Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen on September 24, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Asian American, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
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“I’m just saying that you’re allowed to exist separately from your family. If you want. Many of us feel indebted to our parents, but the truth is, parenthood is a choice they made. We can’t dedicate our lives to pleasing others. Love isn’t transactional like that.”
Evie Lang’s life is in shambles. On the heels of losing her beloved aunt, she’s unceremoniously fired from her poetry professorship by her secret boyfriend. Lacking income and inspiration, she’s stuck in Ohio with no idea how to move forward, until hope arrives in a surprising letter. Auntie Hảo left Evie the deed to her San Francisco row house, a place full of Evie’s happiest memories. The catch? To inherit, she must go on a pre-arranged matchmaking tour in Việt Nam. The last thing Evie wants is to spend time with a group of strangers looking for love. But she can’t resist the chance to finally visit her family’s native home. A world away, Adam Quyền has a chip on his shoulder. He’s working around the clock as CMO for his sister’s elite matchmaking business, a job complicated by her insistence that he knows nothing about love. He’s desperate to prove himself, so when she challenges him to join the inaugural tour, he reluctantly agrees. Adam thinks Evie is chaotic and unpredictable. Evie thinks Adam is grumpy and uptight. But from the bustling streets of Hồ Chí Minh City to the soaring waterfalls in Đà Lạt, they keep getting thrown together, their animosity charged with attraction…and they discover that true love may be out there, if they are willing to take a leap.
This book caught me off guard – in the best way possible. At first glance, it seemed like just another rom-com, but it’s so much more. I am obsessed with a forced-proximity, grumpy-sunshine story, and the matchmaking tour was a perfect, fun adventure to have it set. It was such a perfect honeymoon read (and an easy one too!!) and I wasn’t able to put it down. Every character had a story and I felt connect to each one of them, even the background characters.
4.5 stars for this novel. The author cleverly uses the romance genre as a vehicle to explore deeper themes of cultural identity, family expectations, and personal growth. If you’re looking for a read that balances entertainment with substance, offering both laughs and food for thought, this book delivers. It’s a refreshing take on the romance genre that will appeal to readers looking for something beyond the typical formula.