A romance series I recently finished is Helen Hoang’s The Love Quotient, a trilogy that includes The Love Quotient, The Bride Test, and The Heart Principle. These romances surprised me, giving spice and flair amidst culturally rich, diverse, and underrepresented communities. This series not only features South-East Asian characters, but there are also characters on the spectrum who get to be the centre of these love stories. For me, it immediately came across as a romance series expanding the diversity within romance, allowing more people to relate to and feel connected to characters not often given the chance for such stories.

The Love Quotient starts us off with Stella and Michael, two adults from different backgrounds striving for their passions, but ultimately, life gets in the way. Bills have to be paid, and social life gets put so far on the back burner that it is pushed off the stove altogether, and sometimes the straightforward answer, though the most bizarre at times, is the right one. Stella is one of those characters who immediately felt drawn to, as she isn’t someone you usually find as a leading woman in a romance. But everything about her felt so human, so authentic, and so real that I couldn’t see her being anywhere else. And Michael is so complex and loving, not just with Stella but with his family, too. This novel touched my heart and opened it up to more diverse romances, and now I can’t look at my romance without seeking out that depth of character and cultural representation.

The Bride Test provided a different angle within this family, giving us a chance to see the world from Khai’s point of view. Khai is on the spectrum, so not only does The Bride Test give us a romance with a neurodiverse male lead, but it also gives us an array of relationships and dynamics to appreciate and consider. From Khai’s familial relationships with his brother Quan and his mother, to Khai and Esme, our Vietnamese female lead, who will do whatever it takes to provide for her family. The initial preface of the novel humoured me, but as the plot developed, I found that I felt more sorry for the characters than anything. I do wish there were more moments where we saw Khai trying to address his concerns and thoughts, as it really does culminate in a rapid race to beat the clock. I enjoyed it, especially as it provides us a chance to get to know Quan.

The Heart Principle hits differently among the three, with its themes and relationships leaning heavily towards the darker, less positive side of things. Anna is someone who is truly struggling, having numbed herself to so much growing up and being complacent to the ways her sister speaks to her. Her music is her only escape, but it has burned her out. The only thing that is keeping her grounded is Quan, a stranger who has now become a crutch after a series of failed one-night stands. Their dynamic is funny but also wholesome and refreshing to see, especially in Quan’s case. Here we have a novel that shows the representation of a young man post-cancer battle getting back into the game, and it isn’t a simple process. The Heart Principle doesn’t give us a perfectly happy ending, but it gives one with hope and possibility, and that honestly sits better with me than had it been an ending like in the previous two novels.

Overall, I really liked reading these books, and I feel that I have reached a point in my romance reading where I strive to find diverse representation not just for something different, but something real and not often the focus of romance. Whether that is cultural representation, neurodiversity, disability representation, and so much more. I feel that showing these authentic human interactions and romances in their natural, complex and sometimes rough forms actually makes for a better story, richer characters, and more depth to the interactions and dynamics between characters. Everyday issues that can be simple fixes for some are major obstacles for others, and I want to see more of these situations and realities in romances.

I hope this encourages you to pick up The Love Quotient series by Helen Hoang and get some good romance reading prepared for your spring and summer reading. Mind you, we are still in February, and while setting-wise these reads may not fit with the more wintery weather some of you may be having, they certainly pair well with the lovey spirit of the month. This is a series you can definitely read whenever you feel like it, and I am sure you will enjoy it no matter what the weather.