⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Banh mi for two was a nice surprise this week. It is very hard to characterize— while technically it is a YA queer romance, there is a fun element of “food love letter”and Vietnamese culture. All of that said, what stays with me is Vivi’s search for her family.

Vivi is doing a semester abroad in Saigon- her mother immigrated to the US from Vietnam and never spoke of anything from the “before times.” She struggles with not being American enough and not being. Vietnamese enough. Vivi feels “othered” in both countries. She lies to her mother and says she is studying in Singapore. After meeting Lan, they decide to help each other. I was really touched by her transformation and her journey to finding out where she comes from.

Lan’s story is about a food blog she was writing with her father, but has stopped updating since his death. Vivi helps Lan to start writing again and enter a writing contest, finding her confidence.

Then sparks fly!

Romance is by far the biggest category of books sold— and while I do enjoy them, mostly, I cringe at the S M U T. I fast forward or flip through those parts. I prefer to keep the bedroom door closed. And that’s why I LOVE young adult queer romance, they are SO squeaky clean and Hallmarkish in the love story.

I had to Door dash a Banh Mi sandwich -

Audiobook is well acted, I appreciate when a multiple POV story has two different narrators.

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ARC. Book to be released today.

This book is so damn cute! It’s a sapphic coming of age story about two vietnamite girls who found each other. It’s full of vietnamite culture, food and family. I really like it. The audiobook is amazing and the two readers are so good!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This audiobook had two narrators for each narrating character and they fit the characterization of time of each character really well. Their deliveries were so distinct that they really brought the characters to.life.

The story itself is so beautiful and heart wrenching. Both main characters had relatable struggles of filial piety and self discovery in connection to Vietnamese culture. On top of that, the descriptions of food ended up making me hungry everytime I was listening. The story was well paced and was overall really satisfying to listen to from beginning to end.

A Banh Mi for Two is a charming sapphic romance about two young adults falling in love, discovering family roots, and regaining the spark in blogging. Carolina Do & VyVy Nguyen nailed it with their narration by embodying the character's passion, humor, and enthusiasm. I loved the back-and-forth narration, switching with each chapter, and how it made the audiobook so enjoyable and heartfelt. It is narrators like these two that make me want to listen to more audiobooks!

The book was full of heart and I adored the story. I thought it was so unique to have a Vietnamese food blogger and one of her readers meet up in the beautiful place of Sài Gòn. Lan and Vivi are both at somewhat of a crossroads in their life. Lan is still coping with the loss of her father and the impact in has on her food blog. Vivi is searching for answers wanting to know more about her family history. Together they help each other find hope, love, and that extra spark they need to go after what they want. I think this is such a charismatic and engaging young adult read!

This was a sweet sapphic YA romance full of family, Vietnamese history, and self discovery! I was first drawn to this book because of the adorable cover, but was pleasantly surprised by the depth the author goes into regarding some difficult topics related to the history of Vietnam.

I found both Vivi and Lan to be very likable characters. They were both on different journeys to find themselves and found each other in the process. I love the idea of destiny and how these two came together. They were so sweet with each other.

This book will make you hungry! There are a lot of references to food in this book. Many foods I was not previously aware of. I’ve always wanted to visit Vietnam and after reading this book, I definitely want to. The food and culture are fascinating!

I definitely recommend checking out this fun YA romance if you’re in the mood for food, love, and family!

An incredibly moving and heartfelt YA Sapphic debut about family, love and food. Set in Vietnam, Vivi secretly takes a semester abroad class to better understand the country where her parents came from. While there she meets Lan, a Sài Gòn food blogger and street food vendor.

The two fall in love while exploring the city. At the same time Vivi gets to know the culture and customs of her heritage and connect with distant relatives. Great on audio with a beautiful sprayed edge paperback copy.

Highly recommended for fans of authors like Adiba Jaigirdar and Thanhha Lai. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a sweet contemporary New Adult sapphic romance. Both women are defying their parents to an extent, while trying to discover their pasts. Both young women are entering adulthood, and their families are a significant part of their identities. There is a lot of discussion of food in this book, specifically Vietnamese street food, so prepare to be hungry! It wasn't at all comedic and was more journey of self-discovery, but in different ways - who they are in regards to their identity, families, histories, school/career. The author, Trinity Nguyen, did a great job writing for the audience to see the spaces. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Saigon, and it was easy to picture and imagine the story taking place as I listened. 3.5 stars rounded up. Caroline Do is an excellent narrator.

