Although I really enjoyed the characters in this, and how their relationships were explored (especially the family and friendship dynamics) I overall wish that it was a little more lighthearted and there was more space for romantic moments with Colin. The audio narration was great, as was the exploration of different cultural and personal beliefs towards having children.

With thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title via audiobook.

Lucie Yi is not a romantic - she knows what she wants and is not afraid of the consequences, she's not the kind of woman to get swept up by romantic gestures she values stability and practicality.
We follow Lucie on her journey as a mature single woman on a quest for a child regardless of her marital status which opens a can of worms with her very traditional family.

For me this was an enjoyable read, it had intrigue as to where Lucie would end up on her journey and enough characters that went from likable to truly despised. I found Lucie's character to be admirable she never falters through any life crisis and just keeps going no matter what.

I enjoyed the audio version of this novel and found it was just the right pace and the narrator was perfect for the story

Now this a Rom-com storyline I was not expecting!

Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic follows Lucie, whose last relationship ended meant the ending of her plans for a family, takes matters into her own hands and decides she must have a baby before it is too late. So, she does what any woman in her position would do, she sings up to an elective co-parenting website to find the ideal match for the father of her baby. There, she meets Colin who seems the perfect match for her, so they seal the deal, and she finds herself pregnant. So good so great right? Only Lucie and Colin move to Singapore where they not only have to deal with Lucie’s conservative family, but her ex Mark also re-enters the scene, set on winning back Lucie’s heart. Sometimes even the most calculated plans run into some blips along the way.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narration of this story and with each chapter I fell more and more in love with the story! First of all, a tinder for co-parenting – that is genius! I haven’t read (well, heard) something like this before in the rom coms that I have read so far, so this was a unique story in that sense. I also liked the Lucie’s character (mostly!) and how strong and resilient she was in overcoming all the obstacles and carrying her baby. Colin was incredibly cute again also had his little negatives that sometimes irked me. But this goes to show the author’s realistic storytelling and the open conversations about raising a family, financial costs of having a bay, the impact on careers. These open conversations are not often the focus of rom coms as most of the time you get a fairy-tale picture of life, whereas Lauren Ho gave us the reality. I did feel at times Lucie was quite harsh on Colin thought, but it was so well executed in the narration (and of course in the writing) that it was hard not to love them both, and really fall in love with their story (and I really shipped them). Mark, the ex-boyfriend’s character was also one that I liked even though he was the obstacle between Lucie and Colin, you could really understand where his heart was and how his personality was his, but does not make him a bad person, just in life people are not compatible and accepting that is often difficult in relationships.

The family dynamics and their culture were also very interesting to follow and the fact that Lucie accepted her parents would not change their mindset because their generation is very different from hers and I think in this day and age we often criticise other generations for the way in which they think, but by putting ourselves in their shoes, we can see the reality of their world and the time they lived in.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I hope that others have as well, whether as a physical copy/e-book/audiobook! Thank you, Lauren Ho, for this masterpiece!

If you enjoyed Last Tang Standing like I did you have to read this one!I find it refreshing and I love the writing so much it was addictive.It was a cute story!Lucie Yi thinks she has everything she could want - a successful career, amazing apartment and amazing friends .But she wants to become a parent. I loved every character in this storie even the secondary!

I found this story enjoyable and although it covered some very difficult topics it was an easy book to listen to. I enjoyed the exploration of the culture surrounding marriage and children in east asia interesting throughout the book. Although I felt that sometime things happened solely for the plot ie. The dinner party and could have benefited from being further explored later in the story

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

Synopsis
An ambitious career woman signs up for a co-parenting website only to find a match she never expected, in this unflinchingly funny and honest novel from the author of Last Tang Standing.

Management consultant Lucie Yi is done waiting for Mr. Right. After a harrowing breakup foiled her plans for children—and drove her to a meltdown in a Tribeca baby store—she’s ready to take matters into her own hands. She signs up for an elective co-parenting website to find a suitable partner with whom to procreate—as platonic as family planning can be.

Collin Read checks all of Lucie’s boxes; he shares a similar cultural background, he’s honest, and most important, he’s ready to become a father. When they match, it doesn’t take long for Lucie to take a leap of faith for her future. So what if her conservative family might not approve? When Lucie becomes pregnant, the pair return to Singapore and, sure enough, her parents refuse to look on the bright side. Even more complicated, Lucie’s ex-fiancé reappears, sparking unresolved feelings and compounding work pressures and the baffling ways her body is changing. Suddenly her straightforward arrangement is falling apart before her very eyes, and Lucie will have to decide how to juggle the demands of the people she loves while pursuing the life she really wants.

