3.75/5

T/W: Controlling partner (implied), grief, cheating discussion/mentions of miscarriage, difficult family relationships, nut allergy (? - is this a trigger warning? Who knows).

I really enjoyed 'Last Tang Standing' and I didn't even need to know what this book was about before clicking that 'Want to Read' button.

'Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic' is about a woman who decides to sign up for a co-parenting website. She wants to have a child but doesn't want to go about the traditional method. On the website, she meets Collin and they decide to make a baby. Spoiler - feelings occur. But it's a bit more complicated than that.

Concept - excellent. Execution? Less so. This book is 400+ pages and I don't feel like it warranted it. The central story dragged slightly as we got into the third act and certain elements felt a bit repetitive - there's a love triangle storyline that doesn't develop much beyond 'maybe this guy, oh no, maybe this guy'.

I also didn't like Lucie. Whilst she admits she's cold and distant and deals with numbers rather than feelings, which is great, she was very mean at times - and very selfish. There are moments where she would steamroller over the people around her and nobody seemed to mind it very much. It made it difficult to root for her as the protagonist because I kept disagreeing with how she fundamentally treated the people around her. I also felt, at times, she lacked nuance - it was an 'all or nothing' situation with her. I would have loved to have seen her healing process. There's a scene with a grief dinner that, had that plotline been pursued, would have felt more rewarding than the relationship one that the novel followed.

ALSO MARK IS A SHITBAG. Why would she go back to him? After everything he did before - and even in the book?? The amount of times my brain just yelled 'RUN LUCIE, RUN!' - I lost count.

The first 1/4 of the book was my absolute favourite, but the best elements continued all the way through - Lauren Ho's writing voice is great and every character gets a fully rounded story (I was super intrigued by Anthony - are we getting a story around him next? Give me a political rom-com!). You'll never be bored reading her novels and the concept is so strong, it'll keep you interested. Where are the other co-parenting rom-coms people?!

The plot for this book was the perfect idea, and one that's not written often.
But it kind of fell flat with the characters.
Lucie annoyed me at times with her bad decisions whilst other characters showed major red flags.
I think in order to make this book work, a little extra attention to the characters would make it a hit.
Other than that, it was a witty, cute and easy read.

Lucie Yi is not a Romantic is the second novel written by Lauren Ho and although I have Last Tang Standing on my TBR pile, I have to confess I haven’t been tempted to pick it up until now. Lucie Yi is not a Romantic captured my attention within the first few pages and I stayed up late on multiple work nights to see what happened next. I loved the concept of Lucie having given up with the soulmate searching and romance in her life to seek a man purely for the intention of co-parenting and having a child. Although women are able use IVF and donor sperm to have a child by themselves, I believe it probably is still not AS accepted by society and likely quite uncommon, which is why this concept is so refreshing in a romance novel. Prior to reading this I had never considered how Asian family values, traditions and societal norms such as the stigma associated with divorce or unmarried women/”illegitimate” children may differ from those of my own English background, so this LYINAR was really quite insightful.

LYINAR is incredibly easy to read and is fantastically written with the just right combination of wittiness, friendship and romance. I particularly enjoyed the banter and quick-wittedness between Lucie and Colin as well as Lucie and her friends, can’t say I thought particularly highly of Mark though!

Lucie Yi is not a Romantic is definitely a book I would recommend to family and friends, with thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

First up, thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins for giving me the ARC in exchange for my honest review 👍

Collin.
He is reason enough to love this book!

The story follows Lucie on her quest to have a baby, after realising that she's ready NOW and is willing to do it via non-traditional methods

Lucie is a character who I really felt for, she was strong, resourceful, loving and stuck between a rock and a hard place - doing things her way and disappointing her parents, or doing what's expected

I enjoyed LYINAR, it tugged on my heartstrings, made me laugh, made me angry, made me happy - all the things you want in a book!

