Jackie Lau’s Latest Romance Takes on Being Childless by Choice
ARC provided by the author
Jackie Lau makes a point of incorporating social and personal issues in her romances. In NOT ANOTHER FAMILY WEDDING, heroine Natalie Chin-Williams is a successful, single 36-year old climatologist who’s chosen not to have kids.
Her sister Rebecca is about to get married and weddings in the Chin-Williams family are known disasters. Natalie recruits an old friend, Connor Douglas, to be her date.
In a time where heroes are always the grumpy ones, Natalie is unapologetically prickly. It’s a welcome twist. Connor is less defined, he’s divorced and a good uncle, but I never got a real sense of him. The romance builds on a long friendship stoked by forced proximity. Still, for me, it all felt a bit sudden, with not enough time spent to develop the relationship organically. The hook-up I bought, but a minute later, Connor was contemplating real feelings. (This guy was married, is he just looking for someone else to take care of him?)
Lau tackles the stigma around being childless by choice and comes back to it again and again, reinforcing how annoying it is for Natalie to be constantly asked about it. Natalie repeats (and repeats) it’s a decision she’s made, yet she also uses it to sabotage relationships and assumes it makes her unlovable. Get thee to therapy, Natalie!
Not Another Family Wedding’s biggest strength is its family interaction. With her family scenes, Lau weaves drama, gossip, and brutal honesty into a contemporary picture of Asian-Canadian family dynamics. The Chin-Williamses are funny and opinionated, and the relationships among the women are especially memorable. It’s an alternative view that’s badly needed in mainstream pop culture. Crazy Rich Asians gave us an updated, nuanced view into an Asian-American woman and her relationship with her mother, and there’s room for more.
Most importantly, the family scenes give us Ngin Ngin, Natalie’s hilariously frank, open-minded grandma who’s seen it all. At 90, she isn’t afraid to say, “I do not see the point in being humble anymore. I am awesome.”
I’m looking forward to more Ngin Ngin in book two in the Chin-Williams series, HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND, out November 20.
Get Not Another Family Wedding on Amazon | Apple Books
Check out our reviews of Jackie Lau’s earlier books Mr. Hot Shot CEO and Grumpy Fake Boyfriend.
