A Pho Love Story is the epitome of sweet young adult romance. A modern-day, diverse Romeo and Juliet, but without the tragic demises of the titular characters (Hope a spoiler alert wasn’t needed there!). Bao has a dry, sarcastic wit that comes out particularly when dealing with his parents and the rumor-mill surrounding the restaurants, and the narrative made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.

One of the major draws for this book (for me, anyway) is the Vietnamese characters. I love when books like these share foreign-language expressions, little pieces of culture peppered throughout, and this book doesn’t disappoint. It gives the novel and the world that Le has created an authentic and three-dimensional feel to it.

Bao and Linh both come from similar backgrounds. Their parents are immigrants from Vietnam, and they own restaurants across the street from one another. Oh, and they’re arch-nemeses. At times their rivalry is humorous, but it’s also serious, hinting at a mysterious history between the families that neither Bao nor Linh are privy to. All they know is that their families hate each other, and that they’re not to engage with each other. Ever.


There are similarities in Bao’s and Linh’s family dynamics–which serve to simultaneously bring the couple together and tear them apart. There’s quite a bit of an internal conflict, particularly for Linh, as her parents are more strict than Bao’s. Nevertheless, they both know that if their parents found out about their burgeoning relationship, they’d be torn apart faster than you can say “Pho Day”.

Bao and Linh have a sweet relationship, though I did find that it moved forward quickly in lurches. They were friends for a good chunk of the book, until suddenly they were boyfriend and girlfriend. There was no true in-between or build up. That said, both Bao and Linh are well-defined as characters, with their insecurities, personality quirks, and backstories. They complement each other quite nicely. Linh has always known what she wants to do with her life (become an artist) but her parents don’t approve. Bao has no idea what he wants to do, and all his parents want is for him to figure that out. As with any solid romance novel, the book isn’t just about them falling in love. It’s about them finding themselves along the way.

Even the side characters are well-defined and dynamic. The family lives of both Bao and Linh are critical to the storyline, and as mentioned before, there are similarities in their family-dynamics, but the parents are well-fleshed out enough to make their decisions and reactions to various events in the book believable and realistic. Even Linh and Bao’s best friends, Allie and Viet respectively, are intriguing characters with their own personality traits and humorous moments.

My only complaint about this book is that it’s quite slow paced. Le spends a lot of time introducing the characters, providing backstory, without much plot early on in the book. This made the novel slower to get into, but once I was past the exposition, the novel picks up and becomes faster-paced, though I would never describe this book as a rapid page-turner.

While this novel is a romance at heart, it also deals with some deeper issues, including racism in America. I can’t say more without spoiling anything, but it was dealt with quite beautifully, didn’t come across as preachy, and made me tear up a little bit. That said, it was introduced only towards the end of the book, and I would have liked to have seen a little more of those themes throughout.

I recommend this book to those looking for a slow-paced young adult romance, with dry humor, family rivalries, and just the right amount of Pho.

A Pho Love Story is a YA contemporary/romance between Bao and Linh. They are Vietnamese and their parents each own rival Pho restaurants which are across the street from each other. Bao are Linh are not allowed to be friends since their parents hate each other. This story really explores the relationships each character has with their family, along with them discovering what they want to do with their lives and wanting their parents to support them. It was also a super cute romance. I really enjoyed this!! It was a lot of fun to read and I really enjoyed seeing the different relationships develop. I’m so glad I read this and the cover is also super cute.

I was really excited for this book and unfortunately it just didnt do it for me so it was a dnf for me. The story line was a great idea, but the characters fell flat and was too drawn out and I was left bored. I find books hard to read when there are multiple languages incorporated whether its french or vietnamese or german, adding words here and there from another language and then not explaining what it means can make it difficult for readers to understand whats going on.
I absolutely adored the cover, went well with the book theme and loved the pretty purple.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a the e-ARC of this book.
Ever since I first heard about this book, I've been so exited to read about it because of the Vietnamese American representation. Think of this as a modern, Vietnamese American Romeo and Juliet. Linh and Bao are two teenagers who's respective families own rival Pho restaurants. The two start dating and have to navigate their family histories as well as their feelings for each other. Linh is also a an aspiring artist and is facing some internal struggle as her family isn't super supportive of her pursing art. Loan Le did a fantastic job of creating genuine, real, and relatable Vietnamese American teenagers. This book also did a fantastic job of representing the Vietnamese American community, touching upon the parents' struggles of immigrating to America, the struggles of growing up as a child of immigrants, and the backlash a minority community can face. My favourite part is the sprinkle of Vietnamese throughout the book

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for my #gifted copy of A Pho Love Story by Loan Le.