Lucie Yi is Not Romantic is releasing 23rd June, so make sure to grab a copy!

Lucie Yi is on a secondment in New York. She is career-focused and seems to have it all until she has an emotional meltdown in a baby shop whilst buying baby gifts for her best friend's triplets. It is at that moment that she realises that she really wants to have a baby. With no man currently in her life, Lucie ends up signing up to a co-parenting website where she eventually matches up with Collin. He is from a similar Asian background and they both seem to hit it off. Their aim is to have a baby and romance strictly isn't in the picture.
Once pregnant, Lucie and Collin move to Singapore. Lucie eventually has to tell her strict parents about the pregnancy and they don't take it well. Collin also tries to get to grips with patching up his relationship with his estranged father. Lucie and Collin definitely do have chemistry and romantic vibes but then Lucie's ex-fiance Mark re-enters her life, wanting to make amends.
As much as I liked the story, I felt that there was a lack of character development when it came to both Lucie and Collin. I found Lucie to be very one-dimensional. Collin seemed to have the same conversation about his dad repeatedly. Mark was just plain annoying and why Lucie even decided to reconnect with him was beyond logic. However, making Lucie a character who doesn't conform to social norms is praiseworthy. Lauren Ho also brings out the stigma of divorce in an Asian society, through Lucie's sister Hannah.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked Lucie as a main character a lot although she was starting to get on my nerves towards the end with all the bad decisions she was making regarding Collin and Mark. I also really liked Collin’s character, he was basically everything Mark was not which was why I really disliked Mark, every time he was in a scene he just irritated me.

I enjoyed the storyline, it was a unique idea that worked really well and one that I’ve never come across before.

Over all I really enjoyed this book!

This read has an interesting concept but the characters fell a little flat. The MCs ex fiancé was a walking red flag.. he was essentially stalking the baby’s daddy and I didn’t understand why there was a need for a breakup 75% into the book

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book!

Lucie Yi Is Not A aromatic had a promising plot/storyline, modern Lucie decides to look for someone platonically have a child with, no romantic intentions involved.

I really tried to connect with Lucie but i just didn’t, maybe it’s because I don’t see myself wanting children myself so I couldn’t relate to her situation. But to me she seemed very headstrong and set in her ways, not often wanting to compromise yet always expecting others to compromise their views for her.

The way Lucie got back with Mark, her ex fiancé, so fast despite what he’d done to her in the past didn’t sit right with me. She didn’t seem at all bothered that he was stalking and following Collin, the father of her unborn child, nor did she seem to mind the fact he’d told his parents that the child was his and not Collin’s.

For a while I thought that Lucie’s friend Suzie knew something about Mark but wasn’t telling Lucie for the sake of her being pregnant. Turns out that Suzie felt lonely/left out because everyone surrounding her was either pregnant or already had children. I think that the way the friend group handled the situation wasn’t to my liking, I’m sure you can find other things to talk about than children and babies, especially when your very close friend can’t relate to it at all.

Overall, this book had potential, It just fell slightly flat for me. I really wanted to love it, the plot was really modern and new, I just wish the character development and relationships were better thought out.

Being a 35 year old single woman who’s been pondering the ways of having a child without a partner for a couple of years, I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this book. It felt like I just HAD TO read this book! And now that I did, I can say that there are parts that I loved, other parts that I liked and some parts that I didn’t like so much.

I loved that this unconventional way of having a child was the center of a book. I also really enjoyed all the discussions about alternative ways of having a family and how the characters are finding and standing up for their choices in this very traditional environment!

I liked the honest and open relationship between Lucie and Collin during the first 50% of the book. I had some trouble understanding why this part of their friendship deteriorated after the halfway point, resulting in a version of the classic “third act breakup” that’s so typical for romcoms. I’m not sure if the reasoning behind the actions of Lucie regarding Collin and Mark where 100% comprehensible for me. I don’t know if it was a style choice or a result of something missing in the writing, but some actions felt outright immature and frustratingly random.