Ok so I very nearly dnf more than once, for me this was a rom com with only some of the rom and none of the com. I liked the pitch, but not the execution. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and actually only started to enjoy it around the last (too long in coming) 5/6 chapters. I wish I’d enjoyed it, the initial premise of a young independent woman looking for a co parent was intriguing. The will they won’t they that lasted for hours of this book was way too much. Sorry, not for me, it felt like a mission to finish.

I am so conflicted on my review of this book. Loved the premise, the insight into eastern culture and the addressing of some really difficult topics. But I can't say I enjoyed this book.

I found Lucie draining, she's the type of character you shake and ask her to open her eyes to the insane red flags being thrown at her (especially by Mark). This story had so much potential but unfortunately the lack of depth and likeability of the characters let it down. The humour was funny at times but all in all it made it difficult to take the story seriously and the balance between the two felt off.

The narrator was great and the chapters flowed well together, I could distinctly hear which character was talking. Although I found the "Mark" voice very irritating, but maybe that was just his personality.

Thank you to Lauren Ho for bringing these cultural differences to our attention and speaking on some very taboo subjects, that is something I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the Audiobook of this to review, in exchange for my (maybe too honest) review.

I don’t really know how to put into words what I think of Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic you know.

As a character Lucie annoyed me so much. She’s stuck up and one of those who always has to be right. So that grated on me even when I tried to push past it. Many people know though that once that happens you can’t connect fully with the book.

I see where the book should be and the story and truth it’s telling. That taboo subjects and Asian culture it gives and informs upon, but I just didn’t really enjoy it.

2.5/5

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I thought the narrator was great.
I found the concept of the book and co-parenting really unique. Although much of the plot was your typical romance, I really enjoyed it. I did find lucie a bit frustrating at times, and would have loved her to be a bit more empowered.

My review and opinion could just be due to the fact that I am not the target audience. Which I fully attribute to the minimal description given and the praising blurbs provided instead. That said, the audiobook, read by Cindy Kay, was delightful to listen to and there were parts of the story that I enjoyed, mainly those featuring Collin.

While I understand that a main character isn't supposed to be perfect, they should at least be likeable and/or endearing, and Lucie Yi somehow felt like hardly any of those things to me. She is so preoccupied with overthinking everything that she becomes a bad friend and doesn't seem like a good or helpful (romantic) partner either.
Mark, Lucie's ex, is manipulative, does not support her career goals, and seems to think that once a woman is married, she should stay at home with the kids she is supposed to take care of.
Collin was fine, he is supportive of Lucie, and a good influence on her overall well-being. But all of his problems and insecurities that came up in the story felt like they were either overshadowed by everything Lucie or were completely swept under the rug.

And then there's my personal aversion to love triangles and having two people compete for the attention of a third.

One thing is for certain, Lucie Yi is not a romantic… at least not for 95% of this book.

I’m quite conflicted in my opinion of this book, I did enjoy listening to it, however I never really warmed to any of the characters (maybe with the exception of Suze & potentially Collin). Lucie was infuriating to me, it wasn’t even that she made poor choices, it was that those poor choices seemed to have zero accountability. Instead it felt like all the other characters were bent to fit around her, rather than having solid character arcs that made sense.

The narrator didn’t really fit the style of the book in my personal opinion, it made me feel like I was reading true crime rather than a rom-com at points. Having said that, it was really clear and did keep me engaged in the story.

Overall it was an enjoyable book, I thought the author explored the relationship between Lucie and her parents and her friends really well, however I wouldn’t really say it had much ‘romance’ so if that’s what you’re looking for it probably isn’t for you.

This audiobook tells the story of Lucy as she decides to have a baby since she’s not having much luck in finding the right man and she’s worried about her biological clock ticking away.

Unfortunately I found the story lacked a certain something and I found it quite boring to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I'm really torn on how to review this book. The good things: It's a great reading, and I loved Cindy Kay's narration. It's also a lot of fun. I enjoyed the experience and wanted to finish. Although I didn't love it as much as I loved THE LAST TANG STANDING, Ho's debut, I'll definitely read whatever she writes next.

