Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

 

Title:  Rent a Boyfriend

Author: Gloria Chao

Read by:  Emily Woo Zeller & Feodor Chin

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 56 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio.  Thank-you! 

Chloe has a problem.  Her Taiwanese – American parents already disapprove of her going to the University of Chicago and majoring in Economics.  Now they are pushing a rich man, Hong Bo, on her as a potential husband.  Hong Bo is a terrible person and has been bullying Chloe her entire life.  In desperation, Chloe rents a boyfriend from “Rent for your ‘Rents.” 

Drew is estranged from his own strict Taiwanese – American family as he has dropped out of college and is an artist.  In order to make ends meet, he works for Rent for your ‘Rents and is specially trained to impress strict Asian parents.  What he doesn’t expect is to fall for one of his clients. As Chloe and Drew continue their fake dating, will they form a real relationship?

I greatly enjoyed this audiobook. This book had a dual narrative between Chloe and Drew that were voiced by two different voice actors, Emily Woo Zeller and Feodor Chin.  I LOVED this.   It made it such a fun listening experience.  I loved the banter between the two characters.   This novel had a great mix of humor, romance, and dealing with the Taiwanese American experience.

I also enjoyed that at the start of the novel, author Gloria Chao explained that renting a boyfriend is a real life practice in some Asian Countries.  Women will rent a boyfriend over holidays like the Lunar New Year to alleviate pressure from their family to marry.  Chao fictionalized this and put it in an American setting. 

This is a Young Adult novel and was a clean novel.  There is some kissing, but nothing more than that.  It was more about the romance and family relationships.  I liked the struggle that both Chloe and Drew have as they try to make their way in America, but still hold onto traditions their family has from the old country.

I started listening to this audiobook in May for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, but I didn’t finish it until this month.

Overall, Rent a Boyfriend was a delightful and fun book.  I greatly enjoyed it!