The writing style itself was very easy to read, which is always a huge plus. I especially loved the banter between Lucie and Collin or Lucie and her friends, I wish I was as funny and quick-witted, and I wish I knew as many puns as Lucie!!

Overall, it was a very entertaining read with a unique concept at its core that I enjoyed reading a lot.

4/5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this arc. In return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review.

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts immediately and to my instagram account @colada_books upon publication on 23/06/22.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I requested this book because of the amount of great reviews it has and I'm so glad I did. This book completely surpassed my expectations in so many ways and I wish I already had the physical copy of it to put on my shelf!

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic... but she ends up being one!

The concept of this book was so unique, I was drawn in instantly! With themes of both romantic and platonic relationships, Lauren doesn't fail to include the realities of pending parenthood.

I LOLed several times, the humour and comedic timing in this book is perfect.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic has a very creative plot: Lucie, in her late 30s, decided to find a partner – not a romantic one, someone she can platonically raise a child with.

I think everyone agrees how unconventional it is for a romance novel and how much potential it had. Sadly, this isn't a positive review.

The characters felt very flat to me even with all the conflicts between them (Lucie and Collin, Lucie and Mark, Lucie and her parents, Lucie and her friends, Collin and his father). Nothing seemed well developed to me and at the end I felt as if I had missed a huge part of the book where things actually happen.

The two MC did have chemistry and were cute together but not enough for me to actually care. Most of their interactions were more friendly/platonic and suddenly he blurts out that he's in love with her. Their romantic connexion was poorly developed (or inexistent).

To me the worst part was how Lucie dealt with her situation with Mark, her ex fiancé. She decided to get back together with him, ignoring the fact that he has been kinda abusive and manipulative to her (and a cheater!) and completely ignore his red flags. He says he was following her, okay. He says he was following and stalking Collin, she merely shrugs. He tells his parents that Lucie is having HIS baby, she goes along with it and finds it sweet. The whole thing was so surreal and I was feeling anxious the whole time waiting for something terrible to happen (I genuinely thought he would hit her or something like that).

I also hated to see how Lucie's friend, Suzie, was treated. For she was a divorced woman with no children, she was often ignored by her friends who always only wanted to talk about babies and their romantic status. I'm not a mother myself and I can imagine how it becomes a central part of your life and conversations, but I'm pretty sure you can manage to talk about other things to when you have a bun in the over, specially when your best friends vocalizes how it's been bothering her.

Overall, a poor development to a creative and original idea!

Lucie is not a romantic is a typical rom-com/drama. Lots to keep you entertained and engaged with the story.
However, Lucie isn't the most likeable character, but she does redeem herself in the end. She can appear selfish and hard, but underneath there is a softer side, it just takes a little while to see this within the story.

A bold and clever romantic comedy, Lucy Yi Is Not a Romantic charts one woman's journey into pregnancy and the realities of coparenting.

This book is brilliantly written and I was engrossed from the start, after reading the opening and laughing out loud several times. Definitely a book worth picking up!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 25%

I couldn't connect to the either of the main characters. I don't want to read about heavy topics in romance when I'm not attached to the characters and this seems like its only going to get heavier. I don't really like westernizing the names of South Asian characters and there were similar things like this that are pet peeves of mine that kept happening in this book and I just couldn't keep reading. The writing was perfectly fine and I'm sure this book will work for so many people, it just wasn't for me.

Lauren Ho has a beautiful writing style that sucked me in pretty early. I found the whole concept of dating for a co-parent really interesting, and the exposure to alternative cultural expectations was enlightening. I've visited Singapore before, so as a setting for a romance it was different and fun to reminisce. This is a new take on the friends to lovers trope - or co-parents to friends to lovers.

