The Bride Test

***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected copy proof***

Copyright © 2018 Helen Hoang





Prologue

Ten years ago

San Jose, California

Khai was supposed to be crying. He knew he was supposed to be crying. Everyone else was.

But his eyes were dry.

If they stung, it was due to the heavy incense fogging the funeral parlor s reception room. Was he sad? He thought he was sad. But he should be sadder. When your best friend died like this, you were supposed to be destroyed. If this were a Vietnamese opera, his tears would be forming rivers and drowning everyone.

Why was his mind clear? Why was he thinking about the homework assignment that was due tomorrow? Why was he still functioning?

His cousin Sara had sobbed so hard she d needed to rush to the bathroom to vomit. She was still there now he suspected being sick over and over. Her mom, Dì Mai, sat stiffly in the front row, palms flat together and head bowed. Khai s mom patted her back from time to time, but she remained unresponsive. Like Khai, she shed no tears, but that was because she d cried them all out days before. The family was worried about her. She d withered down to her skeleton since they d gotten the call.

Rows of Buddhist monks in yellow robes blocked his view of the open casket, but that was a good thing. Though the morticians had done their best, the body looked misshapen and wrong. That was not the sixteen-year-old boy who used to be Khai s friend and favorite cousin. That was not Andy.

Andy was gone.

The only parts of him that survived were the memories in Khai s head. Stick fights and sword fights, wrestling matches that Khai never won but refused to lose. Khai would rather break both of his own arms than call Andy his daddy. Andy said Khai was pathologically stubborn. Khai insisted he merely had principles. He still remembered their long walks home when the weight of the sun was heavier

Helen Hoang

Praise for The Bride Test

With The Bride Test, Hoang has once again shown readers the importance of representation in literature, while also creating a sexy, compassionate story about the power of love and the enduring American Dream. The Washington Post

With serious moments offset by spot-on humor, this romance has broad appeal, and it will find a special place in the hearts of autistic people and those who love them. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Everything you want a romance novel to be." NPR

"Hoang sheds light on a rarely represented segment of society, literally rewriting who is deserving of the leading role in a romantic novel." Vogue Hong Kong

The Bride Test is positively delightful....It's smart, honest, and achingly romantic, just as sexy as it is sweet. Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones and the Six

Helen Hoang is a master of building characters that feel relatable. New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren

Prepare to fall in love all over again...The Bride Test is a charming love story that is equal parts sexy and sweet. PopSugar

Refreshingly real. Marie Claire

"A heartwarming contemporary romance." OprahMag.com


A stunning, superior romance. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A winning love story that gives a voice to underrepresented characters. Booklist

"We couldn't get enough of Helen Hoang's debut novel, The Kiss Quotient, so it's no surprise her second book is at the top of our list." Good Housekeeping

From the author that rocked the lit world with her 2018 novel The Kiss Quotient, comes an equally addicting read that is perfect for summer. Women's Health

"Hoang writes with the kind of humanity that we all should embody, the kind that makes you believe that there is still an abundance of good left in the world at any given moment." Shondaland

"Funny, heartwrenching, and the sort of book you'll literally clasp to your chest with a happy sigh after you finish