I recommend this title for those who want new adult contemporary romance.

Rarely do I give a book five stars. I loved A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen. I was able to draw upon my own personal experiences as a Asian American living in America and relating to Vivi. Much like Vivi my own parents did not speak about their own childhoods, their personal experiences growing up in another country, things about their own families, or their reasons for moving to the America. I loved watching Vivi and Lan's friendship blossom and grow into something more. I think Trinity Nguyen did a fabulous job with the character development and the development of the storyline.

Lan has always been the good girl her parents wanted, and now that her dad has passed away, she has stayed to take care of her mom even though her passion is to keep working on writing the internationally famous food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. Vivi, a freshman in college, has never been to Vietnam but desperately wants to learn more of her family’s heritage--family and details that her parents will never share with her. Through the magic of a fictitious rom-com, the two meet while Vivi steals away on an exchange program without her parents knowing (really??) and help each other with their goals, falling in love with each other in the process. This was sweet and cute, if a bit unbelievable at times.

A Banh Mi for Two is a super sweet sapphic romance about Lan, a girl who is running a banh mi stall in Saigon and Vivi, who is studying abroad and connecting to her family history in Saigon. I loved the focus on Vietnam food, culture, and history.

I really loved how much this book covered, while still feeling like a light, romantic read. From the effect of the war on one of MC's family to grief, this book dealt with a lot of heavy issues while still feeling overwhelmingly positive. I would absolutely pick this one up again!

Thanks to NetGalley, Trinity Nguyen, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own

Vietnamese American teen, Vivi, is starved for information about her home country, her mother’s family, a void her parents aren’t willing to fill, keeping that part of their lives quiet to the point of secrecy.

So Vivi fills that hunger by following a blog called Bánh Mì for Two, run by Lan, a teenager living in Saigon. She posts photos of street food vendors with enticing captions and stunning photos…but the blog has been silent for a few months and Vivi is worried.

So Vivi lies to her parents, heading to Vietnam on a study abroad program her freshman year of college, telling her parents she’ll be in Singapore instead. Once there she meets Lan and the two hit it off, sharing the difficulties they face as modern girls with old fashioned parents, expectations they feel - even if unstated - and worry about filling.

This is a charming sapphic YA that focuses as much on Asian culture as it does on romance. As the two eat their way through the city, they fall in love and share their worries, trying to navigate familial obligations.

While this won’t be for everyone, I love diverse literature, especially for teens, people who need to see representation more than anyone else.

I thought it was cute and educational and I throughly enjoyed it. The audio features two distinct female voices that add charm to the story. The emotional depth is will appeal more to its intended audience, but if you’re a fan of YA, love food, and are interested in Asian culture, check it out.

Better yet, buy a copy for your kids’ library!

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ARC. This one comes out August 20, 2024.

Sweet sapphic love story of two Vietnamese girls trying to find their way. Vivi travels to Vietnam in severer in hopes of finding her family that her mother won’t talk about , and Lan struggling to help her mother and their family food cart while taking a hiatus from her very popular food blog.
This story talks about Vietnamese food in a beautiful way (I googled some places in town while reading) and a friendship that blossoms through difficulties.

A Bánh Mì For Two is an adorable YA queer coming of age story set in the city of Sài Gòn. It is not only a beautiful story about love, it is a story about self love and the love of a city. I thought it was just such a great experience, the scenery, the imagery everything was so vividly described and easily portrayable in my mind.

The characters were amazing, I fell in love with both the FMC's. They grow with each other and discover themselves through their struggles. Their friendship was beautiful to watch blossom into something more.

It was just a great heartfelt, emotional, beautiful story that had the perfect mix of culture, heritage, finding yourself, food, love, friendship and family. Definitely a fast read that is worth checking out.

🎧 The narration by Carolina Do & VyVy Nguyen was really great. They had the perfect voices with the perfect pronunciations for the Vietnamese words were perfect. They had the right emotions and intonations in their voices which made for a great listening experience.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio & @trinitynguyen for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 Stars*

This was great. I loved getting to know our main characters and seeing them evolve. This was a pretty shirt novel but I was into it from beginning to end and I felt every second of it. I even shed a few tears. I really liked the whole plot. I was invested in both of their personal journeys as well as the romance. I loved the whole food side of it all and the food blog and everything really. An amazing debut and I cannot wait for more by this author.

