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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
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? No
5.0
This was such a fantastic story. I loved learning more about the lion dances and seeing the differences between Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean ways of celebrating Lunar New Year.
I also love how the different types of love were presented - love in friendship, in family, and in romantic love. It was so heartwarming and a little bit magical combined with everything else in the story.
That all being said, the grandma was definitely my favourite character. We love a fun granny.
The art was stunning, the story was heartwarming and hopeful, this book was definitely a win for me.
TW: alcohol consumption; mentions death of a parent, violence, cancer
I also love how the different types of love were presented - love in friendship, in family, and in romantic love. It was so heartwarming and a little bit magical combined with everything else in the story.
That all being said, the grandma was definitely my favourite character. We love a fun granny.
The art was stunning, the story was heartwarming and hopeful, this book was definitely a win for me.
TW: alcohol consumption; mentions death of a parent, violence, cancer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, and Violence
kaistephan's review
emotional
3.25
It has Gene Luen Yang's signature style all over it, a heartfelt personal journey of self-acceptance with the help of an imaginary friend. Leyuen Pham's illustrations are gorgeous and evoke such a range of places, from Chinatown to Rome. But there were just too many details that rubbed me the wrong way to really get into it. The idea that one needs romantic love to be complete. The best friend used as a mere plot accessory without exploring the importance of other types of love. A queer character introduced only as a way to cut off a straight romance. The core was good, but the sides were half baked.
Except the aunties. The aunties and grandma were absolutely perfect.
Except the aunties. The aunties and grandma were absolutely perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Death of parent
idesofmarch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, and Cancer
Minor: Violence
indeedithappens's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent
arrowsartsandbooks's review
challenging
emotional
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
4.0
This book is about a girl, named Valentina, who believes her family has a generational curse that makes it so none of the family members, including herself, will be able to experience love without extreme loss and heartbreak. She makes a deal with the spirit of St. Valentine that if she can't find true love within a year, she'll give him her heart, that way she'll never experience love or heartbreak. The characters in this book were lovable. The art style was amazing. I loved how the illustrator used drastic color difference from scene to scene to set the mood of each scene. The way St. Valentine was drawn was haunting and creepy. This book explores cultural identity, specifically Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese Americans. It explores the traditions and activities in the cultures and how it can bring family, friends, and community together.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
lilybear3's review
emotional
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? No
4.5
I went into this book without really knowing what it's about. I didn't even know it was a graphic novel until recently. I initially saw it on NetGalley and knew I had to read it because I'll read anything Gene Luen Yang puts out.
This is a lovely teen romance that reminds us that love is not without difficult times, but it should also be easy. There's a lot of different types of relationships represented, parent-child, best friends, teens dating, and divorce. I loved how all of the relationships worked in tandem with each other. It's such a sweet story about love and wanting to have that special someone.
The artwork is beautiful and fits the story well. And it was released just in time for Lunar New Year.
This is a lovely teen romance that reminds us that love is not without difficult times, but it should also be easy. There's a lot of different types of relationships represented, parent-child, best friends, teens dating, and divorce. I loved how all of the relationships worked in tandem with each other. It's such a sweet story about love and wanting to have that special someone.
The artwork is beautiful and fits the story well. And it was released just in time for Lunar New Year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I did not expect this to be so vulnerable and poignant 😭 I teared up reading this graphic novel about Valentina, a teenager who used to love Valentine’s Day until a shocking family secret is revealed. She was visited by Saint V, a cupid-esque spirit who helped her make paper Valentine’s day cards for everyone, up until freshman year of high school. Then, after the secret is revealed and her relationship with her father deteriorates, Saint V transforms into a more sinister-looking spirit and gives her an ultimatum of one year to find true love or he will take her heart away. Valentina thinks she has found love with Les, and seasoned romance readers will know what is happening, but that doesn’t make the journey there any less worthy to follow.
I really appreciated the slow-paced storytelling in this, as it added to sympathizing with Valentina’s confusion, heartache, and deep loneliness as she held onto any semblance of love she could find. She felt her family was cursed to never have a happily ever after, and that’s a heavy, desolate burden for her to carry. The representation of both her distant relationship with her father and her Vietnamese culture really spoke to me too, as she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and wasn’t part of any bigger community to learn about it either. It also showed the emptiness one can feel when someone was their entire world before (in this case, Valentina & her dad) & then how isolating it feels when that relationship sours. I really felt for them & thought Luen Yang did an excellent job of portraying this sorrow and pain.
