The Bride Test

The Bride Test begins ten years prior to the period in which the story is based, during a funeral. This is where readers are introduced to the hero, Diệp Khải, who is unable to show his grief from having lost his best friend. Everyone around him criticizes him for not grieving in the “right” way – making Khải believe that he is deficient in a way that is irreparable.Trần Ngọc Mỹ is a single mother, trying to make ends meet in the poorer parts of Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam, where she encounters Khải’s mom at her place of work, on the hunt for a bride for her youngest son. Though Mỹ is not exactly what she had in mind when she began the search, something about Mỹ makes her believe that she could be the ideal choice for Khải.Though Mỹ has her reservations, it is her own mother who convinces her that through this marriage of convenience, Mỹ could provide for a better future for her daughter than the poverty-ridden life that lies ahead of her. Thus convinced, Mỹ makes the journey to America to meet her future husband.When Khải is confronted with the inevitable, though he tries hard to stay indifferent and out of Mỹ’s way, somehow he ends up getting emotionally attached to Mỹ, without realizing it. Khải being autistic is an aspect of his character that Mỹ has no knowledge of, and Mỹ has her own secret well under her sleeve; the fact that she has a daughter back home for whom she would practically lay down her very life for.It is an endearing, at times hilarious, and a bit heartbreaking of a journey that these two embark upon to reach their own happily ever after. I believe that The Bride Test did a marvelous job of bringing Khải to life, with his oddities and the ways in which his mind works differently when it comes to what is “normal”.While I enjoyed The Bride Test, I believe that I felt a lack of emotional connection to Mỹ that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. I would have liked Mỹ better had she understood Khải, what autism means, and how difficult certain aspects of life could be for someone like him. Instead of trying to understand where Khải was coming from, most of the focus of the novel was on Mỹ and how she becomes empowered enough to stand on her own two feet.I applaud the fact that Mỹ stood up for herself amidst all odds and made everything work for her. Even at the very end, Mỹ’s strength of character is what stands out in the novel, more so than the love between Mỹ and Khải. On the contrary, The Kiss Quotient worked so well because both Michael and Stella were on the same page at the same time, and there was never ever a doubt in my mind that they belonged together, right from the start. When they made an appearance in this story even, the connection between them is one you feel deep in your heart, and I wanted that for Khải with every fiber of my being.Mỹ may not have had the sophisticated education that she had to forgo when she got pregnant out of wedlock, but every aspect of her character speaks of intelligence, emotional and otherwise. Which is why, I felt the lack so severely when it came to Mỹ’s lack of interest perhaps, in digging deeper into Khải’s psyche and trying to understand him – what makes him the way he is. Not to mold herself to suit his needs, but rather so that she could meet him on an even footing in accepting him for the way he is.I understand that Khải’s level of education must have been a huge deterrent when it came to Mỹ and breaking down barriers. However, I wish she had shown more interest in the person who Khải is than what materialized in the story. At least Khải acknowledges to himself that he hadn’t done much to really get to know Mỹ, mostly owing to the fact that he has correlated that caring for someone means losing that someone altogether.I wish Mỹ had wanted to explore more of Khải’s fascinating mind and the way he views the world. Had she taken that time, she would have realized that Khải was indeed different. The fact that she had been his first should have driven home the point in my opinion. Why else would a man who finds it difficult to socialize and accept physical contact go all the way? This is where I would have liked Mỹ to use her emotional intelligence to pick on the cues and understand the man Khải is, for better or worse.I think Mỹ finding herself and charting her own course in life (which is all well and good), took away the focus from exploring the depth of feelings between Khải and Mỹ together. Mỹ made it seem as if it was of no consequence to her whether they ended up together or not, while Khải was moved to the point of obsession with her. Somehow I wanted way more for Khải than what Mỹ ended up giving him.Recommended for fans of Helen Hoang and those who fell in love with The Kiss Quotient. Some of you might end up loving The Bride Test more. But for me, my heart belongs to Michael and Stella all the way.Rating = 3.5/5 [FAVORABLE READ]Reviewed on: A Maldivian's Passion for Romance

