I borrowed this book from my library and read in in May for the Asian Readathon 2020. I’ve heard so much bout this novel in the past year or so an have been so excited since it was a popular romance book written by an Asian author as well as having own-voices autism representation.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed the book but just had a few small issues with it as well as a trope I didn’t like.
One thing done incredibly well was how the author fleshed out the two main characters. They were both so loveable. I loved that Stella was smart, successful, and strong. She wasn't afraid to put herself out there, try to work on what she saw as areas of needed improvement, and wear her heart on her sleeve. I loved her growth throughout the story and realizing that her autism was part of herself that she liked, and not something she felt that she had to force to conform into what's considered "the norm".
Michael was also so easy to root for. I loved how gentle he was with Stella, understanding, and accepting of her the way she is. Moreover, the care and love he had for his family were so evident, and he strived to be the best that he could be given the cards he was dealt. I also loved his big Asian family all under one roof, plus the extended family in Quan and Khai. I really hope we see even more of these family dynamics in Khai and Quan's books.
I so so appreciated this novel for the Asian representation. I'm not sure I've ever read an adult romance with an Asian (or half) character before. Even though Michael was half Vietnamese, it was great seeing how important culture, food, and family dynamics were to him and his family. It was something I could completely relate to. I enjoyed the time the author took to describe food as well as the little details such as the Buddha statue with offerings of fruit at the front of their house. Those small details were nice touches throughout.
Last but not least, the book was very steamy. It quickly jumped into the action yet had a pretty slow burn into the actual sex. Stella's initial reactions were so realistic. The author waited for her to be comfortable with Michael and had that passion build and simmer until they finally went all the way.
A few things made me knock it down to 4 stars.
I really had a tough time in the final act when miscommunication was such a big part of the main conflict of the novel. Some of the drama could have been saved if the characters didn't misinterpret everything the other person said, had they just been more open and communicated. I think communication is definitely a big issue in many real-life relationships, but for me, the set up for the miscommunication in this novel really started like 35% of the way in, and seeing it build and build when there were definitely opportunities throughout the book to clarify them weren' taken.
Overall, I really loved this book and can't wait to pick up The Bride Test next! So excited to have found another Asian American author that I'll be happy to pick up books from again and again :)
Overall, I immensely enjoyed the book but just had a few small issues with it as well as a trope I didn’t like.
One thing done incredibly well was how the author fleshed out the two main characters. They were both so loveable. I loved that Stella was smart, successful, and strong. She wasn't afraid to put herself out there, try to work on what she saw as areas of needed improvement, and wear her heart on her sleeve. I loved her growth throughout the story and realizing that her autism was part of herself that she liked, and not something she felt that she had to force to conform into what's considered "the norm".
Michael was also so easy to root for. I loved how gentle he was with Stella, understanding, and accepting of her the way she is. Moreover, the care and love he had for his family were so evident, and he strived to be the best that he could be given the cards he was dealt. I also loved his big Asian family all under one roof, plus the extended family in Quan and Khai. I really hope we see even more of these family dynamics in Khai and Quan's books.
I so so appreciated this novel for the Asian representation. I'm not sure I've ever read an adult romance with an Asian (or half) character before. Even though Michael was half Vietnamese, it was great seeing how important culture, food, and family dynamics were to him and his family. It was something I could completely relate to. I enjoyed the time the author took to describe food as well as the little details such as the Buddha statue with offerings of fruit at the front of their house. Those small details were nice touches throughout.
Last but not least, the book was very steamy. It quickly jumped into the action yet had a pretty slow burn into the actual sex. Stella's initial reactions were so realistic. The author waited for her to be comfortable with Michael and had that passion build and simmer until they finally went all the way.
A few things made me knock it down to 4 stars.
I really had a tough time in the final act when miscommunication was such a big part of the main conflict of the novel. Some of the drama could have been saved if the characters didn't misinterpret everything the other person said, had they just been more open and communicated. I think communication is definitely a big issue in many real-life relationships, but for me, the set up for the miscommunication in this novel really started like 35% of the way in, and seeing it build and build when there were definitely opportunities throughout the book to clarify them weren' taken.
Overall, I really loved this book and can't wait to pick up The Bride Test next! So excited to have found another Asian American author that I'll be happy to pick up books from again and again :)