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bedtimesandbooks's review
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Death, War, Grief, and Classism
aqtbenz's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Racism
vcords_'s review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Cursing, Genocide, and War
pages_with_a_preoccupied_prin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
This was a cute romance, interspersed with fantastic descriptions of food and art. I love that this book was steeped in Vietnamese culture and food and thoroughly enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet-esque nature of this story. It also had social commentary running under the story, with a discussion around racism that was approached really well. I did get frustrated with the parents and their lack of understanding for Linh and Bao, but it didn't put me off in anyway, I actually felt it was pretty accurate for the experience of many teens, their parents and the expectations placed on teenagers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
bookstahaley's review
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
rachelizx's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Racial slurs
ellamycroft's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: War, Sexism, and Death
jodierose14's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
readaverypage's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book got me out of my reading slump. This book is such a cute and quick read the romance is also done good because i find that in other romance books there's a lot of fluff/romance stuff that it becomes sort of cringy but it didn't happen on this one. Besides the romance it also talks about serious stuff like immigration, Vietnam war, racism and how parents especially Asian parents tend to force their children to choose a career path that they don't really like just because it's more stable.
I also like the author's writing because she describes food so well and it made me quite hungry while reading this book. However, i feel like the ending is kind of rush because it only took 10 - 15 pages for the conflict to be solved. Overall i like this book and would recommend it to others.
I also like the author's writing because she describes food so well and it made me quite hungry while reading this book. However, i feel like the ending is kind of rush because it only took 10 - 15 pages for the conflict to be solved. Overall i like this book and would recommend it to others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
zoepagereader's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
A modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet but with two children of Vietnamese immigrants with rival restaurants?? Honestly, I kind of just bought this for the food descriptions (I was not disappointed). This was a very cute read with good characters and plot. It was especially good for a debut novel (I never would have guessed!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Grief and Death