It has been a while since I read The Love Quotient by Helen Hoang, but it is my most viewed post on annafromuni by a long shot. Given its popularity, I figured now is as good a time as any to continue the series and pick up The Bride Test. I wasn’t expecting this romance to be as cute as it is, but I don’t know how I feel about it exactly.

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.

Let me start with the autism representation, because whether or not people like the romance, I want to give props to Helen Hoang for having this representation in the novel. Khai is referenced in The Kiss Quotient, but getting a story from his perspective and seeing the more detailed aspects of his autism brought to the reader’s attention is more meaningful in my eyes. Minority representation, from cultures to medical conditions and diagnoses, is so important in romance novels, not just for those who relate, but equally for those who don’t. It normalises love for everyone; different reactions and approaches to love, what love means, how it is felt and displayed, and so forth. Love doesn’t come in as a one-size-fits-all model, and it is so important to share this with everyone.

I am not sure what the plot direction is for The Bride Test or what the plot is building towards besides the sudden climactic ending. What I mean by that is that, while it is a cute romance with a friendship nestled within this romance (which I think is essential in any relationship), it is a novel that doesn’t really go anywhere or do anything for me. The characters are so sweet and understanding and authentic, and I have no qualms with any of them. Maybe I just wanted to get more from the various steps of this arrangement before the big reveal at the end. I wanted more yearning, tension, and conflict in the process. I also wanted there to be a little more strain and concern as a reader for the countdown to Esme returning home. It is the perfect stress point, and it works as a phenomenal final push, but there wasn’t a lot of emotional turmoil I felt as a reader.

The Bride Test is such a good read for a summer day, whether that be out in the sunshine or tucked up in bed because the rainy season stops for no one. I think it is a good contemporary romance novel, but it could have been better. I am hoping that The Heart Principle will be the one that hits the spot, especially considering Quan has been lurking in these books as the support man, and his romance is due. These aren’t my favourite romance novels, but they are a nice way to pass the time and get a light, happy-ending read.