Hungry Hearts is a vibrant anthology celebrating food, culture, and the magic of community, with stories from a diverse group of YA authors. Set in the fictional Hungry Heart Row, each tale explores love, family, and identity through delicious dishes and culinary traditions. Perfect for readers who enjoy heartfelt, multicultural stories with a flavorful twist.

This book made me HUNGRY - for food and connection. A beautiful mix of individual stories that will keep you coming back!

Delicious and warm and chockful of good eating. Particular standouts included the stories by Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, Rin Chupeco, and Sara Farizan.

Who wouldn't love an anthology filled with stories about FOOD? I mean let's be real - a love of books and food go hand in hand. This is such a charming collection. I think Anna Marie McLemore's story was my favorite, but it's honestly nearly impossible to pick one because they're all interconnected (how insane is that?!). I don't think I've loved a short story collection this much since LET IT SNOW (which is a near-perfect christmas collection IMO). If you're looking for a new kind of anthology, Hungry Hearts will definitely leave you craving more!

Hungry Hearts is a compilation of short stories by various authors that take place on Hungry Heart Row. This one was hit or miss with me. Some stories, in particular the one by Sandhya Menon, were fantastic, while others I ended up skimming. I love the premise of each story revolving around a restaurant in the same area from a different culture, but in the end it fell a little flat for me.

I really enjoyed everything about this collection. I would love to see more anthologies featuring all of these authors!

4.5 stars! I was pleasantly surprised by this anthology. It is true that anthologies are mixed bags; there are always going to be some stories you love and some you don't care for, but in this one I'm happy to say that for me, the former outweighed the latter!
This is such a great multicultural and heartfelt read, and it had me wishing Hungry Heart Row was a real place I could visit to try all the food and meet the people. Since the stories all take place in the same area, the characters are mentioned in each others' stories, so there is a pretty big cast. I rated each story separately for my own personal enjoyment and remembrance, and then thought to add a brief snippet of what the story is about.

Rain - 5 stars. About grief.

Kings and Queens - 3 stars. About gangs and revenge. This was one of those stories that didn't quite seem to fit with all the others. Definitely not a happy one.

The Grand Ishq Adventure - 5 stars. About secret identities and living bravely. The twist was expected but oh so enjoyable! I'm sure I had a silly grin on my face while reading.

Sugar and Spite - 4 stars. About magic and bullying. I really liked this one, but it was in second person point of view, which was weird and took away from the story.

Moments to Return - 4 stars. About the fear of death and learning to live with it. This was a really short one. I would have liked more.

The Slender One - 5 stars. About belonging, and family, and new friends that might become more.

Gimme Some Sugar - 5 stars. About pushing through anxiety.

The Missing Ingredient - I cannot even rate this one. This had me literally going "WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK DID I JUST READ?!?" This is the one that completely got the book off track - there's always that one story that DOESN'T FIT with the anthology. This is that one. It is super dark, and I am not ok.

Hearts à la Carte - 4 stars. About falling for someone and conflict in the relationship. There is a superhero and villain involved, which was unexpected.

Bloom - 4 stars. About the past and the future, and scars.

A Bountiful Film - 5 stars. About new homes and new friendships.

Side Work - 5 stars. About forgiveness and flirting.

Panadería ~ Pastelería - 4 stars. About acceptance and the right words.

If you've been thinking about reading this one, give it a shot! I really enjoyed most of the stories.

All the short stories in this, every single one of them is just so, so, so amazing and you fall in love more each time! I absolutely adore the stories so much and it just makes my heart so happy that such an anthology exists! ❤

Hungry Hearts is a beautiful collection of stories centered around food. I love the diversity of this collection, which will hit home with so many teen readers. It has already been a valuable contribution to the YA collection at my library and I will continue to recommend it to teen readers. I love that this book includes a balance of well-known YA authors like Sandhya Menon and Anna-Marie McLemore, but also includes voices that readers may be less familiar with.

This is the kind of anthology we need more of in the YA community. I will definitely be seeking out other titles from the authors included in this collection.

“Any time someone makes something for YOU, you have to try it. Just a tiny bit even.”

Hungry Hearts is not a book you should read with an empty stomach. With wholesome and heartwarming stories that span genres and feature the respective authors’ signature elements, this anthology is a beautiful celebration of different cultures and food. I enjoyed every story in this anthology, and S.K.Ali’s A Bountiful Film acted as a wonderful meeting point where characters and places of different stories appeared proving that food really does connect people, cultures and diverse experiences.

In A Bountiful Film, Hania has mixed feelings about her move to Hungry Hearts Row. Even though she loves being with her Valimma (grandmother) she misses her old life, and does not see the appeal of the close knit and happening community of her new neighbourhood. But when she picks the place’s most recent mystery as the subject for her new film, she is brought closer to the people, while food acts as the heart of her journey.

