight into English idioms was hilarious. I also loved the sibling dynamics.
The world-building was wonderful—I felt like I was in the Chinese restaurants and the grocery stores.
Even the editing was great — I didn’t notice but maybe one error!
The only thing I didn’t love was the ending. I felt that the proposal was a little unbelievable—and not romantic enough to make up for it. I wish that we had seen a bit more of the romance until a more reasonable proposal. But the Epilogue was very satisfying, as to the family dynamics, not necessarily the romance.
Favorite quotes:
“Melanie sighed. She knew her sister meant well, but she didn’t know half of what it was like to be in her shoes. Not that her fashion-loving sister would ever share her footwear; her closet was the last one Sam would raid.” (chapter 1, p. 8)
“If she hadn’t experienced this kind of intimidation before, she might have succumbed to the pressure. But guilt trips were part and parcel of her family life; she could spot one coming a mile away, especially when it came from her mother.” (chapter 2, p. 22)
“’Math tends to have a bad reputation for being boring or too hard. But laughter makes any kind of suffering a little more bearable, at least I think it does.’” (chapter 3, p. 29)
“If there was such a thing as a good bedside manner for teachers, he had it.” (chapter 3, p. 31)
“Adventurous? Letting go? Had anyone ever described her in those terms? Certainly not in the past few years. But Ben’s words seemed to resonate within her heart. ‘Maybe there is an adventurous spirit buried deep down inside of me. I guess it just needed the right opportunity to come out.’” (chapter 4, p. 39)
“’Life’s too short to dwell on small talk.” (chapter 4, p. 46)
“’You worry too much.’ ‘You worry too little.’” (chapter 5, p. 53) Classic opposites.
“’You only need to be true to God and to yourself. Life is too short to do otherwise.’” (chapter 6, p. 69)
“’You are like the answer to a math equation I’ve spent years trying to solve, and now I’ve finally solved it. I know everything I need to know about you. It’s going to sound like a cheesy love song,’ he confessed, ‘but I fell for you the day we met, and I fall for you more with every breath I take.’” (chapter 7, p. 88)
“’…for someone who didn’t mind working her butt off in school, you sure like to take the easy way out in love… Sometimes the hard things in life are the ones worth fighting for.’” (chapter 7, p.89)
“’I think they are called idioms because you feel like an idiot when you get them wrong.”’ (chapter 10, p. 122)