Lauren Ho's romantic new novel...plus a book giveaway

Photo by Marvin Kho

We're pleased to welcome Lauren Ho to CLC today. Her sophomore novel, Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic, releases today and she's here to talk about it and share some other fun things about herself. Melissa has Lucie Yi in her five book pile and is excited to read it soon, as she enjoyed Last Tang Standing back in 2020 (reviewed here). Thanks to Putnam, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Lauren Ho is a reformed legal counsel who now prefers to write for pleasure. Hailing from Malaysia, she is currently based in Singapore, where she’s ostensibly working on her next novel while attempting to parent. She is also the author of the international bestseller, Last Tang Standing.

Her mother still wishes Lauren had gone to medical school, though.

Visit Lauren online:
Website * Twitter * Instagram * TikTok

Synopsis:
Management consultant Lucie Yi is done waiting for Mr. Right. After a harrowing breakup foiled her plans for children—and drove her to a meltdown in a Tribeca baby store—she’s ready to take matters into her own hands. She signs up for an elective co-parenting website to find a suitable partner with whom to procreate—as platonic as family planning can be.
 
Collin Read checks all of Lucie’s boxes; he shares a similar cultural background, he’s honest, and most important, he’s ready to become a father. When they match, it doesn’t take long for Lucie to take a leap of faith for her future. So what if her conservative family might not approve? When Lucie becomes pregnant, the pair return to Singapore and, sure enough, her parents refuse to look on the bright side. Even more complicated, Lucie’s ex-fiancé reappears, sparking unresolved feelings and compounding work pressures and the baffling ways her body is changing. Suddenly her straightforward arrangement is falling apart before her very eyes, and Lucie will have to decide how to juggle the demands of the people she loves while pursuing the life she really wants. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“If Jane Austen and Kevin Kwan had a love child, it might well be Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic. Lauren Ho’s most recent novel sits delightfully at the juncture of modern fertility, modern women, and modern romance.”  
—Jodi Picoult, author of Wish You Were Here

“After Last Tang Standing, my expectations were unreasonably high, but Lauren Ho somehow managed to exceed them with Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic. Prepare yourselves for a heroine who is laugh-out-loud funny and incredibly savvy. Lauren Ho is an auto-buy author for me!” 
—Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A For Aunties

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing? 
The best ones are always the ones that say I made their day somehow, that I made them laugh and reflect. Both my novels, Last Tang Standing and now Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic, feature so-called 'messy' (or maybe let's call them 'realistic!) women from this part of the world (South-East Asia), and explore intergenerational conflict, complex family dynamics, and the search for identity in the face of cultural and societal pressures, even as they shine a light on uncomfortable truths . I use humour to approach difficult subjects tangentially. 

How is Lucie similar to or different from you? 

Whenever I create a character, I draw inspiration from people around me, and sometimes my own experiences. I would say that with regards to Lucie, we are very different. She's the put-together, career-minded version of me that my mother would have adored.

If Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?  

Fiona Xie as Lucie Yi, Lewis Tan or Manny Jacinto as Collin, and Chris Pang as Mark

What TV series are you currently binge watching? 

Stranger Things, Season four

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see? 

I would take you to see the Botanic Gardens of Singapore, Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Zoo. 

Tell us about your best or worst date ever. 

Do date nights after ten-plus years of marriage and 2 kids under 5 count? My best dates these days involve going out for a quick drink or two at the local wine bar, after we slump in front of whatever is trending right now on Netflix, silently enjoying each other's company.

Thanks to Lauren for chatting with us and to Putnam for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends June 26th at midnight EST.

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