While this is a romance story that surrounds both Bảo and Linh, there are overarching themes of immigrants, family, the business feud, and self-discovery. Interwoven with the family feud and budding romance is the trauma experienced by Bảo and Linh’s parents during the Vietnamese war. Loan Le’s descriptive writing of the Vietnamese cuisine is delicious. Her illustrative prose left me salivating every other page. A delightful story about two young adults finding their way while navigating deeper and more difficult topics.

Starting with Linh, as an aspiring artist/painter, she’s worried about her parents’ reaction to her choice of career. To them, it’s a bleak and unstable path to pursue, and just a hobby. They would rather she become an engineer or, like Evie (Linh’s older sister), a doctor. Throughout A Phở Love Story, knowing their resistance, Linh could never speak up about her passion about painting in front of Mẹ and Ba.

For Bảo, though college applications are coming up, he has no clue about what he wants to do. Similar to Linh’s parents, and Asian parents in general, Bảo’s prompts him towards a high-paying job, being a doctor. When Bảo was thrown into an assignment with Linh, writing felt natural. Unexpectedly, he found something he was good at and enjoyed.

Both Bảo and Linh are amazing characters. With family as an integral part of A Phở Love Story, the main characters’ internal conflict often loosely connects with their own parents. Guilt tripping by Asian parents was often brought up especially when their Mẹ and Ba had to build the business from ground up as immigrants to ensure a stable home and better future for their kids. How can Bảo and Linh complain about or disregard their wishes? Both of them have to balance their parents’ sacrifice and expectations while making their own decisions for their own lives.

I enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. Though their businesses are just across the street from one another, as the children of these feuding families, Bảo and Linh are brought up with their parents’ resentment and dislike for one another. Despite that, Bảo and Linh never understood their bad blood. Their romance was really cute. Bảo is consistently supportive of Linh’s passion for art while Linh encourages Bảo with his writing.

Memorable moment: the chapter that only has one line with Linh questioning “did he just pat my shoulder?” It was unexpectedly cute. 😂

Overall, Bảo and Linh’s romance was adorable and sweet. They offer each other an avenue to be entirely and unapologetically themselves. In the background is the conversation of Bảo and Linh’s Vietnamese immigrant parents who faced multiple obstacles and racism when they first arrived in the United States (and even current), and the painful experience they had fleeing their homeland that was wrecked by war. Their business feud runs deeper than any of them have expected. Loan Le’s A Phở Love Story is a heartfelt debut novel worth the read.

A cute love story. A twist on Romeo and Juliet with the forbidden romance between two families who despise each other. I loved the family relationships in this book as well as the common theme of friendship and doing what you love.

Linh and Bao have known each other for years but never become friends because their families own competing restaurants. Gossip, rumors and grudges keep them apart until an unexpected journalism assignment finds them working together on a series of illustrated food reviews. Part complicated, forbidden romance; part mini class on finding your own thing and nurturing your passion even when the people around you don’t understand, A Pho Love Story is a read that allows for warm fuzzy feels while encouraging deeper consideration of immigrant experiences.

Bao collects words. They spill through the story. Linh collects color and light, they shine everywhere she goes but not always back at herself. Told in alternating voices, Bao and Linh share the narration as they navigate their parents' expectations, their path to the future beyond high school and figuring out how to be their own authentic selves and what that means when it doesn’t match what their families expect of them. A light romance anchored by family, community, and some secrets.

