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Review: Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen

Title: Lunar Love

Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
Year published: 2023
Category: Adult fiction (romance)
Pages: 336 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5

Location: (my 2023 Google Reading map)USA (CA)

SummaryAlways 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?

Review: After the intensity of my last read (H is for Hawk), this book was good. It's light, romantic, and fun.

It was fun to learn more about the Chinese zodiac while reading this book. It made me want to see how my year is described to see if any of it is rings true for me:
The Year of the Snake
  • Definitely not a good description of me: They don't allow others to know about them that much and they usually keep things to themselves. This makes them suitable for a philosopher, or a theologian.
  • This one is more accurate for me: People born in a year of the Snake are supposed to be the most intuitive. Snakes tend to act according to their own judgments while remaining private and reticent. They are determined to accomplish their goals and hate to fail.
  • And, oh dear, this one has some truth to it: They're prone to jealousy and suspicion. They should be cautious about what they talk about with others, as it could cost them friendships and opportunities. They have a tendency to go overboard. They prefer to depend on themselves and have reservations about the judgement of others.
  • I should marry a Rooster (my ex-husband), a Dragon, or an Ox.
Anyway, I diverged from the book there. Sorry. I like both main characters in this story and was interested to see if the app or the traditional way of matchmaking would win out in the end. I also liked the closeness of family and the importance of tradition, ancestors, and what will keep them all together (and I loved the chapters on one character's memorial and the idea of sending items into the afterworld).

Challenges for which this counts: none

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