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.
More info on Goodreads.....
Review:
The Bride Test is Helen Hoang’s follow up to her stellar debut novel, The Kiss Quotient and is another powerful and meaningful romance rich in culture, passion and promise.
Khai Diep has no feelings. Or at least he thinks. As someone with autism, Khai knows he doesn’t experience thought and emotions the way normal people do, but he also doesn’t believe himself capable of the most important emotions including grief and love. As he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother decides to take matters into her own hands and travels to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. Esme Tran is a country girl of mixed race who has always felt out of place. When she is unexpectedly approached by a woman offering her the chance to travel to America and possibly change both her and her young daughters future, Esme decides to take the plunge. Meeting her potential husband, Esme can’t help but envision a perfect future with the quiet but kind Khai and sets out to seduce him, however the seduction doesn’t go as planned with Khai seemingly unmoved and Esme finding herself more smitten with each day that passes. Khai is sure he can’t love Esme but with her trial period in America coming to an end soon, he must decide whether he can give Esme what she needs or risk losing her forever.
Helen Hoang blew me away with The Kiss Quotient and I was so very excited to read Khai’s tale. After introducing him briefly in The Kiss Quotient, Hoang left readers ready to see Khai find his own blend of happiness and I think she did a very good job doing so with The Bride Test. This novel was fraught with personal discover and had an aura of innocence that surrounded the two main characters. It made their story very sweet at times.
The brilliance of this series is that Helen Hoang so beautifully showcases that people with high functioning disorders are still capable of leading mostly normal lives as well as experience the same emotions as we all do; attraction, desire, insecurity. I think it’s too easy for society to overlook their capabilities—emotionally, physically, intellectually—and it’s fantastic to see an author so determined to highlight their strength and abilities in such a fun and effortless but meaningful way.
As someone with autism, Khai was a very unique and endearing character to follow. He had unique thought patterns and mannerisms that allowed for a logical and somewhat hapless inner monologue throughout the story that was highly entertaining and endlessly sweet. Khai is an intelligent and successful man who is highly focused and logical but sticks to routine and order as a symptom of his disorder. Khai is not good with people as speaking with his own logic in mind often gets him in trouble but there’s no maliciousness or cruelty to him. Khai is kind and genuinely doesn’t understand what he is saying wrong. His socially inapt nature and desire to please is very adorable even through there is no denying he is still a man at heart; he feels sexual desire and attraction, even if he doesn’t necessarily know what to do with it.
Enter Esme, the sweet Vietnamese woman who travels to America to see if she and Khai have marriage potential. Esme is a soft voice within the story and is once again a kind individual. In many ways Esme is perfect for Khai as she is quietly accepting and forgiving when Khai makes mistakes. She’s not perfect, something readers will see as she keeps her daughter a secret from Khai and constantly struggles with her sense of self-worth, but Esme does have many redeeming factors.
The Bride Test is a real journey of discovery and growth. Esme is looking for someone to love her unconditionally while Khai is learning about his capacity to love and feel emotion. Though initially displeased at his mother’s involvement in bringing Esme into his life, Khai is charmed by her beauty and nature. It’s an eye opening situation as though he experiences arousal, Khai has never felt the desire to be intimate with anyone...until Esme. She alone makes him want to explore and discover sex and the passion. The two have a mutual respect for one another and it makes seeing them fall for one another all that more pleasing.
Daring to tackle unexplored areas, Helen Hoang has written another fantastic tale with The Bride Test. I’m highly excited about Quan’s story up next and will be keeping my eyes peeled for its release!
Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Format: Paperback
Australian RRP: $29.99
Release Date: July 2019
Buy: Angus & Robertson |
Booktopia |
The Book Depository |
Amazon
Final Thoughts: A great read, I can't wait to for the third novel to be released about Khai's brother!
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