You know how you can see some books as a movie in your head? That’s Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen, out Tuesday, January 9. It’s a sweet, totally cinematic contemporary romance with Serendipity and Before Sunrise vibes.
It’s set against a NYC (and later LA) backdrop with opposites attract MCs drawn together by fate. Rooney, who makes art under the moniker Red String Girl (RSG), seredipitiously meets Jackson Liu, a NASA engineer in NYC on business. They have one glorious evening running around NYC before saying goodbye without a way to reach each other. Until fate intervenes…
It’s so great to see a mixed Chinese American MC in the arts, even if she’s working in her more famous artist mom’s shadow. Art nerds will love the references to Christo (remember The Umbrellas in California and the Gates in NYC?). Science nerds will appreciate the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) scenes. I loved that Rooney’s the loquacious, free thinking one without falling into a quirky, open-to-the-universe artist stereotype. And the juxtaposition between the belief in fate versus factual science is handled just so well.
Family and food are strong themes throughout. Rooney was raised by a single mother and Jackson’s parents were somewhat absentee, leading him to develop a strong relationship with his Gong Gong (grandfather). On the food front, be prepared to be hungry for dumplings and ice cream.
4 stars
CW: Achievement to get parents to recognize/love a kid, single parent
Get Red String Theory from The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Apple Books
If you’re in the Nashville area, Red String Theory is launching at Parnassus Books (registration required) on Tuesday, January 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Check out our review of Lauren Kung Jessen’s first book, Lunar Love.
For more 2024 reads by Asian and Pacific Islander authors: