Author: Lauren Ho
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Romantic Comedy / Women’s Fiction
Ideal For: Readers who want a smart, modern, emotionally complex rom-com that challenges traditional love stories while delivering wit, heart, and sharp cultural commentary. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Crazy Rich Asians, and relationship-driven fiction featuring flawed but fiercely relatable women.
Introduction
Lauren Ho’s Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic is a breath of fresh air in the rom-com landscape — a novel that borders the line between laugh-out-loud humour and heart-stopping emotional truth. It’s as sharp as it is tender, as modern as it is timeless, and so full of honesty about love, career, womanhood, and identity that it feels less like fiction and more like a heartfelt conversation with someone who gets it.
It’s rare to find a story where a heroine is so unapologetically complex — vulnerable, ambitious, awkward, fiercely intelligent — yet instantly lovable. Lucie Yi is the imperfect, delightful protagonist so many readers have been waiting for: a woman who doesn’t have all the answers, but refuses to pretend that she does.
The Premise: A Rom-Com That Rewrites the Rules
Lucie Yi, 36, is a high-achieving Singaporean woman who finds herself single in New York after a devastating breakup. Well aware of the biological clock pounding in the background, she decides to take an unconventional leap: co-parenting with a stranger. Not marriage. Not romance. Not dating. Just shared parenting, built on compatibility, communication, and clarity — or so she thinks.
Enter Collin Read, a gentle, thoughtful, slightly nerdy accountant with emotional wounds that match her own. Their co-parenting arrangement begins as pragmatic, perfectly logical, and completely romance-free. But life, as Lucie soon discovers, has other plans.
Lauren Ho takes a premise that could easily have turned gimmicky and instead turns it into an emotionally layered exploration of commitment, expectation, and the stories we tell ourselves about what we “should” want.
Lucie Yi: A Heroine With Heart, Sharp Humour, and Brilliant Flaws
Lucie is the beating heart of this novel — and she is extraordinary. Ho writes her with such precision and affection that Lucie becomes unforgettable.
She is:
- Judgmental but self-aware
- Ambitious but exhausted
- Romantic but terrified of being hurt
- Desperate for stability but allergic to traditional expectations
Lucie constantly tries to negotiate between her own desires and the pressures of her Singaporean upbringing. She wants love — but not the kind that consumes her. She wants success — but not at the cost of her soul. And she wants happiness — but refuses to believe it must look like everyone else’s version.
She is, in many ways, the modern woman navigating the minefield of international dating culture, family expectations, and the age-old question of whether love must follow a script.
Collin Read: A Love Interest Rooted in Realism
Collin is not your typical rom-com hero. He’s not broody or rich or devastatingly mysterious. He’s thoughtful. He’s emotionally literate. He’s a man who has been broken before, but still believes in building something meaningful — slowly, gently, and deliberately.
Their chemistry is not the fast, fiery type. It’s the slow bloom — the kind that grows from shared trauma, mutual respect, and the vulnerable act of choosing someone even when you’re afraid.
Their partnership feels real because it is built on:
- Honesty, even when it hurts
- Shared responsibility
- Mistakes that matter
- Conversations that sting
- Deep emotional compatibility
And yes, the humor is delicious. Their banter is full of warmth and quiet charm, balanced perfectly with the underlying emotional stakes.
A Story That Balances Laughter and Emotional Depth
Lauren Ho’s true genius lies in how she balances tone. The novel is funny — truly, sharply, smartly funny — but never shallow. Even the most comedic scenes carry emotional truth.
She writes about fertility timelines, parental expectations, divorce trauma, and cultural pressure without ever losing the joy of the rom-com formula. It’s romance, but it’s also a profound exploration of:
- What it means to start over at 36
- How culture shapes our choices
- The burden of being a “successful woman”
- The guilt of wanting a family on your own terms
- The courage to redefine what happiness looks like
The emotional threads are rich and relatable, especially for Asian women navigating East-West cultural expectations. Yet the novel also feels universal in its portrayal of fear, hope, and second chances.
Singapore, New York & the Global Modern Woman
The story unfolds between two iconic cities, each representing a different chapter of Lucie’s identity.
New York is freedom — reinvention, resilience, the ability to step outside cultural narratives.
Singapore is family — history, pressure, community, the weight of tradition and belonging.
Lauren Ho captures both settings with affection and authenticity. Singapore, especially, is portrayed not as exotic backdrop but as a living, breathing character — full of contradictions, laughter, judgment, and love.
Why This Book Deserves Five Stars
1. A Bold, Fresh Premise Done Beautifully
The co-parenting-with-a-stranger premise is risky, but Ho pulls it off with nuance and warmth. It’s unconventional yet deeply believable.
2. Emotional Honesty That Hits Hard
This book understands heartbreak — romantic, familial, cultural — and treats it with tenderness.
3. A Heroine Who Deserves Her Own Love Story
Lucie is messy, sharp, lovable, infuriating, and beautifully real. She belongs in the canon of unforgettable rom-com heroines.
4. Cultural Commentary With Bite and Compassion
Ho’s exploration of Asian identity and expectations is both funny and devastatingly true.
5. Genuine, Earned Romance
Lucie and Collin aren’t idealised. They’re human. Their story feels earned, not scripted.
6. A Rom-Com That Wants You to Think
Beyond the humour and chemistry, this is a novel about agency, healing, and rewriting your own story.
The Ending: A Perfect Blend of Hope and Realism
Without giving away spoilers, the ending is deeply satisfying. It honors the emotional journey rather than forcing a fairy-tale solution. Lucie’s final decisions feel like acts of courage — not because they defy expectation, but because they align with her authentic self.
The last chapters pulse with hope, vulnerability, and the quiet triumph of choosing joy.
Final Thoughts: A Modern Classic With Heart and Humour
Lauren Ho has written something special with Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic. It is witty but profound, romantic but realistic, entertaining but emotionally wise. It challenges rom-com tropes without mocking them, embraces modern love without cynicism, and gives readers a heroine they can root for from the first page to the last.
This is the kind of novel that lingers. It makes you laugh, then cry, then laugh again. It reminds you that love — real love — is not about perfection, timing, or societal approval. It’s about choosing, rewriting, forgiving, and beginning again.
