e-ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Read from: February 8-22, 2021
Stand-alone
Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW:
For fans of: Realistic Fiction, Multiple POVs, Contemporary Romance, Foodie Favorites, Racial/ Ethnic Diversity, YAIf Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.
Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I knew when I saw the title of this book that I wanted to read it. I am a HUGE fan of food books, contemp romances, and diverse romances. And this hit all three categories. And I was so right.
“For one frightening moment, I imagine her mom emerging from the kitchen, kicking the door open – as my mom would do – and seeing me, recognizing me on sight. Brandishing a pair of chopsticks, I know what Vietnamese mothers are capable of doing with chopsticks.“17%
Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai are children of two competing restaurant owners. They haven’t shared so much as a wave since they were children for fear that their parents will get involved. But when Bao and Linh meet after a random encounter, the thing they least expected happens… They start to fall for each other. But with warring parents, can they keep their sparks flying?
“What did Hasan Minhaj say one time? Older siblings ‘go to war for their younger siblings?’ Because that’s what it was like. That’s what I did.“42%
The first thing I loved this was the food. (Who didn’t see that coming?) From the phở, to the bánh mì, and everything else they mentioned. This book had me so hungry by the end. And if you saw my Instagram, you saw I even went to get some phở after I started reading it. The food is just described so well and I could really “taste” it before I even got my hands on any. So basically, don’t read this on an empty stomach.
“When I paint, there’s always a moment where I just know that I’m finally finished. The colors and textures come together to depict a feeling of rightness. Us, here, is that rightness.”“60%
I also really liked the romance. I thought they were really cute! And the Romeo and Juliet mentions and tie-ins was cute too. Maybe that’s just my love for Romeo and Juliet, but still I thought it was super cute. And I thought it was authentic as well. They started out timid and then moved to friends and then went to trying things out. But all the while, they still had their secrets. I can only imagine that’s how a couple that’s been warring most of their life and then randomly come together would act. It made for a “good” reason to have that one part of the plot at the end. (If you read contemp romances, you know what part I mean lol)
“I know if I close my eyes I will see Me in this kitchen, tears in her eyes. I see her at my age, when she’d come here, when she didn’t have what I have now, which is opportunity. All because of them.”“89%
The other thing I liked about this was the family aspect. Both Bao and Linh were children of immigrants. They both showed how hard their parents worked and what all they did to give their families the best. It made for another heart warming aspect to this story and definitely made me love both families in spite of all the bickering and gossiping they were doing.
“But in anything you love, isn’t there always some bit of sadness, some essence of suffering? That, to me, is what makes art worth it.”“94%
My only two gripes were very small. I didn’t like how she put the gossipers in the book, but didn’t show them at all. I would have liked to see a face to the person spitting the vitriol within their own community. I just thought she had a pretty big part in the story, so she should have been “shown.” And I did think it was a bit lengthy, for a contemp, but that could just be a “me” thing.
“Lately, she’s had this ridiculous idea that she would write a novel about two warring Vietnamese families whose respective son and daughter fall in love.”“99%
This book was everything I needed it to be. I was excited about this for a long time and I am so glad it lived up to the hype. I finished the e-ARC and immediately had to buy it. If you love #OwnVoices books, contemp romances, and foodie fiction, this is the book for you!
Overall, I give this
