Something Cheeky

Last week, Thien-Kim Lam released her latest novel, Something Cheeky. I’ve been wanting to read her books, and when I saw the description for this one, I knew it was time to dive in.

Zoe and Derek were best friends in college, but lost touch after she was pushed out of the program. Now Derek is in Washington, D.C. bringing his first musical to the stage, and he wants Zoe to design the costumes. This Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical will shine a light on their culture, and could open the doors for more BIPOC voices in theater. Working together brings back not just friendship, but also romantic feelings. Can a love story fit in amidst their commitment to the musical?

Why I Chose This Book:

I love musicals and theater, so any book with those themes will capture my interest. I was also excited to read more about Vietnamese culture, a former friends-to-lovers romance, and discussions around authentic representation in media.

What I Liked:

• Zoe and Derek! They have great chemistry as friends, and it translates well to their overdue romance finally unfolding all these years later.
• Vietnamese culture and identity. They’re working with an all-Asian cast to bring an authentically Vietnamese musical to the stage, including cultural heritage and language. I loved getting to see a glimpse of that here, as well as discussions around what it means to really be Vietnamese (for example, Derek isn’t fluent in the language).
• Battling Gregzilla. Freaking Greg. He represents everyone who diminishes and dumbs down underrepresented voices. Racism, misogyny, fat-phobia… this guy has no limits. Take him down!
• Mr. Bobbins! What a purrfect cat!
• Zoe’s friend group. Zoe has some wonderful and supportive friends (who appear in the author’s previous books!), and I loved seeing them lift each other up here.

Audiobook

Vyvy Nguyen and David Lee Huynh narrate Zoe and Derek, respectively. Derek’s parts flowed really well and I appreciated his pronunciation and characterization. Zoe’s narration sounded a bit more robotic… still good and very easy to understand, but it could have used more emotion or inflection. But all in all, I did enjoy the audiobook.

Final Thoughts

Something Cheeky is a delightful romance about friends finding each other and love again. I loved the musical development and behind-the-scenes, the Vietnamese culture and language, and fighting back against white-washing and belittling. This is a fantastic novel, and I look forward to reading Thien-Kim Lam’s previous and future books.

Special thanks to Avon, HarperAudio Adult, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Something Cheeky here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam
Series	(#3)
Audiobook Narrator	Vyvy Nguyen and David Lee Huynh
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Washington, D.C.
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	March 4, 2025
Publisher	Avon

Official Summary

A steamy new rom-com from the popular author of Happy Endings and Full Exposure, where two friends get the opportunity to work together on their dream project—a Cinderella rock musical with an all-Asian cast—and discover that falling in love was the easy part…

“Lam is… the queen of sex-positive multiracial romance.” —Booklist

Zoe Tran is living her best life, designing plus-size lingerie at her own award-winning clothing boutique, when suddenly her college best friend reenters her life. Derek Bui is offering a tantalizing chance to recapture a forgotten dream: designing costumes for the musical they created together years ago.

Derek has loved Zoe since freshman year but never had the guts to confess his true feelings. Now he’s directing the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college. The stakes are high: it’s the first production with an all-Asian cast and creative team at Washington, D.C.’s largest theatre and if they can make it work, they’ll head to Broadway. But his real goal: get Zoe back in his life.

A proud demisexual, Zoe only ever saw Derek as her best friend, but working on their dream production together brings them closer than ever. Sparks ignite under the hot spotlights. But when the theatre’s artistic director pressures Derek to make the musical “less Asian,” he and Zoe clash on whether to stay true to their vision or compromise to keep the production alive.

Will Zoe and Derek finally let love take center stage or will their creative differences close the curtains on them forever?