TLDR: I LOVED THIS BOOK! A Banh Mi for Two is a delightful, contemporary lesbian romance. Short and sweet, that's what it is. And the story warmed my heart.

A Banh Mi for Two is a dual POV story of two girls who are discovering themselves, their past and their future, and navigating between traditions and adapting to the world around them. Lan is in Sài Gòn, torn between being a dutiful daughter for her widowed mother and keeping up with their family owned bánh mì stall. Vivi is American Vietnamese, who has come to Việt Nam to find out what was so "wrong" with Việt Nam that her mother didn't ever go back behind her back. Their paths cross because Lan writes a food blog that Vivi has followed fanatically, and they meet at one fated coincidence. Together they help each other discover themselves, their futures, pasts, and the love for one another.

I really did enjoy the narration of this book. I also really enjoyed the imagery, history, and description of what Sài Gòn is and was from different POVs. I highly recommend this book to all! Five stars.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, and the author for the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

I will post to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

I’m so glad I read A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen. I was transported to Saigon with a compelling and sweet story about a growing friendship and potential romance between Vivi, a Vietnamese-American college student who is studying abroad, and Lan, a Vietnamese food blogger. This book offers so much: mouth-watering scenes of street food, Vivi’s search for her family in Vietnam and the chance for family reconciliation, and Lan’s decisions about what to do with her future. Excellent narration by Carolina Do and VyVy Nguyen. Fun sapphic romance with deeper themes as well. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eARC. Recommended.

I have been waiting to read this since the first time I saw the cover in spring of this year. The book did not disappoint. This story has a deep set love for Vietnam, its culture, food, and people. It beautifully expresses the complicated feelings of children of diaspora on Vivi's side. On Lan's side, I was pleasantly surprised to see a YA version of concepts I remember from Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place, of the differences between how tourists and natives view a land. I appreciated that both girls' stories addressed the effects of colonialism and the war on generations of Vietnamese people, and it did so in a way that both honored the gravity of the situation and made room for the joy and love that one would hope for in a YA romance. I'm also a sucker for books with immigrant families where the kids actually have a good relationship with their parents (even if they do lie to them about what country they're studying abroad in...), so that was an added bonus.

I genuinely enjoyed this book, especially listening to the audiobook so that I could hear the pronunciation of Vietnamese names, places, and foods. Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC!

A Banh Mi for Two is equal parts sweet and thoughtful, as it follows to young women figuring out their space in the world while falling in love. Vivi has taken the risk to study abroad in Vietnam to find out her mother's roots behind her back. Lan is feeling the burden of responsibility four years after her father's death and with an ailing mother. But, they both connect over a love for street food and the blog that brought them together. The novel offers wonderful insight into what it is like from the non American perspective of thriving Vietnam post war, while while giving equal measure of sapphic romance.

I had high hopes for this book. It reads like a love letter to modern day Saigon, while also honoring the past. I just found the story eye-rollingly cringey and completely far-fetched. This sapphic romance is saccharine and hard to imagine. The story is filled with implausible coincidences and a bit of a silly premise. I really wished I liked it more. Thanks to NetGalley and to McMillan Audio for the advanced copy which releases 8/20.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ A delightfully fun and heartwarming story that beautifully weaves themes of love, culture, and self-discovery. ༘⋆ ༄

╰┈➤˗ˏˋ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂

Vivi is Vietnamese American and, while she's lived in Little Saigon her whole life, she knows next to nothing about the real Saigon. Her mom, who grew up in the post-Vietnam war years, refuses to talk about it, and her dad immigrated too young to know much, so she signs up for a study abroad program and spends a semester in Saigon without telling her parents.

There she meets Lan, the author of her favorite food blog. Together they explore Saigon as Lan writes an essay for contest. A local having her eyes reopened as Vivi sees the city for the first time.

╰┈➤˗ˏˋ 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼

This was a really sweet and savory story - probably a little too young adult for me. I didn't find myself particularly invested or attached to the characters - but that's likely just me.

I found that the balance of food vs romance was just a little off for my liking- still a super quick and cute read perfect for summer.


╰⪼ 🌸Vacation flings
╰⪼ 🌸Fish Out Of Water
╰⪼ 🌸Destiny
╰⪼ 🌸Sapphic Romance
╰⪼ 🌸Clean Romance
╰⪼ 🌸Self Discovery
╰⪼ 🌸Foodie

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Trinity Nguyen for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. 🌸🍓