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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥

Lauren Kung Jessen must be a matchmaker in real life, because not only did I adore her book, but I also fell in love with each and every one of her characters.

But let's start with the main ones.

To say that Olivia Huang Christenson is under a lot of pressure would be an understatement. She is set to inherit her family's 50-year-old matchmaking business, and she is now tasked with modernizing the practice and making traditions appeal to a younger audience. It does not help that an app that loosely takes her family's approach to finding matches is undermining her business, and she cannot seem to avoid the man behind the app if she can help it. 

Bennett O'Brien shouldn't be any of her concern. After all, his app is 100% algorithm and zero emotions, something that cannot possibly succeed in the business of love. But the more she spends with Bennett, the more the fortified walls around her matchmaking heart seem to crack. 

For someone who comes from a family deeply rooted in traditions, I was immediately engaged and enamored by the world Lauren Kung Jessen creates in this read. From the bustling businesses in Chinatown to the lively family celebrations, you can vividly imagine every aspect of this fictional world as intricate details breathes life into it. 

I quickly got invested in the Huang family. While each family member carries their own brand of charisma, it is Pó Po’s understated but buoyant personality that stands out to me the most. She grounds Liv (and the rest of the family), and I love that she can read them all and think ten steps ahead.

Bennett and Liv's connection is the center of this read, and I had wanted them together from the first chapter. Despite their opposite personalities, their connection hooks you right in and has you crossing your fingers as they slowly shift into the different stages of their relationship. While I love Liv and was team Lunar Love from the get-go, Bennett slowly seeps into your heart with his humor, easy personality, and patience. Forgiveness and service are his love languages, and these play a vital role in his interactions with Olivia. 

The spice in this standalone read is limited to the foods mentioned in this book but I got so invested in the HEA that I barely missed it.

If you love a rivals-to-lovers read that provides a healthy dose of funny banter and a rich background of Chinese traditions, this is a must-read for you.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Lauren Kung Jessen, Forever, and NetGalley for providing a digital and a physical ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.

Always a matchmaker, never a match...

Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .

Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?


MEET LAUREN KUNG JESSEN

Lauren Kung Jessen is a mixed-race Chinese-American writer with a fondness for witty, flirtatious dialogue and making meals with too many steps but lots of flavor. She is fascinated by myths and superstitions and how ideas, beliefs, traditions, and stories evolve over time.

From attending culinary school to working in the world of Big Tech to writing love stories, Lauren cares about creating experiences that make people feel something.

She also has a food and film blog, A Dash of Cinema, where she makes food inspired by movies and TV shows. She lives in Nashville with her husband (who she met thanks to fate—read: the algorithms of online dating), two cats, and dog.

Connect with Lauren
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