Reviews

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

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sarahboudereads's review against another edition

4.0

This book willl always have a special place in my heart. I am also the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, but I'm from the second generation. I never really grew up with the language and the stories of the past have been long forgotten for some - too difficult to tell, maybe. The only thing I got from my heritage was the food. I didn't know the dishes' names but boy, did I get to eat them for every occasion. So thank you Loan Le, thank you for making me closer to this part of myself.
I read A Pho Love Story in its French translation, to honour my grandparents who came to France in the fifties.

For them, who left a part of themselves in Vietnam when they had to leave, to try to discover who they were in France.

stephsfrancis's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

vampire_burrito's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Today went well. I want to paint us just like this.

I know that this isn't going to be a book that sticks with me, but I did have a good time reading it. The writing was solid, I enjoyed the characters even if I did wish that they were a little more fleshed out and I appreciated the focus on family. This is marketed as a romance, and technically the romance is the driving factor behind the whole story but I think that the two main characters families and their relationship with them are just as important and given the same amount of time and focus.

bookish_4life's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jessicanaasc's review against another edition

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4.0

Eu estive doida pra ler esse livro desde que bati o olho na capa e apaixonei, achei a sinopse bem interessante e como eu vinha procurando ler mais personagens diversos aproveitei pra garantir ele. Como o esperado aqui temos a cultura vietnamita em peso, o que é bem legal porque é interessante aprender sobre outras culturas, não somente isso a autora é vietnamita então nós temos uma certa vivência das relações familiares que é bem legal de conhecer. Nesse livro o romance é o grande foco, mas também temos todo um retrato de dor e sofrimento pelos quais os pais dos personagens passaram para chegar onde chegaram, o que é algo que influencia e muito a vida dos protagonistas e as expectativas sobre eles. Basicamente a história gira em torno de uma rixa entre as famílias dos personagens principais, que dizem ser devido aos restaurantes ficarem de frente um para o outro. Porém, logo de cara a história nos mostra que essa rixa é sobre algo maior do que uma simples concorrência, e é justamente ela que nos leva até o ponto inicial do nosso casal. Eu gostei de como os protagonistas se aproximaram e devido a isso evoluíram, a química deles é incrível e imediata, nos deixando ansiosos por mais momentos roubados entre eles. Eu gostei de como é um romance leve apesar de todo o segredo, o casal principal não tem aquele drama muito comum em livros adolescentes e fiquei muito feliz em ver adolescentes agindo conforme a idade. Claro, no livro vemos toda a pressão que a família faz em cima deles, mas nada fora do comum para a fase. Eu achei o livro bem divertido, perfeito para todas as idades e que ainda deixa o coração quentinho, só não dei 5 estrelas porque no final senti meio corrido e falta de algumas coisas que é mais problema meu do que do livro. Por fim, esse é um livro que eu totalmente leria de novo ou até mesmo um conto no futuro dizendo algumas coisas que aconteceram depois.

bellareadssometimes's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

A cute and light-hearted book that I can heavily relate to. Very lovable characters and enjoyed the different perspectives. It was very fast-paced which made their meet a little underwhelming and was a bit too soon, in my opinion.