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book notes
title: Red String Theoryauthor: Lauren Kung Jessen
published: 1.9.2024
publisher: Forever
genre(s): romance
pages: 322
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BookBub | BookHype | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating:
the blurb
This charming fated-love rom-com about two star-crossed lovers will appeal to readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Sarah Adams.
Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?
When it comes to love and art, Rooney Gao believes in signs. Most of all, she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. And that belief has inspired her career as an artist, as well as the large art installations she makes with ( obviously ) red string. That is until artist’s block strikes and Rooney begins to question everything. But then fate leads her to the perfect guy . . .
Jack Liu is perfect. He’s absurdly smart, successful, handsome, and after one enchanting New York night—under icy February skies and fueled by fried dumplings—all signs point to destiny. Only Jack doesn’t believe. And after their magical date, it looks like they might be lost to each other forever . . . until they’re given one more chance to reconnect. But can Rooney convince a reluctant skeptic to take a leap of fate?
a few notes
POV: 1st person; dual
setting: New York City, Los Angeles
keywords/phrases: NASA, art, fate
tropes: happy endings, fate
spice: 0/0
language: 0/0
cover love: GORGEOUS
mood reading: in the mood for quirky, interesting characters with smart and witty dialogue.
bonus points: own voices and cultural themes
my review
I read Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen earlier in the year, and I was hooked. The author weaves beautiful and thoughtful romance with cultural lore and themes, creating an absolutely absorbing story. Having loved Lunar Love so much, it was a fun little Easter egg to have the MCs of that book make a cameo in this one.
The beginning has a bit of a Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist vibe, with a random meeting that leads to an entire night exploring the city and falling for one another. I loved that book/movie, so that vibe really appealed to me, There’s a certain mystique and romance, a beautiful innocence, to moments like that, and it is the perfect beginning to the story of Jackson and Rooney.
The story is equal parts romance and a coming-into-oneself journey. Jackson and Rooney meet solely through chance, setting up the conversation between choice and fate. Jackson, the NASA scientist, relies on facts and figures, while Rooney, the artist, believes in fate. Their dynamic as opposites is what makes the story so engrossing. Their opposite natures set off journeys for both of them as they begin to redefine themselves. For Jackson, through Rooney and his grandfather, it meant accepting that life couldn’t be fully lived if adhering only to his orderly world of science and facts. For Rooney, through Jackson and her mother, she learned to understand the importance of choices, rather than fate.
Such a gorgeous story!
About Lauren Kung Jessen
Lauren Kung Jessen is a mixed-race Chinese-American writer with a fondness for witty, flirtatious dialogue and making meals with too many steps but lots of flavor. She is fascinated by myths and superstitions and how ideas, beliefs, traditions, and stories evolve over time.
From attending culinary school to working in the world of Big Tech to writing love stories, Lauren cares about creating experiences that make people feel something.
She also has a food and film blog, A Dash of Cinema, where she makes food inspired by movies and TV shows. She lives in Nashville with her husband (who she met thanks to fate—read: the algorithms of online dating), two cats, and dog.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
- 2025 PopSugar Reading Challenge
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