Something Cheeky

by Thien-Kim Lam

A steamy new rom-com from the popular author of Happy Endings and Full Exposure, where two friends get the opportunity to work together on their dream project—a Cinderella rock musical with an all-Asian cast—and discover that falling in love was the easy part…

Zoe Tran is living her best life, designing plus-size lingerie at her own award-winning clothing boutique, when suddenly her college best friend reenters her life. Derek Bui is offering a tantalizing chance to recapture a forgotten dream: designing costumes for the musical they created together years ago.

Derek has loved Zoe since freshman year but never had the guts to confess his true feelings. Now he’s directing the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college. The stakes are high: it’s the first production with an all-Asian cast and creative team at Washington, D.C.’s largest theatre and if they can make it work, they’ll head to Broadway. But his real goal: get Zoe back in his life.

A proud demisexual, Zoe only ever saw Derek as her best friend, but working on their dream production together brings them closer than ever. Sparks ignite under the hot spotlights. But when the theatre’s artistic director pressures Derek to make the musical “less Asian,” he and Zoe clash on whether to stay true to their vision or compromise to keep the production alive.

Will Zoe and Derek finally let love take center stage or will their creative differences close the curtains on them forever?

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Audiobook, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Adult

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2025

About the author

Thien-Kim writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. A recovering Type-Asian, she guzzles cà phê sữa đá, makes art, and bakes her feelings to stay sane. Thien-Kim is also the founder of Bawdy Bookworms, a subscription box that pairs sexy romances with erotic toys. She’s been featured on NPR, BBC America, and NBC. Thien-Kim’s debut romance, Happy Endings, will be released with Avon Books in May 2021. Connect with her at www.thienkimlam.com

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

Friends to lovers with a demi-sexual, plus size heroine set around the staging of a Vietnamese musical, dealing with misogyny and racist microagressions! I've not read from this author before and honestly this was great.

Something Cheeky follows college best friends reconnecting after many years. Zoe Tran is running a plus-size lingerie boutique in Washington D.C. where she designs all the pieces herself. (love this, and love her feeling comfortable in her skin!) But her life is upended when her college best friend (who's also pretty hot) comes back into her life asking her to design costumes for a musical production he's writing and directing.

Derek is creating something they used to dream about- a rock-musical version of a Vietnamese folktale similar to Cinderalla. He wants an all-Asian cast and the songs will be sung in Vietnamese. He convinces Zoe to come on board, despite a bad experience pushing her away from theatre in college. And he's secretly carried a flame for her all these years and is finally ready to do something about it. But as things heat up between them, Dereks mentor and the head of the organization funding the production becomes pushy about making the show more palatable for white audiences. (Greg is the worst)

I think this does a really good job of of having conflict that is kind of external, but impacts the relationship because of how Derek responds to it. There is a real arc of personal growth and the romance is fairly sexy but based on years of knowing each other. This tackles racism, fatphobia, and misogyny in the world of theatre in a really great way and the ending is very satisfying. I will definitely read more from this author in the future! The audio narration is excellent- there are dual narrators for each perspective and they fit the characters well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[Liv Kaelin]

DNF @25%. The dialogue is not working for me sadly

[Mai H.]

ANHPI TBR

Valentine's Day TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Avon

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this installment by Thien-Kim Lam. The main reason why I gave it four stars though is that the romance between the two leads at times wasn't the main focus. I think there was a lot of plot stories that kept derailing the main story of Zoe and Derek. Also, I was so excited to read a book starring a heroine that is a demisexual. It just didn't shine through at all in this story. It is said as a throwaway by another character and Zoe goes yes she does need the emotional connection before she will start a relationship with anyone. She also talks a little about never understanding celeb crushes (I concur on that one) and everything that came along with that. I just wanted more of that to be part of this story. I know that the author says in the afterword that she wanted to start with Zoe having the emotional connection ahead of time with the hero. I think I would have liked it more if they had just met and Zoe explains she's a demi and watching the emotional connection between the two build.

