See my private note to the publisher. The book sounded interesting and Vietnamese Americans are underrepresented in YA lit, but I couldn't stand to read it because of NetGalley's inferior app. Please offer it on Kindle and I will gladly finish the book and give it an honest review.

Words have power and the story of the past needs to be told. For the children of rival restaurants, communication has been off-limits, but when Bao sees Linh in the weeds on Pho Day, he heads across the street to help out. Soon their paths are crossing and friends help to get them together. And by being together they might be lying to their families, but they're discovering themselves. But lies must be addressed, both from the present and the past. They must find out why their families are such terrible rivals.
Within the process of discovery, we learn about what it means to be a Vietnamese American. How the rules of one world have blended with the customs of another. The story is beautifully crafted and highlights the relatable experiences of first-generation Americans.

The desciption says When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious but I like to think of it as Romeo and Julie meets Restaurant Wars. :-) Bao and Linh live across the street from each other and their parents own competing Vietnamese restaurants. They aren't supposed to look at each and talk to each other let alone fall in love. A nice rom-com for teens.

This one was just not to my taste. I felt like many of the characters were overly stereotypical and the pacing was uneven -- sometimes the story felt too long, while specific scenes felt rushed. The level of dislike between the families felt unreasonable. I get the tie to Romeo & Juliet, but making the families hate one another so much felt forced.

Received received an ARC from netgalley for an honest opinion.

I like the idea of this book, but not so much the execution. The characters were good, and I liked that it was based on Romeo and Juliet, and was happy that no one died at the end. Maybe there was just too much, it could have been shorter and I think would have been better.

Asian representation + Romeo and Juliet + delectable food = *chef’s kiss* (why do we not have a gif for that?)

This ya contemporary romance was perfectly sweet and romantic, with the right amount of dashes of spice and drama.

It’s a modern retelling of the tragic Romeo and Juliet, so you know there’s going to be family rivalry, but thank goodness it’s modern so there’s no, uh, well, tragic ending 😅

Since this book is about fighting between two family-owned restaurants, it reminds me of the movie Pizza My Heart, please tell me someone has seen this movie!

Now let’s get to what I loved about this story. First off, the food. This book made me hungry and made me want to go to all the Vietnamese restaurants and get some pho! The food was described so detailed and deliciously. But one thing I loved is that even though pho is the two main character’s lives, it isn’t everything. They have their own dreams they want to pursue, and part of this novel is their discovery of what they want and helping their parents understand them.

Next, the romance. You could say this is an enemies to lovers story, but Bao and Linh are only enemies by default. For their whole lives, their families have hated eachother. But Linh and Bao never actually hated eachother. When they first really meet, it starts off a little rocky, but it soon blossoms into a beautiful friendship that turns into something more. They were so sweet together, and just fit perfectly with the other.

The family dynamics between the parents who fled their country and came to the US and their children who never knew these traumatic times was well done and made me invested in the story. I wanted to know why there was such a deep seeded feeling of hate.

The ending, with the resolving of all the different issues (the restaurant rivalry, the parent/child tension, the forbidden romance) was perfect and gave me all the warm fuzzies. I can’t wait to see what Loan He has in store next!

If you love sweet ya romances, then you need to check this book out!

I wanted more food and food references in this book!
So we are greeted with our two Vietnamese teens, Bao and Linh. They are not supposed to talk to each other or be friends. They met as kids and then were separated by their families, as there is a long standing feud going on between them. We find out along the way that the feud doesn't actually have to do with the family pho restaurants.

Bao is such a great character as we see him grow as he and Lihn become closer! He isn't sure what he wants to do with his life, but with Lihn it makes him more focused to get her to see her potential and by doing that he is learning his. Linh's situation is different. She doesn't want to do exactly what her sister as has done, she loves art. She only sees it as a hobby though until Bao really pushes her to see what she is capable of.

