I think this one will hit especially well with young adult readers; there's a nice balance between the food descriptions and depictions of Sài Gòn and the teenage journey of finding yourself while staying connected to the past and those who came before. Vivi and Lan both have a lot to work out in their lives and next steps, as well as their familial relationships, and getting a glimpse into each others' lives helps both of them find an answer and start to heal.

I think my biggest issue is pacing - there's no sense of time here, so everything just feels really fast, both the romance development and the issues being wrapped up. While Vivi was there for a semester, the entire story seemed to take place over a couple of weeks and felt more like a vacation trip story than a study abroad story.

There's also a really interesting issue here that gets brought up about cultural heritage, intergenerational trauma, and history, and while some of it feels like dipping a toe into the waters, I think it's a great introduction for YA readers.

This book was so lovely! Especially for a debut novel. Trinity crafted something very special here.

A Bahn Mi for Two follows Lan and Vivi. Lan is a blogger and Vivi is her biggest fan! <spoiler> I really enjoyed their dynamic and seeing them go from parasocial, to friends, and finally love. </spoiler>

It was also so nice to see Vietnam from two perspectives; resident and someone there for the first time. The research for the writing contest was so much fun. I loved visiting the markets and festivals.

I thought the exploration of grief and familial duty was done Especially well. This book also talked a lot about colonization and it's aftermath. As well as the sacrifice of refugees. I learned a lot about Vietnam's history that I was unaware of!

The ending was tied up nicely. My only complaint is that it ended a bit abruptly. I would have loved an epilogue from the future! Just to see how things played out.

Fair warning this book will make you HUNGRY.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for a free Audio Arc of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very nice story about two girls who find each other and learn to face their fears (independently of each other) I think the story was a little too fast (especially with the love story) and at times it read a little too dramatic for what was actually happening... however, I did feel that the story felt real and important and I'm sure that it would be an impactful story to the target audience.

This book is so freaking sweet. A saphic YA novel but also crosses backgrounds. I loved so much about this book. I honestly can't remember loving a YA book this much in a long time

This was a cute sapphic love story/rom com set in Vietnam. You will smile and also be very hungry while reading this book! Looking forward to what the author does next.

This debut sapphic story is sweet and heart warming. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a good job bringing both voices to life which helps to bring the love story more to life. I liked that this book was about so much more than the surface romance. Vivi has grown up feeling like she wasn’t American or Vietnamese enough and her mother hasn’t helped her journey for identity because she wont’ talk about her history in Vietnam and refuses to think about Vivi having any connection there. Lan has grown up in Saigon and had a popular blog about Saigon hidden gems until her father died and she began to put all of her time and energy into their family’s Bahn Mi food cart. Lan knows to be a good daughter she must sacrifice to take care of her mother. The two girls meet by accident a couple of times before they realize they have been talking online through social media over the blog for months. As they give into their connection and explore Saigon together Lan rediscovers who she is and Vivi gets to piece together another part of her story through her culture. But Viki is only in Saigon as an exchange student for one semester and her parents don’t know where she is. Lan is starting to dream of travel, but knows it will remain nothing more than a dream. This was a well written story and the audiobook was fun and a quick read.

Wow! I loved this book! The story brought tears to my eyes and made me want to visit Vietnam! It is definitely as story about mothers and daughters, and strong women. I found both MCs to be realistic and endearing, and I loved the struggles both had with their relationships with their moms. There is a generational perspective that speaks to the struggles of the past visiting themselves on the survivors and their descendants that was profound. I highly recommend this to all readers. The love story was lovely but the story of reclaiming the sense of identity and community with one's culture was just beautiful. The two narrators were fantastic!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this audio ARC!

A Bánh Mì for Two is a sweet and tender YA contemporary romance with lovely characters and a sweet sapphic love story.

ABMfT was such a sweet story. Lan and Vivi were beautifully relatable characters with fantastic personalities and chemistry. I loved their romance and how they helped each other explore themselves and the world around them. The story was fun and filled with delicious food, family, and friendship. The pacing was great, and the writing was lovely. I highly recommend fans of sapphic romance and contemporary YA check out this beautiful book!

The audiobook narrators for this one were great! They fit the two POVs well and presented the story with tenderness, personality, excitement, and wonderful voices for the different characters.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

This was such a sweet, cute, emotional, heartfelt and deep book! I love how it wove together the stories of an American daughter of immigrants from Vietnam with a young woman born and raised there. Their experiences have been so different, but they grow to understand each other and help each other learn to heal and see things differently.

This book will absolutely make you hungry, the food sounds amazing and I loved the descriptions! Lan's struggle with writer's block and feeling inadequate as a blogger and content creator will resonate with many people who work or just do it as a hobby too.

I would almost say the romance was a subplot, or at least sharing the main plot equally with other plot points. The book also follows the character's search for belonging, sense of duty, grief, complicated family relationships, community, and more. So many people will relate to one (or both) of these characters!

This was short, almost a novella, but I still felt like almost everything was able to be fully fleshed out. Young love and the way it can feel was captured well. Things wrapped up a little too quickly for me at the end, so it's more like 4.25-4.5, rounded up.

I loved having dual narrators, and what they brought to each character. Their voices were easily distinguishable and they fit the characters well. Great audiobook!

This book was so cute and a fun read.
This sapphic YA romance is going to tug at your heart strings, possibly make you tear up and definitely make you very hungry!
Vivi is Vietnamese American but her parents never talk about their homeland. She wants to visit her homeland to learn more about her culture but also why her parents left and hopefully meet some of her family that she doesn’t know. She knows her mother would never allow her to go so she secretly decides to do a semester studying abroad in Sài Gòn. Vivi is also super excited to try all of the food especially the street food as she in obsessed with a food blog A Báhn Mì for Two, the blog is what ultimately gave her the push to travel there.