"Something Cheeky" follows Zoe Tran, Zoe is a plus sized lingerie designer living in D.C. She finally has her name out there and is very happy with where she is in life. However, her ex-best friend Derek pops back in her life and asks Zoe to design costumes for a musical they two of them came up with years ago in college. Zoe has every reason to say no since you get hints here and there about why Zoe dropped out of college and never finished her degree. Now though, she's determined to finish what she started all of those years ago with Derek.

I did love the character of Zoe a lot. Her and Derek definitely made sense and I thought their love scenes were fantastic and wonderfully done. Friends to lovers is a popular romance trope for a reason, and I liked how this one was executed. That said, I wish that we had more of them as a couple in this one before the obstacle got tossed at them. Again, the theater setting, new characters, etc. just caused the book to drag towards the end.

We get a HEA, but everything that came with it didn't feel super realistic, but I didn't care. I loved it.

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Derek y Zoe se conocieron en la universidad. Ambos tienen ascendencia vietnamita y comparten su pasión por el teatro. El sueño de los dos era participar en una producción con un casting completamente asiático; él se encargaría de la dirección y ella de los vestuarios.

Al graduarse, pierden contacto, pero años después, él la busca para pedirle que participe en su producción, y ella acepta. A lo largo de su camino para lograr sus sueños, tendrán que enfrentarse a muchos obstáculos, como el racismo, la misoginia, el acoso, entre otros.



Ojalá la versión final tenga epílogo.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an absolute delight from start to finish!

Something Cheeky had me grinning, swooning, and cheering the whole way through. Thien-Kim Lam has created a rom-com that’s vibrant, sexy, and full of heart, and I adored every second of it.

Zoe is such a fun, fierce, and refreshingly relatable heroine who is a lingerie designer with big dreams and even bigger passion. And Derek? Total cinnamon roll dreamboat with just the right amount of nerdy director energy. Their chemistry was off the charts and the friends-to-lovers tension? Chef’s kiss.

Set in the middle of a Vietnamese Cinderella musical production (yes, it's as magical as it sounds), this book is also a gorgeous celebration of creativity, cultural pride, and standing up for your voice onstage and off. I loved how it tackled issues like whitewashing in the arts, Asian-American identity, and the complexities of intimacy and desire with honesty and care.

Also, can we talk about how cute and steamy it is?? Like, swoony first kisses and backstage makeout scenes level of adorable/🔥. I was blushing and giggling like a total theater kid again.

If you love books with strong women, diverse rep, behind-the-scenes drama, and romance that brings the fireworks, Something Cheeky is your perfect read. I need more Zoe & Derek energy in my life, stat.

[Hannah Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book. It was boring and the dialogue felt odd? Choppy or something. The FMC is demisexual and plus size which is stated in the synopsis but it felt like it wasn't actually a thing in the story. Her demisexuality was mentioned twice by her friend as more of a throwaway comment. Everything felt repetitive. The number of times the phrase "bio break" was used 🙄 is this something people actually say?

Whatever it was, I unfortunately didn't enjoy this book and probably won't seek out any other books from this author.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up! I was really won over by this one, but Lam's romance novels have been a really lovely surprise for me since I read her first — inclusive, sex-positive, representative of the sort of body types you don't always see in the genre with consistency. Plus the backdrop of this one is sure to delight theater nerds, even if it doesn't shy away from how much progress still really needs to be made when it comes to showcasing underrepresented groups in ways that aren't just embracing stereotypes. And I loved, loved, LOVED that Zoe's demisexuality really came into play here, particularly regarding her longtime feelings for Derek — she had other insecurities in terms of her career, but she always felt very self-assured in her identity compared to the growth arc he needed to have to make their HEA worth it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[paxyshia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars! wasn't bad but would not reread.

the premise was cute and always love reading a book wish asian leads by an asian author but the writing was a little repetitive and didn't have the best flow. felt a little clunky.

the chemistry between the characters felt a little unnatural. after so long, it felt so insta-lovey which i can appreciate in some books but being ex-best friends who had a fight the last time they saw each other and just picking up where they left off felt forced. there wasn't a lot of resolution there for me and it made me feel uncommitted to these characters.

