Review: Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen

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?

• Title: Lunar Love
• Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
• Publisher: Forever
• Publication Date: January 10th, 2023
• Genre: Contemporary Romance 
• Source: Digital ARC via Netgalley / Publishers 
• Targeted Age Range: Adult
• Content Warnings: death of a parent (past), death of a grandparent (present)
• Rating: ★★★★

I won’t lie, at first I wasn’t sure where this book was going to go or if I was going to like it, simply because online dating romance books are not usually my thing, but Lunar Love really was so much more than that. Yes, it is a book that involves online dating, but there were so many layers to the story and that’s what drew me in.

What I really loved about Lunar Love was the fact that both the main character Olivia, and her love interest Bennet, are mixed race and Lauren Kung Jessen is also mixed race. As a French, Irish, and Filipino woman, stories about mixed POC written by mixed POC authors really mean a lot to me. So often our stories either aren’t told by us, or our mixed ethnicity is used as a way to make some sort of comment about race (which Amanda at BookishBrews also discusses in her review), and while I don’t dislike those stories as I believe it is important to discuss, it is so nice to read a book about a mixed race character where that isn’t the center of the conversation or the only aspect of their personality.

Jessen’s dedication says:

“For those who are mixed and have felt like they aren’t enough or don’t belong. You are and you do”

Many times throughout the years — especially the last few years — I have struggled to feel Asian “enough” (as if there really is such a thing or a way to measure this) and to read another mixed person say those words truly means everything. I never could’ve dreamt of reading those words when I was a kid, and it means so much that this next generation will get the validation that so many of us didn’t have growing up. Bennet and Olivia’s conversation about being mixed race in chapter five really resonated with me, especially when Bennet said that because he has an Irish last name, people have a hard time believing that he’s also Chinese. I’ve had experiences where because of how I look and my Irish first name and French last name, people have tried to invalidate my Filipino heritage, so I fully understood where he was coming from. Bennet saying, “I don’t have to justify myself to anyone who thinks I’m not Chinese enough because they’re uncomfortable with me being mixed race” really hit home and is something that I will keep with me. 

Speaking of Olivia and Bennet, I thought that their relationship was so fun. I loved their banter, especially during the dates that they set up for each other. While I am completely anti Los Angeles Dodgers (San Francisco Giants forever), I absolutely loved the date scene at Dodger Stadium, it was so much fun and I got a lot of entertainment out of that scene. I liked the progression of their relationship and would definitely be interested in reading a follow up story about them. This book also has definitely inspired me to learn more about the Chinese zodiac as my knowledge of the zodiac is basically limited to the fact that I know I’m a Rooster.

I’ve mentioned this before on the blog, but I love stories that center around strong family relationships, and I loved the relationship between Olivia and her family, but more specifically, the relationship between Oliva and Pó Po (her grandmother). Olivia and Pó Po’s relationship just…completely warmed my heart. I had/have very close relationships with both of my grandmothers, so I could really relate to that aspect of the book and definitely understood Olivia’s desire to just make her grandmother proud. I think my favorite scene in the entire book was the scene with their movie night. It was such a sweet scene and something that, if I had the opportunity, I would absolutely do with my grandmother. Truthfully, I could’ve read an entire book just about Olivia and Pó Po. 

Oh, and we cannot forget the food in this book! All the dishes sounded delicious, and I definitely got hungry while reading. I loved how often food was mentioned, especially during family occasions as for so many families — especially in Asian culture — food is such a large part of gatherings and celebrations. I also loved that there were recipes at the back of the book! It’s always such a pleasant surprise when I finish a book and find a recipe that’s mentioned in the novel is included. I loved that there was a sweet recipe and a savory recipe, and as one of my personal goals for 2023 is to improve on my (very limited) cooking skills, I’m looking forward to eventually trying the pork dumpling recipe!

I could easily see this being adapted to the screen, and I would 100% eat it up. I had such a great time reading this book and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun, flirty romance book with an emphasis on family, culture, and food!

Links for Lunar Love: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound