The Bride Test Review

A charming romance, with an unusual premise and characters, it was hard not to enjoy The Bride Test by Helen Hoang.

Author: Helen Hoang

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publication Date: 7th May 2019

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Format: eBook

Blurb:

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.

My (no spoiler) thoughts…

I hadn’t read anything by Helen Hoang before, although I have heard good things about her first novel, The Kiss Quotient. So, I started The Bride Test not really knowing what to expect. I was hoping for some romance, something light and fun to clear my head. It certainly lived up to expectations.

Mý lives in Vietnam, as a cleaner, sharing a floor to sleep on with her grandmother, mother and young daughter. While cleaning at a fancy hotel, she meets a woman who offers her the opportunity of a lifetime. She will send her to America. If she can seduce her son.

“That means you’re the one I want Mý. Come to Amercia to see my son. I’ll give you the entire Summer to win him and go to his counsins’ weddings. You’ll need the time. It’ll be work to figure him out, but it’ll be worth it. He’s good stuff. If anyone can do it, I think it’s you. If you want to. Do you?”
Page 17

It’s a cliched premise but it is only the beginning of what turns into out to be a sweet romance novel. After battling with herself over what to do, she decides to go to America for the sake of her daughter. She will work hard and send her family money. She has no real hopes that Khai, the man she was sent to seduce, will actually fall in love with her.

Khai reluctantly picks Mý up from the airport. He makes a deal with his mother that he’ll let Mý stay in his house for the Summer and he’ll ‘try’ to get to know her, so long as she will stop the match-making efforts. Mý changes her name to Esme and starts settling into American life. There is a culture clash between them, Esme has little English to begin with, but from the moment Khai lays eyes on her, it’s clear likes her.

There was nothing else for it. He had to go in.
He took a breath and marched in there in his boxers. Warm water soaked him from all directions, drenching his hair and massaging his muscles. It would have been nice if it weren’t for the flashing lights, his now-wet underwear, and his audience.
Page 53

Two strangers thrown together, forced to live together, pretend to be engaged and with some strong sexual chemistry… I’m a sucker for these kinds of plots. The Bride Test takes on issues such as Autism and Vietnamese culture, which I hadn’t read much about before. This sets it apart from the cliched romance that this could easily have fallen into. Instead, the story keeps you gripped right until the very end.

It is a sexy and heartwarming read – perfect for the Summer! I think I’ll be picking up Hoang’s other book The Kiss Quotient next time I’m in the mood for some romance!