Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
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Web ID: 17342938So good!
I love books that delve into culture, and Lunar Love does exactly that, centered on the Chinese tradition of matchmaking. Lunar Love has been in business for decades, using the Chinese zodiac to match people based on their animal signs’ compatibility. Olivia has just taken the helm of the business, which is fading somewhat in the modern world. She’s desperate to revive it, wanting to hold fast to traditional matchmaking ways. But she finds her family legacy threatened, in the form of a new app, ZodiaCupid by her now-rival Bennett, which brings the Chinese zodiac to the digital era in ways she finds distasteful to tradition. The premise is so interesting, but Olivia… she’s a stubborn person who was, at times, hard to like, even as you felt for her in the mantle of responsibility on her shoulders. Even if she herself put most of it there. There were times when her arrogance and close-mindedness was downright mean, which made it hard to root for her. It seemed as if she often created conflict for no reason other than for conflict’s sake, although later in the book, the reader really starts to know her hidden depths. That makes it much easier to understand why her character was the way it was. Bennett, on the other hand, was extremely likeable from the moment he’s introduced. He’s intelligent and kind, and not afraid to stand up to Olivia, who seems determined to think the worst of him. He rose above it all in ways that were charming yet fully supportive, and for me, he made the story. Yes, there was a slow start, what with Olivia’s obstinance, but when it picked up… it was wonderful. The story of Olivia’s growth, the way she blossomed, that was almost more significant than the romantic elements. It was more than finding herself open to love, but the way her perspective changed on many aspects of her life as she opened herself up to not only Bennett but to friends and family, too. And there were some moments toward the end that had me fully in the feels!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Matchmaking rivals & Chinese Zodiac
(3.5 stars) Lunar Love was Lauren Kung Jessen’s debut novel, but it’s the second one of hers that I’ve read. (I’ve read Red String Theory.) The story has two Asian-American main characters, Olivia/Liv and Bennett, both of mixed race. Their backstories reveal how they often feel not Asian enough because of their mixed heritage. Lunar Love is not just the title of the book; it’s the name of the Los Angeles matchmaking company that has been in Liv’s family for a couple of generations, having been started by her beloved grandmother, who she calls Po Po. Liv is just starting to take over the business, which has been struggling of late. Their matchmaking philosophy is based on the Chinese Zodiac. Bennett is beta-testing a new matchmaking app with the same concept, which he calls ZodiaCupid. So this is a rivals-to-lovers story. Liv and Bennett have a meet-cute but they don’t know who each other is at that point. Once they know, things get awkward. I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it as much as I did Red String Theory. I had a hard time warming up to Liv. Bennett, on the other hand, was a much more appealing character. I loved how he kept spouting data points but gradually realized there was more to life and love than data. Unfortunately, the book didn’t have any chapters from his point of view; that would have made the book more interesting to me. There’s a lot of wonderful content revolving around Chinese traditions and Chinese foods. Bonus: there are two recipes at the end of the book: Chinese Swiss rolls (a cake) and Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved their love
I loved this book for so many reasons, but here are some of the main ones: -amazing! family! dynamics! -disaster woman protagonist -soft bean love interest -enemies to lovers!!! -reclaiming identities -beautiful prose
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not For Me
Great concept, passable story, unlikeable characters. There’s something to be said for tradition and doing things the same way they’ve always been done but there’s also a lot that can be learned and streamlined to make things work better, which business leaders know and are constantly adapting their businesses toward. Olivia has to be the most immature and poorly chosen successor to the business; her heart is in the right place but she’s not very business savvy and she’s a brat. Bennett is not much better but I could tolerate him a little more. All in all, the novel would have been better served with more relatable characters.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Got to loves enemies to lovers!
