The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient, #2)

by Helen Hoang

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Esme wanted a better life for her daughter, her mother, her grandmother, and herself.

Mrs. Diep wanted a wife for her son, Khai.

A chance meeting in a hotel bathroom resulted in a possible solution for both, if Esme could woo Khai by the end of summer.

First of all, I have to commend Hoang on avoiding the sophomore slump. Her first book, The Kiss Quotient, was such a stellar debut, and left me setting the bar high for this book. I am here to say it was a fantastic addition to the series.

Hoang won my heart with many of the same things she did so well in her previous book.

One of the things I loved about TKQ was all the humor, and we were treated to a good dose of that in this book as well. I am all about the rom-com, and we see it again, here, in TBT. Esme did some zany things in her pursuit of Khai, and many of their encounters are quite hilarious. All of this left me in laughing fits, which are always welcome.

But, there were also a LOT of emotional parts, especially for Khai. A big part of the story concerned Khai's belief, that he couldn't love someone. This belief was predicated on his failure to grieve his cousin's death. This was a tough journey for Khai, but it was very rewarding to see him finally come to terms with his grief, and to see him lower his walls and allow Esme to be part of his life.

And Esme! I adored her. In the beginning of the story, it seemed as though she was just looking for any inroad to America, but she quickly changed her tune, and wanted more. She not only wanted more, she was actually doing things to make this "more" happen. I found her determination and drive really inspiring, and I was so proud of her too.

I also liked the way Hoang utilized Quan in this book. He was given an opportunity to show he was way more than the resident man-whore. His love for Khai was demonstrated over and over again, and they shared some really beautiful, tender, and hilarious moments in this book.

Can we talk about the ending? It was a bumpy road, but it was worth the trip. The ending was so much more than I expected, and it was a wonderful gift she gave to each of these characters. It was a little bit of a jump ahead, which I always adore, and you can't ask for more than the fantastic futures she gave to Khai, Esme, and the rest of TKQ gang.

Overall: Hoang employed the perfect balance of humor, emotion, and heat to tell this beautiful love story between a man trying to understand the ways of his heart and a woman trying to bring her dreams to fruition. It was emotional, touching, and, for me, perfection.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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