Rent A Boyfriend by Gloria Chao | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.
Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.
Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.
When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.
But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

Gloria Chao is a solidly reliable author. I know that if I open up one of her books, I am going to get a read that will keep my attention with characters I care about and a good plot. Rent A Boyfriend, Chao’s third book, delivered on all my expectations. This was one of the first physical books I read as I was nearing the end of my first trimester, so coming out of being sick all the time. Thus, it has a special place in my heart for that reason – which is totally unrelated to the merits of the book itself.

Rent A Boyfriend is about Chloe Wang who hires a fake boyfriend to get her parents off her back about marrying this other guy who is completely terrible. As the book opens, Chloe has not yet met Drew Chan from Rent for Your ‘Rents and so she’s nervous. They share an Uber from the airport and Chloe gets to know him just a little bit. From there, Drew leans into his role and he’s very good at it. We learn that there’s different categories of parents and Drew has got it down.

Meanwhile, we also learn about Chloe’s relationship with her parents and how it really isn’t perfect. Especially with the expectations placed on her to find a man who can provide for her. Chloe wants to provide for herself and certainly has the ability to do so. As Chloe gets to know Drew, she falls for the real Drew, not the persona he puts on for his job. You see, Drew is an aspiring artist. This means that he would not be good enough as himself for Chloe’s parents. Still, the chemistry is there and it is undeniable.

I loved that Rent A Boyfriend begins with Thanksgiving. It made me feel happy because it takes place over the holiday season. I actually probably should have counted this among my holiday reading as it had Thanksgiving, Christmas and Chinese New Year. The chemistry between Chloe and Drew is believable. As is the progression of their relationship. Chloe and Drew are both well written characters in their own right. I think that if you’re a reader who loves books about family dynamics, people finding their voice and courage, and romance, you will love Gloria Chao’s Rent A Boyfriend as much as I did.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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