Jennifer Yen's debut, A Taste for Love, is the fluffy YA romance you think it is. It reads like a season of The Great British Baking Show with Pride & Prejudice vibes and some complicated Chinese-American inter-generational dynamics.

While I would have liked a little more emphasis on the romantic arc, Liza's passion for baking was just what I needed in the cold, overwhelming landscape of January 2021. James is, as the blurb says, "annoyingly hot." That's one of the best tropes - "I don't want to be attracted to you but I am and I kind of resent you for it."

A Taste for Love is told entirely through Liza's POV and while she definitely makes some Lizzie Bennett-style assumptions, I never found her annoying or immature. (Can you tell I don't love P&P?) Liza's relationship with her mother is strained, but not quite for the reasons she thinks. Liza wants to pursue baking after high school, but her parents are pushing her to go to college for something "practical" and to date a nice Asian boy. A big part of Liza's arc is the reclamation of her love for baking and through it, her bond with her mother, who runs a baking contest every year. Her sister also plays a big part in the story and I'd love a follow-up book focusing on her.

Overall, this was a fun read with an unexpected baking-sabotage mystery and a sweet romance.

I regret not having any custard buns nearby, however.

ATaste for Love was cute YA Romance that revolved around Liza trying not to be caught in potential Asian boyfriend trap set by her mother. It was about East Asian culture and tradition, family relationship, meddling parent and making them see their kid is big enough to choose happiness, friendship, passion, following dream, and love.

Writing was lovely, beautiful and fast paced. It was first person narrative from Liza’s perspective. Her voice was relatable and realistic. I will not make it lengthy by describing book, synopsis gave perfect description. I loved beginning.

“It is truth universally acknowledged that a mother in possession of great wisdom must be in want- nay, in need- of a daughter who will listen.”

I was instantly hooked reading that brilliant modified first line of Pride and Prejudice and Liza helplessly staring at that word plaque made by her mother, Mrs Yang, who thought if she was Mrs Bennet all those girls of Mrs Bannet would have been married in half time and she was determined to prove it in real life with Liza. I definitely agreed to Liza, even the fictional characters couldn’t be safe from her mother so how could she.

It was fun to see how Liza would reject all handpicked contestant, get out of trap her mother had set for her, what was James’ story, how their growing feeling will turn out by the end of competition, and if Mrs Yang would approve James and understand her daughter’s wish, passion, and feelings.

All characters were realistic and relatable. I loved Liza’s friends- Grace and Sarah. Mrs Lee, Ben, and contestant of competition were all fun to read. Family dynamic was well portrayed. Mrs Yang was typical Asian mother who kept criticizing Liza on her looks, diet, in whatever she did. No doubt Liza wanted to rebel and not to date guys of her choice and criteria. But I liked how Mrs Yang worked hard for bakery to give her children better future, I could understand her as mother up to some extent, and loved her for understanding Liza near the end of the story. I liked reading how Liza’s sister Jeannie supported Liza. Arguments and conversations between them was realistic. Liza’s father Mr Yang was supportive and lovely on his own way.

Liza was kind, compassionate, caring, and responsible. She was loyal friend and loved her family. I rooted for her from the beginning and felt for her. I wanted to give her big hug on reading her frustration towards her mother and her tactics, being compared to her sister, criticized at every point, and being forced to choose career she wasn’t interested in. I could relate to her and I agreed to her thoughts. What her mom was doing was unfair and partial but I admired her for handling her mother and her criticism so well and tried to be good daughter even though she didn’t like some things, helped her parents and for being open to her sister. Her passion for baking was great to read all her bakes made me want put aside book and devour some baked confectionaries. I loved her for supporting her friends and standing up for them.

James was broody, stoic, handsome Asian hero. He didn’t make good first impression and was rude in that first meeting. There was mysterious air around him which made him intriguing. As story progressed, we see there was more to him. He was perfectionist, caring, and loyal friend and loved his cousin, Ben, like real brother. I didn’t like how he reacted and jumped to conclusion and broke many heart around climax but I was glad to see he listened to Liza and even asked for forgiveness and made things right.

