2.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

He's out there somewhere in the city.

As an artist that keeps her identity anonymous because she doesn't want her famous mother to garner her any advantages, Rooney is still searching for her defining artistic moment. Known as the Red String Girl because of her incorporating her love of the story of the Red String of Fate, a red string connects you to your soulmate, Rooney has just been contacted by NASA to work with them on a project melding her art with introducing a new mission to the public. It will hopefully bring the exposure she's been wanting for her art career but also money that she desperately wants, to buy back a video of her birth that her mother filmed as an interactive art piece. The new job would also come with working close with the mission liaison, who just so happens to be the man she thought could be her red string soulmate when they had a serendipitous night six months ago in New York City. Jack has been wondering why Rooney never called and when his subconscious thoughts that she could maybe be Red String Girl turn out to be true, he's both relieved to have found her again and scared that his career could be damaged if they don't keep things professional.

“We do have each other's phone numbers. Let's see where that takes us,” I say, feeling hopeful.

Red String Theory was a story that constantly discussed if fate, destiny, and chance are in play in our lives and had me searching for the “A Novel” on the cover. (It wasn't there but romance genre readers will know what I'm saying here and there were discussion questions in the back) Told in alternating first person present point-of-view chapters (I did struggle with the povs sounding in the same voice), Rooney and Jack meet early in the story and have a first night together that lasts about the first 30%. They read sweet and compatible together but differ on their thoughts of fate, Rooney the artist believes in fate and Jack the NASA systems engineer thinks it more chance and self-determination. They spend the night only giving their first names and not talking about their jobs but instead come up with “tests” to see if fate can be measured and therefore exist.

And then I have to ask. “Why did you kiss me?” I whisper.

It was a beginning that did draw me into their story as a couple but then when Rooney accidentally gets Jack's number wrong, they lose their way to keep their connection after they separate the next morning. The story then jumps six months and we get them meeting up again with the NASA job connection. The rest of the story, 350ish pages, is then a lot of hashing and rehashing if fate exists with both Rooney and Jack both thinking they should back away because they don't want to damage their careers. I mentioned looking for the A Novel on the cover because, while I don't think the language completely drifted to lit fic, the tone and conversations between the characters had some of that vibe and in the second half it did start to have moments that felt overwritten; if you like to wallow in it, this has the page count for you. For me, this felt very drawn out and lit fic airy, but newer published romance genre has seemed to be moving in this direction, so, closed door, a few kisses, newer romance readers may enjoy this more.

One of us is going to have to make a decision. We can't risk leaving this up to fate.

The ending did deliver a little bit of the characters choosing each other, which I want to feel even in a fated mates story. The personal issues with Rooney wanting to feel like she made a career on own also get worked through, although the whole thread with her birthing video never felt quite fitted in right to me, but I loved the character of her mother and actually would love to read her story. Jack had a little bit of his own family issues but, like in real life, there wasn't a definite resolve to them but more of a kind of made it to an understanding. These two did have sweet moments but I started to get a little sapped wading through the rehashing fate conversations. ( )

Red String Theory by Lauren Kong Jessen
Contemporary romance. Alternating 1st person POV. Own voices.
Rooney Gao believes in Fate, specifically the Red String of Fate, and signs of destiny. She creates art based on that belief. She meets Jack Liu at a print shop and gives him her red scarf that she’s been making. They meet again later that evening and launch a Chinese lantern and then chase it around New York City. They’ve decided not to talk about work and instead have an adventure that lasts the night. They fall a little in love but end up losing each other to technology. Six months later Rooney gets a job with NASA and once again finds Jack. Maybe this time they can change their ending.

Rooney believes in Fate. Jack believes in choice. How do they reconcile their beliefs?

Charming and romantic with underlying messages of self confidence and openness.
It was a fun journey following Rooney and Jack as they fell for each other both the first night and later as they are working together. It’s sweet and just a bit adorable. I love New York and it’s never ending spin of life and clearly Rooney loves it as well.
Wèishéme shì wǒ? = Why me? This is a mandarin saying but both characters are of Chinese descent. Rooney uses this phrase several times in the story and I found it fitting in a profound way.

A Readers Guide and questions at the end along with a couple of recipes including Red Bean Ice Cream.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. ( )