From the USA Today bestselling author of The Kiss Quotient comes a romantic novel about love that crosses international borders and all boundaries of the heart…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 … 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.
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The Bride Test is positively delightful… It’s smart, honest, and achingly romantic, just as sexy as it is sweet.
Helen Hoang is a master of building characters that feel relatable.
Helen Hoang’s second novel follows Khai Diep, who had a brief in appearance in The Kiss Quotient. Khai has autism and because of this diagnosis and events in his past, he’s convinced he can’t feel any emotions at all — particularly love and romantic attachment. When his mother convinces him to commit to a summer-long trial engagement to Esme, a country girl trying to provide for her family in Vietnam, he tries (and fails) to keep her from becoming a part of his life. Esme does what no one — not even his family, really — has tried to do before: not just accept him, but understand him and his needs.
I enjoyed this romance, and I’m so awed by the way that Hoang was able to weave the topics of autism, immigration, education, and wealth inequality into her novel. As a couple, I think Esme and Khai were a harder sell than Michael and Stella, but the characters felt grounded and real. It was clear with every chapter that Hoang sought to empower Esme and give her independence, and she’s a heroine you’ll definitely be cheering for!
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang was by far my favorite book of 2018, so naturally when I heard Helen was writing Khai’s book I was filled with excitement to once again visit this dynamic world Hoang creates. With that being said, The Bride Test was absolutely perfect!
Khai is autistic and doesn’t feel nor recogonize emotions. Being from a strict Vietnamese family doesn’t help either. It’s expected of him to marry and carry on the family name, so you can imagine his irritation and frustration when his mother sets out to set him up.
Esme encounters Khai’s mother, Cô Nga in the women’s bathroom who convinces her to come to the U.S. from Vietnam to meet/marry her son. Thinking of her family struggles, this is an offer Esme cannot refuse as she has hopes of providing a better life for herself and for her family.
When Khai and Esme meet it does not go as planned. Not only is their relationship unconventional but Khai feels no connection to Esme and acts rather rudely towards her. Afterall, she is a stranger and in Khai’s mind that simple fact is amplified. Then there’s Esme, she lives with anxiety of being in a new place and believes that she is the cause of his behavior. It’s later on that Esme understands exactly why Khai acts that way.
Though their relationship wasn’t perfect, with time the relationship between Khai and Esme slowly blooms; and that’s the beauty of it all. These two unusual characters complimented one another very well, learning from each other.
A slow paced and swoony romance, The Bride Test will have you wanting to read everything Helen Hoang writes!
The Bride Test is the second installment in Helen Hoang’s collection of adult romance standalones titled The Kiss Quotient. As opposed to many other readers, I personally enjoyed The Bride Test much more than its predecessor. Hoang continues to be inclusive with a high-functioning autistic primary character. Subtle education about this amazing population shatters ignorant stereotypes as we witness internal processing, growth, and love. Yes, love. Doesn’t it look and feel different to us all regardless of so-called limitations? A theme related to immigration in this book shows true limitations and puts things in perspective.
“How did you change your life when you were trapped like this? Her history didn’t define her. Her origins didn’t define her. At least, they shouldn’t. She could be more, if she had a chance. But people didn’t see who she was inside. They didn’t know. And she had no way to show them without an opportunity.”
Well-done, again, Ms. Hoang. This will be a re-read for me for sure. Check it out!
Thank you to the following for permitting me access to a digital review copy (DRC) of The Bride Test. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: Edelweiss+
Author: Helen Hoang
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
On Sale Date: May 7, 2019
Note: All quotes were checked against the final, published edition.
Lighthearted and full of family, The Bride Test showcases one character’s complexities when matched with the persistence of another in the most unconventional way.
Khai Diep, traditionally named Diệp Khải, processes emotions differently than everyone else. He does not recogonize heart stopping emotions, thus, making it difficult for him to express other emotions besides the simplistic ones.
