Reviews with content warning for Racism - A Pho Love Story

I just want to live in Bao's head all the time. What a fantastic character.
This sweet YA romance is maybe my favorite I've read so far this year. It touches on some serious things but doesn't ever get too dark. I loved learning about Vietnamese history culture and now I want to try the food! I would have loved a very brief glossary or pronunciation guide.

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lilybisliterate's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-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

3.5

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tomime's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? No

4.0

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nerp's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

What a beautiful, loving book. I actually cried toward the end. I need pho now!!

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lucyeanderson's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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

3.5

i mostly really enjoyed this book, i just couldn’t go above 3.5 stars because the flow just felt quite stop start. there were points (particularly the end) where i was so invested in the story, and other bits where it was slow and i was bored listening. linh felt like the classic younger sister stereotype, and while i understand her parents were meant to be unreasonable, i felt like she made little effort to understand their reasonings until it was spelt out to her. bao was better, i thought his perspectives were funny and sweet, he’s one of my favourite book boyfriends. the side characters were funny too, although all the characters felt a little predictable after a while. there were some cringey scenes also, although overall i did like the progression of events. overall, i liked this book, and i would recommend it. it was sweet and mostly easy listening, and i’ll most likely read the sequel!

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drtx_bwt's review

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adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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tsundoku_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-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

This was really cute. I liked seeing how Bao and Linh fought for each other despite their families' rivalry. The reveal of the true cause of their rivalry was interesting and not was I was expecting. I also like the way each character's passion like painting and writing was described. I'd recommend this.

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nerdysread's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

Une romance « interdite » sur fond de nourriture, famille, histoire familiale et secret de famille. Les personnages sont géniaux et l’histoire vraiment touchante, mais avec beaucoup de passages légers et mignons. J’ai dévoré et je me suis vachement attaché.e aux personnages.
En plus, ça donne faim

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