My précis: disappointing.

That cover + that blurb had such promise but the words on the inside were woefully inadequate at fulfilling said promise. The premise with the food blending was so cute but even that fell flat and the way they were "making it work" didn't make sense to me.

This author is new to me so I've no idea what they normally write but this enemies-to-lovers YA novel was chockablock with melodramatic antics and not a lot of relationship development. Gabi and Theo are enemies largely due to their parents being restaurant rivals in (what I'm assuming) is a smallish Vermont town. Obviously they fall for each other, though I didn't invest in them as a couple nor do I believe in their longevity which made the ending that much harder to swallow.

Theo is the only gay kid at their high school and the school's best soccer athlete. Whereas Gabi is the closeted one who's great at dancing (specifically ballet) and terrible at soccer.

Ridiculously, over the top, terrible at soccer. Which should have been clue number one that I was headed to what I'm calling DramaLlamaton, VT. I did not book this flight intentionally. Needless to say, Gabi's terrible soccer abilities aren't the only thing that's blown out of proportion to, at times, laughable degrees.

Theo's hatred of Gabi.
Theo's hatred of Theo.
Gabi's hatred of Gabi.
Gabi AND Theo's hatred of all white people.
Gabi's belief that everyone hates him.
Theo's belief that everyone hates him.
Theo's belief that his parents only see him as a disappointment.
Gabi's parents.
Theo's extended family.


You get the gist. I'll stop now. Suffice to say, everything is über dramatic and on the cusp of apocalyptic 97% of the time. The other 3% both of these "teens" are remarkably insightful and intelligent and can even think rationally! Almost like they're not teens.

This discrepancy I found both odd and frustrating. And before someone comes at me, I understand teen angst. When it's done well I am a HUGE fan of teen angst, but this reads like contrived dramatics manufactured in an effort to try to add depth to characters that backfired and instead caused them all to be both unlikeable and two-dimensional. Nowhere is this more glaringly obvious than Gabi's parents' change of heart not to mention their rationale for their long-standing homophobia which (again, don't come at me I know people are jerks anywhere) but you live in Vermont! Not the bible belt.

So be prepared for an abundance of negativity tonally despite the fact that the most aggressive thing in the whole state of Vermont are Bernie Sanders' mittens and perhaps the sheer number of varietals of apple. Also, be prepared for feelings to change on dime with little to no warning or explanation but most likely tears will be involved. Excuse me, sobbing will probably be involved.

Obviously, this read was not for me but YMMV and I will admit the ending was cutesy so for that reason I'll give it 1.5 Stars but I wouldn't recommend this YA read even though the cover is adorbs.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley. Thank you!

This book is great for my love of boba tea, bakeries and queer romance. And apparently my budding love for soccer stories. When a story deals with topics like toxic masculinity, but manages to come out on top its always a win to me.

"Café Con Lychee" was a delightful, enemies-to-lovers m/m romance. I adored the rival business storyline, descriptions of food and drink, and banter between Gabi and Theo. I struggled with the pacing, as the middle of the book dragged, and the progression of Gabi and Theo's relationship was too slow. The ending was fantastic, however, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book.

Could this be the next Heartstopper? This book follows Theo who is the only openly gay kid at school, and he hates his rival Gabi. Gabi's family owns a cafe shop that is a rival to Theo's family shop.But when both Gabi and Theo's families businesses are going under due to a new trendy shop, they must team up to work together to save their families business. Outside of working on their business adventure, Theo and Gabi are both on the soccer team and although Theo is the best player on the team, after an unforgiven wrist injury, he decides to help coach Gabi on how to be a better player. This book had a lot of tough themes, including homophobia, anger issues, feelings of unworthy. I believe it was discussed in a well appropriate manner, and I love when books can incorporate tough themes but still have a happy ending. My one issues with the book is I know this book was advertised as an "Enemies to lovers" but I did not get that vibe, like yeah sure they are rivals, but I don't think Theo hating Gabi really correlates to being enemies. We never really get explained why Theo hates Gabi so much, because one incident in 4th grade and a lecture from his parents doesn't scream "I hate this guy I want to punch him". In my opinion it kind of seemed like Theo hated the world except for his friend Justin. Also, to me Gabi never seemed to have a problem with Theo.

The book was well written though, I really enjoyed the writing style and the unique plot. I loved that the boys created their own underground cafe business. I thought it was such a unique idea, and reminded me of the times in middle school where kids would try to sell their snacks they didn't want. Also that finally soccer match, I was almost crying because it was such a cute and adorable scene. The ending with Gabi's parents felt a little nice but it did feel a little forced, because they did a complete 180 in the span of a day. In real life that almost never happens. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute grumpy/sunshine LGBTQ friendly standalone novel.

