Some of the painful bits were moving and poignant and SO relatable. The rest was... over-the-top and cringey and a smidge heavy-handed. Another element I really loved was the competitiveness of Chloe's Asian community, which I felt was a perfect representation of the society I live in and the things I dealt with growing up. I went to law school because it plays to my strengths (reading, writing, words, language), but another reason was because it was the only career choice that made sense. I'd wanted to study literature at university, but the harsh reality in my society is that arts graduates cannot find employment, and often work "an artist's salary" as Chloe's mom called it. In the typically materialistic, practical Asian community, professions like law, medicine, and dentistry are celebrated (even economics is seen as an easy-A major and hence inferior), and "impractical" professions like writing, painting or singing are heavily frowned upon. This is a warm, empathetic, and nuanced story that blends fluffy and romantic with serious and incisive. But how does the mental health narrative come into the picture? RABF developers claim the boyfriends will refer the clients to a team of psychiatrists if they show any signs of depression or any other mental health issues.

As a born-and-raised Taiwanese, I was incredibly excited when I first heard about Rent a Boyfriend, a Taiwanese American, fake-dating YA romance. I knew that even though I didn’t grow up in the US, there would be elements in Chloe and Drew’s story that I would recognize. What I didn’t expect was how much of my own life I saw in the book. Drew, the other main character, is the fake boyfriend. He was disowned by his family after choosing to drop out of college to pursue a career in art and became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to earn money. So what will happen when Drew and Chloe start to fall for each other?

Which, to be fair, I always am. Not a camping girl. I do not like “outside.” Or sleeping on the ground when beds exist. MY HOMETOWN. IT IS IN THE NORTH-EAST OF CHINA AND IT’S VERY COLD. IT GOT FAMOUS BECAUSE OF AN ICE FESTIVAL. I

The possibilities are really endless! To search for available guys in your neighborhood just visit http://www.RentAFriend.com Does it sound like you? Have your parents been hassling you about settling down when you're still not ready? Do you get a bit anxious seeing all your friends having a boyfriend or even a husband and a kid? It's hard to not compare yourself to others. When you age and people around you start entering another stage in life while you stay the same, it can be hard. That's when you need a rental boyfriend so you don't lose face in front of others. Drew, on the other hand, was WAY too much of this Perfect Selfess Guy. He hardly ever messes up, says and does ALLLL the right things, and is, in general, BORING with a capital B. Once you have found your perfect match and booked the rental with the provider, it’s time to enjoy what is sure to be a romantic and unforgettable experience. During this period, you can do whatever activity you please with the rental boyfriend – from dinner dates, cozy movie nights, day trips exploring new places or just lounging around doing nothing for an entire day! Whatever it is you decide to do together, use this time to connect on a deeper level and make lasting memories that are sure to make all your friends jealous. In Rent a Boyfriend, all the parents are problematic, and we also have the awful spoiled rich boy Hongbo. I think his character embodies, and is almost a caricature of, snobby, pompous rich guys, and is a stark contrast to guāi (good, well-behaved) boys which parents prefer their daughters to date. The story also briefly touches upon homophobia within the Asian community, and how some Rent for Your ’Rents clients hired fake dates because they weren’t ready to come out.The family dynamics in this book was great - truthful and honest in the issues young Asian people face and have to confront, yet also humanising (though not apologetic) in its depiction of Chloe's parents. The lead girl was so goddamn stupid and immature at times that it drove me crazy. I felt like she was channeling the spirit of an 8 year old girl, not someone in university. Which means that tying herself in knots trying to appease them is like participating in your own enslavement. Yeah, defying them outright would have financial consequences, but she's a big girl and has brains and essential knowledge of the world. She may have to be at a less prestigious school or work for a while before getting what she wants, but simply kowtowing to them is stupid.

Andrew himself was totally swoonworthy - he's obviously learnt how to take cues from others, and he's incredibly empathetic and helpful as well. He has his own journey to go through here, especially after meeting Chloe, and I loved seeing the character growth and the steamy moments between the two of them. The parents don’t have a POV of their own in the actual story but you could understand the parents’ perspectives through Chloe and Drew. I think this part was written extremely well. The author really nailed the thoughts of Taiwanese parents (and Asian parents in general). I liked how both Chloe and Drew didn’t give in to their parents’ requests/wishes and believed in themselves. Characters would do the most asinine things with absolutely no reason and given not even a slap on the wrist for their wrongdoings. This was an interesting fake dating romance that is based on the real practice of renting boyfriends. While it wasn't my favorite contemporary, Chao did explore some really interesting topics. 3.5 StarsBecause my current curse - which, if you haven’t already guessed, is to get excited about books and then inevitably be brutally disappointed - is neither dramatic nor romantic nor any fun at all. Chloe and Drew's romance was so gorgeous and wonderful - fake-dating trope at its finest, where the two characters were initially guarded but eventually let each other in to the messiness and intricacies of their lives.

Omg now you're gonna make me cry ;_; Okay sorry in advance, but....I'm about to leave another wall of text because I have to speak my mind! It's REALLY long so be prepared >.< Is there someone at work annoying you? Have your “rented” boyfriend show up to visit you at work to let all the guys in the office know you are in a relationship. Chloe Jing-Jing Wang (19, Taiwanese American) is an economics major at UChicago, much to her parents’ dismay. That and the fact that she doesn’t make an effort in dating. When the seemingly eligible bachelor neighbor Hongbo Kuo (25) suddenly proposes to her, Chloe’s parents jump at the chance to marry her off, for fear she might not get a better husband. But Chloe doesn’t plan on sitting around as life happen to her. For Thanksgiving, she hires fake boyfriend Andrew (real name: Drew Chan, 21, Taiwanese American) from Rent for Your ’Rents to convince her parents that a) she does date, and b) her boyfriend Andrew is perfect—son of surgeons and on his way to med school. While everything in Chloe’s life suddenly becomes an ever-growing lie, her and Drew’s feelings for each other is everything but fake.Rent a Boyfriend was truly a breath of fresh air. It was seemingly a cute contemporary with the fake dating trope; but a closer look revealed the heroine's ingrained emotional and psychological issues due to the societal norms she conforms to when growing up. Featuring an Asian heroine who grapples with her dual identities, it explores the complexities and nuances of being an American-born Chinese (ABC). Mandarin is my mother tongue, so I understood every native word in the book perfectly, and I especially loved that the author weaved Mandarin seamlessly into the story because the prose was exactly how I think in my head – a mixture of English interspersed with Chinese words. As a white woman, I don't have much experience with Chinese culture and family dynamics other than what is portrayed in film and television. Despite that, I did enjoy learning the foods and terms that I had not heard of before. What I could relate to is the dynamic of children and their parents, and how there is love there but there is also pain, guilt, and some resentment. Chao painted a realistic picture of how hard love can be, and the ways we all sometimes have to accommodate feelings to spare our own.