This was a brilliant graphic novel filled with teenage angst and longing for love and acceptance.

Valentina was a little obsessed with Valentine's Day when she was young: to the point that she had an imaginary cupid-like imaginary best friend who helped her make cards for everyone in her homeroom for a long time while she was growing up. Since it was just her and her dad, she would make him one every year too.

High school is brutal thougha and Valentina learns that hearts and cards do not go over as well as they did in Elementary school so - she vacillates to hating it (for other reasons too other than just HS drama). When she finds out about a family curse to fall in love with the wrong person and have her heart broken... she has a year deadline to break it.

Valentina is determined to find true love...but she finds in other than in the hot lion dancer she fancies.

What I loved: learning about lion dancing, the ending to the graphic novel, the ghost of St. Valentine (and the evil spirit version) that haunts Valentina.

My Thoughts:
Asian fate, family curses, a love triangle and lion dancing make this a feel good story to start your year of the dragon reading. Valentina loved making homemade valentine cards for all her classmates, but her favorite Valentine was the one she made for her father. But as she gets older, her classmates do not share her same enthusiasm and Valentines day becomes a lonely and sad event for her. She also believes that her family is cursed in love.

This sweet coming of age story is about Val's rejection, struggles, betrayal and hope. The illustrations and interjection of comic relief create a feel good story for readers. This is definitely a great choice as the first graphic novel to read for the year. It is a multicultural story that reveals both our differences as Asians, as well as our similarities. Well done.

From the Publisher:
She was destined for heartbreak. Then fate handed her love.

Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed―no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love.

But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?

Publication Information:
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Publisher: First Second (January 9, 2024)
Paperback: 352 pages

As I reviewed this e-galley, LeUywen Pham's name was not featured as an author. I would be remiss to not start off the review this way.

I can't wait to recommend this book to the middle graders in my life. There was a sweetness to high school romances while incorporating different Asian cultures with the same holidays and nuances within families.

***I received a free ARC of this e-book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

This was a moving and heartfelt YA graphic novel about a young Vietnamese American girl, Valentina who loves Valentine's day and giving out Valentines until one boy rips hers up and her father gets upset. Dealing with some heavy issues from parental abandonment, an alcoholic parent, family curses, first loves, friendship and finding true love plus a fun focus on the Lunar New Year tradition of Lion dancing. Great artwork too! This was my first book by Gene Luen Yang and I'm excited to read more! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

10/10 no notes!!!! This graphic novel set around Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year is absolutely perfect in every way. I laughed. I cried. I never wanted it to end. This might become an annual read for me around Lunar New Year. Read this book! You won't regret it!

Beautifully rendered artwork with a intricate plot come together in this graphic novel about girl navigating first love while trying to uncover the truth about her parent’s relationship.

This was such a sweet love story layered in between a story about fractured families, culture, and coming-of-age.

Valentina used to be a huge fan of love, and Valentine's day was especially meaningful for her. But her faith in love is waning, especially after learning the truth about her parents. Now she has one year to find live, or risk losing her heart.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel does a good job of engaging the reader, particularly in terms of making them feel close to Valentina. Her struggles with her own identity, friends, and love are relatable and poignant.

This is a lovely coming of age graphic novel that follows a Vietnamese American teenager as she navigates her family’s past as well as her own romantic present. Along the way things get messy, which felt very real-to-life for me. There’s a little bit of a love triangle. I loved Val’s attraction to dance, especially lion dancing. It was a fascinating tradition to read about and I liked the way Val completely embraced it. I also appreciated her friendship with Bernice, her complicated relationship with her dad, and the absolute sass from her grandmother.

The artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful and sets a great tone for the whole story. I especially appreciated the section title pages which featured what I believe are Chinese zodiac signs (Ox, Rat, Tiger, Pig, etc.).

I loved this graphic novel! Beautiful artwork and illustrations; I love the use of colour throughout the novel. The evolution of St. Valentine to show how the main character herself evolves is very creative. The story is complex in a good way, and explores family relationships and romance well. The artwork alone is enough reason to read this book, but it is evenly matched by a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lunar New Year Love Story is probably going to be my newest obsession for a while. Not only is this story beautiful and creative, but these illustrations are absolutely next level.

I could not put this graphic novel down! I was literally enthralled with the storytelling. This story is told uniquely including the perspective of St. Valentine. You watch the evolution of Valentine from a small cherub to an elderly saint and with that you watch the main character grow and learn life lessons around various types of love. The way that this story weaves coming of age with culture and mental health was just masterful. I can truly say that this story made put me through an entire gamut of emotions. I was happy, I was sad, I felt defeated, and I triumphed and I can honestly say that I felt these emotions because of how great the writing was.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are also just so beautiful. They are vividly colorful and done in a way that the colors even had me going through emotions.

