The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho
From the renowned, award-winning author Zen Cho comes a delightfully funny romance about family, class, and love in modern London.
From the outside, Renee Goh’s life looks perfect. She’s thirty and beautiful, runs a glamorous—and profitable—women’s clothing company in London, and is dating a hot Taiwanese pop star.
But Renee is lonely. Estranged from her family in Singapore, she practically lives at the office, and now she’s just been dumped by her supposed boyfriend. Who she never saw anyway, so why is she ruining her Instagram-ready makeup by crying?
Before she can curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, Renee’s father calls. He’s retiring, and, thanks to the screw-ups of her wastrel brothers, he is considering her as the next CEO of the family business: Chahaya Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. That stamp of her father’s approval would mean everything to Renee, but can she cooperate with the brothers who drove her out of Singapore?
But fate isn’t done with her. That same night, Renee bumps into her first love, Yap Ket Siong, who broke her heart during university. They spend a wonderful night together, but Ket Siong is pursuing a dangerous vengeance for his family. In the light of day is there any hope for the two of them?
Published 6 August 2024 | Publisher: Bramble (Tor Publishing Group)
My Blurb (4 / 5 stars)
Contemporary romance is not my usual read. In fact, it’s so rare, I could probably count the number of them I read in a year with the fingers of one hand. BUT, it’s Zen Cho!! I’ve read all her novels. They would usually be fantasy or at the very least, magical realism but there is none of this factor in this novel. The Friend Zone Experiment, however, does feature 2 of my favourite romance tropes: bff to lovers and second chance. And I did NOT regret requesting this on Netgalley as I basically read it all in the one sitting. While characters are both POC (she Singaporean and he Malaysian and both of Chinese descent), the novel is actually set in London. She, Renee Goh, practically ran away from her toxic family to realise her dream of owning a designer business. He, Yap Ket Siong, came to London with his family to hide from possible violent attacks. They did first meet 10 years ago but circumstance tore them apart but a chance meeting at a Dior exhibition opened up the new possibility of… friendship. I love both characters and especially love Ket Siong for being so strong and steady for Renee to lean on. Renee herself was doing well standing on her own feet until her family intruded yet once again. However, she’s a strong, intelligent and resilient woman despite her family and her past. The Friend Zone Experiment is like a gentle romantic stroll in Hyde Park. It’s a bit of a slow burn though there is a tiny bit of spice in there. It won’t be a book to rave about because it’s not a crash and burn thing but a cuddle in a warm blanket with a very satisfied sigh at the end. My thanks to Bramble (Tor Publishing group) for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughtsAbout the author
Zen Cho is the author of the Sorcerer to the Crown novels, Black Water Sister and various shorter fiction. Her work has won the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards, and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the World Fantasy, Lambda, Locus and Astounding Awards. Born and raised in Malaysia, Zen now lives in the UK.
Rin Chupeco is a nonbinary Chinese Filipino writer born and raised in the Philippines. They are the author of Silver Under Nightfall and several speculative young adult series, including The Bone Witch, The Girl from the Well, The Never-Tilting World, and Wicked as You Wish. Formerly a graphic designer and technical writer, they now write fiction full-time and live with their partner and two children in Manila.
Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her work is informed by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, & Irish) as well as her experiences living abroad as both a student and teacher. She has a BA in creative writing and Spanish from Emory University and is pursuing a master of library and information science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she plays the cello, watches horror movies, and bakes too many cookies. The Keeper of Night is her debut novel.
Erin Hahn is an author of YA romances, including “You’d Be Mine”, “More Than Maybe” and “Never Saw You Coming”. Up next, she will be venturing into adult romance with her 2022 debut, “Built to Last”. She married her own YA love interest whom she met on her first day of college and has two kids who are much, much cooler than she ever was at their age. She lives in Michigan, aka the greenest place on earth and has a cat, Gus, who plays fetch and a dog, June, who doesn’t.
Freya Marske lives in Australia, where she is yet to be killed by any form of wildlife. She writes stories full of magic, blood, and as much kissing as she can get away with, and she co-hosts the Hugo Award nominated podcast Be the Serpent. Her hobbies include figure skating and discovering new art galleries, and she is on a quest to try all the gin in the world.
Fiona McArthur has worked as a midwife for thirty years. She is the clinical midwifery educator inner rural maternity unit and teaches emergency obstetric strategies while working with midwives and doctors from remote and isolated areas.
Fiona has written more than thirty romances, which have sold over two million copies in twelve languages. She has been a midwifery expert for Mother and Baby magazine and is the author of Aussie Midwives. She has also written the novels Red Sand Sunrise, The Homestead Girls and Heart of the Sky. She lives on a farm in northern New South Wales.
Jayci Lee writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance every free second she can scavenge. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. At times, she cannot accommodate real life because her brain is full of drool worthy heroes and badass heroines clamoring to come to life.
Because of all the books demanding to be written, Jayci writes full-time now, and is semi-retired from her fifteen-year career as a defense litigator. She loves food, wine, and travelling, and incidentally so do her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal, and she hopes her books will do the same for you.
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