This month, four YA authors serve up restaurant-set reads. Teens will crave these love stories, and some tasty food too. 

Chim, Wai. The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling. 336p. Scholastic. Nov. 2020. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781338656114. 
Gr 9 Up–Life isn’t easy for Anna Chiu. She has to take care of her younger brother and sister while her father is busy working at the family’s Chinese restaurant, and her mother can’t get out of bed. With all the responsibility, Anna feels like she can’t be a typical teen, until she meets Rory. He is hired as a delivery boy for the restaurant, and the two bond on the long rides home. When Anna’s mom finally gets out of bed, things appear to look up, but actually go from bad to worse. Tackling family, relationships, culture, and mental health, this book is a fast-paced and fabulous read. The story takes place in Australia and features Anna and her Chinese Australian family. Rory and several other characters are white, and the other restaurant employees and some of Anna’s peers are of Asian descent. This book shines a light on mental illness and how it affects not only the person who lives with it, but also their loved ones. Some aspects of the novel are on the darker side, such as learning Anna’s mom used to hit her daughters with a feather duster, but they are handled gently. Some readers may be unfamiliar with the Australian and Cantonese terminology, but the lack of understanding won’t take away from the story. VERDICT A good addition to any collection, but especially for those looking to diversify it.–Amanda Borgia, Uniondale P.L., NY

Kemp, Laekan Zea. Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet. 352p. Little, Brown. Apr. 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780316460279. 
Gr 9 Up–In Austin, TX, Pen Prado’s ­Mexican American family runs Nacho’s Tacos, a popular place to eat and gather and the community hub that neighborhood residents turn to in times of need. Pen’s father, Ignacio, can always be counted on for a meal when someone is hungry, quick money for a small job, or steady employment for people with undocumented statuses. Pen has a passion for cooking and dreams of running the restaurant when her father retires, but her parents insist Pen finish nursing school. When they find out that she has been skipping classes, they fire her from the restaurant and let her know that she may continue to live at home only if she finishes school. Xander lives with his abuelo and lives in fear of his undocumented status being revealed. He has worked with immigration lawyers and private detectives in hopes of finding his father, but so far doesn’t even know if he’s alive. When Xander, who is from Mexico, takes a job at Nacho’s Tacos, he finds a place to belong and a family as his relationship with Pen progresses, but those things are threatened by J.P., or El Martillo, a loan shark who has corrupt members of law enforcement on his payroll. In this coming-of-age story told in multiple perspectives, Pen struggles to deal with familial expectations while chasing her dreams of cooking, the heady emotions of first love, and mental health issues stemming from anxiety and depression. Secondary characters are well developed and the plot is a balance of tension, humor, romance, and fear. Lush imagery celebrates Mexican culture and depicts how food can bring people ­together. VERDICT This #OwnVoices YA contemporary debut is not to be missed; recommended for most collections.–Samantha Lumetta, P.L. of Cincinnati and Hamilton Cty., OH

Le, Loan. A Pho Love Story. 352p. S. & S. Feb. 2021. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781534441934; pap. $11.99. ISBN 9781534496446. 
Gr 7 Up–Set in the Bolsa neighborhood of Westminster, CA, this romantic comedy, told in alternating first-person chapters, is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet that serves up family secrets and self-discovery with a side of hoisin sauce. The Mais and the Nguyens have been rivals ever since Linh’s family opened a restaurant across the street from Bao’s. But during senior year, they suddenly find themselves working together for the school newspaper on a series of local restaurant reviews. The story opens somewhat formulaically but evens out as tensions between the two restaurants rise and Linh and Bao begin to uncover truths about their families’ shared past. In and out of school, Linh and Bao’s burgeoning friendship believably turns into something more. Side characters are sparely rendered, allowing the spotlight to shine on Bao, a refreshingly sensitive masculine love interest, and Linh, whose love of painting is in conflict with her fear of not meeting her family’s expectations. The book’s explorations of immigration, racism, and family history move the plot forward and the feel-good ending is a tad too tidy. Even so, Linh’s and Bao’s character growth is as satisfying as a bowl of pho. Readers will appreciate the food references and the Vietnamese language interspersed throughout the book. Most characters are Vietnamese American; secondary characters include a white classmate, a Japanese art teacher, and a Black French woman. VERDICT Purchase where light romance or #OwnVoices books are in demand. Hand to fans of Sandhya Menon or Emma Lord–Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Lib., Marshfield, MA

Yen, Jennifer. A Taste for Love. 336p. Razorbill. Feb. 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593117521. 
Gr 7 Up–Determined to push back against the traditional values held by her Taiwanese immigrant mother, Liza Yang constantly battles against the model minority student image that her mother tries to mold her into. Different from her over-achieving older sister ­Jeannie, one thing that Liza and her mother have in common is their love for baking. Once she has agreed to help Mrs. Yang at their family bakery’s annual baking competition, Liza finds herself surrounded by contestants—all from well-off Asian families—that her mother has picked for her to date. ­Attracted to hot contestant James Wong, Liza finds it hard to fight her feelings for him and for approval from her mother. She is destined to try her own recipe for love. A plot-driven romance with a happy ending, Yen’s debut is filled with mouth-watering descriptions of jelly cakes, egg waffles, matcha cookies, boba tea, and char siu bao. Yen, a child psychiatrist, writes with a great deal of insight into the adolescent mind. This spotlight on a tight-knit Asian American family and community is ripe for a film adaptation. ­VERDICT A fun story about family and friendship, this romance will ­circulate well in public and high school libraries–Raymond Wang, ­Community ­College of Baltimore Cty., MD