My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Lunar Love
Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
Format: ebook (borrowed)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 1/11/23
Categories: Romance, Contemporary
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?
Content Warning: death of family member
I love this book cover and thought the concept for the story was cute. Here is what I thought:
+ I like Olivia and her connection to her family. It is evident there is so much love between her and her family who run a successful matchmaking company that uses the Chinese zodiac to make these matches.
+ I like how the matchmaking services in the book show the old school ways, which Olivia’s family is expert in and then the modern version of dating – with an app. Bennett’s way is more technologically advanced and also uses the Chinese zodiac but is missing the personal touch. Olivia thinks Bennet is encroaching on her family business but is there room for both of their companies in the matchmaking world?
+ I loved all the Chinese references from the food, the holidays and the zodiac.
~ Unfortunately I was bored midway into this story. The beginning started off well but for me it lost steam when Olivia was plotting Bennett’s downfall without knowing his intentions for his own company.
~ I was hoping for more sparks between Olivia and Bennett.
Tropes: rivals to lovers, slow burn, false pretenses
Why you should read it:
- modern dating vs. old school matchmaking discussions
- slow burn, rivals to lovers
- love the Chinese cultural references with family, traditions, food and the zodiac
Why you might not want to read it:
- I wanted more sparks between the MC’s
My Thoughts:
I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right mood for this book but I thought it was just okay. But I think because I was in the mood for sparks and tension this one didn’t quite do it for me. I did like a lot of things about it though – Olivia’s family, her grandmother, the Chinese cultural references and I like the discussion about matchmaking. I think a lot of romance readers will enjoy this one!
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What a thoughtful and well balanced review. It’s such a shame when a romcom has the potential to be a great read but somehow just misses the mark.
The Chinese cultural references sound fascinating.
Thanks for reading!