With Cô Nga on a matchmaking mission, no one is safe, specifically Khai. A descendent from an old school Vietnamese family, Cô Nga expects Khai to get married and not just to anyone but someone of her very own liking. With Michael’s pending wedding, the hero in The Kiss Quotient, the expectations are even higher for Khai. One journey to Vietnam later, an unexpected encounter in the ladies room, much persuasion on Cô Nga’s behalf, and finally she might just get her way… But her time is limited to make this temporary situation very permanent.
Mỹ has endured circumstances that many would not flourish in. Now the sole provider for her family, Mỹ will do anything to offer them a chance at a better life. Mỹ’s hopes triumphs any and all hesistancy she may be feeling. Putting her life in Vietnam on hold, Mỹ travels to the United States and becomes Esmeralda Esme Tran.
Khai and Esme’s first meeting is any and every thing except sparks. Khai is extremely uncomfortable, because of this his interactions with Esme are short which causes Esme to constantly feel out of place. Though soon, Khai’s home starts to feel like Esme’s home as well as she begins to build a life for herself in America. Not only does Esme mess with Khai’s socks and more (these moments are perfection) but she’s constantly in his thoughts, making him feel a connection to her and an even deeper desire to explore said connection.
Original and all-consuming, Helen Hoang continues to give unforgettable happily ever afters to characters with distinctive voices.
This book. Man…this book! READ THIS BOOK.
First, I have to say, I’m a big fan of arranged marriages, interfering mamas, determined heroines and reluctant heroes and this book has allathat. So if that’s your bag, dive in. Add in…forced proximity, fish out of water, emotionally-disgruntled hero, rip-your-heart-out wonderful heroine…a stellar sidecast…a secret identity and you’ve just piled trope on trope on trope and it is delicious.
It’s also incredibly romantic, funny and gentle. There are no evil villains. The demons are within. There’s a very humorous bit of her trying to spruce up his house and gardening. He’s very confused as to her motivations. And an adorable part where she gets hurt and he struggles with his burgeoning emotions.
This is a fantastic book. What’s weird to me is how many people say it’s not as good as it’s predecessor The Kiss Quotient, and griping about that…somehow it makes me not want to read KQ. Because if they loved that but didn’t love this, maybe the inverse is true for me? I loved this but I won’t love that? I’m confusing myself. Lol.
Either way…i adored this story.
Loved this story! The heroine, Esme, has such spirit and guts. She comes from an incredibly poor background in Vietnam but has such a powerful determination to make her life better. You root for her right from the start. The hero, Khai, is autistic and fascinating. His point-of-view was so compelling. And he’s very hot. This is a real feel-good book with great charm. I read it at top speed and was still thinking about the characters when it was over.
I really enjoyed reading different characters, and I mean that in respect of from different ethnic backgrounds and with different emotional connections to the world.
The h/h are both interesting characters, well-rounded and fleshed out and so well suited, once Khai is able to take those first tentative steps along the road to any sort of relationship. Esme is a strong woman, with a world of integrity and a slow realisation of her self worth.
The secondary characters’ interactions with the h/h reveal much about each, and I will admit to a few tears at the city hall wedding scene.
A lovely story. Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook a while back and didn’t listen to it. I had started it and the first couple scenes were pretty dark and angsty–not my thing — so i stopped. But a lot of people said the book was good, so i gave it another try, this time pushing through the first chapter and getting to the heart of the story — when Esme meets Kai. This is a unique story about a very poor, uneducated Vietnamese girl who is chosen by an American/Vietnamese mom for her son. What no one in the family openly acknowledges is that Kai is autistic and simply doesn’t react to things as other people do. The fact that Esme doesn’t really know this means she just accepts Kai as different. While it’s a pretty simple story of will they or won’t they fall in love, it turns out to be a page turner that kept me awake way into the night. I’m glad i persisted, because i loved The Bride Test.
The Bride Test made me cry.
In the best way.
As an autistic woman, it’s rare to find a romance where I feel an autistic character was written realistically.
This was book was so well written. I adored every single moment. I cried at the end, all happy tears.
It’s just so a beautiful story.
Loved this book! An autistic hero has to learn to trust his instincts when his mother brings a bride for him from Vietnam. Fabulous characters!
