Welcome to Litsy!

My new grooming shop is finally up and running! Here‘s our new mural, featuring our shop kitty Cali who didn‘t survive the hurricane floods, and Sam the owner‘s dog. On the couch Mazi, Sietje, Sam (as above so below 😆) and Kira. Kira is a client, but she wanted in for the photo. Mazi and Sam are Sietje‘s coworkers, lol.

I do like this author and that she writes romances featuring characters with more depth. Not my usual genre.

My second from the #book2book exchange came today. Thank you @Catsandbooks ! Thank you for the cute bookmark and postcard as well. 🙂

Another great read. I can‘t wait for Helen Hoang to write more books I‘ll have to see if there are others out there. Really love this storyline and characters.

Starting this now 📖

Someone PLEASE tell me his former-male-escort cousin is going to school the boy!!!
#HelenHoang #TheBrideTest #autism
#Aspergers #neurodivergent #busbooks #audiobook

Khai needs this one, too. To touch him firmly right in the heart. Then, his family needs to be beat over the head with it.
#HelenHoang #TheBrideTest #autism
#Aspergers #neurodivergent #busbooks #audiobook #autismpride #bridezilla #autismisnottheproblem

Oh Khai, I love you so much. You‘re feeling so much, but they tell you there is something wrong with you and you feel nothing. You feel it man. It‘s okay you don‘t show it like they do.
#HelenHoang #TheBrideTest #autism
#Aspergers #neurodivergent #busbooks #audiobook #autismpride #bridezilla #autismisnottheproblem

Can we just talk about Khai‘s cousin Sara? I mean, seriously. She‘s a b!tch! She expects Khai to understand her, but doesn‘t give a shite about understanding Khai. His autism is no secret. She‘s fully aware of it. So he can‘t put his feelings into words. His comment “I've been wondering all night what's wrong with this wedding… It's Andy. He should be here” is Khai‘s way of saying Andy would have loved this. He would have wanted to be here.
👇🏻

Such a great story. I liked it better than The Kiss Qutient. The characters were fabulous and the plot was so well excuted. Give me more of these kinds of books please! 4.5⭐️

#LitsyLoveReads @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

First book of Sunday. Second book in the series.

I liked this better than The Kiss Quotient. Probably because I connected better with both MCs.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#JoysOfJune #readathon

Khai‘s mother brings Esme to the United States to seduce him b/c his autism causes him not to be good w/ emotions. Esme doesn‘t expect to fall for him. But does Khai feel the same way?

I liked the first one more. This one was still cute with the plot & diversity In characters. I just wanted a little more spice & I didn‘t like the characters as much as I did in the first one.

Another adorable romance set in the same universe as the Kiss Quotient. Khai is autistic and not interested in a relationship so his mother takes it up on herself to find a wife for him in Vietnam. Esme is looking for a better life for her and her young daughter, so she agrees to come to America to try to win him over. It was lovely watching both characters overcome their vulnerabilities as outcasts.
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

A crazy proposition, a number of plot elements to keep track of. While I would have liked and understood more detail to the side plots, this was a fun page turner. I don‘t think it‘s a sequel to the kiss quotient that I got to read years ago,… but the characters here are human, decent, and lovely to get to know. Started and completed in less than a day!

I keep trying to figure out what I didn‘t like about it. I think it was a combination of writing, pacing and when things were revealed.

A low pick. The writing for me was a little lackluster. I didn‘t feel the tension one would expect in this situation and it wrapped up almost too neatly. But it was a nice palette cleanser.

@CBee Another book off my kindle for #TBRTarot

@Clwojick #Pantone23 #BeetrootPurple

#TBRTarot #February. And an unplanned #SeriesLove2023 selection.

Loved this book! It was cute, romantic, funny, and steamy. The woman love interest had a lot of agency and goals beyond love and that was nice to see. Also loved the exploration of grief here.

Didn‘t get as much reading done this month as I‘d hoped. I got a new position in my company and a lot of days I was just DONE with mental tasks when the work day was over. Tagged book was my #doublespin for September.
@TheAromaofBooks

Here are my #WickedWords books from June.
Ready to tackle July.

the tagged book The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is the book from my previous post i got from the library.
@Pogue @TheSpineView @TheKidUpstairs @UwannaPublishme @Catsandbooks

“My heart works in a different way, but it‘s yours. You‘re my one.” #TheBrideTest #HelenHoang
👀😍 Link in Bio for Review♥️

I love the way Helen Hoang writes & how she develops her love stories. These aren‘t insta-love, these aren‘t stories you can read half heartedly. You are invested in their growth, culture, families, struggles, & it is EVERYTHING.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎊 #bookreview #bookworm #booklovers #bookblogger #GreatReads #RecommendedReads

This was a borderline “pick”. First half was intriguing yet a bit annoying. The way some things were portrayed didn‘t sit 100% right with me, but at the same point, made me think “well who am I to judge”. Everyone is different, whether they‘re neurodivergent or not, and I think Hoang shows a facet of that.
The second half was more predictable in a “rom-com” way, but the flow was so good, and the feels were on point!
#2021 #Autism

What a cute and fun, fluffy, fast paced read! I loved The Kiss Quotient, so I was eager to read this and it didn‘t disappoint. It makes you laugh. It makes you tear up. It makes you feel frustrated for/about characters, which is all too real with Autism Spectrum Disorder (which is close to my heart). Little bit of sexy, a lot of sweet and extremely heartwarming. This was my November #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

4.5⭐ This one was better than the first one. I liked the characters more and I liked the whole story and plot more.