First of all, do not read this book without your favourite Vietnamese food beside you. Le does such an amazing job at making you feel like you’re surrounded by all of your favourite meals, I had to stop reading until I made my own phở. Vietnamese cuisine is one of the ones I’ve been craving most during this pandemic (my favourite restaurant is too far away) so my stomach growled and growled 🍜

As a first-generation Canadian, I appreciated how Le described the importance and why immigrant parents so desperately want their children to pursue certain careers over others. With Vietnamese phrases and family stories throughout the book, I think Vietnamnese-North Americans will especially connect with this story.

This story is longer than a typical YA read, but with good reason. Le sets up the necessary backstory for Bao and Linh’s journeys throughout the book. If you’re looking for a YA romance, this has aspects but it’s a not full-blown romance story. With themes of pursuing your dreams, finding yourself, all while balancing your family’s expectations and past, I would definitely recommend this book. Again, another story I wished I had while growing up.

CW: racism, death, family separation, Vietnam war

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
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⁣𝗖𝗵ơ𝗶 Ơ𝗶 might very well be my favourite Vietnamese phrase from my childhood, and to read it in A Pho Love Story was satisfying. Now you say it--feels good right?!⁣⁣
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I liked that I could relate to being second generation, the value their immigrant parents place on hard work and education, and their disapproval of art as a career. I loved reading familiar Vietnamese sentences peppered throughout the book but wonder if non-speaking Vietnamese readers will miss out without any translation. I didn't really feel any strong emotions towards Linh or Bao who are the main characters. I think the best friends added some humour to the book. The book could have been cut a bit in the middle because nothing happened which moved the story forward and I started to lose interest until it picked up again at the end.⁣⁣
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I think there are readers out there who will love A Pho Love Story, but unfortunately it was just okay to me. I still look forward to reading the author's future books

This book is a loose Romeo and Juliet retelling with diverse representation, an amazing cast of characters, and a romance you can't help but root for.

Every character has their own personality and their distinct voice. This makes it so that each of them is interesting on their own and you care for them individually, as well as an ensemble. I would love to read a book that focuses on any of the side characters we're introduced to in this book!

Something that I didn't expect but absolutely adored was their families' history that we got to delve into. This book isn't solely focused on the romance and the current time, it also delves deeper into the parents' time in Vietnam and what ultimately brought them to America. It was a nice addition that sets the book apart from the typical YA romance.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bao and Linh grew up across the street from each other. Their parents run rival pho restaurants. Each one trying to one-up the other. Bao and Linh have never been allowed to talk to each other. One day they actually talk. They end up being partners for an assignment for their school's newspaper. They become friends and slowly something more beings to blossom between them. Will their parents let them be friends? What caused this feud between both families? Why is everyone so secretive about it?

Bao has always been ordinary and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He feels like he failed his parents because he never found anything that he was the best at. Throughout the story, he discovers that he's actually has a gift for writing and he loves doing it. Linh's parents want her to study engineering but she's actually an artist with a passion for painting. She's scared of telling her parents what she really wants and doesn't want to disappoint them. Both teens know about the hardships their parents faced after emigrating to America from Vietnam. They both see that their parents are not only parents but people with aspirations too. Together Bao and Linh discover what they really want and how being together brings out the best in them.