I truly cannot say enough great things about this graphic novel. I was lucky enough to win a physical copy of this graphic novel at YallFest 2023 and I have been obsessed ever since! Readers are going to delight when they pick up a copy of this story!

I absolutely loved this one, and that's no surprise with the amazing team of Pham and Yang. Why haven't these two done a million books together before? The art and story combination was brilliant. Can't wait to give this one away!

Lunes New Year Love Story is a nice story for teens and young adults. It navigates challenging relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. The illustrations are beautiful and do a great job move the story forward.

Valentine lives with her father. She has an imaginary friend, a Cupid. She loves Valentine's Day and celebrates it each year by making cards for her classmates. That all changes when she finds out the truth about the mother. She stops celebrating the holiday and is heartbroken by the truth. That becomes even worse when she meets the spirit of Saint Valentine.

She is ready to give her heart away, until one Lunar New Year festival, when she gets a paper heart. She is ready to believe again, but the road to love isn't easy.

It's a lovely story about finding your way back to love and dealing with a harsh family trust. And the artwork is very pretty too. :)

Graphic Novel Review: "Lunar New Year Love Story" by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham

"Lunar New Year Love Story" is a stunning graphic novel that beautifully captures the essence of the Lunar New Year celebration. Gene Luen Yang's storytelling combined with Leuyen Pham's breathtaking illustrations create a truly immersive reading experience.

The graphics in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Pham's attention to detail and vibrant color palette bring the story to life, making each page a visual delight. The characters are expressive and their emotions are conveyed with precision, adding depth to the narrative.

Speaking of the narrative, Yang weaves a complex and heartfelt story that explores themes of family, tradition, and the power of love. The plot is engaging and keeps you hooked from beginning to end, with surprising twists and turns that add excitement and depth to the story.

The representation of Lunar New Year traditions and customs is done with authenticity and respect, making this graphic novel a wonderful way to learn about and celebrate the holiday. It's a perfect blend of cultural education and a heartwarming love story.

In conclusion, "Lunar New Year Love Story" is a must-read graphic novel that combines stunning artwork with a compelling and complex narrative. I highly recommend it to both fans of graphic novels and those interested in learning more about Lunar New Year traditions.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was well written, and I was invested in the characters. I loved the use of color in the artwork. The beginning is vibrant and hopeful when she is a young girl that loves Valentine’s Day. The colors follow the plot, dimming and brightening with the story. I also loved the art style. My only critique is with part of the story’s message. I love romance and liked that it illustrated how difficult romance can be to navigate for teens. I just wish that the story didn’t make it seem like happiness was tied to romantic love. Spoilers ahead: St. V in the story wants her to give her heart away in one year if she doesn’t find love due to her worry about her family being cursed in not finding happy relationships. She is so focused on one type of relationship, and while I do think romance and romantic partnerships are important, there needs to be balance. I would definitely recommend this book!

In this beautifully drawn graphic novel, Valentina is facing her family's curse of being unlucky in love. She makes a deal with St. Valentine that if she does not find true love within one year, she will give up her heart forever. Valentina tries to sort out her feelings while also diving head first into the Asian tradition of Lion Dancing, all with the decrepit ghost of St. V always lurking in the shadows.

Lunar New Year Love Story is a emotional ride, filled with color, lore, tradition, humor, and heartbreak. Gene Luen Yang's sensitive yet resilient characters, expertly illustrated by LeUyen Pham, come alive on the pages, bringing depth to the story. I The cultural customs and traditions are woven in to the story in an organic way, providing a solid setting for this love story to unfold.

I would highly recommend this book to teens and adults alike. I will be ordering multiple copies for my library, just in time for the Lunar New Year!

Thanks to First Second books, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.

This is truly one of the best comics I've ever read. The illustrations are beautiful and very stylish. The story is very good. The characters are unique and interesting. The cultural aspects are great. And that very last page had me tearing up. A very good book!

St. Valentine, Lunar New Year, and Korean heritage are all beautifully depicted in this graphic novel about a young girl who struggles to give in to her romantic feelings. I loved the combination of realism infused with the threatening fantastical representation of St. Valentine. Give to fans of “Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen.

I loved this graphic novel so much! Beautifully rendered, empathetic main characters that readers will root for. The sweet story will keep you turning the page. Highly recommended!