yay for asian author, asian characters, plus-size & demisexual rep and conversations of asian representation in the theater community but execution was so-so. narration was great tho and helped me get through the book. i might've tried to power through if i was holding the book. an overall low 3 rating for me.

ty netgalley for the arc

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

can we banish this to wattpad where it belongs

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of 23 of 2025 - ☑️! Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio & Thien-Kim Lam for an ARC & ALC of Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam, and narrated by Vyvy Nguyen & David Lee Huynh, in exchange for my honest review.

After seeing Thien-Kim Lam speak on a few panels of the LA Festival of Books past, I had a hunch I’d enjoy her books. Sharp, relatable, hilarious and a fierce advocate of diversity in romance, my introduction to Lam’s books via Something Cheeky did not disappoint.

Set in DC, Something Cheeky centers around Vietnamese-Americans Zoe Tran & Derek Bui, who met in college. They were best friends, (though Derek always wanted something more) and then their senior year, Zoe left the theater program. At the beginning of the novel, we see Zoe thriving professionally - she owns her own clothing boutique for plus-sized women: Something Cheeky. Derek is a theater director for the biggest theater in the DC area. Derek is directing a Vietnamese Cinderella musical for the theater, with an all-Asian cast, and is able to bring Zoe on as the show’s Costume Designer. In their personal lives, Derek is happy to have Zoe back in his life and things progress from friends again, to being in a relationship. The show’s success could lead to a run on Broadway - both exciting and challenging in its own way when Derek has to deal with his “mentor” trying to make the show less Vietnamese in any way he can.

Zoe, Derek and all of the characters are extremely layered. Bonus points for diversity in its various forms - race/ethnicity, body type, gender & sexuality (Zoe is demisexual). It should also be noted that I’m a huge theater nerd, so the book absolutely spoke to me in that regard. The steamier scenes were well-written and varied.

The narrators, Vyvy Nguyen & David Lee Huynh, are top-notch. I don’t speak Vietnamese, so it was extremely helpful to hear the correct pronunciation for everything, and Nguyen & Huynh gave some beautiful, additional layers to Zoe & Derek in their voice acting.

5/5 ⭐️ overall, and 3/5 🌶️. I look forward to reading more of Thien-Kim Lam’s work, and if Vyvy Nguyen and/or David Lee Huynh are narrating a book, I’ll be excited to listen. #NetGalley #SomethingCheeky 🎭 🧵🎟️

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a perfect Valentine's Day read. it got theatre kids, slow-burn romance, and enough mutual pining to make a fanfic writer weep 😂

Zoe Tran is thriving; running her own award-winning plus-size lingerie boutique, designing gorgeous pieces, and not thinking about her college best friend, Derek Bui. that is, until he pops back into her life with a dream gig: designing costumes for the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they created together in college. oh, and he’s directing it. oh, and if it does well, it’s going to Broadway. yup no pressure.

Derek has been in love with Zoe since freshman year, but since this man has the emotional bravery of a soggy napkin, he never told her. now, he’s got a second chance—except there’s one small problem: Zoe is demisexual and has only ever seen him as her bestie. but as they work together, late nights turn into lingering looks, and suddenly, the sparks are sparking. —of course, no theatre production (or romance) is complete without drama. the theatre’s artistic director wants Derek to “tone down the Asian-ness” of the show (sir, be fcking for real), and Zoe and Derek clash over whether to stand their ground or compromise to keep the production alive. cue the tension, the big emotions, and some chef’s kiss messy-but-beautiful character growth.

this book is a love letter to musical theatre, Vietnamese culture, and the kind of slow-burn that has you screaming “JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY.” it's funny, heartfelt, and will leave you craving a broadway production and a bánh mì.

10/10, would sell my soul for this musical to be real.

thank you HarperAudio Adult for the copy.
pub date: March 04, 2025

[lexactuallyreads [surviving off vibes ftm] · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kissing my best friend was not on my bucket list."

