The Reluctant Heartthrob

Chu's Restaurant #2

by Jackie Lau

Data scientist Robyn Au keeps seeing a cute guy at her neighborhood coffee shop. When she encounters him at a bar, she talks to him on a dare, and they enjoy a hot night together.

The next morning, she’s shocked to find his picture in a listicle.

Did she just sleep with Ethan Park, an actor on Chu’s Restaurant?

She panics, leaves without saying goodbye, and starts avoiding the coffee shop. But when she sees him again—and somehow manages not to die of embarrassment—he asks her out.

Robyn hesitantly agrees, deciding she won’t sleep with Canada’s newest heartthrob again until they’ve been dating for more than a month. She can’t imagine that happening, though—it’s longer than she’s ever dated anyone. Men always get frustrated with her and don’t appreciate her for who she is.

But grumpy Ethan, who’s completely unlike his himbo character on the sitcom, might end up changing her mind about love…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Fiction, Canada, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2024

About the author

Jackie Lau decided she wanted to be a writer when she was in grade two, sometime between writing “The Heart That Got Lost” and “The Land of Shapes.” She later studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to writing romance novels.

Jackie lives in Toronto with her husband, and despite living in Canada her whole life, she hates winter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hiking, eating too much gelato, and reading on the balcony when it’s raining.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Sweet novella about an autistic woman and a heavily introverted guy who finds himself a sitcom heartthrob. Very much about two people accepting each other's quirks and differences, and the importance of being allowed to be yourself (particularly interesting how the heroine's parents are so determined not to give her the stereotypical strict Asian upbringing that they fail to see she doesn't actually want to go to parties and wear sexy clothes).

[Hannah B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a warm hug. And also extremely horny.

Jackie Lau books are pure comfort to me. Her characters—but especially her heroines—are just so relatable and REAL. There’s something about the writing that is so earnest. It was also SO HOT.

I’d love to see a novella about the parent actors on the set, as well as a joint epilogue or something that covers all the couples at the end of the series because I’m desperate to know how the couple are dealing with the fame!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️.75/5

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan (H) and Robyn's (h) story had major cozy vibes with lower angst and character focus. There was a relatable feel to both main characters and they also just came across as so sincere and sweet. With a dare of an official meet-cute, a hot ONS, and some awkwardness before (and honestly during) a trial dating period, this was a fun story that gave me some Talia Hibbert vibes.

Ethan is an actor who's gained some fame for a tv series he's on, but who's actually a slightly grumpy introvert who doesn't love all the attention, esp regarding his looks. He also struggles with the expectations of fans when he's not like the character he plays. Robyn is a data scientist who's introverted, neurodivergent, and prefers things a certain way. She has a bit of a crush on Ethan, without knowing who he is, he's just the cute guy at her local coffee shop. Robyn's been told by multiple people in the past that she's too much or too different so while she likes herself, she's sworn off dating relationships. I enjoyed how these two came together and the intimacy that was developed so well.

Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and neither were virgins (both characters mention that it's been a while since they've been with anyone else and both stay celibate during a couple weeks between their ONS and seeing each other again).

The book does start off with a fast burn given that they have a ONS, but then it all slows down to a simmer until heating back up later in the story. Ethan and Robyn both did something unusual, for them, when participating in a ONS, and wow that scene was burning up the pages. I honestly wasn't sure how spicy this book would be so color me happily surprised. When some revelations occur and the awkwardness sets in, I wasn't sure how they would recover, although I liked how hung up on the other each was, both the possibilities that each represents and the physical chemistry that wasn't completely satisfied.

Ethan was such a sweetheart, wanting information and to be certain of Robyn's comfort and feelings once he does get that chance to see what could happen. Robyn didn't want to be anything other than who she was, but she also felt like who she was might not be Ethan's cup of tea, no way to refute that other than for Ethan to show her his appreciation for everything she was as they got to know each other more deeply. Many cute moments fill these pages including a lovely hurt/comfort scene, some overexuberant ramblings about fan fiction that lead to Ethan reading Robyn's favorite series, and of course they do typical date and meet the friends type behaviors. Both also share vulnerabilities and the foundation of this baby relationship they were building was just perfect.

I did have a slightly hard time with what I felt like was a lot of telling in the writing style. While this book does have excellent dialogue, it also has significant internal monologues. Some moments did feel bulky to me because of this, as well as sometimes getting a bit repetitive with some of the internal hang-ups. The pacing of the story kept me entertained though and I flew through this in a couple hours.

For side characters, both Ethan and Robyn have close friends who were engaging and quick to offer advice. Robyn's family, who don't offer the refuge she deserves, received some page time and I did appreciate when Ethan met them and how that was handled. A couple of scenes also include Ethan with his cast and there were some hints towards what I assume will be another couple, if the author continues to write more in this series.

