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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This book made my heart explode! I love how Hoang gives her readers a look into Vietnamese culture and the inner workings of those with autism. I also loved her novel, The Kiss Quotient. Her writing style is bright and sweeps you along with the characters feeling all the feels right along with them. I can’t wait to see what Hoang publishes next! My fingers are crossed for a story about Quan!
Shallow, was not impressed
As you might remember, last summer I recommended to EVERYONE to buy a copy of Hoang’s first novel, The Kiss Quotient, one of the smartest and quirkiest romances I’ve read in a long time. As books have no expiration date (hooray!), that recommendation still applies. Hoang’s second romance, reviving characters from The Kiss Quotient, does not disappoint. She writes with such character detail and empathy, plus a lot of humor. Read this. Trust me.
I can’t put this book down!
Oh, this was just wonderful! Right up there with book one ( The Kiss Quotient ), placing Helen Hoang on my auto-buy list now, for sure!
Esme and Khai were both delightful characters. Like Michael and Stella in the first book, one of their mains struggles is with feeling they are “less than.” Esme’s problems in this area are worse than Khai’s–growing up with mixed heritage and no father in Vietnam wasn’t easy, and the fact that she had to drop out of high school always weighs heavily on her. She constantly feels as if she’s not good enough for Khai and his family, and fears that if she reveals her true self to them they’ll reject her. (No real worries there, though–even her future MIL is all kinds of awesome!) Khai’s main struggle is the feeling of otherness that he’s always had, especially after his cousin (and only real friend)’s death ten years earlier. It made me more than a little crazy that most of his extended family didn’t bother to try to understand him; fortunately his mother, brother, and sister were all kinds of awesome, but still.
The one aspect of the book that I struggled a bit with is that it didn’t feel like Khai and Esme got to know each other as well as they could have during their summer together. Khai spent so much of the first half hiding from her (and his growing feelings, of course) and then their relationship became more physical than anything else–she had things she was hiding from him and he wasn’t one for chit chatting. Clearly they’ve worked things out by the time we get to the epilogue, but I would have liked to have seen more of the getting to know you stuff on the page.
I have to admit I’ve read literally dozens of books since I read Ms. Hoang’s first book, and it wasn’t until Michael and Stella’s one big scene at the book that I realized how the two books were connected (Michael and Khai are cousins). I’m pretty sure I squealed out loud with joy, and know for certain that I had a giant smile on my face for that entire scene. Then I had to go back and re-read the three way phone conversation between Khai, his brother Quan, and Michael one more time, because OMG. I laughed out loud even more the second time. My point here is–you can absolutely read this book as a standalone with no ill effects. But for pity’s sake, do yourself the favor of going back and reading the first book too, because yes, it’s that good.
Fingers crossed that Ms. Hoang’s going to give Quan his own book, because I think I could give their mother a run for her money in the who wants to see Quan get his own HEA contest… 😉
The narrator of the audio version was delightful–her accents and the different voices she gave each character made listening a joy. I am bummed that the author’s note wasn’t included in the audio version; fortunately I also had a digital ARC (I switched back and forth while reading, depending on what I was doing) so I did get to read it.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I read The Kiss Quotient back in April and couldn’t wait to dive into The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I was looking forward to diving into another story written by Helen Hoang since I enjoyed her first book. I love the characters she writes in her stories, and I love how she writes characters with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the story. This is something I’m still learning about since I have family members that have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
First off, I loved Khai Diep in this story. He’s the character that has autism, but he lives his life like everyone else. The only thing that bothers him is that he doesn’t have any feelings. The very first chapter in the book has him at a funeral, and he’s not crying like everyone else, but he should be crying. There are several other instances in the book where he’s not sure how to feel. His family still doesn’t understand him either, except for his brother who pushes him several times this book. I felt for Khai’s character immediately because of his personality. He provided humor in the book, and so did his brother, Quan. Khani has feelings though, especially when it comes to meeting the woman, Esme, who his mother is trying to have him marry. At first, he doesn’t want anything to do with Esme, but the more he spends with her is when he realizes he can care for someone.
Esme Tran is the female protagonist in the story, and she lives in slums of Vietnam, and she ends up meeting Khai’s mom in the bathroom where she was working at since her mother was interviewing several women to come live with her son Khai. Esme is the perfect candidate since she wants a better life for herself and her daughter and finds Khai attractive with the photo she was shown by Khai’s mother. The minute Esme meets Khai, she realizes it will not be easy to seduce him. He is someone she can’t understand at first, but she doesn’t realize at first that he has autism. Although, she keeps her daughter a secret from him, which I found frustrating. I think she should’ve told Khai about her daughter immediately.