Oh, the theatre kids are going to eat this up.
UGH, FINALLY! A properly yearning man, just what I needed. Something Cheeky lives up to its name in every way - Zoe's store, the namesake, being a pivotal part of the story - and the actual, fully audacious cheekiness of the story itself. The dialogue was difficult for me, at first, as I found the characters a little annoying. I actually thought I wouldn't like it (to be honest, I found the theatre kids to be a little pretentious and myself to be not good or worthy enough to be in their orbit. I've known since grown out of this) Besides all of my preconceived notions, I very much liked Something Cheeky. It is really refreshing to see a very confident and strong plus-sized FMC. It also gave me quite a giggle that Derek lacked a backbone, but Zoe, being the BAB she is, taking the reins and essentially putting him in his place was a chef's kiss for me.

"Of course Derek had a fan club. He had a way of making everyone feel special without making it feel contrite or cheesy."

Also, I know you're dying to know one thing: it is very spicy, and the open door scenes are fantastically well done. I kept thinking to myself "I need to call him" even though I have no one to call! The exploration of Zoe's sexuality and prowess is very well done, as someone who understands demisexuality. Bravo, Thien-Kim Lam. You have done very well, please take a bow!

Thank you, Netgalley and Avon Pub for the Advanced Listener's Copy!

One last thing!

"I can't be with someone who doesn't stand up for community or for me."

YOU TELL HIM GIRL!!!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperAudio for this ARC!

Something Cheeky is about two Vietnamese American college friends who reconnect after years of not talking to each other to make their dream of a Cinderella rock musical with an all Asian cast a reality.

I really loved Zoe and Derrick's story and all their friends who are a part of it. I absolutely loved hearing about the Vietnamese fairly tale and how Zoe and Derrick were changing it to fit their vision. I love how strong and confident Zoe is and how she is never willing to sacrifice any part of herself to make herself more "palatable" to some people. Her character is truly amazing. Derrick is such an interesting character and I love his friendship and relationship with Zoe and his other friends. But it was truly enjoyable to listen to how these two complimented each other and really pushed the other to be better. Derrick pushed Zoe to get back to her love of costume designing for their musical and she pushed him to really stand up for AAPI representation told in their own voice. This was truly a delightful story to listen to that at times delved into some serious topics.

I really enjoyed the audiobook of this. Derrick's narrator, David Lee Huynh, was just perfect for that character! And it was very easy to tell which character was speaking due to the distinct voices. Zoe's narrator, Vyvy Nguyen, was really good, but I did find myself sometimes having trouble distinguishing which character was talking if there were a bunch of characters in the scene. At times it did also feel like Vyvy Nguyen's narration was a bit more matter of fact than David Lee Huynh, but it really didn't bother me that much and I still really enjoyed the entire experience.

This is probably one of the most enjoyable books for me recently. If you are a fan of best friends to lovers, own voices, theater, and spice - you should definitely check this book out.

[Amanda Iman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
I loved all the representation in this book; plus size, AAPI, Vietnamese, demisexual, LGBTQ+! And all of it was done really organically throughout the story by the characters without ever getting preachy.

The theatre stuff was also really well done. To the point that the villain reminded me so much of an irl villain in my own theatre work that I had to set the audiobook aside overnight to not get triggered. Otherwise, I would have finished this book in one day. You can tell Lam really knows her stuff with how true to life the whole getting a production ready vibe was, including all the showmances. She even wrote a grand musical style finale and wrap up for all the storylines.

However, I had a hard time rooting for Derek throughout the book. He gets redeemed by the end in time for an HEA, but I was really frustrated by a lot of his actions (and inactions) and felt like he needed to grovel a bit more. I also struggled with the cheesy dialogue at times.

The audiobook production was great. I always enjoy duel narration. Both narrators, Vyvy Nguyen and David Huynh, were awesome, and I have to give a special shout out to Huynh for not making the women's voices unbearable.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio/HarperAudio Adult for the ARC audiobook of this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this spicy best friends to lovers, dual POV romance featuring two Vietnamese American MCs. Zoe is a plus size, demisexual Lingerie store owner and designer working on her newest collection who gets surprised when her former college best friend, Derek shows up begging her to come work as a costume designer for the all Asian fairy tale inspired play he's trying to make happen.