While this dual POV book centers on Bao and Linh and their romance other important themes are family, food, community, the relationship between immigrant parents and their kids. This book also deals with racism and mentions the death of a loved one.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Bao and Linh's friends to lovers story unfold. It was easy to connect with them, see where both of them were coming from and feeling and that they were the best versions of themselves together. I liked that they had such supportive people around them. The descriptions of the food and art were lovely. I appreciated all the characters including the side characters. I liked that their parents talked about their lives in Vietnam and shared their goals and dreams. The secret that tore these families apart broke my heart. I was pleased with how everything turned out.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars (rounded up).
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me an e-arc of A Pho Love Story in exchange for an honest review.

A modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet with romance and rival families, mixed in with food, and you have A Pho Love Story. An #ownvoices novel that dives into the life of Linh and Bao, as they figure out their lives with their rival families and what they want to do with their lives.


I enjoyed reading about Bao and Linh's life, when they are with their parents, friends, or each other. I had fun reading about their dynamic and it was nice to read about what they aspire to do with their lives. I love the dynamic between Linh and Evie (Linh's older sister). I would love the book to touch more on the dynamic between the two sisters. The side characters (Viet and Allison) were enjoyable to read about, and I like reading about their dynamic with the main characters (Linh and Bao). Also, I like how the readers get to know Linh and Bao's parents. It was nice to read about what the parents go through in running a restaurant.


As someone who loves food and looking through food accounts on Instagram, I love how the book described the atmosphere of eating to working at a restaurant. For a good chunk of the book, I was hungry and craving Vietnamese food.

I appreciate the Vietnamese representation, as I rarely do I read or hear of books with Vietnamese main characters and emphasize Vietnamese culture. When I read the synopsis of this book, I was so excited to read this book. I enjoyed learning more about Vietnamese culture, especially the food throughout this book.

Even though I liked the book, there were parts of the book that felt too long and dragged out for me. It made me feel like the book might have gone too long than it should be (this is just my opinion). In addition, the dual POVS made me confused a little bit in some parts of the book. Although I don't mind reading dual POVs, however, there were times where I got confused on who's perspective it was because it happened so quickly, and they had similar thoughts in some of the times they were together.

Although this book could be described as a romantic comedy, there are emotional traumas and heavy topics like racism mentioned throughout this book (please look at the trigger warnings).
Overall, if you want to read a coming of age, romance, and food-worthy book, I would recommend this book for you.

Trigger warnings: racism, death and grief depiction, mention the Vietnam war, and xenophobia.

Bao Nguyen is an average student, not particularly social, and employed at his parents' pho restaurant. Linh Mai is an artist, with a sparkling personality but her aspirations are muted by her parents' desire for her to have a "proper" job. She also works across the street from Bao at her parents' competing pho restaurant. Bao and Linh have a chance encounter where sparks fly. They have avoided each other their whole lives, until now, their parents being fierce competitors; but is there more to the story?

This was a wonderfully written YA romance with a lot of Vietnamese culture integrated to the writing and story. I enjoy reading about different cultures, and this was no exception. The descriptions of the Vietnamese dishes was mouthwatering. I was left craving bánh xèo!

Both sets of parents escaped Vietnam by sea, coming to the US as refugees. This is a true event that happened at the end of the Vietnam war and I appreciated the mention so that I could learn something new. I understood the pressures of being the child of an immigrant, all the sacrifices they made, so that we could live in a great country and lead a good life. It also addressed racism and ignorance towards the community and I think most people can relate to that in some way as well.

It was a forbidden romance trope and the love story between Bao and Linh was innocent and sweet. They made each other more confident, and were able to stand up for themselves and their dreams as a result.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers & NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This falls pretty squarely in the contemporary YA genre and is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover (or title). It is described as When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious and that is the perfect description for this novel.

It centers around 2 Vietnamese - American teens, Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai, who barely interact with each other as their families own competing neighborhood pho restaurants. Both teens struggle with a sense of duty to family, especially since they practically work full-time in the restaurants, and their desires to pursue their own dreams. But a chance encounter forces Linh and Bao to work together on a project, and as they realize how much they have in common, they question if they can find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories.

This novel is basically a loose re-telling of Romeo and Juliet - minus all the death and tragedy, and was exactly what I needed on a cold, snowy day. It's cute, quick, and after reading it all day, I ended up hungry and having pho for dinner tonight.