I would love to live in Hungry Hearts Row. All those amazing people, such an inclusive community and all that food? Count me in. I really adored the way the people interacted with and cared for each other. Relationships made the book, and the best one was the bond between Hania and her grandmother. It was such a South Asian relationship, and it made my heart so happy. Valimma said things I have often heard my mom say to me. One of the first lessons my mom had ever taught to me about making food was cooking it with love. We South Asians really believe that love is what adds taste to the food, and S.K.Ali really captured the essence of that in this story.

The food in this story does not limit to South Asian cuisine, in fact a delicious shrimp adobo plays a huge part in it. (I had fallen in love with adobo when I visited Philippines back in 2015, and I could taste the memories as I read about it in the story) I let out a little squeal when dosas made an entry though, because have you ever had dosas? They are the best food in the world. Literally that’s the first thing I ate when I returned home for summer break, and I almost cried at the first bite

This isn't a review on the book itself, but the format of the ARC itself. It made the book excruciatingly difficult to read because it did not format correctly to my Kindle. I will more than likely read this book again as a physical book to review it on other places.

I enjoyed a few of the stories in this book, but I'm clearly not the intended audience for it. I felt like there were quite a few stories that dragged the rest of the book down. I liked how all of the stories took place in the same setting, so to speak. The connecting feeling made some of the dragging stories worth reading, so the information flowed through the book. I wouldn't pick this up again and I don't know if I'll be recommending it, but I think it is the right book for someone out there.

Hungry Hearts is a diverse anthology featuring stories that explore the intersection of food and culture. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review as part of the Hungry Hearts official blog tour, specifically to highlight The Slender One as I am an #OwnVoices reader for this story.

The Slender One follows the story of Charlie, a Chinese-American boy, and his family as they prepare their family restaurant, The Happy Horse, for the annual Ghost Festival on Hungry Heart Row. 🌙 The Hungry Ghost Festival, or Zhongyuan Jie (中元節), occurs on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar where it is believed that the gates of heaven and hell open and spirits are free to roam the Earth. In order to placate the ghosts and keep them entertained, families would present special food on altars as an expression of their love and respect.

The story introduces how food is a cornerstone of Chinese culture and how it is used to honor our ancestors. For all our holidays (not just The Ghost Festival), food is used to bring together a community where each specific food symbolizes something greater. 💞 Noodles are eaten for long life. Dumplings are eaten for good fortune, and apples are eaten for peace and prosperity. In the story, we specifically see how pineapple cakes bridge a rift between family members.

Throughout the story, we also see how Charlie struggles with his culture and identity when his schoolmates join the festival. At times, some of his classmates would be disgusted at traditional Chinese food because it’s something unfamiliar, and as a high schooler who simply wants to fit in with his friends, he feels as if he’s at a crossroads between sharing his family and culture or hiding who he is. 😔 Growing up, I lived in a predominantly Asian community so I was lucky to feel whole-heartedly accepted by my friends and classmates, but Charlie’s story represents reality for many teens.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the star foods in this story is pineapple cake which is a treat that I hold near and dear to my heart. If you’re not familiar with Chinese or Taiwanese pineapple cake, your first thought might jump towards something like pineapple upside down cake, but while that is undeniably yummy, I promise you that Asian pineapple pastries are next level. 🍍 It’s buttery and chewy, sweet and tangy, but, most importantly, it’s a treat that reminds me of home. I loved sharing it with my grandma, and even now in college, my mom still includes them in care packages that she mails to me.

Although The Slender One was a short story, it still captured many feelings of a community brought together by food. I loved seeing Charlie and his Waipo, or grandma, interact and bond over baking pastries and sharing stories. I’m planning on reading the rest of the stories in the anthology soon, and I’m positive they’ll be just as amazing as this one. 🥰🥢

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was okay but will be enjoyed more by those who love both food and short stories.

My Review on Kings and Queens (by Elsie Chapman)

I didn’t expect this story to involve gangs and revenge, so that surprised me. In a good way. I loved how they were all woven together with food, an important element. It enriched the main character and their arc.

From beginning to end, I was hooked by their motives and the importance of family. Even the minor characters who came and went caught my attention. Chapman is able to convey the significance of food and family and detail the worldbuilding that would speak to my soul in such a short time.

Kings and Queens is a short story I won’t forget.

Rating: 🍜🍜🍜🍜

So, I haven't completely read all the stories in this book, but I know that I'll probably not get back to it. So I'm going to count it as finished. I have to say that I really enjoyed this a lot, and will definitely recommend for teens to read it. Basically from what I read, the first story was short and sweet. I also decided after reading it that I had to actually Google some of the different food types to get an idea what they were. The second story was really dark, but in a good way! The third story was a bit predictable, but still very sweet and enjoyable. The fourth story was dark again, but this time the food wasn't anything I thought I'd want to try, but it fit perfectly into the story. Add Alsaid's story was really good, and made me wish that the setting in the book was real, because I wanted to go to that place! The Slender One story made me do a lot of googling to find out more about food, that one about some Asian foods. One story talked about deep fried foods, like I've always wanted to try deep fried butter ever since a story on the summer fairs that had that kind of thing. That story made me really want again to try it, and try it dipped in both chocolate sauce and melted peanut butter. Yummy! There was a story about fried chicken, as well as a story about a recipe needing more heart. All the stories I got through were great, and I hope to have time some day to go back and finish. But I doubt there is anything that is disappointing in this wonderful anthology, just more stories to make your mouth water!