Eventually all the forced proximity takes effect, despite Zoe's cat's dastardly interferences and all the white-washing attempts from Derek's anti-Asian play producer/mentor. Heartfelt, real and still super swoony, this was sex positive like all of the author's books and also great on audio. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Jackie Lau or Helen Hoang. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Jenna Kosmo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2🌟

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

This was a typical enemies to lovers romcom, but I absolutely loved the Vietnamese representation. I wish a little more of the fairytale and folklore was explained but I love that it was a focal point of the story. I also enjoyed the plus size representation without being preachy about it or having that be the only thing about the character, she was much deeper than her clothes size. Otherwise, this story sadly fell flat for me. The characters lacked history, chemistry, and depth. We didn't get a lot of insight into the main characters pasts and then 6 years later they're suddenly best friends again, felt strange. I did not believe their chemistry at all, and the romance happened quite quickly. The dialog was stilted and not believable. If this is a series I will not be continuing it.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something Cheeky is witty, fun, and insightful! Derek is hopelessly in love with Zoe and I love some good old fashioned pinning. Zoe is confident and funny and an all around Boss Babe! While this is a romance novel, we get exposure to real life issues like diversity, racism, and fatphobia. Yet it only adds to the depth of the story, while still being lighthearted. I was giggling from page 1! My one critique is that the ending was kinda of quick. We get to the big conflict but it gets resolved of course and then the book is over. There was no time for processing just closure. Overall a solid 4 star read!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this ARC.

[WenDeeDeeDee36 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sweet, steamy, and poignant as heck. I loved the friends to lovers vibes and the way Zoe and Derek transitioned to a romantic relationship. Derek’s pining was honestly quite adorable and I liked Zoe’s representation as a demi-sexual. The fact that she’s also an empowered plus size badass working to help other women feel empowered and sexy makes me love her all the more. She’s stubborn as heck which is sometimes a problem in the story, but I like that she stands up for herself and what she believes in. Derek is tough because he absolutely has the people pleaser tendencies and you just want to shake and hug him at the same time. He is also a lady pleaser though so definitely a plus on his resume ❤️‍🔥
Greg is obviously a turd and he just got worse and worse. But I feel like he was really useful tool to highlight the harmful of being insensitive both by ignorance and by choice. I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this as well.
I’m really glad I ended up getting this as an audiobook because I enjoyed ByVy Nguyen and David Lee Huynh’s narrations, and I think hearing them pronounce things throughout book was very helpful. They both did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and projecting the emotions of the story into their own styles.
Overall it was a really great book and I want to go back to find Happy Endings now too!

Thank you HarperAudio and NetGalley for the listening opportunity!

[Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. This book is lacking believability. The timelines are way off. These characters need to be at least a decade older to make their current careers believable, and 6 weeks is way too tight of a timeline for a new director to get a brand new musical that he hasn't even finished writing yet to stage. There is excellent diversity in the casting of characters, but they don't feel organic to the story. It feels like the author had a diversity checklist they were trying to complete without fitting those items into the story.

[Monet Daffodil · Rating 4 out of 5]

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Something Cheeky
Author: Thein-Kim Lam

Newest release from Vietnamese romance author Thein-Kim Lam! This book was such a fun concept and idea! An all Asian cast, rock Musial of Cinderella.. 😆. I’d love to watch this. This is a past friends to lovers. Zoe Tran and Derek Bui end up working together to design costumes for a musical they created a long time ago together. Derek has been in love with Zoe forever, but she has only seen him as a friend previously. As they begin to work on this project together she ends up finding out that maybe she can see him as more than just a friend after all? It was a really cute romcom and I’m eager to read her other books. I loved all the costumes, and quirkiness of the characters. It was a super cute read and I’m looking forward to more!

