Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Worth Fighting For, the fifth installment in Disney’s Meant to Be series, transforms the legendary tale of Mulan into a contemporary romance that seamlessly blends corporate intrigue with genuine emotional depth. Following her acclaimed works like Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Sutanto proves once again that she excels at crafting stories where humor and heart walk hand-in-hand.
The novel centers on Fa Mulan, a brilliant finance professional working twice as hard as her male colleagues at her father’s hedge fund, Facai Capital. When her father Fa Zhou suffers a heart attack during a critical business acquisition, Mulan finds herself in an impossible position. The target company, Wutai Gold—a traditional whiskey distillery run by the Li family—will only work with Zhou himself, leaving Mulan to make a desperate choice: let the deal fail or assume her father’s identity to save both the acquisition and her family’s legacy.
The Masquerade That Changes Everything
What begins as a simple email impersonation spirals into a week-long charade at the Li family ranch, where Mulan must convince everyone she’s the powerful CEO they’ve been negotiating with. Enter Li Shang, the dedicated but overworked acting CEO of Wutai Gold, whose family’s ultra-traditional values clash spectacularly with Mulan’s modern business sensibilities.
Sutanto’s genius lies in how naturally she adapts the Mulan framework to contemporary corporate culture. The author captures the exhausting performance required of women in male-dominated industries with lines like, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman working in finance must work twice as hard, worry twice as much, and get approximately 50% less sleep than her male coworkers.” This isn’t just a retelling—it’s a sharp commentary on modern workplace dynamics wrapped in an irresistible romantic package.
Character Development That Transcends Archetypes
Mulan: The Woman Behind the Masks
Sutanto’s Mulan is far more complex than her animated predecessor. She wears multiple personas—Work Mulan, Fun Finance Bro Mulan, Ranch Mulan—each carefully constructed to survive in different environments. The author skillfully shows how these masks both protect and isolate her, creating a character who’s professionally successful yet emotionally guarded.
The ranch setting forces Mulan to confront activities wildly outside her comfort zone: horseback riding, sheep shearing, axe throwing, and fish descaling. These scenes provide both comedy and character growth, as Mulan discovers strength she never knew she possessed. Sutanto writes these moments with infectious humor, particularly when Mulan attempts to convince everyone she’s an accomplished equestrian while barely staying seated on her gentle horse, Slugger.
Shang: Beyond the Strong Silent Type
Li Shang emerges as far more than the typical alpha male love interest. Yes, he’s ruggedly handsome and capable of traditional masculine pursuits, but Sutanto subverts expectations by revealing his love for literature—specifically The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang, a gender-swapped reimagining of classical Chinese literature featuring female warrior monks. This detail brilliantly establishes Shang as someone who appreciates strong women, even as his family clings to traditional gender roles.
The author develops their relationship through small, intimate moments: cooking together, discussing books, sharing vulnerabilities during a camping trip under the stars. Shang’s patience and genuine interest in understanding Mulan (even when he thinks she’s Zhou) creates a foundation of friendship that makes their romantic connection feel earned rather than inevitable.
Romance That Balances Passion and Partnership
The romantic development unfolds with perfect pacing, building from initial attraction through friendship to genuine love. Sutanto excels at writing sexual tension—the camping scene where Mulan and Shang share a tent crackles with barely restrained desire, yet maintains emotional authenticity. Their banter reveals compatible senses of humor and matching intelligence, while their physical chemistry never overshadows their emotional connection.
The deception central to their relationship could easily feel contrived, but Sutanto handles it with nuance. Mulan’s growing guilt about the lie creates genuine internal conflict, while Shang’s eventual discovery and reaction feel psychologically realistic. When he tells her, “I was there with you the whole time, remember? I know that that was the real you,” it’s both romantic and emotionally satisfying.
Supporting Characters Who Shine
Mushu: The Voice of Reason and Fun
Cousin Mushu serves as both comic relief and emotional anchor, providing the unconditional support Mulan needs while delivering some of the book’s funniest lines. Her observation that “They old” when discussing Wutai Gold’s aging customer base perfectly captures her irreverent personality while highlighting a crucial business insight.
The Li Family: Traditional Values Meet Modern Challenges
The Li family represents old-world values struggling with contemporary realities. Uncle Hong’s disdain for social media marketing (“Social media!” he huffs with venom) perfectly encapsulates their resistance to change. Yet Sutanto avoids making them one-dimensional antagonists, instead showing a family bound by love and tradition, even when those traditions limit their success.
Auntie Jiayi emerges as a standout character, declaring herself to be in her “villain era” while secretly supporting Mulan’s efforts to modernize the company. Her character arc demonstrates that change can come from unexpected sources.
Cultural Identity and Family Expectations
The novel thoughtfully explores themes of cultural identity and family obligation. Mulan’s relationship with her parents feels authentic, particularly her mother’s practical wisdom about love and business. Ma’s declaration that “Fate and destiny are my bitches” perfectly captures her fierce determination to protect her family.
Sutanto weaves in elements of Chinese-American identity without making them feel forced or educational. The family’s celebration of traditional holidays, the significance of Chinese names, and the weight of honoring one’s ancestors create texture without overwhelming the romance.
Business World Authenticity
As someone who clearly understands corporate culture, Sutanto nails the details of the finance world. The descriptions of hedge fund operations, acquisition strategies, and the particular challenges facing family-owned businesses feel authentic. The conflict between preserving tradition and embracing necessary change drives both the romantic and business plots effectively.
The whiskey industry setting provides rich sensory details—the smell of fermented barley, the sight of copper stills, the weight of tradition in every distilling process. Sutanto makes readers understand why the Li family fights so hard to preserve their legacy.