However, there were also some quite frustrating plot lines, and I think if you are a new parent or currently pregnant, you might find some parts of the book annoying. Firstly, Lucie's pregnancy is quite unusual, in that other than a bit of a turn when she's exposed to coffee, she doesn't seem to experience any morning sickness. The attitudes around parenting are a bit at odds with what I think most people see as the norms in the UK, and there's a reference to sleep-training newborn triplets a 'few weeks early' which I found particularly jarring. They manage to get pregnant, despite low egg count, after just one attempt. Oh and at the end, there's a lot on how tired Lucie and Colin are, and then we're told they have a night nanny. It's just a world very much at odds with what most readers would relate to.

However, most of all, I found Lucie quite annoying, and sometimes she just made awful and selfish decisions. The main plot of the book is that Lucie is single in her 30s, and decides to take starting a family into her own hands, using an app to find the perfect co-parent match. After some very funny encounters, she finds Colin, and they hit it off. Colin is not perfect, but he's lovely, and they have a great partnership. Then Lucie decides the best thing for the baby is to have married parents, and gets back with her ex, essentially shutting Colin off from being able to properly coparent his own baby, despite that being the very basis of their agreement. I just wanted to scream at her - and at him, for not seeing how awful this was.

All in all, definitely a lot of fun, just don't take it too seriously, which arguably I did!

Main character, Lucie, is 37 and wants a baby, but has no partner and limited time. She joins a co-parenting website where she meets Collin, and they decide to platonically have a baby together. The blurb sounded super interesting, especially as Lucie is an independent, strong woman who doesn't need a man.

There are a few unbelievable aspects to this book. Firstly that she manages to find someone in New York who is willing to uproot their whole life and move to Singapore with her to have a baby, based on a co-parent matching website. I also struggled to warm to the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Okay. I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would! Don’t get me wrong, I knew I’d like it, but not that it would hook me this much!

The story follows Lucie Yi, an ambitious career-driven woman who decides that she’s over waiting for Mr. Right, but is ready to start a family. After aa friend suggests a co-parenting website, Lucie tries her luck. In walks Collin Read *sigh*.
Collin checks all her boxes. The next step - baby.

This story will take you on such a ride! I loved Lucie’s character development so much, and seeing her with her friends, conservative family, and Collin.

It’s such a feel good read/listen, I recommend it to anyone looking for a feel good romance, with great banter, character development, or is looking for a friends to lovers romance!

Lucie Yi fled Singapore for New York after a particularly bad break-up. Being a woman and of a certain age, Lucie recognises the fact that her biological clock is ticking. After a break down in a baby shop, Lucie realises she’s ready to become a Mum.

One simple problem is that Lucie isn’t in a relationship and she needs to decide the how. A co-parenting app, a swipe left and a simple meeting later. Enter Colin, single, Asian background, willing to move halfway around world (to Singapore) if Lucie becomes pregnant.

Set between New York and Singapore this book has everything. Friends (parents) to lovers, love triangle and your typical Asian parent disapproval.

Told from Lucie’s perspective throughout, I loved her internal monologue as it reminded me of my own! Colin came across as so solid and dependable, I would’ve liked a lot more romance between the two however I enjoyed the anticipation of what was going to inevitably happen.

I would recommend checking out various trigger/content warnings specifically around fertility before reading this one.

I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook copy from Netgalley, narrated by Cindy Kay.

Turns out Lucy Yi really is a romantic.

Really enjoyable audiobook, loved narration and characters were really likeable. Also liked the idea of coparening match online. Nice idea for the book for sure and so glad it all worked out in the end

This book is completely different to the type of book I would usually listen to but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great to listen to a female centric book that took a different angle to the idea of a romcom.

I love a romantic comedy; they’re perfect for all seasons and for getting out of reading ruts. Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic is about (surprise!) Lucie: late 30s, broke up with her boyfriend, wants a baby. Lucie starts with a co-parenting website, which is where she meets Collin Read.

Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic is a fun story (with real laugh-out-loud moments). It has some heavy themes (infertility, miscarriage) and yet ultimately follows joy. It’s slightly pertinent to me, a 33-year-old, and an unusual topic to come across – but it works. I enjoyed Lucie as a main character – I wasn’t a fan of he ex-boyfriend! – and was rooting for her all way, even if I didn’t agree with all her decisions (often pertaining to said ex).

I cannot get enough of this book. I loved the audiobook as much as the original written copy. The wit and humour shines through in the audiobook and the characters completely come alive. This story is a heartbreaker of a different kind with modern day issues and complications the friends have to see through. Definitely worth a read and a listen! One of my favourites of the year.