The cultural and inclusive aspects were the most interesting parts for me. In my personal life, I love getting together with family and friends surrounding food. It is a thread that connects us all.

This book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the writing style or the characters. The main characters’ relationship was like a roller coaster and would turn on a dime. I thought the premise was really interesting and wished I enjoyed it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a first person dual-POV YA contemporary romance reimaging of Romeo and Juliet starring a Taiwanese-American female lead and a biracial Korean-American transman lead. Julie and Randall used to be the best of friends until a major argument between their grandmothers tore their family apart. When the two are partnered together for a group project (along with London, who has a big crush on Julie), the two finally start talking again and discover that only do they miss being friends—they have romantic feelings for each other.

The marketing didn’t mention Randall is a transman so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is early on. Julie’s chapters normalize Randall being trans with Julie subtly mentioning it but all of Randall’s experience as a transman is left to Randall’s POV chapters. While Julie and Randall’s grandmother are accepting, unfortunately not everyone in Randall’s life has been and we get glimpses of how coming out did change his life and how life was before he came out. I cannot remember the last time I saw an Asian transman as the love interest and I have absolutely been recommending this book to all of my friends looking for more trans love interests and Asian love romances ever since I finished.

The Romeo and Juliet aspects are more of the set-up and influence the character names rather than a straight retelling with a happy ending. Randall and Julie’s grandmothers are the heads of the household and their grudge against each other influences how the other members of the family act and react. Randall and Tyler, Julie’s older brother, used to be close as well but have quite a bit of tension due to the fallout. Mercy, Randall’s cousin and good friend, is still in contact with Julie and supports a reconciliation even before learning of Randall and Julie’s feelings for each other.

The romance arc is very cute. Julie and Randall play Scrabble together, they go on secret dates, and they have a lot of little moments that feel real because they have such a long history of knowing each other. One thing I really liked is how Randall is passionate about gardening and Julie isn’t really. I love to see love interests having hobbies and interests that can link together (such as gardening and cooking) but one partner isn’t as interested in one of those hobbies because that helps flesh out the inner worlds of both characters and gives them stuff to do outside of being attached at the hip, letting them be their own person.

Content warning for mentions of past transphobia

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary romance looking for a trans lead, readers of childhood friends to lovers romances who want a book focusing on Asian love, and those looking for a YA contemporary Romeo and Juliet reimagining

dnf at 22%

due to my religious beliefs, i decided not to finish this book when it was revealed that the mmc was trans. i wish that i had known about the contents of this book before even requesting it, but the blurb failed to mention that this was an lgbt novel.
i appreciated the clever writing and fast pace of the story, but ultimately felt uncomfortable continuing it.

thank you netgalley for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This story was cute and chill. No actual stress happened while reading it. There is this one situation that isn’t revealed until late in the book that explains the “rivalry” between the families; I understand that it was kept a secret until the end to create a dramatic effect but to me the author waited way too long to reveal it, because I would’ve empathized more with the characters and their actions if I had known the motive before. Overall the book was okay, I gave it 3 stars because it was not as memorable as I expected it to be.

YA is a tough sell for our libraries. This book feels very high school, without that adult crossover potential. Not right for our libraries, but still a good fit for those with a solid YA presence.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Julie and Randall used to be best friends but their rival families have turned them into enemies. When they have to work together with London on a school project, they are forced to look at their feeling and relationship independent of their families. It isn't long before their feeling come to the surface. But breaking the news to their grandmothers and families is not smooth. They have their work cut out for them in order to be together.
I loved how Hangy Hearts is inspired by Romeo and Juliet's story. There is delicious food descriptions interspersed with the romance and family drama. I liked how the couples relationship unfolded. It felt natural and sweet. The family dynamics, especially with the grandmas, add a hilarious touch to the story. In a nutshell, it's a big-hearted romance about being brave enough to fight for love and family, with a side of delicious Taiwanese breakfast for good measure.

This was a really cute story! I loved the relationship between Julie and Randall with the twist of Randall being trans. It was written well and expertly fused enemies to lovers, Asian cooking and culture, LGBTQIA issues, and rebloomed friendships. It was very well written and I loved the story. Just what I needed to read right now!

I love Romeo and Juliet so when I saw this was a retelling I knew I wanted to read it. I felt like not a lot happened until the last half of the book so it was a little hard for me to get into this at first. I did love the food descriptions a lot. It made me want to try all the yummy foods. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

Hangry Hearts is a beautifully woven tale that effortlessly blends love, family drama, and food, all wrapped up in a sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance. The way their relationship slowly rekindles through food, jealousy, and tender moments makes it all the more heartwarming. The family dynamics, especially with the grandmas, add both humor and heart to the story. Overall, this is a big-hearted romance about being brave enough to fight for love and family, with a little help from some delicious Taiwanese breakfast.

This book was so cute and fun to read! I loved the elements of a Romeo and Juliet inspired retelling of two families who are business rivals through restaurant booths at the farmers market! I definitely recommend reading this not hungry because the descriptions of the food are sure to make you crave it! Solid read and I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars!

I am ambivalent about this story. I enjoyed the talk about the foods, though I'm not familiar with the dishes. I wished that some of the recipes were featured at the end. Spoiler alert: they are not. The grandma feud was well developed although they should have realized that they both lost everything and blame only enhanced their isolation and loss. The kids working together to heal old inter-family wounds was heartwarming and my favorite component of the book. I found Julie and Randall to be an unlikely pair.. I can't see what would draw the two together, and doing so with their previous relationship seemed more awkward to me. I honestly felt like the author threw in some trendy elements where they did not belong, and this made the story not ring authentic. Reading about the developing romance left me mumbling enough to draw comments from my husband. I finished the book, but that was a goal not a highlight.

Loved this read! What a wonderful romance, which isn’t always my cup of tea! I loved the characters and their relationship and felt the development was great. Want to read more from this author!

I had a really difficult time getting through this. I might be missing part of the prologue or something because this did not flow well at all. I struggled through about 100 pages before giving up.

Hangry Hearts is loveable rom-com. The concept and storyline were amazing.I can't emphasize enough how this book was so enjoyable and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun romantic comedy.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books Marketing for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.