This book charmed me by the end, but it took a bit to warm-up to Theo, one of the main characters. He's incredibly hard on Gabi, who is a closeted son of his family's rivals in business. Theo and Gabi are on the same soccer team, and Gabi is horrible at soccer. Once Theo and Gabi realize that both their parents' stores are suffering, they team up to try to make extra money and save their stores. Of course, they get to know each other better, and develop feelings for each other.

The best parts of this book are Emery Lee's portrayal of Theo's supportive parents (yay of Asian parents who love and support their gay son! I am so tired of the stereotype that Asian parents are always homophobic) in contrast with Gabi's homophobic parents. I also appreciated Gabi's journey to being able to admit to his family, friends, and Theo that he's gay. The complexity of reactions to Gabi coming out felt realistic.

Overall, this book will provide good mirrors to kids who are queer or questioning, as well as kids of color.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC of this book.

I feel like I'm cheating a little bit by reviewing before I finish the book, but it's just so dang adorable that I can't help but want to give it a good rating. Enemies to lovers? Food motifs? Adorable cover? Sign me up!

Are there heavier topics this book covers? Yes. Will that perhaps pull some people away from the rest of the book? Maybe. However, YA is a safer place to explore those topics than some genres, and I understand the need for it, especially when the target audience is often going through similar experiences themselves.

All in all, without giving anything away, this book is absolutely worth your time, and my timetable for Meet Cute Diary has jumped up immeasurably because of it.

Emery Lee did a fantastic job with the two POVS in this book—Gabi and Theo were night and day different, and I loved getting to see inside their heads and seeing their thoughts throughout the storyline. The plot was tightly paced and really well done. It was a really enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Theo and Gabi, the sons of rival café owners, reluctantly work together to secretly sell trendy food and drinks at school to help their parents’ businesses compete with a new café in town.

I really enjoyed this! It’s written in dual POV and I really liked having the perspectives of both boys. Theo is a total grump and considers Gabi his enemy, while Gabi is just socially awkward and intimidated by Theo. Theo is out, but Gabi is closeted, sure his Latine parents won’t approve. Both boys feel like they are not living up to their parents expectations which is causing them both a lot of anguish.

I loved seeing them become friends and then slowly develop feelings for each other as they spend more time together on their business venture. The romance element of the book is super sweet! This book gets pretty emotional too which I always love. The first two-thirds of the book is a bit stressful and both boys are really struggling. They have complex family relationships and Gabi’s best friend is pretty horrible. I wouldn’t say this was a lighthearted romcom, but it’s definitely a romance. I thought it was great and recommend it if you like YA!

Rep: East Asian-American gay MC with ADHD, Puerto Rican-American gay MC

CW: Homophobic parents, internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity

What another wonderful juxtaposition from Dream Boy with so much light and happiness and just pure wholesome queer joy, I've really been putting myself through an emotional rollercoaster these last couple of weeks. Seriously, emotional whiplash is not fun and thankfully I can work from home where tearing up on my lunch break from happiness is totally acceptable.

I requested a copy of Café con Lychee because 1) I love lychee, like seriously on everything and lychee candy is the best—I say "LIE-chee" not "LEE-chee"; 2) to BIPOC protagonists which YA Lit is a lot better about than MM Romance; and 3) New England.*

Lee's book, as I said above, is so wholesome and adorable that I couldn't help but love it. It's a total Romeo and Juliet enemy families/enemies to lovers trope and I am here for it, especially as one is closeted and comes out in a big way with the most ADORABLE prom-posal. Theo, an out half-Chinese, half -Japanese, popular athletic jock type, is desperate to help his parents save their struggling business because his uncle is a dick, and Gabriel, a deeply closeted Puerto Rican American who wants to please everyone and be the perfect son, who's parents want to sell their business because it makes financial sense, team up together to take on a new fusion place.

I'm not sure how long I stand there before Meli finally twines her arm in mine and whisks me away from the hollow stares. And part of me wants to go back, swoop in, and channel some of that Keiynan Lonsdale Swag as I lay out some super-suave explanation that makes all the guys forgive my blunder. Or maybe I'd just out myself. Probably the second one. (Chapter 2: Gabi)

I struggled a little bit with Theo's character, think Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and just how annoying Harry got, and you kind of get where Theo is. He's very self-centered and thinks EVERYONE is out to get him for EVERYTHING. Gabi wedges his way in so awkwardly and I freakin' loved him. He's not good at anything but school and dance, both in opposition to his dad's (and subsequently mom's) expectations of machismo. I loved the scenes with Theo and his older brother because they helped Theo grow up and wish his brother would've been in it more but it wouldn't have worked out the way it did if he was.