I played a bunch of Candy Crush while I listened to all of THE BOOK OF FORGIVING by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu and the beginning of the tagged book. I was a little dismayed to learn my narrator nemesis, Emily Woo Zeller, performs it, but her volume modulation isn‘t TOO bad so far.

Oh, and I‘m now at 4:34 for the Readathon. Time for another comic, I think. #deweyoct #readathon

Started reading “The Bride Test” by Helen Hoang and I love it.About a Vietnamese gentleman who is autistic that is getting set up by his mother so desperate for him to have a girlfriend.Its romantic and sweet.It‘s the 1st time I‘ve read a book by Helen Hoang.I‘m looking forward to reading other books by her.I believe the others are related but are not a series to be read in order.anyone know for sure? #romancebooks #autisticstory #helenhoang

Why did I wait so long to read this?! I was so into it and rooting for Khai and Esme so hard that I felt it viscerally. I am so excited for Quan's book!

I still can‘t stop ‘thinking‘ about my last wild ride of a book, I‘m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. I figured my #currentread would help.

#angsttoromance

Good morning, Littens!! For once, I'm not late.. i can take my time for breakfast and I'm re-reading The Bride Test 💕
Have a nice day & a great week! 💪🌞🌻

Esme & Khai
While I loved The Kiss Quotient this one fell a bit flat for me. It felt forced which makes me sad. I think the ending was rushed and didn‘t feel true to the characters

Happy people don‘t wear all black.

So simple if only it were true

Well this was just deliciously delightful 🥰Sure there were a few plot holes, and yes my eyes rolled a tiny bit….but I was still smitten by the story of Khai & Esme. Helen Hoang writes wonderfully seductive contemporary romance novels, with a focus on both Asian characters and those who are on the spectrum. Like her previous book, The Kiss Quotient, the sex was steamy and the drama minimal. A perfect summer listen ♥️🎧Loved the narration ❣️

I have at least 6 #NetGalley #ARCs due the first week of August and what do I do for my next read…choose a rom/com audio!! And so far, it‘s delightful ❣️❣️❣️🎧 #Hoopla

Compared to book 1, The Kiss Quotient, The Bride Test was cute, but I didn't love it. In this one, our male MC Khai has autism & is perfectly happy with life as it is. While I liked Esme well enough, the Female MC & love interest, a few points of their relationship didn't sit right with me. It seemed that Khai and Esme didn't truly communicate their feelings or bond over much. The fact that Khai's mother went to Vietnam looking for a woman⬇️

I loved The Kiss Quotient and I loved this one too ❤ I really enjoy Hoang's writing and they are very easy reading.

I enjoyed this fun book, the second in the series. Khan Diep is happy as he is, but his mother is determined to see him married. While in Vietnam she meets Esme and convinces her to come to the US to see if she can seduce Khai into marrying her. But things don't go as planned.

I‘m also reading this one. It was gifted to me by my girlfriend- I can‘t remember for what occasion. I‘m only a couple of chapters in but I‘m already laughing. It‘s about a young man whose mother decided to bring him a wife from Viêt Nam with no warning because she felt he needed help finding love.

Finished book three for the #readtherainbow challenge! The Bride Test by Helen Hoang for yellow! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Next up!

4.75 ⭐️

I loved this book so much! My roommate recommended it after I gushed over 'The Rosie Project'. This is similar, but MUCH steamier, hehe. I loved Esme's determination and I felt like her reactions and thoughts were totally understandable. Khai frustrated me somewhat. There was one sub plot that I felt was resolved too quickly and neatly, but it's still a good feel good with some pleasant twists and turns along the way.

I really enjoy Kiss Quotient but had no idea that a sequel existed. Although I didn't really find it as a sequel, this is an enjoyable read. A beautiful, conflicting, romantic read

When a wealthy woman offers Esme a trip from Vietnam to California as a “test fiancé” for her son, Esme reluctantly agrees, knowing the money offered would help her family.
Khai doesn‘t do relationships, or feelings, so when his mom tells him about the woman she chose for his bride, he‘s reluctant to obey.
Esme and Khai have instant chemistry but secrets and misunderstandings keep them at arms length.

I liked both Esme and Khai; they were believable, likable, and I felt for both of them throughout the book. I loved that the surrounding characters were supportive and helped these two along in their journey together.

I found myself laughing out loud and crying at the sweetness of it.

While not quite as steamy as The Kiss Quotient, I absolutely loved Esme. This was a beautiful story about self worth and appreciation. The author‘s note brought such a beautiful sense of closure to this story. I‘m so happy I read it.

About half way through this one and I love that I already feel like I know a few of the characters. Reading from an autistic perspective adds a fascinating element to the story.

Read like a fan fic but I wasn‘t complaining. A feel-good, easy read to start out the year.