The Bride Test

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.

After reading TKQ, I knew I needed to read Khai’s and Quan’s books because these characters are really compelling, but after reading the story both as an immigrant myself and the mother of an autistic young adult I felt relating to it in many ways.The story is smart, well developed and, though is a boy meets girl and falls in love one, it doesn’t take the usual path and is anything but run of the mill romance. Esme and Khai are insightful characters that touched me in very different ways, but wormed their way to my heart nonetheless.My one issue with the whole book, is that the author chose to give us little glimpses of Khai’s success without letting us know how well he really does, but at the end, it doesn’t take from the story itself. In all, this is a good, enjoyable book and showcases the author’s style to wholesome perfection.It takes guts to uproot your life looking for a better future for your family like Esme did, but it takes even more to know your worth and not let anyone take that away from you and it also takes a lot to push through and find your heart when you have to deal with the challenges Khai lives with. The Bride Test has it all.4 stars

I absolutely ADORED The Bride Test by Helen Hoang! I can understand some readers might have frowned upon Esme’s character and her behaviors, but before we go any further, as a Vietnamese, I’d like to testify the truth and authenticity of her actions. Please remember that she comes from a small village in Southern Vietnam, where four generations could pile into a small and confined space, where people have very different social etiquettes or perspectives in life. I’ve known stories where young girls would do anything just for a chance to move overseas, to escape poverty, and to be able to work and send money back home to support their families. And that’s the choice Esme has made, to seize an opportunity to improve the lives of her loved ones. What make Esme such a powerful heroine are her fierce love and loyalty, her sense of independence, her work ethics, her warrior attitude to thrive in difficult situations...Khai is an American-born Vietnamese who can only understand but not speak the language fluently. Worrying about Khai’s love life, his mother decided to go to Vietnam and find him a wife. After a bride test, she’s decided Esme would be perfect for Khai. The cultural differences between Khai and Esme are no doubt innumerable. On top of that, he’s autistic and requires a certain level of patience and understanding for people to interact with, but he’s so kind, sweet, and caring to Esme 🥰. Because of his limitations, he almost denies himself of the love he so much deserves. So many times I wanted to knock some sense into him 🤣, but he eventually got to it in an epic fashion💥!I love their awkward conversations, their secret desires and steamy lovemaking 🔥, their nonverbal care for one another, and their acceptance of each other’s flaws, of who they truly are. The character development is so well done, and the detailed descriptions of their emotions and thoughts paint a perfect picture of what they were struggling with, especially for Khai. It feels like you’re there witnessing their actions before your own eyes. Even the secondary characters are so much fun and endearing. Quan is perhaps the BEST brother anyone could ask for, and I can’t wait to see his own story next!This story really hits close to my heart. It’s made me cry thinking of my uncle who fled Vietnam after the Vietnam War and almost got killed by the Khmer Rouge, or my parents who migrated to the US in their 50s with broken English, and countless individuals who have made the same sacrifice as Esme does for their future generations. It will give you another perspective about hard working immigrants and how they struggle to fit in and to build a new life in a foreign country. Most of all, this is a beautiful and captivating love journey, it’s funny, sweet, touching, emotional, and will keep you on reading nonstop until the end! Definitely a fantastic 5-🌟 read for me!

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The Bride Test is a fun, cozy read that I whipped through in no time at all.  Khai Diep has been diagnosed with autism and asperghers and that means he processes his feelings differently than most people.  He, however, thinks he's "defective" and has decided to stay completely away from women.  At 26, he has yet to have a girlfriend and his mother, Cô Nga is getting worried.  He should be married by now.  So Cô Nga goes to Vietnam and interviews prospective brides for Khai.  She finds the perfect girl.Esme Tran is a single mom cleaning toilets in a hotel to support her daughter, mother, and grandmother.  The same hotel where Cô Nga is interviewing potential wives for Khai.  Esme sees them one after the other come running into the washroom in tears.  When an older lady, clearly a Vietnamese American, comes in to relax for a few minutes, Esme ends up receiving a most unusual proposition:  come to California for the summer and marry my son.  In her one room home, Esme's mom convinces her that this is an opportunity she can't afford to turn down.When Khai finds out what his mother has done, he goes along with it, determined that it will not work and his mother will finally stop trying to set him up.  She promises.  For Esme, she is determined to try to make it work for her daughter's sake.  The ensuing difficulties are sometimes humorous but sometimes heartbreaking, for Esme especially as she takes courses, works part time in Cô Nga's restaurant, and tries to figure out how to reach the heart of this handsome, unusual young man.A very fast read full of compassion, humour, empathy, cultural and culinary settings, and most of all, romance.  A joy to read.

I love how this book came all wrapped up and clean. Normally, when I order books from amazon, it comes a little rough on the edges or dirty but this one was in a very good condition which I absolutely love

the synapsis and plot is good but I had to return this book because the smut was too much and personally I don't like reading 🌽 I was unaware there would be such detailed spice in this book but if you enjoy smut then I would recommend it's just not for me

The reason romance novels are such a good vehicle for understanding is because they're about very human stories where people get to know each other deeply enough to love. The great parts and the bad, the triumphs and the limitations and through the lens of someone who cares about you.Helen Hoang reps autistic people magnificently, as only another autistic person can.