a cutesy love story
was expecting more
was just wanting a little more
not sure what was missing for me but would like to explore the author more

This book was perfect in every way! There's delicious food, romance sprung from rivalry (aka the favoured enemies to lovers), endearing and loveable characters, and most importantly, a happy ending~

As someone of Asian descent, I found the family dynamics and the responsibilities/expectations placed on leads, Bao and Linh, to be incredibly relateable.. so it was nice to see them triumph at the end!

I'll definitely be looking out for future books by Loan Le from here!

— Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing the eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own

"A Pho Love Story" by Loan Le is a heartwarming and culturally rich romance that beautifully blends the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine with a sweet love story. Loan Le's storytelling captures the essence of family, tradition, and the universal search for love and identity.

The protagonists, Bao and Linh, come from two families who own rival Vietnamese restaurants, which adds a layer of tension to their budding relationship. Le's writing skillfully explores the complexities of cultural expectations and the pursuit of one's own dreams, all while serving up mouthwatering descriptions of pho, the beloved Vietnamese noodle soup.

The book is a delicious exploration of identity, young love, and the importance of following your heart. It's a celebration of heritage and tradition, while also being a modern and relatable story for today's readers. "A Pho Love Story" is a delightful and authentic debut novel that will leave you both hungry for pho and satisfied with a heartwarming love tale.

I appreciate this book.
And I say that because first of all, it was a really quick and very cute read with an adorable love story and with lots of yummy-sounding dishes!
For real, food should always be top priority when it comes to cute love stories.

Second of all, I did appreciate the little insights we get in here about the Vietnamese culture.
Like the uncultured swine I am, I have to admit that I haven't crossed paths with many Vietnamese things in my life so this was definitely a very educational story for me regarding that. Thank you for it!

Yes, it might have been a bit predictable at parts, the storyline being simple, but overall it was a very cute read that I recommend if you need some light and fluffy reading!

A Pho Love Story was a book that I was pretty sure I was going to like, and then I read it and fell absolutely head over heels in love.

The detail and descriptions truly sang on every page, and yet never felt over done or excessive. They worked together to set the scene and paint a vivid picture of each location described.

The characters themselves were delightful - well rounded and fully fleshed out with flaws and dreams alike that made me root for them from the very first page. The plot was delivered through a balance of humour, emotion and heartfelt moments and I loved each and every one.

The more I think about this book the more I grow to love it! I was totally obsessed with the story and have made all my family and friends reads it! It’s a new fave

This novel is a light-read and wholesome. I adored every minute of this book and can't wait to see what the author writes next

Sadly, I couldn't past the jumbled - and often kind of juvenile - writing style. I know it's a YA, but it felt very dumbed down at times, so much so that I struggled to get past the first couple of pages. A DNF for me.

Some books feel like they've been written for you and A Pho Love Story was exactly that for me! The way it portrayed Vietnamese culture made me so terribly happy and the lovely romance was just the cherry on top!

I loved the Vietnamese authenticity of this book, of the language they used and just how real the characters felt and the love story was so beautifully written.

Firstly, it is wonderful to see a novel being pubbed that explores Vietnamese heritage - I don't think I've read a book about it before!
This book tried to do an awful lot, and I sadly think that is where it falls down. There's some great parts about the impact of the Vietnam War on the parents, and don't even get me started on the food - I was craving Vietnamese food for ages afterwards! Those gems did distract from the romance though.

A Pho Love Story follows two rival pho restaurants and the families that run them. Bao and Linh have existed in the background of each other’s lives since they were kids, never allowed to be friends - their parents made that clear. However, one night they put their parent’s rivalries aside and an unexpected relationship develops.

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Unfortunately I didn’t love this, which is such a shame as there are many things I did enjoy but I just wasn’t interested in the main storyline.

I was much more intrigued by their parents, and would’ve loved to know more about them. This is the first time I’ve read a fictional account of the hardships faced by refugees of the Vietnam war, and the author did a fantastic job. I really loved the exploration of food and culture, and how the author used Vietnamese throughout the book. I felt immersed in these moments. I also appreciated how the author touched upon the racism they faced in the US, the mentions of how Bao’s parents felt when speaking English and how Bao wrote the newspaper article defending his community. These moments were the highlight of the book for me.

Ultimately, what let this book down for me was the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ storyline between Bao and Linh.

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book by Loan Le is such a delight! The characters were wonderful to read and the writing was very fun.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had to DNF this book as I couldn't get into the story. This was a massive shame as I was really looking forward to reading this but I just struggled connecting with the chracters and story at all

I've never really read about Vietnamese culture before but this was so wonderful and facistanting. The budding friendship was so cute and then long build up!! so much food, don't read on an empty stomach :)

This kind of reminded me of Tweet Cute I want to call it? I could be wrong. Two families rivalry over food (however IMO Vietnamese Food always wins!)

I really wanted to read what Bao had wrote for the articles and I Linh had painted. Other than that it was super cute, a really quick and easy read which was what I needed!

Teenager Bao Nguyen is drifting through school with nothing that he's passionate about. Bao works in his parents' pho restaurant which is opposite their competitors, the Mai family.
Linh Mai loves art but knows that her parents will never allow her to have such an uncertain career. Linh also works in her own parents' pho restaurant and has always avoided Bao because of their families' feud.
Then Linh and Bao have an encounter that leads to them spending more time together.
Is there more to the feud than Bao and Linh know?
How long can they keep their blossoming friendship hidden from their parents?

Despite contemporary novels not being my favourite genre, the premise for this book intrigued me. It didn't end up being a game changer for me, but it was enjoyable enough. However, I'm left not really having much to say about it.
Bao and Linh were both likeable and relatable protagonists. I felt sorry for Linh with how she wanted to follow a career in art but had to hide that from her parents. I enjoyed getting to know both Bao and Linh, and it was also enjoyable to read as they got to know each other. I liked their friends and reading Bao and Linh's interactions with their parents.
The plot was good overall, but nothing that happened particularly shocked or gripped me. I did like the themes explored.
The writing style felt a little clunky at times, but I didn't struggle to follow it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This was an adorable modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with the added bonus of being set in two feuding restaurants, and therefore containing many amazing food descriptions. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a cute contemporary romance to read!

A gorgeous Romeo and Juliet retelling, with the fake-dating trope woven within. I especially loved the descriptions of the foods, they were mouth-watering and sounded absolutely delicious.

This is the romeo and Juliet retelling you didn't know you needed.
It is such a cute retelling with a Vietnamese background and I loved reading it. It has introduced me to a culture I was ignorant to before and I loved how authentic the author makes it, could have maybe done with footnote translations but that's not overly required.