Writing Style and Pacing
Sutanto’s prose strikes an ideal balance between accessibility and sophistication. Her dialogue sparkles with wit while avoiding forced humor, and her descriptive passages paint vivid pictures without slowing the pace. The author particularly excels at internal monologue, capturing Mulan’s racing thoughts and conflicting emotions with authenticity.
The pacing maintains momentum throughout, with each chapter ending on notes that compel continued reading. The ranch setting provides natural breaks between business negotiations and romantic development, allowing both plotlines to breathe.
Series Context: Standing Among Strong Company
Within the Meant to Be series, Worth Fighting For stands proudly alongside previous entries. While Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits tackled body positivity through a Cinderella lens, and Jasmine Guillory’s By the Book explored publishing world romance via Beauty and the Beast, Sutanto’s contribution brings corporate sophistication and cultural depth to the collection.
Zoraida Córdova’s Kiss the Girl and Christina Lauren’s Tangled Up in You each offered their own takes on Disney princesses in contemporary settings, but Sutanto’s Mulan retelling feels particularly relevant to current discussions about women in leadership and cultural identity in modern America.
Areas for Improvement
While largely successful, the novel isn’t without minor flaws. The deception plot occasionally strains credibility—it’s somewhat difficult to believe that no one at the ranch questions “Zhou’s” apparent inexperience with activities he’s supposedly done since childhood. Additionally, some of the business world conflicts resolve perhaps too neatly, with the Li family’s acceptance of modern marketing strategies happening more quickly than their established conservatism would suggest.
The resolution of Mulan’s work-life balance issues could use more development. While she finds love and professional success, the novel doesn’t fully address how she’ll maintain her authentic self while navigating the finance world’s continuing demands for performance and masks.
Cultural Significance and Representation
Sutanto brings important representation to the romance genre, not just in terms of Asian-American protagonists, but in exploring the specific challenges faced by children of immigrants trying to honor family expectations while forging their own paths. The dedication to the author’s grandparents, who immigrated from China to Indonesia, adds personal weight to themes of cultural preservation and adaptation.
The novel also provides meaningful commentary on workplace sexism in male-dominated industries. Mulan’s hyperawareness of how she’s perceived, her careful modulation of voice and demeanor, and the exhaustion of constant performance ring painfully true for many women readers.
Romantic Elements That Sizzle
The physical chemistry between Mulan and Shang develops organically from their emotional connection. Sutanto writes intimate scenes with heat while maintaining the story’s overall tone. The camping trip sequence, where they share a tent in enforced proximity, builds tension beautifully without rushing into physical intimacy.
Their first kiss occurs in a moment of shared laughter and vulnerability, making it feel inevitable yet surprising. The author understands that the best romantic tension comes from characters fighting their attraction while being unable to resist it.
Humor That Hits the Mark
Sutanto’s comedic timing proves impeccable throughout. From Mulan’s internal commentary about “finance bros” to her attempts at ranch activities, the humor emerges naturally from character and situation rather than forced jokes. Mushu’s observations and the family dynamics provide consistent levity without undermining emotional moments.
The fish-descaling scene, where Mulan must gut a fish while maintaining her “Zhou” persona, exemplifies Sutanto’s ability to mine comedy from character discomfort while advancing both plot and relationship development.
Themes That Resonate
Beyond romance, “Worth Fighting For” explores meaningful themes about authenticity, family legacy, and the courage required to be vulnerable. Mulan’s journey from hiding behind masks to revealing her true self parallels the business plot about modernizing while preserving tradition.
The question of whether love can survive deception gets thoughtful treatment, with Shang’s eventual acceptance feeling earned rather than convenient. His ability to see past the lie to the genuine person beneath speaks to the novel’s optimistic view of love’s transformative power.
Final Verdict: A Worthy Addition to Contemporary Romance
Worth Fighting For succeeds on multiple levels: as a Disney retelling, a contemporary romance, and a workplace dramedy. Sutanto has crafted characters worth caring about, a relationship worth rooting for, and a story that entertains while offering genuine emotional depth.
“Worth Fighting For” proves that fairy tale retellings work best when they translate core themes rather than simply updating surface details. Mulan’s courage, determination, and loyalty translate perfectly to the modern corporate world, while her romance with Shang provides the emotional satisfaction readers expect from the genre.
For fans of workplace romance, multicultural love stories, or anyone who enjoyed Sutanto’s previous works, this book delivers everything one could want: smart dialogue, steamy chemistry, cultural authenticity, and characters who grow beyond their initial presentations.
Perfect For Readers Who Enjoy
- Contemporary workplace romance with high stakes business drama
- Multicultural romance featuring Asian-American protagonists
- Enemies-to-lovers dynamics with shared goals and competing methods
- Family business stories balancing tradition with innovation
- Fish-out-of-water humor as characters navigate unfamiliar situations
- Second-chance romance elements as characters overcome deception and misunderstanding
Similar Reads to Add to Your TBR
For readers who loved Worth Fighting For, consider these complementary titles that share similar themes and appeal:
- The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory – Another workplace romance featuring a successful woman navigating career and love
- Beach Read by Emily Henry – Contemporary romance with humor, heart, and characters hiding their true selves
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – Romance featuring Asian-American protagonists with authentic cultural representation
- Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev – Family expectations meet modern love in this cultural romance
- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory – Contemporary romance with diverse characters and workplace elements
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – Romance featuring characters breaking out of their comfort zones
- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka – For readers interested in more books exploring Asian cultural identity
Worth Fighting For proves that the best contemporary romance combines emotional authenticity with entertaining escapism, delivering a love story that honors its source material while creating something entirely fresh and engaging. Jesse Q. Sutanto has given readers a romance worth fighting for indeed.