Double Happiness - by Heather Eng (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Caught between a relentless tech job, her adoring fiancé, and an unexpected new flame, Mei must learn what it means to choose herself.

When Mei Li runs into Alexandre Brodeur at a family function, there's no denying their chemistry. It turns out Alexandre, whose brother is married to Mei's younger sister, is back in New York rebuilding his life after two decades toiling away in academic research. Somehow, Alexandre's different from the young scientist Mei met years ago. His intelligent eyes and quiet air of mystery have a magnetic effect, drawing her in like never before.

But Mei's carefully constructed life has no room for Alexandre. She's engaged to Joey, a fellow Queens native who keeps her grounded as she pulls eighty-hour weeks at Livin, the tech world's hottest startup. After a childhood marked by financial and emotional turmoil, Mei finally has the stability she's always craved.

In Mei's brief moments away from her crushing workload, Alexandre is an uncomfortably enticing presence. It doesn't take long for their thoughtful conversations and his electric gaze to get under her skin, leaving Mei to wonder what she really wants in work, life, and love.

With her wedding date fast approaching, Mei has to make an impossible choice between two very different men. And after she does, she still must figure out what it truly means to have it all.

Review Quotes

"Well-crafted and grounded, focused on living a happy and well-rounded life, which will resonate with many readers struggling with hustle culture...This enjoyable debut novel shows promise. Eng will be an author to watch."
--Library Journal

"Eng's heartening debut is full of hard-hitting, comedically spun truths about love, life, and ambition that will have readers hooked until the very end."
--Booklist

"The kind of book I wish my younger self could have come across. I felt so seen and, as someone whose Chinese name is also Mei, I wanted to give Mei a giant hug and tell her she's doing okay! Thank you, Heather Eng, for writing something I wish existed for Asian Americans this whole time."
--Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

"Double Happiness is an addictive novel about love, class, and ambition. I was immediately drawn into Mei's story and was rooting for her from the first page! Heather Eng writes with wit and warmth and her characters jump off the page. You won't want to put this one down!"
--Jennifer Close, author of Marrying the Ketchups

"In Eng's brilliant, cinematic, and very real debut with unforgettable scenes, the romance is deliciously inconvenient, work may be the most toxic relationship of all...and happiness isn't always exactly as advertised."
--Bryn Donovan, author of Her Time Traveling Duke

"Double Happiness gutted me in the best way. Eng nails the suffocating weight of toxic work culture and the courage it takes to choose yourself--in work, in love, in life. Mei's journey is messy, real, and ultimately triumphant."
--Georgia Clark, author of Most Wonderful

"A perfect career. A perfect fiancé. A perfect plan--until someone unexpected makes her question it all. In Double Happiness, Heather Eng delivers a shimmering, satisfying novel about love, ambition, and the fault lines between who we are and who we are meant to be."
--Justinian Huang, author of Lucky Seed

"Double Happiness is a heartfelt love story that explores a central question: What if you had the courage to follow your own path, even when it's inconvenient? Mei had me rooting for her every step of the way."
--Lauren Ho, author of Two Lives with You and Sharpen Your Knives

"Double Happiness is a cozy romance full of charm, chemistry, and delicious food. Heather Eng writes irresistible characters that will stay with you long after their happily ever after."
--Thien-Kim Lam, author of Something Cheeky

About the Author

Heather Eng is a third-generation Chinese American who grew up in Queens, New York. A lifelong writer, she graduated from Boston University with a journalism degree, and worked as a newspaper journalist, web editor, and senior marketing leader in the tech industry. Heather lives in Manhattan with her husband and daughter. Double Happiness is her first novel.