A Phở Love Story is a charming YA contemporary debut from author Loan Le about two teens – Bao and Linh - from rival families that run Vietnamese restaurants across the street from one another. It’s been years since the pair interacted, but they reconnect when a restaurant emergency and a school paper assignment bring them together. In the face of their growing feelings for one another, they decide that they need to uncover the real reason for the enmity between their families. But this isn’t the only thing that threatens their newly budding relationship, as both Bao and Linh have to grapple with familial expectations for their futures. A modern-day tale with a pinch of Romeo and Juliet vibes, a dash of coming-of-age struggles, a sweet romance, and a generous amount of Asian-American (specifically Vietnamese-American) culture and family dynamics sprinkled in? A Phở Love Story has all of the above! I enjoyed it a lot and for two specific reasons: first, it was very compelling (though it leans towards ‘slice of life’ and internal character struggles versus a lot of action) and second, I related so much to both the main characters (especially when it came to their family dynamics and emotional honesty). It also was just the right mix of sweetness and angst when it came to all the relationship conflicts. (But I think Le specifically resolves the familial conflict in a way that matched the drama but also didn’t diminish the authenticity of the feelings harbored by both families.) All in all, this debut was a delightful read!

A cute Romeo and Juliet style love story. Very well done and sweet, an enjoyable read. The familial relationships were the strongest part of this story though, the love story not so much.

A modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet (it is even referenced towards the beginning of the book) with two Vietnamese-American teenagers and their rival restaurant owning families. Not only was this a cute story, but it also was a great education for Vietnamese culture, including the amazing food! Each main character has parents that came to the United States as refugees during the Vietnam War and want only want the best for their children, but want financial stability as well.

Linh Mai is a junior in high school who wants to study art, even though her family does not approve of her choice. Her family heard of a success story and now want Linh to be an engineer. On the other side is Bao Nguyen, who is also a junior, and does not quite know what is passion is and therefore does not have a major he would want to pursue in college yet. The two sets of parents have been rivals since Bao and Linh were younger and the two children are forbidden to speak or interact with each other.

Linh’s parents opened a Vietnamese restaurant across the street from Bao’s parents’ Vietnamese restaurant. At first, I thought this was extremely naïve business practices as you are dividing your customer base between two restaurants, as they will go to one or the other and not both. However, I have been to places where the entire street seemed to include slight variations of the same restaurant and they all were thriving, but it could just be area dependent and might not work in the neighborhood described in the book.

They interact in school through Linh’s friend, Ali, who brings the two of them together on a project, as she is the journalism editor in the class that Bao is enrolled in. As a reader, it made me envious of the well-off school that both Linh and Bao attend. They have tons of classes that were never options for me when I was in school, such as, marine biology. Even though the journalism and art classes were offered, this school took everything to a whole other level given that many of the art supplies were provided and my school had the students provide their own most of the time. After Bao shows promise for editing and writing, Ali decides he is perfect to write and review food places that are accessible to students. She also wants the artwork to accompany the articles and recruits Linh for the role. Bao and Linh’s relationship was very cute as the two of them learn that they have a lot more in common than their rival families would have them believe. This comes into play a lot, as they seem to think about events in the same way. The writing loses me a little here as it becomes repetitive when things are told from each of their perspectives and even some events are repeated just from the point of view of the other. Unlike other novels where each chapter is told from the point of view of each character, the chapters contain the perspectives of both Bao and Linh as it bounces back and forth between them. There are times when it would be a single line/paragraph for one of them in between paragraphs/sections for the other. It just seemed a little unnecessary to bounce that many times between each of their perspectives.

Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the inner workings of each of the family restaurants. It was interesting to see how even though each family pretty much has the same restaurant, each of them ran it differently all the way down to how they clean. The writing brings a new perspective to teenagers working as they each work in the family business and that comes with different expectations than working in an outside company. Although I am not Vietnamese, I did grow up with tons of friends who had parents that immigrated before they were born or after, and it felt very familiar to me as I remember hearing about everything when I was visiting them at either their family’s businesses or their houses. I loved how both the Nguyen and the Mai family each had their own experiences with immigration and adapting to life in the United States as it showed the reality that you could come from the same place, but not go through the same experience. There is a huge sense of community as well which is greatly highlighted in the story. The romance between Bao and Linh was good, but not the most fantastic, as they did not bring as much excitement to the story as I would expect in a YA novel and have read in other stories. Instead, this book was mainly enjoyable for me as an insight into Vietnamese-American culture, which of course includes extremely delicious food! It made me want to visit a Vietnamese restaurant ASAP (Vietnam itself in an ideal world)! An excellent novel by Loan Le and I would gladly pick up any books that she writes in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

