Copyright Date:
2024
Edition Date:
2024
Release Date:
08/20/24
Pages:
220 pages
ISBN:
Publisher: 1-250-91083-8 Perma-Bound: 0-8000-7049-6
ISBN 13:
Publisher: 978-1-250-91083-7 Perma-Bound: 978-0-8000-7049-6
Dewey:
Fic
LCCN:
2024012975
Dimensions:
21 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
(Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
As they fall in love, two girls in Sà i Gòn discover that family and food are connected.Lan, who's from a family of bánh mì sellers, moonlights as the writer for popular Sà i Gòn street food blog A Bánh Mì for Two. When an upcoming journalism competition offers a way to bring much-needed income to her family's business, Lan jumps at the opportunity to write her take on the theme of "The Most Beautiful City in the World." But writing no longer feels the same since her dad's recent passing. A chance encounter with Vivi, a Vietnamese American student who's also one of her longtime followers, may be the spark she needs to write again. Vivi was inspired to visit Sà i Gòn after reading Lan's blog, but she also yearns to learn more about why her mom, who's reticent on the subject, left Viá»t Nam (Vivi's father became a refugee at age 3). When she finds hidden photos from her mom's past, Vivi plans a secret trip to Viá»t Nam with her friend Cindy. Vivi comes to an agreement with Lan: She'll help Lan overcome her writer's block in exchange for help with finding her maternal relatives. Told in alternating perspectives, this book has an enticing premise, but the rushed pacing and lack of details distract from the tenderhearted moments that carry the story. More nuance would have helped with exploring the complexities of queerness, history, and culture within the book's setting.Charming but skims the surface. (Romance. 13-18)
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Kirkus Reviews
(Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families' histories--and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn. In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father, but has stopped updating since his passing. Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Vit Nam. Her parents rarely even talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She's determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she's seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother's story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.