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A review by lawbooks600
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen
funny
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? No
3.0
Score: Six out of ten.
This one was okay. I wanted to read A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen for a while but I put it off for a few months, before finally picking it up at a library only a few days ago. The blurb sounded promising, but the ratings were low, so I headed in with low expectations. When I closed the final page, it was okay.
It starts with Liza Yang, a Taiwanese American, living with her controlling mother, seeing her as rebellious compared to her sister, Jeannie, but only because of one subject: traditional values. Liza's mother only wants Liza to date Taiwanese or Chinese men, and no one else. Why? I'm unsure, other than it's a value promoting monoracial marriages. The pacing is slow in the opening pages, and it doesn't pick up steam at any point in the narrative. The characters are likable and have character development, but it wasn't easy to connect or relate to them, especially Liza's second love interest. All the characters lacked depth, so I didn't feel like Liza and her partner had any chemistry, but adding more depth would improve the reading experience.
I like the diversity here, but I keep seeing a lot of Asian American stories, and I'd like to see more outside America, like British Asian and Asian Australian ones. Nothing much happens in the first 160 pages of the story, but the second half is more engaging as I get to see a baking competition, but the contestants are all Asian men. Liza soon realises the true purpose of the bake-off--her mother selected them, hoping Liza would date one of them, and she does. The relationship starts slowly but picks up, but I'd love to see more of the side plots, particularly those about racism and cheating.
I don't get to see why Liza's mother has a tight grip over Liza's life, especially considering she won't allow Liza to play sports (explaining her lack of swimming abilities until the 6th grade,) claiming she could risk tanning her skin and make herself less appealing (she still plays indoor sports behind her back without consequences, though.) It sends a message that Asians have a culture of not playing sports, meaning no swimming culture, soccer culture and so on, perhaps due to systemic racism. Really? I would've enjoyed A Taste for Love more if Liza's mother also changed as a character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Racism