*Disclaimer: I received an advanced e-copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley), in exchange for a fair review.*

While the YA genre isn’t always my thing, I loved this. Each character had just enough depth. I didn’t anticipate the aunt being such a huge part of the issue between the families, but the story was wholesome and heartening. I very much appreciated all of the inclusion of Vietnamese; while there are often translations, it’s fairly easy to understand them from the context as well. Though a book about teenagers, the way it discusses racism, death, the American Dream and the immigrant experience, makes it a good one to use as a springboard for discussion.

The ending felt a bit abrupt, but I will say, I’m glad it didn’t have the fully cookie cutter ending. It leaves you wondering about and rooting for Linh’s future.

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I listened to the audiobook as I read along with the ARC. Definitely a modern day R&J with a twist at the end. Listening to the audiobook helped with the pronunciation of all the Vietnamese vocabulary. Thankfully the author would include context clues after to help the reader understand and follow along with the story. The line that stood out the most to me was "Where does the line between what I want and what our parents want end?" I know that this will resonate with all readers. How do you please your parents while ensuring that you follow your own path.

An adorable YA forbidden/friends to lovers romance about two second generation Vietnamese teens who secretly fall in love against their parents wishes. A sweet and familial book filled with angst, food, and lots of tradition!

Bao is trying to figure himself out and Linh just wants to be an artist, so when they get paired up to draw and write restaurant reviews for the school Newspaper neither one of them handles the growing attraction between them very well. After all, their parents are rival restaurant owners and a real relationship is an impossibility.

At first I had a really hard time getting into this one with the terminology, but a few chapters in and I was totally invested. I really enjoy how a huge portion of this book revolves around the restaurants their parents own and the family dynamic of being Vietnamese. There is a lot to learn from these two families and I felt like the love story between Bao and Linh was realistic and endearing. This is one of those books that made my heart ache just a bit. A delightful and refreshing story of finding oneself, heritage, and young love!

This book was so sweet! I really loved reading about the family dynamics and appreciated the perspective of both sets of parents coming over as refugees. Linh and Bao are a great match and I hope we get more of Ali and Viet! I love the classic Romeo and Juliet type of forbidden romance and am a big fan of the way Le spun this book!

A PHO LOVE STORY was a sweet, forbidden love romance with all of the Vietnamese-American representation I could've asked for. The budding romance between Bao and Linh was so sweet. My heart really ached for them being afraid of being together because I know that fear of disappointment and disapproval that can only come from family. While I enjoyed seeing them get together, I enjoyed the Viet-Am representation more. I felt like Loan Le really put her own experiences and the experiences of so many other second-generation Vietnamese Americans on these pages.

The situations that Bao and Linh experienced with their parents really mirrored what I went through as a teen, and sometimes what I still go through as an adult. One critique I had for this novel is that the voices of Bao and Linh weren't very distinct. Even though each chapter was labeled with who's POV it was, I still found myself lost in multiple chapters unsure of who was narrating. Their lives were very similar and their voices were too.

Overall I felt that the romance was sweet but the main focus of this novel was how these two teens stood up for what they wanted to pursue, what their passions were, and were able to explain it to their parents. As the children of immigrants, we carry their goals of a better life and success. Le did a fantastic job of putting those experiences on the pages.

Caution: don’t read this book while hungry because you will find yourself craving a warm bowl of pho, savory egg rolls, crispy banh xeo, and so much more.

Filled with the most delicious food descriptions and a sweet romance, A Pho Love Story explores the complexities of family expectations and forming your own identity. Through our main protagonists, Linh and Mai, we learn about the families’ rivalry in food and shared pasts, shaped by the Vietnam War.

