"Crazy Bao You" by Lyn Liao Butler is a delightful and heartwarming novel that blends cultural exploration with a dash of romance. The story follows Clara, a young woman who embarks on a culinary adventure in Taiwan, discovering her roots and her passion for food. Liao Butler's vivid descriptions and engaging narrative make this book a delectable treat for readers, celebrating the joys of self-discovery and embracing one's heritage.

Crazy Bao You is such a fun, rom-com and would be great as a beach read. I read it in two days because Kimmie and Matt drew me in and I needed to find out how Kimmie was going to get out of mess she created. Their chemistry was so great together and I rooted for them. I loved Nana too! What a great side character. If you want to start craving Asian food, especially baos, or need a good feel-good book that will have you laughing, you need to pick up this book.

Kim was a lovable character but WOW she had a lot happening at once. The secondary characters (something that for some reason I ALWAYS fixate on when reading a romance) were amazing. I especially loved Matt's grandmother. It was an enjoyable, lighthearted read about found family and a hunky fireman (with some random side thoughts of Kim that were a bit jarring.)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love thie title - so cute.

Kimmie is a better safe than sorry kind a gal. When she loses it at work and goes viral for twerking as she tells off her boss and quits her job she takes the opportunity to grow her Etsy shop. Through her shop she meets Matt, a FDNY firefighter, and they start friendship that leads to so much more. The book has some really funny parts. As Kimmie's business grows and she posts pictures of her model best friend Alicia with her products, her customers think Alicia is “Kim.” Matt is one of them. The whole mistaken idnetity storyline went on a bit too long but was resolved eventually.

Kimmie grows alot throughout the book and learns to come out of her shell and go with the flow. I loved the food descriptions in the book and Matt's grandma was very entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK ! As an Etsy seller myself, I have to say, the romance made me giggle and kick my feet. This is such a cute book, a cute love story, and a cute play on words as well for the title. This was such a quick read as well and the characters are all so likeable, especially Matt. Such a sweetheart, the perfect book boyfriend. I loved loved it.

What a breath of fresh air! This book was so fun! Kimmie runs an Etsy shop where she sells fun purses and accessories. One day, an FDNY firefighter buys one of her bags for his grandma's birthday, but when he sees Kimmie's profile picture, they quickly start to fall for each other. The only catch is that the picture Kimmie posted wasn't of her.

Kimmie uses photos of her best friend to advertise her products as a way of distancing her Etsy brand from a viral video, but when Matt could help make all of her dreams a reality, she needs to figure out how to come clean before it is too late.

If you ever want a warm hug in book form that will make you laugh, this book is for you. Crazy Bao You is the perfect example of what I like to call a "low-risk" read; there is plenty of communication between the two MCs and not a whole lot of angst or unnecessary drama. Kimmie and Matt are just people trying to live their joy and navigate long-distance flirtation.

Super entertaining and fun to read. Thank you, @netgalley, for giving me a free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute. A quick cosy romance to get you out of any reading slump! It was funny and heart warming, definitely recommended.

This was a really cute and heartwarming story. The pacing felt a bit off at times, but I loved the writing style, which made me fly through the book. I honestly would love seeing some companion novels about Alicia and Hana.

I have to say, I was very put off by the twerking, which seemed random, while telling off your boss. How exactly do you black out and start twerking if you are a person who claims to have never done so. I did really enjoy the relationship and the way they communicated through the Etsy shop instagram. However, I’m not sure how old Kimmie is supposed to be, but she reads like early 20s. I understand she has been sheltered for most of her life, but she never took anything seriously it seemed like due to daydreaming about Matt. I know the book was meant to be light hearted, but Kimmie was really in a bad way and couldn’t focus on fixing it because a boy liked her.
This had a lot of potential, but just fell flat for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This was incredibly cute! Books with a lot of texting-based dialogue can sometimes feel labored, but this one didn't.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Lyn Liao Butler for this eARC