Valentina’s grandma was an absolute joy and reminded me so much of my grandma; she forgave both Valentina and her son/Valentina’s dad immediately whenever they apologized for their distance or words/behavior, and she went to their home at the drop of a hat when it was clear she was needed. She was a pistol and boldly and fearlessly dropped hard truths left and right 😭
With regards to the romance, I thought this was artfully done. We got to see Valentina assess how she felt both in the moment and afterwards as she reflected on what just transpired. Your body language and your mind just *knows* when you have found someone who makes you feel appreciated, seen, braver, and cared for. I loved how this took place over the span of a year and the questioning was really drawn out, rather than Valentina or her love interest just making impulsive choices for the sake of a “grand gesture”. The connection built up steadily and Valentina was able to contrast her feelings of disconnect and frustration against the quiet romance in how she felt around her trueeee love interest. I just ate that up 🥹
Valentina’s familial trauma was so devastating. I can only imagine being in that situation and I think LY illustrated this so authentically to how a teenager would behave, and gave each character enough nuance where no one ended up being the villain in this family. They were all capable of making poor decisions out of fear, selfishness, and pain, but everyone still deserved love, hope and connection. This graphic novel really surprised me, and I’m so glad I read it.
I did not expect this to be so vulnerable and poignant 😭 I teared up reading this graphic novel about Valentina, a teenager who used to love Valentine’s Day until a shocking family secret is revealed. She was visited by Saint V, a cupid-esque spirit who helped her make paper Valentine’s day cards for everyone, up until freshman year of high school. Then, after the secret is revealed and her relationship with her father deteriorates, Saint V transforms into a more sinister-looking spirit and gives her an ultimatum of one year to find true love or he will take her heart away. Valentina thinks she has found love with Les, and seasoned romance readers will know what is happening, but that doesn’t make the journey there any less worthy to follow.
I really appreciated the slow-paced storytelling in this, as it added to sympathizing with Valentina’s confusion, heartache, and deep loneliness as she held onto any semblance of love she could find. She felt her family was cursed to never have a happily ever after, and that’s a heavy, desolate burden for her to carry. The representation of both her distant relationship with her father and her Vietnamese culture really spoke to me too, as she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and wasn’t part of any bigger community to learn about it either. It also showed the emptiness one can feel when someone was their entire world before (in this case, Valentina & her dad) & then how isolating it feels when that relationship sours. I really felt for them & thought Luen Yang did an excellent job of portraying this sorrow and pain.
Valentina’s grandma was an absolute joy and reminded me so much of my grandma; she forgave both Valentina and her son/Valentina’s dad immediately whenever they apologized for their distance or words/behavior, and she went to their home at the drop of a hat when it was clear she was needed. She was a pistol and boldly and fearlessly dropped hard truths left and right 😭
With regards to the romance, I thought this was artfully done. We got to see Valentina assess how she felt both in the moment and afterwards as she reflected on what just transpired. Your body language and your mind just *knows* when you have found someone who makes you feel appreciated, seen, braver, and cared for. I loved how this took place over the span of a year and the questioning was really drawn out, rather than Valentina or her love interest just making impulsive choices for the sake of a “grand gesture”. The connection built up steadily and Valentina was able to contrast her feelings of disconnect and frustration against the quiet romance in how she felt around her trueeee love interest. I just ate that up 🥹
Valentina’s familial trauma was so devastating. I can only imagine being in that situation and I think LY illustrated this so authentically to how a teenager would behave, and gave each character enough nuance where no one ended up being the villain in this family. They were all capable of making poor decisions out of fear, selfishness, and pain, but everyone still deserved love, hope and connection. This graphic novel really surprised me, and I’m so glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
kayladaila's review
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
This book is stunning. It tells the story of Valentina and her lifelong relationship with love and Valentine’s Day. Through the story, she also comes into more of her Vietnamese culture, and diverse Asian cultures at large through lion dancing. Every piece of this story is intentional, and the art is equally as beautiful and important.annreadsabook's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY is a fantastic story that you will absolutely fly through; I can’t recommend it enough. Yang and Pham’s graphic novel is a sweet yet thoughtful ode to those who struggle with love—not those who are “unlucky in love,” but those who have other reasons to be wary about letting others into their lives. I loved the seamless way that Yang and Pham expanded the storyline beyond just your typical “romance story” and explored the fullness of Valentina’s life, which includes her father’s own heartbreak, as well as their difficult family history and ongoing struggles.
This is actually the first YA book that I’ve read since I was in high school, and even as a full adult I absolutely loved this book and would even recommend it for adults who are looking for a quiet yet engaging read. The illustrations are also top-notch, but this is to be expected from Yang (AMERICAN-BORN CHINESE) and Pham. Definitely put this on your list for a fun and sweet Valentine’s Day read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
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