A Pho Love Story follows the dual perspectives of highschoolers Linh Mai and Bao Ngyuen whose parents own competing pho restaurants in Little Saigon. While Linh dreams of becoming an artist despite her parents wishes, Bao struggles with the uncertainty of future career plans as the deadline of college looms closer.

The relationship between our protagonists and their families felt achingly familiar from gaps in communication due to generational differences to how their parents expressed their love in quiet moments. Throughout the story, Linh and Bao learn of their parents’ escape as refugees of the Vietnam war, and this message of a parent’s sacrifice in hopes of a better life for their children is one that many diaspora children can understand.

My biggest struggle with this book was that it felt WAY. TOO. LOOOONNGG. I honestly don’t think any YA contemporary book needs to be over 400 pages, especially since it doesn’t need extra room for world-building in comparison to fantasy books...but that might just be a personal preference.

While the writing itself was easy to read, the length of the book made certain scenes feel unnecessary. I’ve also grown personally tired of the “protagonist wants to pursue an arts career against their Asian American parents’ wishes” plotline since I’m basic and pursued a YAPPIE (young asian professional) career, but I can understand why it’s significant and meaningful to other readers.

While Linh and Bao’s romance does play a major role in this story, I found myself more invested in their parents’ interconnected past and the mouthwatering food descriptions and busy restaurant life. It might be because Linh and Bao get together very early on in the story so the conflict in their relationship was more due to their parents’ forbidding it versus a personal rivalry.

All in all, I loved seeing how proudly Vietnamese this book was from the casual way the characters spoke a mix of Vietnamese and English with their family to the hustle and bustle of loving Vietnamese aunties. At the same time, the story thoughtfully reflects on the shared trauma that many refugees of the Vietnam War experienced and how those events had lasting effects on generations.

For the first time in my life, I read a book and saw my own life in it - my culture, my language, my upbringing, and my family. A Pho Love Story is an #ownvoices story by Loan Le is an adorable YA romance about teens from warring Vietnamese restaurant owners. It is a very cute spin on Romeo and Juliet (minus the poison and daggers!). But to me, the eldest daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, it is so much more than that. It is a story of families who work to give their children the future they think is best. It is a story of children who struggle to develop their own identity in the face of disappointing their parents. It is the story of a community that fled their homes, rebuilt something new, and created a new American Dream.

This is story about Vietnamese-American teens. There is a bit a Vietnamese language in the dialog, especially with the parents. Please do not be deterred by this. Google has a pretty good Vietnamese to English translator and I used it a lot. I cannot read or write Vietnamese (however, I knew all the insults from the parents). There is no shame in using the translator - but you will be just fine if you don't use it either. The gist of the phrase is almost always given right after. I highly recommend Googling all the food terms if you are not familiar with Vietnamese food. Our food is the bomb.

This isn't a straightforward love story, or even a straightforward story about families. Families are messy. The aftermath of a war is messy. Vietnamese parents generally aren't great at communicating verbally (they use food). But it's a wonderful journey for Bao and Linh. If you are Vietnamese like me, you will see so many glimpses and nods to your life that it's like an inside joke. And if you are not Vietnamese, I bet you'll find something you can relate to. Romantic love and parental love - those kinds of things transcend language, culture, and war.

Unfortunately, I found this one too all over the place and far too juvenile. I really appreciate the native language being present, but sometimes it was so much to the point that I was getting confused.

This is the first arc that I’ve ever received, and that is very exciting for me. I was drawn in by the adorable cover art, and the buzz that I have seen about this book on instagram. As expected, it made me very hungry, and since I have no impulse control, I ordered takeout while I was reading it.

I would describe the story as a modern Romeo and Juliet involving Vietnamese food. Bao and Linh are Vietnamese-American teens who fall in love, despite the fact that their families have been feuding for years and are competing against one another in the restaurant business.

