Yin Yang Love Song

Lauren Kung Jessen is back with her third romance, Yin Yang Love Song. When a celebrity bad boy teams up with a woman who works at a family business, their complementary missions seem like the perfect duet: They’ll fake date to play up his heartbreaker image and promote her heartbreak-healing retreat. But what happens when their breakup plans no longer seem like the right course?

Why I Chose This Book:

I really enjoyed Lunar Love when it came out a few years ago, and though I missed Red String Theory, I was excited to learn about Yin Yang Love Song. First, I love anything to do with music; here, Vin and his brother are part of a popular strings duo (something like Lindsey Stirling). Second, Chryssy runs a heartbreak retreat that utilizes natural, herbal remedies. Third, this book is set in my home turf, the greater Seattle area. How could I resist?

What I Liked:

Chryssy has been dumped eight times… thanks to a generations-long family curse
Vin is known for breaking hearts… but part of that is due to his celebrity image
Healing broken hearts with tea, flowers, and other natural remedies
Vin is a cellist in a popular duo with his brother
Family dynamics for both Chryssy and Vin
Getting to know the greater Seattle area, from clamming to exploring Pike Place Market
Fake dating with a planned breakup
How much do the stories we tell ourselves impact our lives?

Audiobook

Eunice Wong and Eric Yang narrate Chryssy and Vin’s chapters, respectively. Both do an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and infusing their words with extra meaning. Chryssy’s general calm and nurturing demeanor and Vin’s more stressed but charming personality all come out thanks to these narrators. Both kept the whole book engaging from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

Yin Yang Love Song is such a feel-good romance. I love the themes of natural healing and fusion music, the contrast of always dumping your partners versus always being dumped, and seeing your family’s relationships as something to fear or strive for. This was a wonderful romance, and I will be reading more from Lauren Kung Jessen for years to come. First on my list: Red String Theory!

Special thanks to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Yin Yang Love Song here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen
Audiobook Narrator	Eunice Wong and Eric Yang
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Seattle area, Washington
Number of Pages	384
Format I Read	Audiobook & ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	January 28, 2025
Publisher	Forever

Official Summary

In this charming rom-com filled with Chinese traditions and a family curse, an herbalist fake dates a star musician–perfect for fans of Helen Hoang and Jasmine Guillory.

Chinese herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams never actually believed in the Hua family curse. But after Break-Up #9, Chryssy stopped laughing. Now she and her aunties run a special healing retreat center for the broken-hearted. After all, there’s nothing a proper cup of herbal tea can’t fix…but Chryssy’s innocent run-in with celebrity cellist and bad boy Vin Chao has everyone brewing about a different kind of tea. So he offers her a deal: they’ll fake-date, he’ll “break” her heart (and increase ticket sales), and in return, he’ll promote her business.

It’s like Chryssy’s whole cursed love life has been leading up to this moment. But all it takes is one kiss—and a whole lot of unexpected chemistry—to land both of them in hot water . . .

About the Author

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. When she’s not writing novels, she works as a content strategist and user experience writer. 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.