Other than that part of the book, I did enjoy this story. It was full of humor, drama, and moments of sadness. My favorite parts of the book involved Khai and his brother though and how Quan stepped up to assist Khai on a particular situation. There also was the scene where Khai sees Esme out in the garden, and she’s not wearing appropriate clothes, and he’s having a reaction to her, while he is trying to work out.
I’m looking forward to Quan getting his book since he was one secondary character in this book that I enjoyed getting to know. He stood up for Esme and also got his brother moving in this book on how he really should feel for Esme. I hope whoever he ends up with is ready for his charm.
Helen Hoang has become an auto-buy author for me, and I look forward to reading any future book she writes in the near future. I enjoy her stories and characters.
Story Rating: 4 stars
Steaminess Rating: 3.5 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of series, but each follows a new couple.
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Marriage of Convenience
Hero: Hero has Asperger’s syndrome; Virgin
Heroine: Half Vietnamese/Half American, Single Mother
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The author of THE KISS QUOTIENT hits it out of the park again with THE BRIDE TEST.
Khai is a successful grown man in California whose family knows he is capable of love, but he believes his autism makes friendship or romance impossible. So his mom flies to Vietnam to find him someone to prove him wrong.
Esme lives in poverty with her mom, grandma, and young daughter in Vietnam. When she accidentally meets a woman who offers her the opportunity to fly to America to potentially marry her son, Esme leaps at the chance to do something that could give her family a better life.
This novel switches between Khai and Esme’s point of view, allowing us to know why they make the choices they do, and see all of their actions no matter what they decide–or believe. These two strong, complex personalities are wonderful to watch being thrown together.
Love is a complicated thing. So is the belief of what we deserve, which is often determined by our past experiences, as well as messages we’ve received about ourselves and the way our brains process them.
This realistic, relatable novel explores all of this with a delightful frankness, bit of steam, and a whole lot of empathy.
(Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end!)
I could not wait to read this book as I devoured The Kiss Quotient by this author and she didn’t disappoint.
Poor girl from Vietnam, Vietnamese woman in Vietnam from America to find the perfect woman for her son, what could go wrong right? Esme (as I will not even going to type her given name correctly) has been given an opportunity of a lifetime, to come to America and try to seduce and marry Khai. She could give her daughter a better life, as well as her mother and grandmother. What she didn’t expect was to actually have feelings for the very good lucking Khai.
If you read the Kiss Quotient, you heard of Khai, if you haven’t read it, I suggest you pick it up as well. Anyway, Khai is different, as in autistic. He feels he doesn’t feel love or any love type emotions, until Esme.
Oh so many heartfelt moments with these two, as well as some very funny ones, but a lot of emotional ones as well.
Can Khai fall in love with Esme? Can Esme stay in America and get the things she otherwise would not have in Vietnam? Well, you have to take a moment and read this beautiful and funny story.
I cannot wait what other stories Helen Hoang will have for her readers.
Not enough words to rhapsodize on how I love this book so much. Not just because it dealt with a lot of social and cultural issues, which added depth to this story, but because Khai and Esme will truly steal your hearts away. Esme was a character that you can really relate with and her journey into a new country to find her place resonates with a lot of people. Khai on the other hand who he insists can never feel love or any emotion is actually one of the most emotional and feeling characters I’ve read. Ms. Hoang has defined these characters so well you can’t put the book down until the last page ( and I still want more of these two!) The Bride Test gets 5 stars!
This was so wonderfully entertaining I read it through in one afternoon. Khai Diep doesn’t feel things like other people do and he’s all too aware that he’s viewed as strange and different, including by members of his own family. His mother travels to Viet Nam to try and find a wife for her son and comes back with “Esme” Tran, a young woman who’s willing to do almost anything to build a better life for herself and her young daughter.
The characters click in the most interesting ways and the sexual tension between them is steamy. How Esme pulls Khai out of his isolation and how Khai responds to her is a delight. I can’t wait to read more from Ms. Hoang, a true rising star in contemporary romance.
TW: autism erasure by Khai’s family (exacerbated by the blurb).
As a starting point, I’d re-write the blurb. To say that Khai ‘has no feelings’ is not correct.
Khai believes he has no feelings thanks to his family erasing his autism diagnosis, and he’s built a life that is one giant coping mechanism. His family basically send him a mail order bride to push him out of his comfort zone. It feels like an extremely rude thing to do to him when what he really needs is a therapist.