The ending is a HFN, sweet one with an epilogue that's several months down the road. I prefer that longer out peek into what characters are doing, but I was happy with seeing this couple thriving. I need to check out this author's backlist now since this was my first read by her!

[Agla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as book 1 IMHO. Asian canadian MF. Still fun but a bit unbalanced. A lot of time is spent on what she needs and him being perfect for her but not enough on him and his issues. Opinions may vary on that obviously but we/he met her friends, her family and not really his (one of his friend was briefly introduced but not to her...). He had issues with his folks that wasn't addressed but her pb with her family were. There is autism rep, can't judge it but it felt ok. Would still recommend the series and read a 3rd book if one comes out.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the art for this one especially so I was really excited for it for that alone, but truly this series is so sweet and fun and perfect low-angst break. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more in the Chu Restaurant series~

[The_Book_Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

A wonderful read. Sweet and warm and tender, with a nice little dose of heat as well. It was a treat watching these two fall in love

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating for The Reluctant Heartthrob is probably closer to 3.5 stars, but I've rounded up for the coziness. Ethan and Robyn were extremely likable and cute together, and I really liked their friends as well. There was some interesting family commentary and on the challenges of fitting in. Props to Robyn for knowing what she is worth and what she wants. I'm kind of wondering if we'll see an older romance with Roger and Lori, at least on the sidelines, which would be a lot of fun. Finally, like with The Sitcom Star, the cover art is absolutely adorable.

[Janice Liedl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read with Ethan, a cinnamon roll introvert hero who also happens to be an actor of the moment, and Robyn, a tech-skilled, probably autistic heroine who is unapologetic about living that life she needs but who also connects with Ethan on all the right levels. They mesh so well, even if it takes time to get past embarrassment and misunderstanding. I love that their growing love was never in doubt. Extra bonus fun for the Toronto settings and Lau's building up a varied cast of supporting characters.

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one MC is autistic, and I love her and her dynamic with the other MC ;--;

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

listen, I love a Jackie Lau romance. Ethan and Robyn are precious and I adore them.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read both of these novellas back to back and had such a good time. This one ended up having autism rep, which was such a nice surprise!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Anso · Rating 2 out of 5]

One word to describe this book? Meh. All the qualities to make it great were there, but it just fell short of the "vibes". I know I sound so pretentious right now but hear me out please. I think the author's delivery was lacking flavour. The narrative was monotonous and there wasn't anything to really look forward to. Never mind the fact that I'd mutter "get over yourself" each time Ethan would rank himself as better than his on-screen portrayal of a less than stoic guy.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun Chu's Restaurant novella! I really enjoy Jackie Lau's non-neurotypical MCs--Robyn was absolutely adorable and totally relatable, and I loved seeing Ethan "in person" after reading about him in Maddie's book. His grumpiness was totally endearing, especially when you could see how much he really liked Robyn and appreciated all the things that other people in her life hadn't.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

(Read the Kickstarter annotated version--loved all the little inside info!)

[Kimberley Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent contemporary romance novella from Jackie Lau between a rising tv actor and a neuroatypical data science expert who meet in a coffee shop. One thing I’ve appreciated with the Chu’s Restaurant books is its including life after lockdown and the way social lives changed with COVID. It’s not a dystopian tale but it doesn’t ignore how life has altered in the last four years. I hope there will be future additions to this series.

[Stasi Apple (The Reads of an Apple) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect Jackie Lau novella. Love the undiagnosed autistic representation and how Ethan and Robyn just got each other. Jackie's books give me such a cozy feeling when I read them I love how real her settings and characters feel. Can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

Also, I kind of want (aka will die for) Jackie to write this Sierra Wu UF that everyone is reading in her series.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining, good read. Ethan and Robyn are interesting, complicated, relatable, intriguing, complex, wounded, strong, smart, caring, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I love that we got to see the couple from the first book in the series. The story is easy to read and get into.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one less than the first book - which I adored. I think that these characters, and in particular Ethan, would have benefited from a longer book - I still had a hard time "getting" him as a character as the story came to an end.

[☆☆Emilia Rossi☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro es una muy buena opción para aquellos que buscan salir de un bloqueo lector. Cada capítulo te deja con ganas de más, creando esa adictiva sensación de "un capítulo más" que te hace seguir leyendo horas.

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the cozy read I was looking for! Absolutely adored both characters, and especially loved the way they each liked themselves and each other for just who they were, despite being seen as not-quite-socially-conforming. Really great background exploration of autism and social topics too!

[Zimmy W · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sweet! And the autism representation was *chef's kiss*.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie Lau books make me happy.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, short, steamy

[Nickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute, and I'm so jealous of this autistic data scientist and her gentle caring curly-haired listener

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot more than the first one.

[Marietere T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was so good!!! I loved them together so so much!!! I wanted more!!!

[Nancy Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayonnaise

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet but with plenty of sexytimes. Like with most novellas, I needed a bit more to fully fall in love with the characters.