I don’t know if I should say it’s Pride and Prejudice retelling or not. There were quite resemblance and fans of P&P would love reading that- There was Mrs Bannet like Mrs Yang who kept meddling in her daughter’s life, Mr Darcy like James, his best friend and cousin Ben who was very much like Mr. Bingley and Ben and Grace made pair like Jane and Bingley- but A Taste for Love had its own charm and story with baking competition which was best part of the book. I loved all description of mouth-watering East Asian food, restaurants, café and tea shops, Chinatown of Houston, and some amazing places of New York.

I enjoyed reading Liza’s relationship with her family and her friends. It was perfectly balanced with romance. Romance was neither slow nor rushed. It started after almost 40% but until that story built up great character background and I enjoyed James and Liza’s many chance encounters. It was dislike-to-lovers arc. I enjoyed reading flirting, drama, misunderstanding, miscommunication, breakup and apology. It was so lovely and cute.

Climax was surprising. I could see tension between Ben, James, Nathan and Mrs Lee throughout the story but I couldn’t figure out the reason behind it. I liked knowing what created that tension in this part. Jeannie’s reaction was natural but I liked how she agreed to listen to full story. Mrs Yang’s development was great. James won my heart in and after final round of competition. End was sweet, lovely and cute.

Overall, A Taste for Love was heart-warming, delicious and fluffy Asian YA Romance with lovely characters and entertaining plot.

🌟4/5 stars🌟

'A Taste for Love' was one of my most anticipated reads fo 2021, and it didn't disappoint! It was a fun, light-hearted contemporary romance that truly did embody a modern-day Pride and Prejudice. I adored the representation and the plot that revolves around baking (because duh food is amazing who wouldn't), along with our strong-willed MC Liza Yang. She's a relatable and overall enjoyable character to read about, and I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and well-written read.

Age range 14+

I love books that deal with food as someone who is unbearably picky. And this book is filled with amazing descriptions of food that actually made me want to try it. And the romance was pretty delicious too.

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen combines two of my favourite things in YA–baking and competition. This is such an entertaining story about a baking competition that turns out to be a matchmaking scheme, and there are some fantastic descriptions of food inside. I enjoyed the main character’s passion for baking, but I would have liked to see more about the competition itself. Despite this, this is still an engaging read and a quirky take on Pride and Prejudice.

This book tells the story of a girl who helps out with her family’s annual baking competition, only to realize that the competition is actually a matchmaking scheme orchestrated by her mother, and the boys are competing for a date with her. This premise is so original, and the way it loosely incorporates elements from Pride and Prejudice adds even more dimension. I am a big fan of both books about baking and books about competition, and this one really brings out the best in both with its mouthwatering descriptions of food and its quirky side characters.

❀ HEADSTRONG MAIN CHARACTER

Liza is an easy character to root for, and she is very headstrong. She loves to bake and dreams of going to culinary school, but her parents don’t approve of this pathway. I admired Liza’s passion and her willingness to fight for what she wants despite what her parents want for her, and the fact that she is a judge in the competition was also interesting to me, as this is something I’ve never seen before in YA.

❀ HEAVY ON DRAMA

I think my main issue with this book is that it needed more about the actual competition. This is the strongest aspect of the book, and the competition itself doesn’t begin until about halfway through. Once it does begin, though, everything is resolved a little too quickly. I also found this book to be a little heavier on drama than I was expecting, but I wasn’t sold on the romance. I understand that James is supposed to be the Mr. Darcy character, but he has no chemistry with Liza, and I didn’t warm up to him by the end.

❀ AN INVENTIVE STORY

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen is an inventive story about a baking competition that is not what it seems. I loved the descriptions of food sprinkled throughout the book, and the main character is passionate about what she does. Where the book falls flat, however, is with its pacing and its lacklustre romance. However, this is still a fun read, and fans of The Great British Bake-Off will definitely find it appealing.