I really enjoyed Crazy Bao You.
In the beginning I felt a bit disconnected and found the whole twerking thing was odd - like why is she twerking while yelling at her boss?? Wjat would prompt that? Especially if she doesn’t usually dance/twerk! But the book soon sucked me in and I was hooked.
I really enjoyed the romance between Kimmie & Matt - it felt very organic and believable in the way it developed. I do wish the whole lying about her looks wasn‘t dragged out as long - I didn‘t enjoy the multiple scenes where she tries to tell him but then ends up not confessing for one reason or another.
However, I also really liked that we didn‘t just get a romance.
There is Kimmies adoption & meeting her birth mother. Matt following his passion of becoming a firefighter and his complicated relationship with his dad.
The side character were also very well fleshed out. Each had their own personality and I also really like the depiction of our MCs relationship with these different people. They just all felt so real & relatable!
I could‘ve done withoit the last conflict, but all in all Crazy Bao You was a very enjoable read and I‘d definitely recommend it.
3.5 stars

a cute and charming romcom that was delightful.

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

A cutesy story about falling in love with a person without meeting them. This book is a quick read filled with quirky characters who capture your heart and are super relatable. A romance which is not coated in too much sugar and moves along at a good pace. Kimmy is really the best central character you could ask for. The story touches upon adoption in a heart-warming way too. A god book to curl up with after a rough or long day.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc
I was really wanting to like this book but I had to dnf it I couldn’t deal with her catfishing and honestly just being a horrible person. She quit her job and just randomly starting twerking???? Like really that just sounds to cheesy and cringy to even imagine I got secondhand embarrassment just from that and couldn’t come back from it
Like I said I really wanted to like this book the cover the name the concept was cute and it could of been better I just felt like this just wasn’t for me I will definitely try more books from this author tho

Not going to lie- when I got this book it, was purely for the title and cover. I mean, it's so cute! But I was quickly pulled right into the story. "Crazy Bao You" is such a great balance of happy and funny with an emotional side to it as well. The characters were wonderful! Kimmie was so much fun to read about and is just so down to earth, she feels relatable- but not too 'perfect story character'. Then we have firefighter Matt, who's funny and just shy of grumpy at first, and I enjoyed his time at the firehouse quite a bit! My grandfather was firefighter, so going back to the firehouse setting was quite nostalgic for me. I loved the way the characters developed on the page, it truly felt like I was getting to know them! I also really liked how the shops' social media posts were sprinkled in, it felt like just the right amount. I honestly don't have anything negative to say about this book, it was a wonderful fun summer read that I highly recommend!

I started this book yesterday and just finished it. It was such a cute story about putting yourself out there even when you didn’t want to and finding more than you ever thought possible. I feel like I learned about baos and Korean culture as well as Taiwanese culture. It was a fun read.

Not a fan of book where the main character is misleading other intentionally. DNF


********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley,********************

The debut romcom from women's fiction and thriller writer Lyn Liao Butler. I really enjoyed this opposites attract, dual POV romance between an Oklahoma fashion designer who goes viral and an NYC firefighter who become friends online.

Full of mistaken identity and family secrets this was a heartwarming friends to lovers closed door romance. Fun and heartfelt and good on audio too narrated by Gabriel Spires and Jennifer Aquino. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

If you like cringe, this is the book for you. It wasn’t bad but there was a little too much cringe and too many problems that popped up. I might’ve enjoyed it a little more had the book just focused in on one or two.

It was an easy read and went pretty fast so I tolerated what annoyed me.

I needed just needed a little more focus or for the book to go all in and embrace the crazy.

This was an okay book.
I felt it did read a little young and at times a bit immature.
But I liked the journey Kimmie went on, the questions and issues she raised with her upbringing and self discovery.
I loved Nana she was great and needed a bigger role.
One thing I thought was weird was that there were some really racy thoughts, but the book was black out. Not even fade to black, just straight blacked out. It didn’t quite work and felt as if the spicy scenes had simply been removed. It didn’t fit.
Still, this was a solid book, with some good self discovery, if a little bit silly.