I received an e-galley of A Pho Love Story by Loan Le from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

I love pho and I love a good love story and that is exactly what you get in this new YA romance novel. Linh and Bao have grown up watching one another from across the street as their families hate one another. Both families run Vietnamese restaurants and seem to always be trying to one-up the other. When fate intervenes one night and Linh and Bao are thrown together, the two teenagers find themselves drawn to one another despite knowing the opposition they will face from their families. As they grapple with their identities and passions as teenagers are bound to do, they will also have to uncover some family secrets that may reveal once and for all the root of all the family rivalry, but it may prove to be too much for young love to handle.

I absolutely love that #ownvoices stories are becoming more available and that the style of writing feels very authentic. While I am not Vietnamese, I enjoyed seeing the language within the novel as it resonated with my own experience of having grown up with a different language at home. The use of language is so important and speaks to so much about families, relationships, and culture. While Loan Le doesn’t translate these Vietnamese phrases, I think that she always gives enough context for you to understand what is going on. I thought that the relationship between Linh and Bao was very sweet, including their first interaction as kids, and how they were able to support one another and help each other grow in their respective passions.

Finally, all this talk and description of the delicious Vietnamese food in this novel has me craving Vietnamese food so badly. There were mention of food that I’d never tried before (I’m a creature of habit and tend to always only order pho) and I just really want to order everything that was mentioned in the book. I think that Vietnamese restaurants are about to see an increase in customers once this book is out.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley.

This was an ownvoices adorable coming of age contemporary romance with amazing representation. Both the main characters and most of the side characters are first generation Vietnamese-American.

The story follows Linh, who dreams of becoming an artist and Bao, who is happy being mediocre and can't understand the problem with having no crazy ambitions and with college just around the corner is struggling with finding what he wants to do in life. Their families own rival Pho restaurants across the street from one another, however that rivalry never extended to Linh and Bao who both hold fond memories of their one encounter when they were both 6 years old. Their paths did not cross again until 10 years later when they are both put on an assignment together forcing them to hide the fact that they are working together from their parents.

The romance in this story was absolutely adorable and I fell in love with both Linh and Bao. However, what really drew me in was the Vietnamese culture representation. As the daughters of immigrants myself (even though we aren't Vietnamese) I found that I related so much to both Linh and Bao in their home environments and their relationship with their parents. Loan Le did a great job portraying, immigrant parents and the struggles and worries they go through and live to ensure that their children have a better life. I wasn't expecting a book that was meant to be a cute romance to make me want to cry so much. It was wonderful to see the life of refugees and first generation Americans represented so well, allowing me to realize that refugees might come from all over the world but most have them have similar stories and traumas.

(This is a good time to mention while this story is meant to be a contemporary romance it does touch on some tough topics and past traumas including the Vietnamese war.)

All in all I loved the romance and the representation of Vietnamese culture in this book and would really recommend it!

*Thank you NetGalley and Simon Teen for my eARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for kindly sending me an eArc in exchange for an honest review!!

Even since I first heard about this book, I have been extremely excited to read it, and it did not disappoint. A Pho Love Story by Loan Le is a Romeo and Juliet-inspired contemporary. It follows two senior high school students, Linh Mai whose dream is to pursue art and Bao Nguyen who is still unsure about what he wants to do with his future. Their families work at neighbouring pho restaurants and have been rivals for years. When these two are brought together, they develop a newfound relationship that they would have never expected.

I feel to say that this story is just a cute romance novel, completely diminishes many important messages and topics discussed in it. One part that I loved about this was the Vietnamese-American representation. I got to learn so much about Vietnamese culture and the experiences of immigrant families. The food also played a huge part because much of it took place at each of the families’ restaurants. It was described so perfectly and I felt like reading it always made me hungry! The unravelling of each family's history and connection throughout the book was also a super interesting subplot. Hearing the whole final reveal at the end, along with the last 80 pages or so were full of some very emotional moments. I adored the theme of family and community throughout and how people must come together when they face hardships.