<<Resenha...>> A Taste For Love - Jennifer Yen | 304p. @prhinternational 4,5⭐🇺🇲
.
.
Liza é uma garota quase comum, de descendência asiática e com uma mãe bastante tradicional tudo que ela mais quer é liberdade. Por isso ela não namora garotos asiáticos, por isso ela desistiu de cozinhar e por isso ela tenta ficar longe do radar da mãe. Só que Liza acaba conhecendo James, um rapaz asiático que tem absolutamente tudo que a mãe dela quer. Depois de cair numa armadilha da mãe e acabar em uma competição culinária com apenas garotos asiáticos, Liza vai ter que decidir se dará uma chance a James.
.
.
Uma narrativa fofa e com uma proposta de aquecer o coração, A Taste for Love entrega tudo que os leitores de Young Adult mais amam: uma mocinha tentando se encontrar e um mocinho taciturno que faz tudo por ela.
.
.
Liza recebe muita pressão por parte da mãe e isso acaba deixando as coisas entre as duas muito ruins algumas vezes. Confesso que esse tipo de mãe é algo que sempre me deixa chateada, mães controladoras beirando a toxicidade e é isso que temos nessa relação. Apesar disso, Liza tem amigas maravilhosas e um pai que tenta colocar panos quentes na relação das duas.
.
.
James, por sua vez, também vem de uma família tradicional e com um bom financeiro. Ele está na cidade por um tempo e se encantou com Liza desde o início, mesmo que ele tenha tido algumas atitudes que eu não curti.
.
.
A relação deles vai crescendo de forma divertida e gradual e isso me agradou bastante.
.
.
Enfim, recomendo para quem está querendo um livro fofo e divertido. E aí me conta: já leu algo nesse estilo?

A Taste for Love was a great book to get me out of the reading slump I have been in for the last few weeks. This is a super cute rom com that has a little bit of enemies-to-lovers vibes.

Liza, the main character, is a girl who is just graduating high school and has different dreams for herself than what her parents want for her-- I feel like we can all relate a little bit. Her parents own a bakery and restaurant and want nothing more than for her to never have to deal with the stress and grueling hours of that career path. But baking isn't something Liza want's to do because it's comfortable, it's her passion and she is nervous to tell her parents that.

This book is a great coming to age story about being true to yourself, in addition to having a cute romance story line also. Liza's parents are hosting an annual baking contest, but instead of picking the contestants based on who is the most qualified, Liza's mom uses it to find her a potential boyfriend-- one who checks off all of Mrs. Yang's "boxes" in what she wants for her daughter.

I definitely felt that the conflict towards the end became a little too overdramatic, but I still really enjoyed the book! Definitely a great easy romance to get me back into my reading-groove!

“Only book boyfriends are that perfect.”

A Taste for Love - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Have a snack at the ready when you read this one because it will make you hungry! I have now compiled a very long list of delicious treats I’ve never heard of that I need to try right away. Topping that list: Pandan Chiffon Cake 🤤

This book was really fun and I loved the baking competition storyline! I could totally see this being made into the perfect YA Netflix movie 😍

This is so cute and so much fun! A great british baking show inspired love story. This was fun and cute!! I loved this so much!

After a really rough day, I was looking for something light and fluffy (not what I was currently reading). Razorbill and NetGalley had been kind enough to send me this ARC (thank you!) and it definitely was what I was looking for. It actually has more substance than the description lets on, and I totally didn't see the Pride & Prejudice inspiration until seeing other people reviews (note, I've only read P&P once). Overall, a very nice book in a genre I don't read much of. Up from 3.5 stars.

