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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
this was sweet, but ultimately too short. i feel like just when i was getting to know and love these characters the story was over. loved how much of vietnamese culture was brought in but i do think sometimes it was at the expense of the plot/character development. overall, very cute but not a new favorite.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sweet tale of self discovery and finding one's place in the world.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⟢ 4.5 out of 5 ✮⋆˙
i really loved this one!! lan and vivi melted my heart, i loved them together so much <3 the writing was gorgeous, especially the descriptions of food and places. this novel was sweet and warm, as well as deeply emotional. i appreciated the exploration of grief and intergenerational trauma. highly recommend!
i really loved this one!! lan and vivi melted my heart, i loved them together so much <3 the writing was gorgeous, especially the descriptions of food and places. this novel was sweet and warm, as well as deeply emotional. i appreciated the exploration of grief and intergenerational trauma. highly recommend!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I enjoyed this book more but I felt like there were some parts where it fell flat as well as the ending being okay to me. I will say though, I really enjoyed reading Lan and Vivi’s story as they deal with their problems. I think I was also just expecting the ending to be a bit longer and exploring Vivi’s mom’s story more or even Lan & Vivi. The ending also did feel a bit too rushed for my liking. Nonetheless I really enjoyed the somewhat immersive experience of being in Vietnam as someone who is also Chinese-Vietnamese (and American)
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I judged the book by its cover. It was a pretty pink that caught my eye and I was interested to know about Vivi and her families story.
I was sort of dissapointed that we found out about everything at the end and that there was barely any actual resolve to the story. The end even felt cut off, like there was meant to be more.
I also wish we would have gotten more of Lan's mother sort of showing signs of actually seeking like she either needed more help. Lan felt more like she was just self sabotaging as a way to soothe her own grief and projected it onto her mom.
I won't lie. I got bored midway through before coming back and remembering why I was reading this book.
I was sort of dissapointed that we found out about everything at the end and that there was barely any actual resolve to the story. The end even felt cut off, like there was meant to be more.
I also wish we would have gotten more of Lan's mother sort of showing signs of actually seeking like she either needed more help. Lan felt more like she was just self sabotaging as a way to soothe her own grief and projected it onto her mom.
I won't lie. I got bored midway through before coming back and remembering why I was reading this book.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The main thing that carried A Banh Mi for Two was the amazing descriptions of Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City) and how I could tell the wonderful differences between there and my own unique city. I loved the relationships that Lan and Vivi had with their mothers, both complicated and both full of love. I will say that I felt the characters were pretty bland except for at the beginning, and the romance had an insta-love type air around it. I also fell into a slump around the end but I pushed through 😤 overall, enjoyable read!
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book was wonderful! I can cancel my plans to visit Saigon, I just have to read this book again! I'm kidding, but that's how vivid the writing was! Along with great characters and a romance worth rooting for was great historical information. There were at least three story lines happening as well, and they all meshed! I was sucked in and read this in one day!