I loved the diversity in this book and the look at the two different families.
A fun read, but I wanted more food and maybe even some recipes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Unfortunately, due to this title not being available for Kindle, I will not be able to read the e-copy provided by the publisher. I do not have another device that supports the Netgalley Shelf App required for reading this. I do look forward to reading this book when it is published. Thank you.

" Two households, both alike in dignity. . ."
That is the beginning of the prologue for Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Luckily, this YA rom com is not a tragedy, but the elements of long-seated family feuding, family secrets and a hidden relationship are in this new novel coming out in February of 2021.

Two Vietnamese American teens, Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai know that they are not to talk to each other. It was made clear one day at temple when the two young kids happened to connect and start playing. When the parents found out, they were quickly separated, and now in high school, they have not had any classes together and they do not share the same friends.

But what they do have in common is that both teens work for their family pho restaurant across the street from each other. They at first believe that this is perhaps the source of the bitter feud, but when Bao finds Linh distraught in the alley behind her restaurant one night, he cannot turn away. Cue the music - their lives were changed.

The readers are brought into the mystery along with Bao and Linh who soon realize that the family feud has nothing to do with the restaurant and more to do with something that happened between the two families in Vietnam.

My thoughts:
Although pho is in the title, it is not the foodie book that I hoped it would be. There were some references to certain dishes that I would have liked more information about. I also would have liked some recipes at the end, but again, this is not that kind of book.

What I really like is the character of Bao who, before he gets to know Linh, is really kind of rudderless. He is an Asian student who does ok to get by, but does not really have a plan in mind for college and beyond. His parents also do not seem to put a lot of pressure on him to do well. He is ok to just skate by. But once he gets involved with Linh, he seems to find purpose in getting her to see her purpose. He suddenly becomes a community activist of sorts, and at least an advocate for Linh and her potential.

Linh's situation is very different. She is the second daughter and follows her elder sister who fits into the expected mold of smart, obedient older sister at a good college, pursuing an acceptable degree (that leads to a good job). Linh is different because she wants to do art. Others know she is a great artist but she does not see this as a possibility beyond one of being a hobby.

Similar books that cover culture, cultural norms, filial piety, cutesy rom com:
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (any of her books)
Natalie Tan's Book of Love and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from @NetGalley.

The protagonists are Vietnamese and this is an enemies to lovers trope. Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon. I adored this book and I don't want to give away anything but if you're a fan of rom-coms then this is for you!

I absolutely adore this charming star-crossed love story of teens from competing pho restaurants. I kept whipping through the pages, and loved the main characters, Linh and Bao, so much. The characters are so richly drawn, and their family relationships, and the balance between their dreams and their parents' dreams for them completely captivated me. Loan Le is a wonderful writer, and I'd love to read more from her.

I will try my best not to write this review for this phonomenal book without a pho pun. Okay never mind.

A PHO LOVE STORY follows Linh Mai and Bao Nguyen’s unexpected romance since their families work at competing pho restaurants. As they meet in secret, they begin to discover that their families’ rivalry runs deeper than the line of customers on 2-for-1 Pho Day. There are so many things to love about this book. Linh and Bao’s romance is so precious with their stolen moments. Not only do they have their families’ feud to contend with, they have individual concerns about their career interests (or lack thereof in Bao’s case) and how they approach that with their parents. Their interactions with their family and community at large—how they negotiate time away from the restaurant, their individual conversations with their parents, family gatherings—all evoked scenes from my life. There were so many moments I squealed in delight at the recognition of these familiar smells, places, and feelings. In particular, the author weaves in Linh and Bao’s parents’ refugee experience so seamlessly and the intergenerational effects on Linh and Bao’s worldview. I imagine some people might take issue with the Vietnamese phrases. As someone who knows only a handful of Vietnamese phrases, I didn’t think it was too difficult to gather the meaning from the context. If I must offer some sort of criticism, it’s that fans of typical romcom tropes won’t find them here. Instead, they’ll find a sweet secret romance for a couple you want to root for.