He’d make a lucky girl even luckier someday, and they’d live a long, lucky life together. She hoped they experienced food poisoning at least once. Nothing life-threatening, of course. Just inconvenient—make that very inconvenient. And mildly painful. Embarrassing, too.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.I'm honestly not really into the whole mail-order bride type thing, but Hoang's The Kiss Quotient (which you don't need to read first) was a delightful read and Khai was always a character I wanted to see more of.Wowee, was this so freaking adorable! I will literally shout the praises for this book off rooftops all day if I have to!Nothing gets to you. It’s like your heart is made of stone.You'll be heartbroken: Khai's best friend had died and that little lost, lonely boy "learned" the lie that he was unable to love—because he didn't react the same way others did.She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, grinning at him as her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Right then and there, Khai decided green was his favorite color, but it had to be this specific shade of seafoam green.You'll be enchanted: Esme has had a rough life and all she wants is to do right by her little girl. She has a beautiful soul and does her damndest to carve out a life of herself, her family, and to do well by Khai. She has an unflinching moral compass, a determination of steel, and is quick to smile and laugh. She's the person that will light your day just being in their presence.After a heart-pounding second, logic returned to his brain, and he concluded she must have adopted a Western name to help her in the States. He did not have a harem. Thank God.You'll be laughing: Co (Khai's mother) is one of the most outrageously nosy and overbearing mothers you'll meet...and the love she has for her sons suffuses everything she does. She bustles around like she owns the place (because she does) and she's always quick to give her opinions (which are always right).When his eyelids drooped with pleasure and he nodded, she grew braver. She pushed her other hand from his jaw up to his temple and into his hairline. “How is that?” she whispered. “Good.” The word rumbled out of him, deep, almost gravelly.You'll be flustered: Hoang is a master teaser. The build-up is exquisite, honest, and delicious. The delivery is even more so!“Don’t forget to apologize. First with words. Then with your tongue.”You'll be laughing more: Quan (Khai's brother) is the playboy of the family...the one Co doesn't have to worry about because he's well versed in the art of women. But you can't hate him because he's one of the most charming and genuinely warm characters in the book. He's the best older brother...and sometimes the talks he has to have with Khai are completely giggle-worthy. (Also, I seriously hope Hoang's next book is about Quan...please, please, please romance gods! Answer my prayer!)In a split second, she redefined perfection for him. His standards aligned to her exact proportions and measurements. No one else would ever live up to her.You'll be melting: No matter how cheesy you think Khai's emotions may read out of context, they're so well delivered that your heart will literally turn to putty. There is absolutely nothing I would want more than to be the object of his affections because they are completely genuine, severely deep, and absolutely, completely him."My heart works in a different way, but it’s yours. You’re my one.”Recommended for absolutely everyone but especially mah fellow romance lovers.

Esme is extremely poor and lives in an extremely run-down area of Vietnam with her mother and child. Then she meets a woman who offers her the opportunity to take a trip to America, she will even pay for her flight. All Esme needs to do, is seduce this woman’s son and make him fall in love with her. If she fails, she returns to Vietnam, no harm done. Esme decides that this is a fantastic opportunity to improve her life and leaving her daughter behind with her mother, Esme takes the trip to America.Once in America Esme meets this woman’s son – Khai. Khai has autism and struggles to process emotions. As a result, he has decided that he simply does not have the capacity to feel emotions like grief or love. Before long Esme is absolutely smitten with Khai who unfortunately does not believe he could ever return those feelings. Can Esme change his mind before her time in America runs out?This is the second book in Helen Hoang’s Kiss Quotient books. Khai is the cousin of the male main character in the first book and without knowledge from that book, this book would give slight trafficking vibes from the blurb. However, I can guarantee that this book does not feature human trafficking at all. There are some trigger warnings such as racism and ableism and if triggers are something you are worried about then please do check the list on Goodreads.I really like the inclusivity of autism in these books and this one is as good for that as the first. Unfortunately, the story is not really driven forward by the main characters which is what I’m looking for in a romance book in order to be fully invested in whether or not the characters end up together. I couldn’t really understand why Esme and Khai should be together other than them finding each other attractive. I loved Khai as a character individually, but I feel like it’s pretty problematic that his family have to push, coerce and manipulate him to get him from point A to point B – a journey that may be easy for people without autism but challenging for Khai because of his autism and I would hate for people to come away from this thinking that in order for autistic people to behave a certain way they just need a good shove in that direction.That being said Helen Hoang’s writing style is really easy to read and she does quirky humour and depicts emotional distress with great conviction. I will most likely read the next book in the series at some point. If you have a book hangover from reading a lot of fantasy or something and you do like romance books this would be a great one to read to break that slump.

