This cute YA coming-of-age romance plays with the ideas of fate, family secrets, and learning to love.
Valentina was born on Valentine’s Day and it has always been her favorite holiday. She makes handmade cards for classmates and even creates a special card for her father from her mom in heaven. During freshman year of high school, she meets her grandmother for the first time in over a decade and learns several family secrets that send her in a tailspin and have her questioning if love really exists.
Is love a lie? Would it better to just give up her heart now and accept her family’s fate of being horrible at romance?
I loved the culture presented in this book. Many characters are Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese, so there are comparisons to the different versions of New Year, Lion dancing, and food. I really loved learning about Lion dancing! The art is beautiful and the use of color really helps shift the tone as Val’s emotions shift and she grows from a child to a young woman. The art is also done perfectly as the evil spirits sporadically visit Val and as settings and time periods change. I want to read more that has been illustrated by Lenten Pham!
The story itself is cute and an innocent level of YA that even younger readers could appreciate. Valentina wants love and learns that that can sometimes come with secrets and high school drama. There is a bit of magical realism with spirits visiting Valentina, but I like how it tied into Asian culture. Everything flowed well and so much story was developed in less than 350 pages. Even the epilogue packed a punch and gave satisfaction to several storylines at the end. I would love a sequel to see even more of Val’s future!
Thanks to @geneluenyang @uyenloseordraw @bookishfirst @macmillanusa @01firstsecond for the ARC!
Valentina was born on Valentine’s Day and it has always been her favorite holiday. She makes handmade cards for classmates and even creates a special card for her father from her mom in heaven. During freshman year of high school, she meets her grandmother for the first time in over a decade and learns several family secrets that send her in a tailspin and have her questioning if love really exists.
Is love a lie? Would it better to just give up her heart now and accept her family’s fate of being horrible at romance?
I loved the culture presented in this book. Many characters are Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese, so there are comparisons to the different versions of New Year, Lion dancing, and food. I really loved learning about Lion dancing! The art is beautiful and the use of color really helps shift the tone as Val’s emotions shift and she grows from a child to a young woman. The art is also done perfectly as the evil spirits sporadically visit Val and as settings and time periods change. I want to read more that has been illustrated by Lenten Pham!
The story itself is cute and an innocent level of YA that even younger readers could appreciate. Valentina wants love and learns that that can sometimes come with secrets and high school drama. There is a bit of magical realism with spirits visiting Valentina, but I like how it tied into Asian culture. Everything flowed well and so much story was developed in less than 350 pages. Even the epilogue packed a punch and gave satisfaction to several storylines at the end. I would love a sequel to see even more of Val’s future!
Thanks to @geneluenyang @uyenloseordraw @bookishfirst @macmillanusa @01firstsecond for the ARC!