Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen

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Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen
Published by Forever on January 9, 2024
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Representation: mixed-race Chinese American love interest, Chinese American protagonist
Format: Physical
Source: Library

Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?

When it comes to love and art, Rooney Gao believes in signs. Most of all, she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. And that belief has inspired her career as an artist, as well as the large art installations she makes with ( obviously ) red string. That is until artist’s block strikes and Rooney begins to question everything. But then fate leads her to the perfect guy . . .

Jack Liu is perfect. He’s absurdly smart, successful, handsome, and after one enchanting New York night—under icy February skies and fueled by fried dumplings—all signs point to destiny. Only Jack doesn’t believe. And after their magical date, it looks like they might be lost to each other forever . . . until they’re given one more chance to reconnect. But can Rooney convince a reluctant skeptic to take a leap of fate?

Trigger & Content Warnings: parental abandonment, absent parent

Red String Theory was so delightful — this was one of those books where I was just casually browsing about and something about the book just jumped out at me. The title? Maybe. The spine? Not likely, but possible. Instalove tends to be a hit or miss for me, but Jessen’s second novel sounded like a magical trip and it delivered.

(I think it might just be I walked with the expectation it’ll be instalove and knowing a little about the Red String Theory in Chinese culture.)

The book is told in two POVs: Rooney, an artist who believes in fate and signs and has used the Chinese legend of the red string of fate to inspire her art, and Jack, a software engineer at NASA who believes in science and choices being made rather than fate.

Somehow, the two of them meet when Jack is in New York for a conference and they spend the night exploring the city for hours and talking about fate and free will, but an error exchanging phone numbers at the end of the night leads them to believe maybe it was just one night. At least until they have the chance to cross paths again about a year later: Jack, looking for a chance to be promoted from his current role, and Rooney, seeking the video that defined her life from birth and trying to forge her own path.

It’s downright scary sometimes how close we are to alternate life paths without even knowing.

I love Rooney. She’s an artist like her mother, but she does it anonymously under the name “Red String Girl,” inspired by the Chinese legend that gives her meaning and made her feel less alone. Her art and installations focuses on the finder details and deeper meanings below the surface, and I loved how Jessen describes them so much that I would love to see them in reality.

Under RSG, she wants to prove to herself that she can do her art on her own with no connections from her mother despite the offers, especially since the video she’s been searching for is of her birth — the same video that launched her mother’s art career. I like how she acknowledges her privilege as well in the art world and growing up, and the discussions with her mother about the art industry.

I also love Rooney’s mother and how she doesn’t deter Rooney from exploring a path in art. There’s a discussion where she mentions she felt dread when Rooney first pulled a paintbrush and worried Rooney was only interested in art because she was, but she also doesn’t discourage her either and fall into the stereotypical pushing her into a STEM field.

There’s this nice balance of the brutality of the industry but also a push for Rooney to grow into her own self as an artist, and not to let the video or connection to her mother define her (but not forcefully if you get my drift) — because there are always going to be people who’ll think otherwise. It’s kind of like this nice gentle hug all with the support.

For your entire life, you’ve felt like you were always the daughter of Wren Gao and known for something you didn’t get to choose for yourself. You didn’t let that stop you from making art, but you did let it stop you from making art as yourself.

I just love how they have this open conversation with each other about it rather than an argument and their relationship overall — they have this super cute tradition of getting snowglobes when they travel to remind them of where they went, and they’re learning Chinese together through watching dramas and making food.

Jack was a joy to read as well, and I loved seeing his relationship with his Gong Gong (grandfather). I do wish Jessen touched a little more upon his relationship with parents, though, but I kind of got that vibe that Jack would love to see them acknowledge his successes and be proud of him for once in his life but he’s kind of just accepted it, so I wasn’t too bothered by it. His wit and banter with Rooney added to the story during their one night stroll and while she was working on her pieces for NASA.

Red String Theory was charming, and I just had a good time reading this one. There’s a lot of exploration about the beliefs of fate and free will throughout, and I think Jessen’s writing style really made the instalove work in this one for me. Seeing cameos from the love interests from Lunar Love was also a treat (I love it when authors drop Easter eggs from a previous work), and I’m looking forward to picking that one up at some point.