Unique story and characters. Whipped through this one in a day! 🙂
Autistic heroes are some of my faves! Add that he’s a man of color and this book had me loving every word!
With this book Helen Hoang has proven herself to be an insta-buy author for me. Her first book was amazing. This one is amazing in a completely different way. I loved Khai and Esme have me all up in my feelings. What a wonderful take on the fiancée of convenience (mostly) trope. Love, love, love.
OH EM GEE. The Bride Test. It’s been like two weeks since I finished reading this book and I still can’t even with how much I loved it. I’m not sure I can put my love for it into coherent sentences. Basically all I want to do is shriek and squeal and tell everyone to read it. I still have all the heart eyes, shouty caps and feels for this one two weeks later. It was absolutely delightful from beginning to end.
Esme and Khai were EVERYTHING. Seriously, these two made me melt all over the place. Even just thinking about them right now, I get this huge grin on my face. Esme was amazing. She was so sweet and determined to give her loved ones a better life. Selfless is one word that comes to mind. But, she wasn’t a doormat. She had her own dreams and goals and it warmed my heart to see her go after them. Khai was a complicated and unique character, but I absolutely loved him. I basically just wanted to give him a giant hug through most of the book. He really came into his own during this book.
I could go on and on about all the little things I loved about The Bride Test, but I won’t. I don’t want to spoil anything for you. These characters and this story are best just discovered. I’d say you should savor them, but heavens knows I didn’t. I didn’t want to put it down. There are just SO MANY fantastic scenes that delivered SO MANY feels. At least one of those scenes features Stella and Michael from The Kiss Quotient and it made my heart so happy. But, so did all of this book if I’m being honest. It’s sweet, romantic and sexy, with unforgettable characters. Basically everything I want in a romance and exactly WHY I read romance.
The Kiss Quotient was one of my favorite books of 2018, which left The Bride Test as one of my most-anticipated reads for this year. With that anticipation came a healthy dose of nerves because what if it didn’t live up to my expectations? They were sky high, after all. No need to worry on that front. It more than met my expectations, it exceeded them. And for the second year in a row, Helen Hoang is destined to be on my “best of” list at the end of the year. Oh, and she’s hit auto-buy author status, too. I can’t wait to reread this book!
Favorite Quotes:
Nothing gets to you. It’s like your heart is made of stone.
Happiness, like grief, was not in his personal emotional card deck. But minor emotions like irritation and frustration were. He was feeling those in healthy measure right this moment.
He was a puzzle she never would have been able to solve if he hadn’t shown her how.
“They don’t talk about the ‘clitoris’ in health class at school.” It didn’t even sound real. For all he knew, it was an urban myth, like the Chupacabra or Roswell aliens.
His heart wasn’t made of stone, after all. It just wasn’t like everyone else’s.
Lips to lips, hearts melting together, no distance between them, not even an arm’s length.
Finished it in three hours. Unputdownable, engrossing, involving story. Love the characters. Love the culture. Love the writing.
140+ books into this year, and I choose this book as my top book of the year. There are so many reasons to love this story – it’s an immigrant’s perspective, it has feminist undertones, and it’s heart-felt. The characters are marked by compassion and driven to make things right. The author notes that this is written with remembrance to her mother, and it shows. It is a caring story that highlights the struggle and perseverance that characterizes so many immigrant family stories. I’ve read it twice already and thinking about it again, I may need to read it one more time before the end of the year.
Such an enlightening story. I love books about different cultures and atypical characters who face dilemmas that expand my thinking. Great read!
Khai has autism and doesn’t think he can ever have romance feelings. Khia’s mom goes to Vietnam and finds Esme, mom offers Esme to come to America to change her sons mind about love and marriage. Esme has her work cut out for her. This book had me attention immediately. I don’t know what it is but Helen Hoang has an attention grabbing ability. I like that her main characters have autism and they have to learn how to be with people and love them. Everybody needs love right. I liked the characters, especially Esme, I liked that everything seems new to her. I highly recommend this book, i can’t wait to start the 3rd book in this series.