The Kiss Quotient topped my favourite reads of 2018, but when it comes to managing expectations, sophomore novels can be very tricky things. It’s tempting as a reader to want the author to reproduce the same story we loved so much the first time, and I imagine for authors the temptation may be to replicate the formers success without rocking the boat too much by bringing anything new to the table.The Bride Test has the charm and humour much loved from Hoang’s debut, and with it a heartwarming and emotionally complex layer. It deals with “well intentions” and ignorance of autism, as well as the struggles of immigration and discovering ones true self.Along with a romance story, it’s a story of self love and particularly in My’s case, her ability to find pride in herself, her heritage and her accomplishments.There is absolutely no doubt Helen Hoang is an extremely talented and special writer. She is able to give a voice and experience to people who in everyday life may feel unheard and/or misunderstood. Along with the enjoyment I get from her novels I have yet again come away with compassion and understanding those with unseen struggles.

The Bride Test follows hot on the heels of the Kiss Quotient and I have to say (unpopular opinion here) that I actually preferred it!Although still steamy in parts, I found this story focused much more on the emotional connection and the journey of both main characters, Esme and Khai.Esme is brought to the US by Khai's mother with the intention of marrying them. Esme comes from a poor 'country girl' background in Vietnam, where she works as a cleaner. For her (and sadly, I'm sure for like many others in real life) marriage seems like the only way to escape the life she's in and give her daughter a better future.Khai is the younger brother of Quan, (Michaels best friend from book one). You don't need to have read the first book to understand the characters, but it was great to see them re-appear in this one!Khai had no interest in getting married or having a relationship of any kind, and a lot of this is due to being autistic. He believes himself incapable of love. But of course, he hasn't met Esme yet...Gradually they both leave their comfort zones, Khai becomes closer to Esme, and Esme gains confidence and attends school classes.I loved the connection between Khai and Quan - their interactions often stole the show.Quan gets even better in the next book, The Heart Principle, by the way... ;-)I also loved that for once it was the male lead who was inexperienced in the bedroom area! His first time was crazy passionate and ended very awkwardly... Finally a romance novel with a realistic first-time experience!The ending was perfect because Esme took control of her own future. She no longer needed to marry Khai, but was able to choose him out of her own free will.

The second book in the trilogy focuses on Michael's cousin Khai, who is autistic, and Esme/Mỹ who comes from Vietnam on request of Khai's mum to try and become Khai's wife. Esme has a daughter who she has to leave with her mum and grandma for the trip, her family are very poor so Esme feels that she can't say no to the offer. Luckily Esme does speak some English but isn't fluent. When in the US, Esme lives in Khai's spare room & works in his mum's restaurant. She does multiple things to try and seduce Khai but then gives up and starts just being herself and the two grow closer.Ok so I ADORE Esme / Mỹ. She is a fantastic character who has to deal with a LOT. She's a single parent, she's away from her daughter & family, she's in a foreign country, she's mocked for not understanding English and all the while she never gives up hope. I loved Khai but I really feel like this story was about Esme and how she comes to realise her value & worth and what she actually wants to do with her life. Esme is actually inspired by Hoang's mother and you can feel the love and care that has gone into this character.For Khai there is also a very important storyline of him dealing (or rather not dealing) with a death of someone close to him 10 years earlier, and because of his reaction to that, he feels that he doesn't have the ability to love. I feel like maybe Khai is on the asexual spectrum as well as trying to understand that he may process his feelings differently because he's autistic.Obviously there is romance and steaminess (after Khai is clued in a bit by his brother Quan and Michael) but this story is about so much more.I was routing for them both as a couple and as people so hard, and the ending made me so happy.CW: death, grief, racism, ableism, sexual content

🖤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕋𝕖𝕤𝕥 🖤This Kiss Quotient was always going to be a tough book to follow for me. I absolutely fell in love with Michael and Stella so Khai and Esme had huge shoes to fillDid I fall hard for this one as much as I did The Kiss Quotient - I'd have to say noDid I still enjoy it and get swept up in Khai and Esmes story - that will be a YES.As with TKQ I loved the Autism representation with Khai, I could see so much of someone quite close to me in him and it really did make me smile. Yet again Helen has continued to use her voice and experiences to be inclusive and write a story that was romantic, believable and incredibly heart warming and covered many topics in addition to ASD.Whilst these two didn't have the same level of chemistry for me personally as Michael and Stella in TKQ (I mean they were 🔥) I loved them both and there was undoubtedly something special between them. I loved how their relationship grew and how Khai began to realise that there was space in his world for something or someone other than taxes. There was just that little extra dash of something missing for me that I can't quite put my finger on.All in all a cute, mildly steamy, romantic, heartwarming read that I enjoyed and would definitely recommend - I'm really looking forward to The Heart Principle