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sarakomo 's review for:
The Bride Test
by Helen Hoang
2022: What a disappointment!
After enjoying [b:The Kiss Quotient|36199084|The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)|Helen Hoang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527983633l/36199084._SX50_.jpg|57828311], I was super excited to get my hands on the next in the series, The Bride Test. I was really disappointed to read this one though; it had the opposite problem in my opinion. In TKQ, there was honestly so much sex that the background story didn't really matter. It certainly did not distract from the main plot of banging as much and as often as possible, and the book was definitely *satisfying*.
TBT had the opposite problem: definitely not enough sex, and WAY too much going on that was not properly developed. I think what bothered me the most was that the main storyline included A LOT of trauma and big, heavy things that our characters were dealing with. The premise as laid out in the first chapter is really problematic, as a mother tricks a woman she meets spontaneously on a trip to Vietnam to come back to the United States, move in with her "unloveable" son, and attempt to win him over. Um, just because Khai is autistic doesn't mean that he's unloveable or needs his mother to try and get him a mail-order bride? Esme is trying to provide for her daughter and decides to go for it, but then spends the whole time pretending that she's an accountant who doesn't have a child? Also, Khai seemingly spontaneously *got over* his guilt and grief surrounding the death of his best friend because Quan...told him to? When Esme told Khai that she actually had a secret child living in Vietnam that he would soon be the step-father of, his response was...that's cool. AND THAT'S IT?! OH and I almost completely forgot about the subplot in which Esme is also trying to find her long lost father (who doesn't know she exists) who went to UC Berkeley but now lives in New York and shows up....the morning of her wedding? I SIMPLY CANNOT.
The characters in this novel also lied, like A LOT. There were many sentences that would explain a character's entire thought process, only for the dialogue to be the EXACT opposite of what they were thinking. Like what!? And it was mostly Esme, but also Khai, and also his mom. There were so many moments that made me think of [b:Everything I Never Told You|18693763|Everything I Never Told You|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763._SY75_.jpg|26542311] – JUST SAY WHAT YOU ACTUALLY MEAN! Communication is key here, people! And I know that Khai is autistic, so he might sometimes struggle to communicate, but that doesn't mean he should lie! Being autistic doesn't make you a liar! Ugh
+1 props to Helen Hoang for continuing to write about neurodivergent characters. I will be checking out Quan's story because he was 100% the best part of this book.
After enjoying [b:The Kiss Quotient|36199084|The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)|Helen Hoang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527983633l/36199084._SX50_.jpg|57828311], I was super excited to get my hands on the next in the series, The Bride Test. I was really disappointed to read this one though; it had the opposite problem in my opinion. In TKQ, there was honestly so much sex that the background story didn't really matter. It certainly did not distract from the main plot of banging as much and as often as possible, and the book was definitely *satisfying*.
TBT had the opposite problem: definitely not enough sex, and WAY too much going on that was not properly developed. I think what bothered me the most was that the main storyline included A LOT of trauma and big, heavy things that our characters were dealing with. The premise as laid out in the first chapter is really problematic, as a mother tricks a woman she meets spontaneously on a trip to Vietnam to come back to the United States, move in with her "unloveable" son, and attempt to win him over. Um, just because Khai is autistic doesn't mean that he's unloveable or needs his mother to try and get him a mail-order bride? Esme is trying to provide for her daughter and decides to go for it, but then spends the whole time pretending that she's an accountant who doesn't have a child? Also, Khai seemingly spontaneously *got over* his guilt and grief surrounding the death of his best friend because Quan...told him to? When Esme told Khai that she actually had a secret child living in Vietnam that he would soon be the step-father of, his response was...that's cool. AND THAT'S IT?! OH and I almost completely forgot about the subplot in which Esme is also trying to find her long lost father (who doesn't know she exists) who went to UC Berkeley but now lives in New York and shows up....the morning of her wedding? I SIMPLY CANNOT.
The characters in this novel also lied, like A LOT. There were many sentences that would explain a character's entire thought process, only for the dialogue to be the EXACT opposite of what they were thinking. Like what!? And it was mostly Esme, but also Khai, and also his mom. There were so many moments that made me think of [b:Everything I Never Told You|18693763|Everything I Never Told You|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763._SY75_.jpg|26542311] – JUST SAY WHAT YOU ACTUALLY MEAN! Communication is key here, people! And I know that Khai is autistic, so he might sometimes struggle to communicate, but that doesn't mean he should lie! Being autistic doesn't make you a liar! Ugh
+1 props to Helen Hoang for continuing to write about neurodivergent characters. I will be checking out Quan's story because he was 100% the best part of this book.