Vivi meets Lan who lives in Sài Gòn helping to take care of her mother after her father died and helps run their bàhn mì stall. But her best kept secret is that she is the writer of the blog that Vivi is obsessed with. Lan has been having a very hard time writing after her father’s death. After Vivi finds out about Lan and the blog she wants to help. Vivi and Lan make a pact that Lan will show Vivi around and help her to track down her family and Vivi will help Lan start writing again.

As they spend more time together eating, exploring, and ultimately helping each other heal open wounds they still carry they fall in love. This story was absolutely beautiful from start to finish and I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A cute, sweet read.
It was also a nice look into Vietnam, their food, and culture. I was glad to see her connect with her mother and her mother's history in the end.

A sweet and savory debut, A BÁNH MÌ FOR TWO is a love letter to Vietnamese food, family, and self-discovery through reconnecting with your family history. On a secret school trip, Vivi runs into the food blogger who inspired her trip, and vows to help her writing, in exchange for help finding her family. The story unfolds leisurely, with a satisfying emotionally-charged end—a lovely debut that is well worth the read.

Vivi meets Lan while abroad in Vietnam. They both LOVE food and spend the school semester together working to detangle their family history while enjoying delicious street food.

A Bánh Mì for Two is a food blog Lan created and did with her father before he passed away. She hasn’t updated it since he passed. Viv’s family left Vietnam and never told her why. So, Vivi goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program without telling her family to find out why they left in the first place.

Then, Vivi and Lan meet. They come to an agreement where Lan will show Vivi the city and help her figure out why her parents left Vietnam and Vivi will help Lan enter a food blogging contest.

A Bánh Mì for Two is a YA LGBTQ+ romance. It is expected to be released August 20, 2024.

This was such a cute read! I definitely recommend it! But, be warned..it will probably make you hungry reading it lol

I have received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to say right off the top I am not own voices here. I definitely do not understand a lot of the deeper parts of this book so please go look at those reviews first.
This book was absolute gorgeous. I can't say I enjoyed every second of this book but thats because there were times you weren't meant to enjoy this but to stop and think. This book dealt with some heavy subjects and as I'm not own voices for that I won't speak on that part.
I really enjoyed the romance in this book and I don't just mean the romance between the mcs. The love the mcs feels for the food is palpable. The descriptions were deep and perfect. I could feel myself craving foods I had never had before. I was so hungry after reading this book just because the descriptions of the food was that amazing.
This was overall an amazing book. It was short but it packs a punch. I would recommend this to anyone who loves food or romances. If you love books about family and finding yourself this is definitely for you.

I really enjoyed this sweet coming-of-age sapphic romance. Vivi and Lan were great characters and I really was rooting for both of them. The scenes of them jaunting around Saigon with Lan teaching Vivi about her heritage and the delicious sounding street foods were some of my favorites.

There were some deeper moments for both of them as they dealt with their respective challenges. Lan thinks she must take care of her mother and food stall since her father died and give up on her own dreams; Vivi is sick of her mother lying to her about Vietnam and her history and she solves this by lying to her mother in turn.

I do think Vivi's story especially is wrapped up a little too easily. I would have preferred a little more of a meaty resolution between Vivi and her mom.

I really enjoyed how the author brought Saigon and its food and culture to life in this book.

The audiobook narrators were good, although their delivery sometimes felt a little flat. Overall though I really enjoyed listening to it and would recommend it.

*Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.

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!

Why am I crying in the club (my home office) rn?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 
This book is the perfect lesbian love story. It had me giggling and kicking my feet. The story follows Vivi, a university exchange student, and Lan, a street food vendor and blog writer, as they meet and fall in love.
The fact that the story is told in alternating first person POV means that it is very easy to step into the audiobook and understand the different perspectives. Both narrators, Carolina Do and VyVy Nguyen, speak with emotion and easily differentiate voices for different characters. Their voices also fit extremely well with what I imagine the main characters to be, especially Lan's narrator.
I can imagine the movie in my mind as I'm listening to the audiobook. Definitely tune in if you're looking for a cute sapphic love story.

This book was really endearing. It seemed like it was going to be a light hearted romance but ended up being deeper than that. The backstories of both main characters really gave some insight into grief from loss and grief from leaving your homeland.

The connection to food is what drew me in and I really liked how the author tied Vietnamese food into the whole storyline.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves food, travel, or LQBTQ+ stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🇻🇳YA Romance
🛵Sapphic
🇻🇳A love letter to Vietnamese cuisine and culture
🛵Grief
🇻🇳Self-Discovery
🛵Family Bonds
🇻🇳Dual POV

This was an ALC.

The narrators did an amazing job! I loved that this was dual narration. Both narrators are Vietnamese, which I love! I would definitely recommend the audio book.

This is such a sweet YA romance. Truly a love letter to Vietnamese cuisine and culture. I am very familiar with a lot of the dishes mentioned in this book. I grew up eating Pho and Banh Mi. I also grew up drinking Vietnamese Coffee. Reading A Banh Mi for Two had me craving Vietnamese food. The descriptions were so well written. I loved how the author described the locations in Saigon.
This book deals with grief. The author touched on that in beautiful way.
I loved that this was a sapphic romance between two FMCs who not only learned from each other but also grew because of each other.
Opposites attract on another level. One is from America, coming to Saigon to learn of her Vietnamese roots that were kept hidden from her. The other is from Saigon and wants to expand her roots past Saigon.
The only thing stoping them both…family.
The journey both FMCs go on is beautiful. Definitely recommend!