This is a YA novel, and I feel that the story is definitely geared towards that demographic. With the exception of a few f-bombs, it’s pretty wholesome and it seemed that the main characters were written appropriately for their age group. The novel focuses heavily on the parental pressure that both Bao and Linh experience in terms of being successful and having viable career paths. Contrary to many YA novels where the parental figures are absent, this one features the parents quite frequently. It was interesting to read about the different pressures and expectations that the children of immigrants may experience. I was also interested in the family history and resulting trauma that the parents endured, and the way that this shaped their attitudes.

There were some things that I would change about this book. I think that it would have been better had it been about 150 pages shorter. The middle seemed too long, and as if it didn’t really need to be there…I had difficulty pushing through this part. I also would have liked to see more of the restaurant aspect. Oddly, I was more interested in the preparations involved in running a restaurant than the love story (but maybe I’m just weird). I also would have liked more context clues around some of the Vietnamese phrases, because I wanted to understand them and couldn’t.

Overall, this was a very young, cute and unique read. I would give it 3/5 stars.

Ugh, I really wanted to love this one but just didn’t. My biggest issue is that is was too long. I felt that the pacing of the story really dragged because we focused so much in Bao’s and Linh’s day to day lives. And while the whole Romeo and Juliet vibes were strong in this one, I can’t say that I was particularly sold.

Loved the insight into restaurant life, Vietnamese food, and the unapologetic Vietnamese culture and language dispersed throughout the book. Since I’m not Vietnamese, please check what own voices reviewers have to say.

Overall, while there were certain aspects of this story that really pulled me in, most of the time I was wishing the story was snappier and had better pacing.

Thanks to Simon Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Adorable romance with a deeper historical familial story. This book tackles important issues such as social justice, racism, identity and family expectations.

TW for loss of a loved one and racism

This was such a cute YA romance!! I really loved how Bao and Linh haven't talked to each other for their entire lives because of their family feud until Bao approaches Linh outside of her restaurant their senior year when she's having a rough time. Their budding friendship was so cute and I loved how they both bonded over the pressure from their parents and the unknown of their futures. This was more a friends to lovers and they were forced to hang out through a school assignment, which was fun. Even though Bao and Linh had similar parents who were very strict and had high expectations for their children, they were still very different characters and had pretty different families, which I appreciated.

The reason I knocked my rating down half a star is because I wanted just a little more from the romance. I think we had a long build up and then didn't really get a lot of them genuinely happy together. They were always worrying about their parents and then, of course, things blow up. I did enjoy how their families were forced to confront their issues and also confront what Bao and Linh genuinely wanted from their respective futures. And can we talk about the food? Both families own restaurants and this book had me hungry all the time! There was so much food and the atmosphere of this book was just amazing. I was lost in this world and could not get enough of this story!

Overall, I really loved this book. The characters were all so memorable and the romance was adorable. This also tackles racism and the life of an immigrant, and Bao and Linh struggle being the children of immigrants with such high expectations and responsibilities placed on their shoulders. I couldn't recommend this enough!

Thank you so much Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for #gifting me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Pho Love Story is very fun and fresh in its take on two second generation American-Vietnamese teens trying to figure out what they want from life and falling in love in the process. It explores themes like immigration, war trauma, cultural identity and the burden of familial expectations and dishes out (no pun intended) mouthwatering descriptions of Vietnamese food. I loved how the author interspersed Vietnamese words and sentences in her writing, I think it added a lot of authenticity and character to the story.

The book in my opinion slightly suffers from being too long (400 pages), but overall it is a fun, worthwhile YA fiction read.

I’d recommend to people who enjoyed A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow and Tweet Cute!

First of all the title and the cover of this book is ridiculously cute! That had me hook - my love of yummy pho and romance! Being Asian-American myself, I love getting a glimpse in the family-dynamics that I could relate to. This book is not only sweet and cute, but it does show a lot of the different generation's issues of these families.