[AK]

Feb 2025: DNF, didn't like the interview-like way the dialogue was written.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you need a book to support your "getting wasted by taking a shot every time someone refers to the setting as the DMV" drinking game, this is the one for you!

[Kelli Brezonick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this story and really hated Greg. When a book makes me feel love or hatred for someone deep in my bones.. its a 5 star

[Dominique Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this amazing ARC.

Something Cheeky really exceeded my expectations. I’ve come to love the witty dialogue that fills the pages on Lam’s novels. The theatre community will love the nods to popular musicals and theatrical works.

Zoe was an absolute firecracker from the jump. I knew I liked her character from Happy Endings and was super excited to read her story. Through Zoe I was able to learn more about demisexuality and what that looks like. I think it was very important that from the beginning we have already established that Zoe and Derek are very familiar with each other. He was straight up pining for our girl but it was nice to see Zoe transform her platonic love for him into seeing him as a romantic partner.

Derek’s character has the kind of complexity some authors shy away from to maintain the escapisms of contemporary romance. The reality is that so many POC in the industry face an enormous uphill battle trying to tell the stories of marginalized communities while simultaneously making them palatable for white audiences. Up until the end I wasn’t sure what direction he would go in but I don’t think I would lose any respect for him. He was facing a tough challenge and I loved the outcome.

[Kyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75⭐

LIKED:
- More romances should take place in the theatre. The theatre is one of the horniest locales on the planet. The fact that there aren’t more traditionally published rom coms that take place in the theatre is criminal, honestly.
- I loved having the Vietnamese rep. Vietnamese culture is incredibly rich with stunning history, fashion, and folklore.
- Plus size rep that is not the character’s whole arc is always refreshing. Is Zoe being plus sized very important to her character? Yes, it’s shaped (pun intended) her whole life and career. But it’s not the only thing that drives her side of the story
- Also so fun to have a sewist and costume & lingerie designer as a main character

LOATHED:
- Oh boy…this book was disappointing. I hate to say that, I do. But there are a lot of things about this book that just did not connect. Firstly, the romance. The romance. It just didn’t click. I am a friends-to-lovers (especially longtime friends-to-lovers) apologist. It is one of my favorite tropes. Unpopular opinion, but it just is. Maybe it’s because I am also demisexual (more on that later), but that’s just a trope that when it hits it hits for me This book…did not hit with that trope. We get so so very little insight into the history of their friendship. We barely get to learn about them during the origin of their friendship! Why are they friends? What drew (and honestly draws) them to each other? I’m not saying this book needed a dual timeline (oho no), but it needed more discussions or some sort of divulsion of their past(s). I did not understand why they liked each other.
- On the demisexuality front…this did not feel like honest demisexual representation. I’m not trying to discredit Thien-Kim Lam’s own journey with demisexuality by any means, everyone’s journey is different. My issue stems from the idea that Zoe can only find people attractive that she has an emotional connection with. Yes, fair, that’s very akin to how my deminess functions. …but why didn’t she feel this attraction in the past? Why does she only start to feel attraction when she sees him in the boba shop and he’s hot now? That seems counterintuitive to what Zoe herself has described her demisexuality to be. It just doesn’t compute for me. I wish that it had been more of a build for her to maybe come to terms with or something she was hiding or just…something that made sense. I’m all for demisexuality rep, but even the author says that it was not something she went into the character writing and that felt pretty apparent. It can still be something you discover about a character as you’re writing but it still needs to feel genuine
- The third act conflict was very messy. Without spoiling too much, there’s this throughline from the past to the present with protesting racism and inequality that isn’t even brought up until like 85% of the way through the book. I think that this was a really solid foundation for conflict, but it should have been introduced wayyyy earlier. It didn’t give enough time for there to actually be emotional impact with the duality of the protests
- Greg needed more grounding and, honestly, to actually be more conniving and shitty. I saw this in another review, but some of the things he mentioned as major problems…were somewhat valid. Were they still shitty? Absolutely, but specifically her costume designs not fitting the initial design request (modern and rock forward) and concerns for English-speaking audiences (this was explained a bit by having context clues for the Vietnamese used in the show) are things that Artistic Directors have to think about. He, as shitty as it is, does have to think about the finances of the company in that position. I think his character needed to be pushed into being more manipulative and more aggressive to be even more of a villain.
- …The Brocaded Slipper? …Really? That’s the name of the show? That is not a good show title. I’m sorry, but that is not a title people will be clamoring about.
- Alright. Lastly, this writing was….clunky, to say the least. Almost every chapter had this feeling of starting a whole new book, as odd as that sounds. There was just something so…choppy about how things connected. So many sentences were super simple with very little descriptors that actually made you feel like you were in this world with these characters. And the dialogue was so unnatural. The way that the characters would speak after another character had finished their sentence was like they had no connective tissue between them. It’s hard to explain, but it just did not work. And again, there were very little descriptors in feeling, how people spoke, their intentions in the actual dialogue. The prose was just overall very lacking.

