The Bride Test

By: Helen Hoang

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

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 important emotions, like love. 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. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Didn't This Bother Anyone Else?

Excellent narration! I loved the premise, I loved the heroine, I loved the setting. What I didn't love was the crude language referring to the hero's anatomy and the usual way he feels "satisfied." It was crass and vulgar and didn't fit with the rest of the story. Also I thought the hero took too long to come to his senses. I enjoyed so much about this book, but these aspects kept it from being a book I could recommend, and really cheapened the experience overall.

Volume in narration is the only issue

The Bride Test is the second in The Kiss Quotient series by Helen Hoang. It has very little overlap with the characters from the first book. There are characters who were in The Kiss Quotient as minor characters who are central characters in this one. The main character is Khai, who seen briefly in the first book. The female central character is Esmeralda or Esme, who is brought from Viet Nam as a potential bride for Khai. The cultural differences, even though Khai is of Viet Namese descent, are large and do create some problems. The story is fun at times and also very sad. The Bride Test has a different narrator than The Kiss Quotient and this is where the audiobook loses a star. Emily Woo Zeller speaks softly. But when Quan speaks, the narrator raises her voice. He feels as though he is shouting compared to the rest of the dialogue. I enjoyed The Bride Test, felt the narration could have been better and am looking forward to book 3 in the series.

Charming Characters & Relatable Plot

I have recently discovered this author and fallen in love with her work.

Everything about this story was wonderful, and I especially like the nostalgia I get with the expressions of culture throughout.

I highly recommend this story.

Utterly Enjoyable!

I laughed one moment and face palmed and yelled the next. Very relatable characters. Highly recommend.

Wonderful!

the narrator was so good! each character has such a distinct voice. I love this new author and can't wait to see what else she comes up with.