I really enjoyed this book. It was a very sweet and fun YA Romance. I liked the characters the best. The family feud aspect was interesting and added a nice amount of angst and drama to the story. It made the friendship and romance cuter because they hadn't talked to each other for most of their lives because of their families. While the book was cute and fun I wanted a little more romance. There was a lot of build-up but there was not a lot of them being happy together. I loved the discussion of food. It made me hungry while I was reading. I appreciated the inclusion of the discussion of racism and life as an immigrant. I think it brought a lot more to the story and was something that the characters could bond over. I would surely recommend this book if you are looking for a nice YA romance.

I loved this story because it was much more than just a love story. It was a story about family, history, sacrifice, food (and how food is love in cultures), and friendship. This book was really authentic to it's culture, which I appreciated. Inserting non-English words to really emphasize the beauty of this culture enhanced and elevated the book. It teaches the reader enough so that the reader can appreciate the struggle that many have endured.

You should pick up this book if you're looking for a complex, yet satisfying, book. Pick this up if you're looking for something with depth. Pick this up if you love pho!

Another impeccable thing was the choice in narrators - wow. These two humans really embodied these characters. They didn't just read words. Voice acting is unlike anything else -- there's only so much emotion you can portray without your face and body. There was weird feedback when I listened (almost like an echo), but I was able to get past it. This too could be particular to me.

(Full disclosure: I have know Loan for years through a mutual family member, and have had the pleasure of working with her at The Work Conference.)

I did a combination read + listen for A PHO LOVE STORY, Loan Le's debut novel about the children of warring restaurant owners who need to unravel their families' tangled histories if they hope to give their budding relationship a chance.

Linh and Bao have given each other a wide berth for the past seven years, in deference to their respective parents' vendettas against one another. But when Bao comes through for Linh in her hour of need, the two realize they have more in common than they realized -- and their feelings for each other definitely don't align with their parents' animosity. On top of uncovering why the Mais and Nguyens are locked in a war of attrition, Linh and Bao have to figure out what to do with their post-high school lives; Linh fears her artist's soul will forever disappoint her parents, while Bao struggles to find the thing that lights his inner fire. Ultimately, their efforts to uplift and care for one another lead Bao and Linh to learn more about themselves, and embrace their truths with bravery and authenticity.

Ryan Do and Vyvy Nguyen were phenomenal on this recording; as someone with no ear for the subtleties of the Vietnamese language, it was especially illuminating to hear Do and Nguyen's inflections and pronunciations. There's a nice youthfulness to both voices that never felt cloying or disingenuous, and both actors demonstrate beautiful range throughout the performance.

Le does a phenomenal job of showing off Vietnamese culture, social structures, and food throughout the novel. If reading A PHO LOVE STORY doesn't leave you hungry for a veritable feast of Vietnamese delicacies, you're simply not paying attention. But the novel isn't just about young love and hot pho; both families immigrated to the US in the 80s under duress, fleeing war-torn Vietnam in boat escapes that are "the stuff of nightmares," and those stories are here too. You can't disentangle Linh's and Bao's experiences as first-generation Vietnamese-Americans from the trauma their parents suffered to arrive in the US, and Le does beautiful work to make meaning in the present from the horrors of the past.

A PHO LOVE STORY is brimming with heart, hope, and yes -- pho, and it's a joy from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.