Books I've Read: The Jasmine Project

 

This was a fun, breezy read and very welcome after the raft of quite heavy books I've been reading recently.

Jasmine is just finishing high school and preparing to move into an apartment with her boyfriend of four years before they both head to college in their hometown.  No one else in her large, extended family or her close-knit group of friends is excited about her future - they all think she should be aiming higher than a life with Paul and a safe career nursing like her mom.

When Jasmine discovers Paul has been cheating on her, the stable future she was expecting is thrown into disarray.  Her family see this as an opportunity and set up an elaborate dating competition to try and show Jasmine she can aim higher than Paul.  Starting at her graduation party, Jasmine will be introduced to three eligible bachelors selected by various family members.  By the end of the summer, she should have chosen one to be her happy ever after.

As the family members bet on which bachelor Jasmine will choose, the bachelors themselves go rogue and Paul discovers he actually wants her back, it becomes clear that the Jasmine Project will not go as smoothly as planned!

I enjoyed this fast-paced romantic comedy.  Jasmine's large, multi-cultural extended family were hilarious and being privy to their bickering group chats was a real treat.  I also really enjoyed Jasmine's love of cooking and that one of her suitors was the son of a fine-dining chef.  As someone who worked in kitchens for many years, I always appreciate it when a book gets it right.

This isn't a weighty book by any stretch of the imagination, so if you're after something light and frothy and romantic, this one might just be for you.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Jenny Han meets The Bachelorette in this effervescent romantic comedy about a teen Korean American adoptee who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a competition for her heart, as orchestrated by her overbearing, loving family.

Jasmine Yap’s life is great. Well, it’s okay. She’s about to move in with her long-time boyfriend, Paul, before starting a nursing program at community college—all of which she mostly wants. But her stable world is turned upside down when she catches Paul cheating. To her giant, overprotective family, Paul’s loss is their golden ticket to showing Jasmine that she deserves much more. The only problem is, Jasmine refuses to meet anyone new.

But…what if the family set up a situation where she wouldn’t have to know? A secret Jasmine Project.

The plan is simple: use Jasmine’s graduation party as an opportunity for her to meet the most eligible teen bachelors in Orlando. There’s no pressure for Jasmine to choose anyone, of course, but the family hopes their meticulously curated choices will show Jasmine how she should be treated. And maybe one will win her heart.

But with the family fighting for their favorites, bachelors going rogue, and Paul wanting her back, the Jasmine Project may not end in love but total, heartbreaking disaster.