LONGED FOR:
- More descriptions and details about the costumes and the Vietnamese folklore. I talked about this before, but the descriptions were just basically non-existent. Working with fabric has so many beautiful nuances and ways to really entice the reader through descriptions!
- More tension and yearning and, honestly, chemistry between the characters
- Less side characters, wow there were so many it was hard to keep straight
- Better breadcrumbing of backstory and plot connections throughout the book

Will I read the next one? : No…This was not my cup of tea writing style-wise. I really enjoyed hearing Thien-Kim Lam speak at the LA Festival of Books two years ago, but…I don’t think I will continue with her books.

*Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for providing this ARC!

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the representation of Asian and plus-size characters — it's wonderful to see! As someone who is Viet, I particularly enjoyed the references to Vietnamese culture. However, I feel that the story could benefit from more depth, as it seemed a bit surface-level at times. Additionally, the romance aspect felt somewhat unrealistic and could be more developed. Overall, it was still a decent read.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Thien-Kim Lam, and HarperAudio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

[Prudence Conway · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was no way I could finish this book. I felt uneasy from the very first page but I kept going because I thought maybe the tone which was very loud from the beginning, would change. Sadly this did not occur so I called it and wrapped things up prematurely. The overall tone of this book is very amateurish and its pacing is completely off. I was extremely disappointed overall.

[Aamira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Zoe Tran designs sexy, plus size lingerie at her own award winning lingerie boutique, but she’s looking to branch out and design her own clothing line. When her college best friend shows up with an opportunity to design costumes for his upcoming Vietnamese production of the Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college, she finds it’s the opportunity she’s been waiting for.

Derek Bui is a theater director who’s been in love with Zoe Tran since freshman year of college. Now he’s directing the musical they conceived together with an all Vietnamese cast and creative team that has the potential to go to Broadway. He offers Zoe the opportunity to work on their dream production together, while also hoping he can finally confess his true feelings for her. But with the pressure from the theater’s artistic director to make the musical “less Asian”, he and Zoe butt heads on whether to stay true to their vision or succumb to the pressure. Can their love last past tech week?

I was really excited when I received this arc. A bad-ass plus sized lingerie designer and a musical theater director working together on an original concept - sign me up please!

While Derek asks Zoe to join him on the production team to see out their vision of the musical, he also has ulterior motives. He’s decided to be up front and honest with Zoe about his feelings… after he’s given her time to get comfortable being around him again of course. Meanwhile, Zoe is also starting to notice the butterflies in her stomach the more they work together.

There’s so much depth to the story. I’m an actor and a WOC, and I really related to the struggles Derek and Zoe faced. Underrepresented groups still have a difficult time producing and acting in theatrical productions. Sadly, make things “less ethnic” is a common reality behind closed doors. In fact, according to current data, the percentage of Asian actors in theater, particularly on Broadway, is significantly lower than the overall population, with estimates between 5 and 10% of roles. Representation matters and kudos to Ms. Lam for bringing awareness to these issues.

Now on to the love story. Typically, friends to lovers is not my favorite trope. Oftentimes, I want to smack the two characters together because of the frustrating excuses they give themselves in order to not be together. But Ms. Lam turned this trope upside down in a positive way. Zoe cut off all her friends including Derek, after a horrible professor caused her to switch gears away from her dream of being a costume designer in her final year at university. While she felt the need to reach out to Derek throughout the years, the fact that so much time continued to pass, made her shy away from it. And that’s totally understandable. The two communicate about this fairly early in the story, and they pick up the relationship where they left off which is quite refreshing. Ms. Lam also gives us a thought provoking reason as to why the two never get together in college. Being the only two Vietnamese American students in their drama program, Zoe wanted to squash the idea that they would date simply because they were the only two Asian Americans in the program and officially friend zoned Derek.

Ms. Lam brings to light a lot of microaggressions POC experience in their day to day lives in a way that asks the reader to really engage, and not be just a bystander. Derek and Zoe constantly have to navigate spaces typically dominated by white men, and we can feel their struggle as they constantly have to stand up for their vision for the show. Which let’s face it, is something those who are privileged do not need to deal with. Ms. Lam handled this beautifully.

I really enjoyed the scenes of them working together on the show. You get a real sense of their passion and the drive to provide opportunities to underrepresented communities. Their banter was light, easy, and witty. I also loved how Derek championed Zoe when she had doubts and was a real partner to her.

“Z, I’ll trust you until you can trust in yourself,” he said quietly but with plenty of confidence.

Ms. Lam did a wonderful job of balancing very real and serious issues with the light heartedness, sexiness, and emotional arcs you expect in Rom Coms.

TW: Fatphobia (a remark made by a secondary character about a secondary character)
Racial microagressions, racial slurs, hate crime

[Jazelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

🦇 Something Cheeky Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the last play you watched?

🦇 Zoe Tran is living her best life, designing plus-size lingerie at her own award-winning clothing boutique, when suddenly her college ex-best friend reappears. Derek Bui offers the chance to recapture a forgotten dream: designing costumes for the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college together. Derek has loved Zoe forever but never had the guts to confess his feelings. The stakes are high: it’s the first production with an all-Asian cast and creative team at Washington, D.C.’s largest theatre. If they can make it work, they’ll head to Broadway. When the theatre’s artistic director pressures Derek to make the musical “less Asian,” he and Zoe clash on whether to stay true to their vision or compromise to keep the production alive. Will Zoe and Derek finally let love take center stage or will their creative differences close the curtains on them forever?

💜 A second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance novel about a plus-sized, demisexual FMC? Count me in! I was so eager to read this one. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: I adored Zoe, Derek, and every member of the supporting cast, but wanted so much more of their characterization beyond surface-level glimpses. The story's villain feels overexaggerated and one-dimensional (despite the fact that his racism is very, very real).

✨ Plot and Pacing: I adored the plot conceptually, but the pacing dragged one too many times. By the end, I was rushing and skimming. The exposition is repetitive and slows everything down. More show, less tell, please!

✨ World-Building: While there's so much Vietnamese pride in this story, I wanted far more. Some stories immerse you in the culture so much that you don't want to leave. I didn't get that feeling with this one.

✨ Romance: The romance is a little messy, but I'm very grateful we didn't have to wait until the third act for them to get together. Unfortunately, the story relies on the miscommunication trope for a third-act break-up, which is a definite pet peeve.

✨ Mystery/Suspense: I wish the story held out on revealing why Zoe and Derek's friendship splintered a little longer. The story starts with that suspense, but the tension falters too quickly.

✨ Tone/Prose: As much as I adored Zoe's voice, the prose didn't capture my attention. The word choice is repetitive and the exposition is too lengthy. However, every character has a unique voice; they all leap off the page.

🦇 Recommended for fans of A Pho Love Story or The Kiss Quotient series.

✨ The Vibes ✨
👠 Demisexual FMC
👠 Friends to Lovers
👠 Second Chance Romance
👠 Vietnamese Cast
👠 Miscommunication Trope

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #SomethingCheeky