In terms of the romance element, I thought it was just adorable! I found both Linh and Bao to be very likeable characters. They seemed very human and you could see their imperfections but you still admired them despite it. The side characters, Linh's best friend Alison and Bao's best friend Viet were also really enjoyable to read about. They were great support systems for each of the protagonists and were also compelling on their own. Another thing I enjoyed, was getting to see the parents of both of these characters because I feel like that’s a pretty uncommon thing in YA books. This also further pushed the sense and importance of family throughout the story. I felt that Linh and Bao made a great pair I just wished we got to see them getting to know each other a little bit more. In the end, they helped each other through a great deal and understood one another.

The only small problem I had with it is that sometimes I had a hard time differentiating the two different POVs. I would find myself mixing things up between them. I wish the voices between them had been a little bit stronger so that the reader could tell the difference. I felt it was a tad bit long, and could have been just a bit shorter.

I think this book is such a strong debut, and I really enjoyed reading it!

First off : do not, I repeat do NOT read this book if you're hungry. Or been craving pho for months but can't have any due to this global pandemic thing going on right now 😅 Because the RECIPES described in this book. OMGHHH.

Even though both of the MC's parents escaped their birth country during the Vietnam War, it's interesting to read about the similarities and differences of their experiences. Like dealing with culture shock, trauma, and the sacrifices they did to ensure their children are safe and won't go through the same financial struggles they did.

In some ways, I felt like I was reading my friend's life story (applicable to so many Asian-American households) : one of the characters struggles to deal with her parents' expectations vs her own aspirations. I did appreciate that the other MC's experience was different, in the way that he has the support of his parents even though his future career choice is less glorified/impressive by societal standards.

Overall, this is a super enjoyable Vietnamese-American contemporary story, sprinkled with family feuds, drama, and forbidden romance.

First let’s talk about the plot! The original premise sounded very promising, and the plot was executed pretty well. The readers were able to get lovely descriptions of Phở and other delicious Vietnamese foods, which made me, admittedly, very hungry. Unfortunately, I felt as though we didn’t get much time in the restaurants. It would have been so cool to see all the steps it takes to establish a restaurant.

The characters were a delight! Bao was snarky and always made me laugh. He was honestly just a really kind and caring character towards everyone really. I loved how the idea of not knowing what he wanted to do in the future was executed in the novel. Uncertainty about the future is a very real that people go through, so it was definitely cool to see! Linh on the other hand knew she wanted to be an artist. It’s wonderful to see young people pursuing the arts, and I loved how Loan Le incorporated Linh’s family into her art. Linh’s inspiration for creating art was very beautiful and I found myself liking her character. However, she wasn’t as memorable as I thought she’d be. Moreover, Linh and Bao had a very healthy relationship. They were so cute together, and made a fantastic team! There was some miscommunication, but it was worked out throughout the novel!


The side characters were unique as well. I loved how the cast was almost all Vietnamese. It was very refreshing to see! Linh’s friend Ally, and Bao’s friend Viet, where great supporting characters. They were both helpful, and funny. I only wish the author went more in depth into the lives of the side characters. I also absolutely adored the family dynamic. The tension between the two families felt raw and realistic. Another character I enjoyed reading about is Chef Le and his family’s hilarious cameos. It was nice to see a very wholesome relationship between the Mai sisters. Evie and Linh have a lovely sibling dynamic that I wish was explored more in the book. A Pho Love Story is gorgeously done in terms of creating a sense of community within families, and I fell in love with that. Having a loving family is something very special, so I am very happy it was explored vividly throughout the novel.

The dialogue between Linh, Bao, and their friends felt pretty average, nothing ground-breaking was said. It was the dialogue between the main characters and their parents that really intrigued me. I haven’t read many YA novels where the parents and children had intricate relationships. Furthermore, it was very interesting to see Vietnamese spoken throughout the book. I love learning about different languages and cultures, so this only added to the enjoyment of the novel!

I unfortunately struggled with the writing style. The point of view switches from Bao to Linh, and vice versa every 10-15 pages or so. I found myself struggling with trying to understand if the we were in Bao’s head, or in Linh’s. At other times, the story felt repetitive and boring. In my opinion, A Pho Love Story didn’t need to be over 400 pages long. If it was slightly shorter, I’m sure I would have loved it even more.