Hungry Hearts is a delightful anthology of subtly interrelated stories about teens discovering themselves through food. Although they vary in tone and theme, each story is full of magic, sometimes literally, and a perfect example of the power of food to convey identity, kinship, and love. I really enjoyed the way each story alluded to characters and places in the others; it felt a bit like an Easter egg hunt. The setting is vividly characterized through a collaborative effort on every author's part, and it's an example of innovative storytelling at its finest. Reading this anthology made me wish there were a real Hungry Heart Row that I could visit I could net the characters and try the many delicious foods described in each story.

If you aren’t hungry when you start reading this book, you likely will be by the time you finish. The food descriptions are enchanting and the connections people make through cooking and sharing food will make readers want to share in the magic. And yes, there is definitely magic here.

Story collections can be rather hit or miss for me. Often, there are a few gems and the other stories seem like filler. That didn’t happen here. Even more surprising, though the stories share the same theme of food, they are also set in the same place and have stories that overlap and share some of the same characters. That must have taken great attention to detail and a lot of communication between the authors and editors. Once or twice the connections seemed a little forced, but in most instances they just felt well-woven. It made me appreciate the craft and want to know how the whole thing was orchestrated.

Above all, these stories are about relationships and how food is one way that we relate to one another. Food can heal or be a bridge when people have fallen away from each other. It can be a temptation or even be used as a weapon. The pursuit of food can also be an adventure. And of course, food can also show love and provide hope.

There are a few stories included where food brings punishment, revenge, or death and that was a surprise. Those stories definitely stand out from the others and are some of the most memorable tales. These are balanced out with lighter and sometimes even dreamy tales.

Recommendation: Get it soon – especially if you’re interested in food. This is a unique collection that might even inspire some cooking.

Before I jump in, I want say thank you to CW and Vicky for organizing this AMAZING food crawl and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. This blog tour is a way to celebrate the different Own Voices stories from a different authors with different backgrounds and how their cultures connect to food. Each reviewer is posting about their cultural connection to the story they are reviewing. Also, these photos are not mine. I found them on weheartit.*

The story I had the chance of discussing today is Bloom by Phoebe North. In Phoebe’s story, we meet Naomi and her grandfather, Pop who run a deli together. Naomi is a high school senior who doesn’t enjoy school and is still grieving the loss of her parents when she meets Simon who takes her to different restaurants on Hungry Heart Row. She learns about love, education, food, her religion and herself. In my aesthetic above, it’s what popped into my mind when reading the story. I picture the city to be something similar to Manhattan and the deli too similar to the Jewish delis you see on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that my grandparents used to take me too. Naomi and Simon are both intellectuals and both want to be able to find their purpose in this world. We see Naomi grow into her own person and really think about herself. I love Pop so much, he reminds me of my grandmother (may she rest in peace), the same wit and toughness. I really loved this story and I hope you will too.

This story made me think of the relationship that us Jews have with food. It’s become a running joke that all of our holidays go “they tried to kill us, they didn’t kill us, let’s eat.” But this is very true, food holds a special place in our religion which has a huge cultural impact. Naomi and her grandfather bond while working at the Deli, Naomi and Simon share many moments over food, it’s how relationships are made in the Jewish culture. When new people move into the neighborhood of my community, my mother will say “Oh! Let’s have them over for a shabbat meal.” And some of the places I have met some of the most interesting people in my life have been at holiday meals at other people’s homes. There is a part where Naomi talks about what her family had to run away from in Europe, not very different from that of what my family had to flee, and then mentions that food is for survival. The Jewish people are not strangers to having to flee and make sure they have what to eat, if you keep Kosher (like myself and my family) its very hard to find food in certain places. Food is something that brings us together but can separate us in a minute, its amazing how much of our lives revolve around food.

While Meet Cute remains my favorite of the YA anthologies, I'm pretty sure Hungry Hearts is my #2. What sets this group of stories apart is that they're interconnected. In addition to the overarching theme of food (which I mean, who doesn't love a book that makes them hungry afterwards), each story takes place in Hungry Hearts Row, where we follow thirteen different teenagers struggle with family, culture, love and self-worth but all their answers can be found in one of the many restaurants in the aforementioned community. In this book, food really is a balm for the soul and as I've said in another review that perpetuated the same message, I'm a huge fan of that. I enjoyed how characters popped up in other authors' works and all the references to Asian food (Filipino culture was very much represented!). I will say that, as in any anthology, not every story will be for you. And while I found the first half to be very strong, I thought the middle to the end ranged from lukewarm to a tad weak. My favorite stories were: Rain by Sangu Mandanna, The Grand Isha Adventure by Sandhya Menon (I wouldn't be mad if she turned this into a full-fledged novel), Sugar and Spite by Rin Chupeco, and Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid.

Do I recommend? If you enjoy anthologies, I think this is a fun one to borrow from the library!