There is a moment when he pulls out a socially awkward clanger during a wedding – something I’ve seen autistic relatives of mine do (the ones who haven’t had any support), while for other family members who’ve had support, this wouldn’t occur to them at all. I had huge empathy for Khai given the way his family dismiss his autism (aside from his brother who doesn’t really get it but tries his best to be understanding).
The heroine’s journey is incredible, although her daughter often felt like a throwaway note without the tug of connection to drive the heroine’s motivation. The way Esme pushes herself to prove she is worthwhile is brilliant and heartwarming.
Khai finally figures out his own truth – of course, he can feel feelings – he feels them so deeply that they overwhelm him and he can’t cope with them. But he really does need a therapist to help him through his family issues.
I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. It has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year and the characters have remained with me long after I finished the story. The Bride Test even had me in tears near the end—beautiful romance, and fantastic original story that hits all the right tropes, too, for the die-hard romance fan.
Okay, it’s been a long time since this has happened. I started reading The Bride Test yesterday afternoon. Other than taking time to cook and eat supper, I sat in my reading chair and kept going until the book was finished. I loved reading Helen Huong’s post-script about how she talked with her mother, an immigrant, about when she left Viet Name and how the story changed when Esme, a secondary character, took over the plot. This book is a definite read for anyone.
A matchmaking story involving a low-class immigrant woman from Vietnam and an autistic man, the world of this book involves close relationships and an underlying sweetness. I enjoyed it so much that I’m giving away two e-book copies this month.
Go here to enter the draw> https://janohara.net/bride-test-giveaway/
So I just finished this amazing book and just don’t know what to say… I would say it is even better than The Kiss Quotient and has a different feel to it also. Helen Hoang is an amazing author.
My (Esme) is a young Vietnamese single mother, who works hard to support her family consisting of her mother, grandmother and young daughter. One day she meets a woman who asks her to travel to the USA to meet her son, Khai, to see if they will hit it off. Esme will stay for the summer and if she and Khai will not marry at a certain date, she will go back to Vietnam. Esme decides to go for it, for her daughter and to search for her American father as her mother asks her to.
Khai was mentioned in the first book as ‘being like Stella’. He is autistic and at first is annoyed his mother moves Esme into his house. But he has promised his mother to do his best. And Esme wants to prove her worth to Khai. For her future, but foremost the future of her daughter. But she always stays true to herself.
I must say I totally fell for Esme and Khai! The alternating POV was great to give insight in their thoughts, hopes and fears. Both are on a journey of self-discovery.
As a secondary character Khai’s brother Quan stood out. His love for his younger brother was obvious and he helped Khai change and grow. It would be lovely to have Quan as the main character in one of Helen’s books.
For me this is immediately one of the best books of 2019. I highly recommend you read it. You will not regret it. It will be published May 2019.
I was incredibly excited for Helen Hoang’s follow up to The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test was just as marvelous as her debut. I absolutely loved Khai, but for me this was truly Esme’s story and seeing her come into her own was so powerful and satisfying. Another winner from an author who has confirmed her place on my auto-buy list.
The Bride Test was another fabulous and fast-reading book by Helen Hoang. This is the second book in her series to The Kiss Quotient. This author will blow you away, and the reader will definitely enjoy her stories. I anxiously await her third book to the series. Love, love, love and highly recommend!
I absolutely loved this story. Strong, complicated characters in a great entertaining story with awesome narration. What’s not to love?!!
-5 Stars!-
I loved this one even more than the first book in the series. Esme and Khai are both such wonderful characters and I love them both. The emotional struggles felt real and powerful and the HEA was sweet.
I love this book and series so much!!! The characters and the story are breathtaking.. Esme and Khai story really moved me so much, I love how Helen brings these characters that make you smile but also make you wonder what is going to happen next as they will keep you guessing what is happening in their mind and hearts at all times.. I love Esme how sensible she was, I felt connected to her at times especially when she felt at her lowest points, her internal dialog was very familiar and even made her more lovable and acceptable.. I really like how The Bride Test had a message of superation, that all dreams can come true when you have the faith and the conviction of it.
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Another great thing about The Bride Test was the relationship between Khai and Esme they both were perfect for each other. Khai was very direct making Esme uncomfortable and even hurt her without even noticed or knowing why. the reader will find gratifying that the author wrote an amazing heroine, Esme shows us how hard she worked for her dreams and made everything possible, she was kind, beautiful, and never gave up on her dreams and opportunity to have a better life for her and her family.
I have a hard time writing a review when I really love a book because I have much to say and not enough words to describe it. The Bride Test was beautiful, I really recommend it, is a story full of love, persistence, and determination.
Get ready to fall in love with Khai and Esme!!