As mentioned previously, the book seemed to drag on at times. That did affect the overall enjoyment level by a lot. Nevertheless, it was still an incredibly refreshing read that I totally recommend!

Age Rating: 13 and up

TW: Stories of war and death

Final Rating: 7.5/10 or 4 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.75 stars

I can picture this book as a sweet, quiet, character driven movie, with all kinds of amazing kitchen scenes. Le has a real talent for making you want to drop everything and place a huge order from your local Vietnamese, family run restaurant. (I’m very lucky to have one of those 5 minutes away). Her food writing is outstanding. I can’t recall a book in a long time that made me this hungry!

I loved how both of the main characters grew believably throughout the novel, and the love story was a really sweet one. Very PG for those who like to know that kind of thing.

The author also brings in challenging themes related to the refugee experience, immigration, defending one’s family and place in the community, and loss. She handles these topics with a balance of gentleness and directness.

Go into this prepared for a slower moving read. I can’t decide if I might have appreciated that if I had been in a different reading mood, or if the book could have used some more editing / refining in the pacing department. Something about the pace did feel very true to life however. It was just slow at times and occasionally felt like it could benefit from something more dramatic at stake in the plot department.

Recommended for foodies and lovers of gentle romance.

I was very eager to read this book for a couple of reasons, 1) it was my first read from @netgalley and 2) the synopsis sounded so cute and right up my alley. This is the debut novel for @loanle and it’s a really cute story. Would I say it’s my favourite book of all time? No. But it was definitely entertaining! It took me on a rollercoaster of enjoyment. I really liked it at the beginning, it kind of started to lose me in the middle but then the end brought it home for sure!! The pros – the character development is so well done – I loved how Le wrote Linh and Bao in such a way that there was development with every aspect of their characters (together as a couple, with their families and with themselves as individuals). I also really enjoyed the way that Le described things in the book: Linh’s art, Bao’s writing, and the FOOD (gonna need to find a good Vietnamese place in my area ASAP). The biggest con for me is that the book was quite repetitive at times with fairly consistent mentions of how Linh and Baos parents would never approve of their relationship (due to their families being enemies)and Linhs parents being against the path that Linh was choosing for herself with her art. I found myself getting annoyed with the frequency of those points, however once the story started to veer away from that and focused more on why the families were enemies in the first place, the book definitely redeemed itself!

Two star crossed lovers.. feuding families... and PHO! What a whirlwind romance this book produced for me in such a short amount of time. The premise was exactly what I needed on this cold February afternoon. The two characters Bao and Linh are from competing Vietnamese restaurants who are just trying to be teenagers in their parents long-standing feud that dates back to before either of them was born. The two of them start off as friends, and from their blossom into something more.

I quite enjoyed what this book had to offer. The main characters really resonated to me as I come from an old school family (though not Vietnamese). The different phrases that the author has in the book and the different sayings were quite interesting, though I would have liked to hear the audio so I could pronounce them properly. I don't think I did them quite the justice they deserved.

It was hard to follow sometimes as the adults would say something in Vietnamese and then back to English so that aspect did confuse me. However, the culture of the Vietnamese people shown throughout the book has left me inspired to do my own research into Vietnam and Vietnamese food and customs.

The amount of times this book made me want to order Vietnamese food was about 20! Everything sounded so amazing and its making me so excited to travel again once quarantine is up!

I am excited to see what the author has in store next.

Thank you to Netgallery and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.. I very much look forward to further books from this author. All opinions are my own.

LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I enjoyed the representation of the Vietnamese culture; I definitely learned a lot about it, like the food they ate and how much they had to struggle in their native countries. Also, the cute romance story between two children from rival families: ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT TOO! An important fact to consider is both characters struggling to follow their dreams because of their backgrounds and social environments. I can relate to Bao; it took me a lot of convincing and soul surfing to realize I want to be a writer, and took even more effort to convince my parents to allow me to take this path. Definitely a wonderful story :)