” Change the world, one cake at a time? ” 🍰

Reading A Taste for Love was an absolute treat! It’s been a while since I’ve been completely absorbed in the delicious-ness of books, so I’m really glad that I picked A Taste For Love up. If you’re a fan of cooking/baking shows like I am, A Taste for Love should be the next book on your tbr. Be warned though – this book will make you crave cakes and all kinds of desserts, so make sure you have something to eat by your side. 😂

I love reading about Asian characters, so I obviously adored Liza with all my heart. She was the best female lead a book like A Taste for Love needed. Her character was the perfect recipe for boldness and kindness. 💜 Liza’s attitude literally radiated warmth throughout the story. I have a strict mom like Liza too, even though Mrs. Yang’s strict-ness is on a whole different level – I really related to Liza in that aspect. I couldn’t help turning the pages to know how her life in a bachelorette situation turned out.

The romance between Liza and James was very cute! I love grumpy male heroes who turn out to be the sweetest guys – and I feel the same way about James. I think I would have enjoyed reading about their relationship a lot more if the book included some chapters from James POV too.

The representation of Asian culture was the highlight of reading A Taste for Love! I loved how the author made sure to include deep insight into Asian households and norms in the story. ALSP THE FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS + SISTERHOOD in this book were just so perfect OMG. I knew I’d love reading A Taste for Love since features food and all, but I ended up loving so many other things. All the drama, the humor, and comedic conversations made this book a joyous ride. :’) 💚

Please pick this book up ASAP. You’ll fall in love! 😌

This was a very cute read but I fear the author has dated it with too many specific references. Years from now, will readers really know what the "Great British Bake Off" truly is? Probably not. Not only that, but references to specific foods without descriptions of what the foods consist of means I struggled to enjoy the foods as much as the MC. I am a reader that prefers the author to "show me, don't tell me". Don't read this book hungry because the references to food was great, but like I said, it was hard to really wrap my head around how to picture it all.

Liza was a decent character but her voice came across as whiny, immature, and bratty. I understand that she did like the sneaky plan her mother devised in the hopes of finding her daughter a boyfriend, but there had to be better ways for Liza to convey that. she was a headstrong female who knew what she wanted. I felt Liza was overall too hard and cruel to her mother.

I also felt there were too many topics crammed into the story: bullying, mix-race dating, potential eating disorder, stereotyping, and a few more. While these are very serious topics, I don't feel they were handled correctly or even properly discussed. Apparently Liza's sister was a model and Liza felt she was "looking too thin" because she didn't touch her dessert. Liza brought up the topic to her sister where it was address AND DISMISSED in one paragraph. That did not sit right with me. It felt as it was included simply to move the story along. That's the worst thing that could have been done so it should not have been included at all.

Overall I liked the baking aspect of the story (as I'm a baker myself) and the light-hearted romance, but the rest felt as if it needed to be flushed out more.

I enjoyed reading A Taste For Love by Jennifer Yen!! It had almost the same set up as Pride and Prejudice with the romantic tensions included but set in modern times with Asian characters as the lead. I’m basing it off the movie with Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen since I watched it recently for the first time. This book got me hungry with the descriptions of various pastries and got me craving for milk tea.

A Taste for Love follows Liza, a baker, as she deals with her overbearing mom, a baking competition, and a cute boy.
-
This story was so adorable! I loved the dynamic between Liza and James and I also enjoyed the competition! It felt a lot like the Great British Baking Show, which is amazing.
-
The characterization was very and it was easy to understand them and their motives by the end! I recommend this to those who love food( it definitely made me hungry!), family, and the sweetest relationship! This truly was an adorable story wrapped in cakes and jellies!
-
TW- HP references, cheating, kissing without consent
-
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun book filled with food and romance. I loved the bake off and how teens were involved in that. It's a quick read and one that you'll remember for a long time.

Pride and Prejudice but set it in modern Houston, Texas with Taiwanese American families. Throw in a baking competition, and that’s how I would describe Jennifer Yen’s A Taste for Love. This was an addictive read that I just flew through.

I love the sisters’ relationship and the female friendship in the book, almost as much as I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Liza and James. I also appreciated how even though A Taste for Love was a sort of retelling of Pride and Prejudice, it didn’t adopt all the subplots from Pride and Prejudice. Instead, Yen took what made sense for the setting and characters and put her own spin for her book.

