Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • FAQ
    • #CannonBookClub
    • Fan Mail
    • AlabamaPink
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
  • Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Genres
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us

Sugary sweet summer read

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

July 29, 2019 by Jen K Leave a Comment

Bingo Square: Listicle

When I saw the Listicle category, I figured the easiest way to find a list with something I wanted to read would be to google “Best Books of 2019” or “Summer Reads for 2019,” and Cosmopolitan came through for me.  It had a few novels I had already read and enjoyed, a few that were already on my to read list, and has given me a few more novels to keep an eye out for.  The Bride Test fell into the second category for me, one of those books I knew I would eventually read because I liked the author’s previous novel, The Kiss Quotient, but hadn’t  been in a rush to read because I also had nitpicks with The Kiss Quotient.

While I think The Bride Test was in some ways more bland with two super sweet love interests just trying to figure out their lives, I also think I preferred this one because it was less angsty (and fewer sex scenes – which for me was a plus, because there were sooo many in The Kiss Quotient), and I felt like the communication gaps were more natural and explainable. Being a poor working woman from Vietnam, it seemed reasonable to me that Esme would have very little knowledge of what autism was or what it meant, thus not entirely understanding how Khai might react to things.  Khai doesn’t believe he is capable of love because he doesn’t react to the events the way others do, and has interpreted that to mean he has no deep emotions rather than discussing his feelings with anyone and realizing he simply expresses them differently.

Khai’s mother is concerned that he will never try to meet someone or get married, so she goes to Vietnam to try to find a potential bride for him.  When the women she had arranged to meet don’t pass her screening, My, the hotel’s young cleaning woman, catches her eye, and after an engaging conversation, she makes My the offer.  My is very hesitant, but her mother convinces her that even if this opportunity doesn’t lead to marriage, three months in California could give her a chance to find her American father, and otherwise help her create a better future for her five year old daughter, the result of My trusting the wrong guy when 18.

Khai is very particular and set in his ways, but he also is a bit of people pleaser when it comes to his family, so he allows himself to be pushed into the arrangement by his mom.  My, or Esme as she puts on her official paperwork, will live with him for three months, Khai will treat her as a fiance, spending time with her, taking her to the three family weddings that summer, and otherwise going on outings. If at the end of the summer he wants to marry her, he will; otherwise she returns to Vietnam but he has to at minimum give Esme a fair chance.

Khai quickly finds himself drawn to Esme, despite the disruption she brings to his life, while Esme thinks incredibly highly of Khai but worries about her lack of education and the huge difference in their backgrounds, trying to prove to him (and herself) that she is good enough for Khai.  Khai’s best friend and cousin died 10 years before and since the memorial he has constantly doubted his ability to form real relationships or bonds with people.

As one of Michael’s cousins, the novel does allow the reader to see how Michael and Stella are doing, and their wedding is one of the three that Esme and Khai must attend.  However, Stella was only mentioned in passing while Michael actually participates in a few scenes, most notably the hilarious phone call where Quan and Michael help Khai conduct an analysis of what went right and what went wrong during Khai’s first sexual encounter with Esme.

While I liked the story overall, sometimes Esme was a bit too sugary sweet and perfect for my tastes, hence the blandness factor.  However, Hoang uses Esme to show some immigration and visa concerns, though obviously it all sounds much easier in this fantastical version of California than what I imagine reality to be.

I’m not sure if Hoang plans to write another story set in this family, but I’m guessing if so that Quan would be next on the list to find someone so we will see what comes next. Hoang is definitely a guaranteed easy, turn your brain off kind of read for me, but something about her just don’t get her into “must read, can’t wait for the next one” category for me.

Bingo Square: Listicle

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: Asian-American, autism, cbr11bingo, Contemporary Romance, diversity, Helen Hoang, listicle, The Bride Test

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

  • The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

Share the post "Sugary sweet summer read"

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • E-mail
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
7/29/2019 | Jen K's CBR11 Review No: 9 |
Rating:
| Tags: Asian-American, autism, cbr11bingo, Contemporary Romance, diversity, Helen Hoang, listicle, The Bride Test | Category: Fiction, Romance | 0 Comments

Jen K

I’ve been around off and on since the first year of CBR, and it and books have been a constant in my life through multiple moves and a major career change. I have a Siamese cat named Dany as a roommate, and still think they did Jon Snow wrong. Fantasy, specific types of sci-fi, historical fiction (especially mysteries) and romance (mostly historical) tend to be my go to genres now a days.

CBR11 participantCBR11 CommentsCBR11 LevelsCBR10 participantCBR 8CBR 7CBR 6CBR 5CBR 3CBR 2

Recent Reviews:

  • CBR Book Exchange! Thank you!
  • I Really Need to Find a Trivia Team
  • Stories Bring Communities Together
  • View all reviews by Jen K»

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Cannonball Read is an annual, memorial book challenge to read and review 52 books in a year. Or 26. Or 13. Choose your level and read to meet your goal all while fundraising for the American Cancer Society in the memory of AlabamaPink. Registration Now Open!

Recent Comments

  • faintingviolet on poetry that hurts to healI read it and I loved it. Review to follow!
  • emmalita on Soul Food, Murder, and an Author Mystery UnraveledIt seems pretty sketchy though and I join you in side eyeing the author.
  • teresaelectro on Thank You, LouBear!Ohhhh I am lusting after that Gods of Jade and Shadow copy!
  • The Chancellor on What Pre-Columbian Food Looks LikeI haven't heard of that one but I'm putting it on my list. Sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.
  • KimMiE" on Fake News-1890’s EditionI'm so happy to see others reading this play! I read this in high school and loved it and then re-read it in 2017 for...
See More Recent Comments »

Follow Us

CBR Facebook Page. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. CBR on Goodreads CBR on Pinterest.

Support CBR

Give Today. Cannonball Read donates all profits from the site to the American Cancer Society. Help us fight cancer!
Donate Today »

Review Genres

  • Biography/Memoir
  • Book Club
  • Children's
  • Comedy/Humor
  • Cooking/Food
  • Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Graphic Novel/Comic
  • Health
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • News from MsWas
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Religion
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Short Stories
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Suspense
  • Uncategorized
  • Western
  • Young Adult
  • Z-ADMIN-ONLY-FAQ-BASICS
  • Z-ADMIN-ONLY-FAQ-BOOKS

Book Ratings


a favorite


a great book


a good book


an ok book


a book
you didn't like

Need Help?

Visit our FAQs to find out how to add stars, select genres, and more. Drop us a line if you can't find your answer.

Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

One of CBR11's #CannonBookClubs will be about Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett to coincide with the BBC Miniseries.
Buy it on Amazon today, get a head start, and help us stick it to cancer, one book at a time!

Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

Buy Original Cannonballer Prisco's book and help CBR!

Ad Partner

© 2019 Cannonball Read | Log in