Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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2 weeks ago

Jesse Q. Sutanto ventures into uncharted territory with Worth Fighting For, the fifth installment in Disney’s contemporary romance series “Meant to Be,” where beloved fairy tales get modern makeovers. Following successful retellings like Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits (Cinderella), Jasmine Guillory’s By the Book (Beauty and the Beast), Zoraida Córdova’s Kiss the Girl (The Little Mermaid), and Christina Lauren’s Tangled Up in You (Rapunzel), Sutanto takes on the formidable task of reimagining Disney’s Mulan for today’s readers.

The premise sparkles with potential: Fa Mulan, a sharp-edged hedge fund associate, must pose as her ailing father to close a crucial acquisition deal with the Li family’s traditional whiskey company. When email negotiations lead to a week-long ranch retreat, Mulan finds herself learning cattle wrangling while trying to convince a family of skeptics—including the devastatingly handsome Li Shang—that she’s the powerful CEO they’ve been corresponding with.

A Tale of Two Voices

Sutanto’s greatest strength lies in her ability to capture the authentic voice of a woman navigating the treacherous waters of finance culture. Her opening line perfectly encapsulates this struggle: “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.” The Jane Austen pastiche immediately signals both literary awareness and contemporary relevance.

The author excels when depicting Mulan’s internal monologue as she code-switches between personas. Sutanto understands the exhausting performance required of women in male-dominated industries, writing with particular insight about the masks Mulan must wear: “Fun finance bro who can let loose. Supportive supervisor who challenges the newer recruits to do better.” These moments feel lived-in and genuine.

The dialogue crackles with Sutanto’s signature wit, particularly in scenes between Mulan and her cousin Mushu, who serves as both confidante and comic relief. Their banter about everything from skincare routines to romance strategy provides much-needed levity while maintaining emotional authenticity.

Cultural Depth and Family Dynamics

Drawing from her own Indonesian-Chinese heritage, Sutanto infuses the narrative with rich cultural details that elevate it beyond typical romance fare. The acknowledgments reveal the personal stakes: this retelling honors her grandparents who emigrated from China, carrying their traditions while adapting to new countries. This reverence translates into nuanced portrayals of both the Fa and Li families.

The Li family dynamics prove particularly compelling. Rather than painting them as simple antagonists, Sutanto explores the complexities of traditional family businesses and generational expectations. Auntie Jiayi emerges as a standout character—wise, sharp-tongued, and unexpectedly progressive beneath her conventional exterior. Her confrontation with the petulant James about his writerly ambitions versus his actual commitment to writing provides one of the novel’s most satisfying moments.

However, the ranch setting occasionally feels like window dressing rather than integral to the story. While Sutanto clearly researched ranch life, the cattle-driving sequences lack the authenticity she brings to corporate boardrooms and family dinners.

Romance That Sizzles and Stumbles

The romantic development between Mulan and Shang contains genuine heat, particularly in their quieter moments. Sutanto understands the appeal of a man who can both command a boardroom and make perfect lattes at dawn. Their tentative conversations about literature and life goals reveal compatible minds beneath their professional facades.

Yet the central deception creates a fundamental problem that Sutanto never quite resolves satisfactorily. While Mulan’s masquerade serves the plot’s needs, it undermines the romantic foundation. Shang falls for “Zhou,” not knowing Mulan’s true identity, which makes their eventual reconciliation feel somewhat unearned despite the author’s best efforts to convince us otherwise.

The physical chemistry translates well to the page, with Sutanto writing intimate scenes that feel both passionate and emotionally connected. The tent scene during their camping trip particularly showcases her ability to balance desire with the story’s central conflict.

Structural Challenges and Pacing Issues

Worth Fighting For suffers from uneven pacing that often prioritizes comedic set pieces over narrative momentum. The middle section, set during the ranch retreat, occasionally meanders through various ranch activities without advancing either the romantic or business plotlines meaningfully.

The corporate espionage subplot involving James and the rival firm feels underdeveloped, serving more as a convenient plot device than an organic story element. When the business stakes finally escalate, the resolution comes too quickly to feel earned.

Sutanto’s tendency toward over-explanation sometimes undermines her otherwise sharp prose. Readers don’t need every cultural reference or business term defined, and the constant internal monologuing occasionally slows the narrative pace.

Comparative Analysis Within the Series

Compared to previous Meant to Be entries, Worth Fighting For offers more cultural specificity and workplace authenticity than some of its predecessors. Sutanto’s financial industry background shows, providing insider details that ground the contemporary setting effectively.

However, it lacks the emotional depth of Guillory’s By the Book or the pure escapist fun of Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits. The deception plot, while true to the Mulan source material, creates romantic obstacles that feel more contrived than the meet-cutes in other series entries.

The Sutanto Style Evolution

Readers familiar with Sutanto’s previous works, particularly the beloved Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, will recognize her gift for combining family dynamics with romantic comedy. Her ability to write authentic multicultural characters while avoiding stereotypes remains intact.

However, Worth Fighting For feels slightly more constrained than her previous novels, perhaps due to working within Disney’s established franchise parameters. The humor, while present, doesn’t reach the delirious heights of her aunties series, and the mystery elements that enlivened Vera Wong are largely absent here.

Final Verdict

Worth Fighting For succeeds as a workplace romance with cultural depth but stumbles as a Mulan retelling. Sutanto’s authentic voice and sharp observations about corporate sexism elevate familiar romance tropes, while her cultural knowledge adds layers often missing from contemporary romance.

The novel works best when focusing on Mulan’s professional struggles and family relationships. It’s less successful when trying to justify its central deception or when leaning too heavily into ranch comedy. Readers seeking workplace romance with cultural authenticity will find much to enjoy, while those hoping for a more innovative take on the Mulan legend may feel disappointed.

Sutanto remains a distinctive voice in contemporary romance, bringing necessary diversity and cultural specificity to the genre. While Worth Fighting For doesn’t reach the heights of her best work, it offers enough wit, warmth, and authentic emotion to satisfy fans and newcomers alike.