In the beginning, I quite liked the protagonist, and I enjoyed her friendships. She seemed strong and funny. The com in the rom-com came out in their conversations, and again in her conversations with the love interest. I really liked him as he seemed genuine, and a refreshing male in a rom com for the fact that he wasn't extraordinarily tall (though I do like them tall), and did yoga and seemed generally upbeat. But if I'm being honest, the more I read the more the MC began to irritate me - she made some really selfish and what seemed like spineless decisions to me, and I just couldn't get on board with her logic and thoughts for most of the book.

She redeemed herself in the end, but it felt like it was too little, too late for me to be happy for her. I almost wished the male love interest would have found someone better. Maybe it's the Westerner in me, maybe it's the me that believes we should always do what makes us happy and that money isn't the answer to that, or the me that never does what my parents expect...I don't know. All I know is that Lucie and I would probably not be friends for fear of me murdering her.

The book did at many times feel less rom com and more romantic drama, and part of that was that there was a lot of realism in the discussion of money, bills and work struggles that definitely felt more depressing than I was used to and almost broke the happy spell cast in the beginning. The resolving of these issues seemed to come too late - or rather they went on for too long with no change. Same with her dismissing Susie, and the business with Mark. For me, there was little to no progression from must-work-till-i-die-and-do-as-my-parents-say-and-forgive-the-asshole to being an independent person with hopes and dreams and a nice future. I'm sure a lot of people will like that - the break from unrealistic futures - but I think it sort of sent mixed messages to me about money and love and life when I just wanted a bit of escapism and to root for a fictional couple.

All in all, Ho's writing can't be faulted, I just had a dislike of the protagonist that my stubborn ass couldn't get over. If you're a fan of romance and you like to hear about different cultures and you like a HEA then give it a go!

I loved Last Tang Standing and honestly had really high expectations for this book. I think that's part of the reason why I felt so let down when I struggled to really connect with Lucie from the get go. I did eventually end up enjoying finishing this, the premise was really well done and the story itself was interesting. However, I found it hard to connect with Lucie's character.

That being said, it's important to note that Lauren Ho did not disappoint with the way this book was written, and I would definitely pick up any future books she releases. I think this one unfortunately just felt a little bit lackluster.

The publisher kindly provided ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The second I received the email that confirmed I had been approved for an ARC of Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic, I immediately put down all the other books I was reading and rushed to download my copy of this novel. I loved Last Tang Standing and have been eagerly anticipating the release of Lauren Ho’s second novel.

Right from the first chapter, the description is vivid and clever, without being heavy-handed or interrupting the flow of the narrative. I found myself highlighting something every couple of pages simply because I really enjoyed the description or was particularly tickled by the imagery used. As with Last Tang Standing, the writing is consistently good-quality and immersive, allowing you to focus on enjoying the characters and the plot.

Lucie, Collin, and her friends are all relatable, likeable, and easy to get invested in, despite (or probably because of) their flaws. Lucie and Collin are fairly certain that they share the same approach to parenthood when they agree to enter into their co-parenting agreement, but soon find themselves having to navigate differences in beliefs and values as Lucie’s due date approaches. Mark, meanwhile, is a great antagonist: he’s an insidious presence, rather than an over-the-top villain, and I loved the way Lucie’s friends don’t hold back with their clear dislike and distrust of him.

I would happily recommend Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic, and look forward to reading whatever Lauren Ho releases next!

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a much-appreciated ARC of this novel.

An entirely amusing story. I enjoyed getting to know these characters by Lauren Ho and the push/pull in the love triangle (which I'm learning the author is fantastic at!).

I loved this!!! A modern day realistic romance which actually looks at some quite deep and upsetting topics including infidelity, divorce and conception issues. Lucie is a perfect main character with dry witt and a lot more depth than originally the plot begins with. The addition of Mark and Collin just provides the love triangle needed in every room-com. I know which of the two I was rooting for. If you pick one book up this summer however, I would really recommend you consider it to be this.