As someone who was born and raised in North America but whose parents came from an Asian country, I definitely could relate to many of the things talked about. For instance, Liza’s aversion to dating Asians guys is definitely something my siblings have in common with her, although unlike her they remain steadfast in their determination. The passive aggressive mind games between Liza’s mom and Mrs. Lee was also hilarious, though I’m relived that Mrs. Lee ended up being a reasonable person in the end. Finally, I also loved all the baked goods in this book, and it’s always interesting to have characters who have to help at their family’s small shops on top of being a typical teenager.

Despite not intending to make it my first read of the new year, A Taste for Love was the perfect book to kick start my 2021 reading!

Thank you so much @penguinteen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Yay for more adorable rom-coms! This was so cute! It definitely took me by surprise because I thought the protagonist was going to be with someone completely different, but I was pleasantly surprised! She actually ended up with someone way better than I thought originally!

I looooooved the baking aspect in this. Baking in books is seriously the most fun thing! I need to read more of them!

And the competition in this was so amazing. I think competitions are so fun, as I LOVE watching cooking competitions on Netflix!

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: Baking, Competitions, Cute Couples, Family, Sisters, Besties.

Thank you @prhinternational for the free e-book!
•
This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following unbiased and impartial review:
•
4*
Pros: If you are looking for a perfect mix of a Great British Bake-Off episode, a K-drama, and a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, look no further, this is the book for you! Fun and enjoyable story, heavily inspired by Chinese and Taiwanese cultures. Romance was not the focus, but rather an added bonus. The spotlight was on the love for baking traditional dishes and through it, finding your passions and your place in the world. Talks about shaky parental relationships and mending bridges.
.
Cons: Extremely sugar-coated ending. The important issues brought to light were by the end mostly disregarded.

I received a free e-ARC of A Taste For Love thanks to PenguinTeen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I loved this book. I usually don’t like rom-com books because I find them too cheesy, but I knew I’d enjoy this one. What’s better is that it is a retelling of my favorite book: Pride and Prejudice! How can you not win with that?!

So what’s it about? We have Liza Yang, a seemingly perfect high school student. Except for the fact that she dates non-Asian guys, that is. Liza’s mom would prefer if she dated Asian guys—the more traditional and suitable partner—but Liza refuses. When Liza gets to help her mom judge the baking competition they host every year, Liza realizes her mom has set her up: all of the contestants are Asian American men. Will Liza go along with it? And what happens when she starts to fall for one of the contestants?

This is such a light fun read. I loved all of the descriptions of the food and baking. Although this was a light contemporary read, one thing that I really appreciated was the dynamic between the family. The relationships between different family members felt real. The tension and inability to see eye-to-eye was so relatable. While it did have a unique cultural aspect, I felt like it could be recognizable to others outside of the Asian cultures.

There was one thing that I did find a little bit confusing. Mrs. Yang, Liza’s mom, hosts the competition and picks the contestants. I was a little surprised at the caliber of the contestants that were participating in the competition, especially since there was such a big turnout. It just seemed like the competition would have been a little more stiff.

One thing that I found a little bit eye-roll worthy was that, of course, James was perfect. The rest of the book made up for this, though, and it was so minor that I was able to overlook it.

Overall, this book was a hit. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fun contemporary reads, food, or who wants to read a twist on a classic. A Taste For Love is out today, so be sure to pick up your copy!

This story was a cringeworthy episode of BRITISH BAKING SHOW where the contestant threw his cake in the garbage when time was up. This is worse than that time someone knocked someone else’s cake over when bringing it up for judging. Right off the bat, you can tell who can bake and who can’t and it’s hard to watch those try to put in an effort for the sake of finding love. Yet, I really enjoyed this train wreck. It was funny and fast paced, and made me really want to break my no sugar month rule. I’ve never wanted a sweet so badly! Or Boba. There is lots of boba.