This had me at “enemies to lovers!” It’s definitely my favorite trope and all I need to see before wanting to give it a go. This was a fabulous debut by Lauren Kung Jessen! Olivia is taking over the family business- matchmaking using the Chinese zodiac approach. She’s known as always the matchmaker but never has a match of her own. In her defense, she has a past that’s holding her back. Regardless, she’s about to take on a business that is struggling. Then she ends up running into this guy that she can’t stop thinking about, Bennett. Although, she doesn’t know that he’s going to be her rival. Bennett also runs a similar business but it’s an app. A dating app that uses the same technique but online. There are some moments in this book that I felt some second-hand embarrassment for Liv. She’s kind of erratic at times but I understand why. She’s trying so hard to keep something afloat that looks impossible. I loved the idea that the love interests were enemies with the same career just new vs. old. Bennett is definitely a swoon-worthy love interest. I was smitten with him right away and that never changes. In fact, he might have been my favorite character in this book. He and Liv had such great chemistry and I loved their love for keeping their culture alive. In fact, there is so much of their culture in this book and I loved learning about it! One of my favorite things is that the author includes recipes for some of the things they make in the book! I actually might try and make them! Overall, this was such a sweet and romantic read. I really enjoyed my time with it and highly recommend it if you need a good romance or palette cleanser! There are a lot of cultural aspects and it will make you hungry!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
a debut contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance
(3.5 rounded up to a 4) Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is a debut contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view. Olivia is excited to take over her grandmother's matchmaking business, Lunar Love, until she learns of a new dating app that has turned the traditional Chinese zodiac into more "animal attraction." To learn more about her competition, she decides to use the app to find its creator, Bennet. When they both end up on a podcast together, they wager they'll find a match for each other using their respective resources, and whoever falls in love loses the bet. It felt very appropriate that I finished this pretty close to the Lunar New Year. Overall, this was a really cute closed-door romance. I loved a ton of the side characters, especially Olivia's grandmother Popo, and the Chinatown setting and their family business seemed very lived-in. The chemistry between our leads is solid and they have adorable banter throughout the novel. This read like a debut, and the author's use of tense felt really awkward to me. This gets a bit better in the second half of the book, but while I was reading the first half it was pretty jarring to me. I ended up taking a lot more time to read the first half, but once I got over the midway point my reading speed picked up. Sometimes Olivia seemed like she was written younger than she actually was. She is a very stubborn person and was kind of repetitive in her complaints and observations. This is another thing I chalk up to this being the author's first published novel. I also didn't really love that Olivia decided to lie about who she was when trying to learn more about the person behind the dating app. I like that there are several recipes included in the back of the book, since both characters love food and there are many mentions of traditional Chinese cooking throughout the novel. I definitely plan to try some out! Tropes in this book include: Asian American MCs, mixed-race MCs, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, closed door, opposites attract, secrets and lies CW: lies, death, grief I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A sweet matchmaking rom-com!
Growing up, I LOVED reading about mythology, astrology, and zodiacs, so I was immediately interested in reading a sweet rom-com involving matchmaking through the Chinese Zodiac. Lunar Love captures what it is like to meet someone new and although they might not be who you thought would be "the ONE", they actually might be "the ONE" that you need in your life. Although Olivia and Bennett's rival-to-love relationship is predictable (similar in nature to the movie "You've Got Mail" but with traditional matchmaking vs online dating apps) and the beginning of the book was a bit slow/repetitive in parts, the story immerses the reader in Chinese culture, food, traditions along with descriptions of the beautiful California mountain, coast, and city scenery. The family relationships play an important part of the story and I especially LOVED Olivia's grandmother Popo, as she reminded me of my beloved Grandmother Pearl, who also taught me how to cook/bake, was hilarious and always gave me the best life and love advice. The ending was wonderfully satisfactory and I was especially excited to see Chinese Zodiac information at the end of the book, as well as. recipes for food that played a large part within the story! I'm looking forward to reading the next book from this author and hoping that this book will eventually be made into a streaming movie or series!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wonderful rivals-to-lovers romance!
This is a super-cute rivals-to-lovers romance perfect for this time of year. Olivia has recently taken over her family's matchmaking business. Lunar Love was started by her grandmother, passed down to her aunt, and now passed on to her. She's thrilled at the opportunity to take the reigns as matchmaker until she meets Bennett. Bennett has recently started an online dating app, Zodiac Cupid, which Olivia sees as direct competition. Worried for the stakes of Lunar Love she feels the stakes couldn't be higher. I adored Bennett. He is sweet, funny and thoughtful. Watching him try to get to know Olivia and woo her was an absolute delight. There are funny mishaps, dates that weren't supposed to be dates, and secret admissions whispered in the dark under the moon. The representation of mixed-race America is wonderful in this book. I loved the discussions Olivia and Bennett had about carrying on family traditions in the modern world while also staying true to themselves and the other parts of their culture. The food in this book is salivating and talk around the Chinese Zodiac intriguing. I really enjoyed it. With the Lunar New Year upcoming followed quickly by Valentine's Day, so much of this book is perfect for seasonal readers. That being said, it can be read and enjoyed any time of year by all romance lovers. It's a wonderful read. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com