The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) By Helen Hoang [Review]

RELEASE DATE: May 07th, 2018
AUTHOR: Helen Hoang
GENRE:    Adult, Contemporary, Romnce.
PUBLISHER:  Berkley
SUMMARY:

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.
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.

Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone. Even her.

The Kiss Quotient has officially become my new favorite contemporary romance series. I loved the first book and the second book was even more fun to read. I absolutely adored the main characters Khai and Esme. I’ve been anticipating Khai’s story since I finished the first book and this book definitely met my expectations. I loved the storyline, the romance, and the family drama.

The story follows Khai Diep(Micheal’s cousin) who have a hard time connecting with people because of his autism. When his best friend died, he didn’t feel any grief or any emotion which made him realize that he’s incapable of giving someone love so he avoids relationships but his mom has other plans and she searches for a perfect bride for him. When Khai’s mom finds Esme in Vietnam, she feels that she’s the perfect girl for him and invites her to meet his son in America. Esme Tran is a half mixed race girl living in slums. She wants to provide a better life for her daughter and her family, so she accepts the offer. When she finally meets Khai who’s reluctant to give them a chance, she’s determined to make him fall in love with her. Khai is annoyed about living with a stranger which is totally outside of his comfort Zone. He wanted his mom to get off his back about marriage permanently so he had no choice but to deal with it. At the beginning he tries to avoid her, but overtime he realizes that he likes having her around. With Esme’s time in the United States running out, Khai has to make a decision before it’s too late.

Khai(26) is smart, sweet, hardworking, innocent, and adorable. He’s Vietnamese and has Autism spectrum which makes him process emotions differently than others. He struggles with interacting with people including touching and feels that he’s incapable of love. I liked how Stella’s autism is so much different than Khai. I really loved his character growth. Esme Tran(23) is half Vietnamese and half american.  I quite enjoyed her character. She was quirky, naive, fun, caring and determined. Despite her insecurity, she always stood strong and tried her best. The romance between Khai and Esme was totally adorbs. Khai is attracted to Esme, but he can’t give her what she wants. He’s a pretty stubborn guy and doesn’t give in easily, but Esme is not someone who gives up easily. She’s pretty much determined to win his heart. It was really fun watching how she tries to seduce him. The slow burn romance between them was totally swoon worthy and sweet. Their chemistry was sizzling hot.

Loved the cute story-line despite having few issues. It was a bit weird how Esme’s family encourages her to sleep with Khai. I honestly didn’t like that part. I also felt a little uncomfortable with Esme and Quan’s part. I’m not going into full details to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed the arranged marriage trope. Also loved the cameo appearances of Micheal and Stella at the end. The writing was captivating. The book was written in dual third person pov.  The pacing was perfect.  I flew through the book and finished it in two sittings.

Overall, I loved this book! It was a fun read! I enjoyed it as much as I did the first book but Micheal and Stella are still my favorite couple in this series. Now I can’t wait to read Quan’s story!

Recommend it?

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves adult contemporary romance filled with fun and drama.

MY RATING:

[4/5 Stars]