After absolutely adoring The Kiss Quotient a few years ago, I knew I wanted to see what else Helen Hoang would do. It’s taken me longer than expected to pick up The Bride Test though because I had such high expectations. I should know better than to put so much pressure on a book though.

This book was fine overall but just did not have the same impact for me as book 1. While I was on board and believed every moment of Stella and Michael’s romance, I really could not find it in me to root for Khai and Esme. Sure, their relationship is a unique one and they each are dealing with their own internal struggles (some less noticeable than others) but I didn’t ‘buy it.'

I think I would have preferred this book more if it was simply ‘Contemporary’ or ‘Women’s Lit’ and focused on Esme’s journey to America, going to night school, working at a restaurant by day, and searching for her father as best as she could. As it was, I felt like the ‘romance’ was needless and Khai just seemed more infatuated with Esme than in love.

That being said, I always appreciate how Hoang writes her characters’ struggles and her depictions of Khai’s autism really made me feel present for every moment and every thought that he had.

Overall, I would say this is a well thought out story and honest is it’s writing but it left me wanting more than I got. It also didn’t help that it managed to get to Soap Opera levels of unbelievability with too convenient of an ending. I will certainly still be reading book 3 but probably not until I get through a big chunk of my already massive TBR haha.