Hatred isn't just in the things a person says. It's in the way they stay silent when someone else spews hate, the way they nod along or entertain the ideas at all. (Chapter 27: Gabi)

Their idea works, but of course, implodes when they have a fight and Gabi gets overwhelmed and their secret scheme is discovered. Gabi takes the fall, which is never acknowledged and felt like a bit of a plot hole for me, but it spurs Gabi on to realize he doesn't want to hide anymore and that if he wants to be with Theo and just be happy he'll have to come out to everyone.

My favorite scene by far was when Gabi goes to pick Theo up for the homecoming. It just was so adorable and well written and the emotions of both Theo and Gabi were well done. I could feel Theo's dread and secret love of it, and Gabi's awe and open adoration of Theo's parents for making it special. And then when Gabi's parents ask to see the photos a few days later, ACTUAL TEARS. I won't spoil the ending, because it was just so perfectly cute and cherry on top that it was the only way it could end and exactly what I needed.

When I was a kid, my parents were everything—my heroes, my role models. But now they're just the people keeping my prison doors locked.

Or maybe they're both, and that's what makes thing so hard. (Chapter 18: Gabi)

Lee's decision to have only a couple of kisses and near kisses I think made the book so much better than if Theo and Gabi would've started hooking up right away. Don't get me wrong, there are places for that and it works for many authors, but keeping this one so wholesome and pure just gives you something to keep hoping for after you finish the novel and that they do have a happily ever after and not just a happy for now.

Recommendation: This was a freakin' adorable and wholesome novel that I just wanted to live in it. It took me a while to get on board with Theo's character, but as soon as he pulled his head out of his ass and realized how adorkable Gabi was I was sold. Lee did a wonderful job of writing both sets of parents and the different coming out stories. I could've done without some of the drama of Gabi's friends but I see why it was there and how it moved the story forward. I'm definitely going to go back and read Lee's debut, Meet Cute Diary because it's a fake-boyfriends story AND has a trans protagonist, which is a bonus as I'm really trying to diversify my YA Lit protagonists.

*I received a copy of Café con Lychee via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Many thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC! This was such a cute and lovely read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it the entire way through! Although at times it seemed like the plot was slow and dragging, Emery Lee instead took the time to fill it with many cute character moments that had me grinning from ear to ear! I absolutely ADORED Gabi as he was the sweetest, most kindhearted little cinnamon roll character ever. I loved reading about him and his struggles, and his character growth was such a treat to read about. I originally wasn’t the biggest fan of Theo, but he honestly grew on me. His snarkiness and sass was honestly such a treat to read about and him and Gabi together was just a perfect pair. If I had to say any point of criticism, it would just be that I felt the romance between the two was a little rushes. I’m more of a fan for slower paced romances, so this is just a personal preference. Overall, a great read and would 100% recommend! 4/5 stars.

This was ADORABLE! I was sucked in from page one and was not disappointed. I even read this book in one sitting. I loved the mutual pining and food puns. I honestly think every book with a food plot needs food puns lol And I loved that there was a happily ever after!!

To save their parents' businesses—an Asian American café and a Puerto Rican bakery—high school rivals Gabriel and Theo join forces. They set up a secret online business delivering restaurant items to students during school hours. Working together, their enmity dissolves into friendship. Gabi is attracted to Theo, but Gabi is closeted—his parents repeatedly warn him to avoid the appearance of being gay. Can he and Theo hope to have a future together?

These characters are relatable and well-developed. Theo isn't very likeable at first but it's clear where his anger comes from. It's a pleasure to see them and their parents grow over the course of the novel. The love story is sweet and understated.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A sweet friends to boyfriends story that keeps the hope alive that this world will accept love in whatever package it comes in.

Theo and Gabi are not meant to be friends. Their parents own rival cafes, they are constantly at odds on the soccer pitch, and they have nothing at all in common...right? As both teens deal with family issues, business drama, and regular old teenage angst, they grow closer together leading Gabi to wonder if it's time to be honest with his peers, his family, and himself.

Emery Lee wrote a beautiful young adult novel about the painful realities of trying to hide who you are from those around you and the fear of letting people see you for who you really are. I adored the teenage love story aspect of this novel, but I equally appreciated seeing how each family grew to understand and accept their respective son for who they are.

Fans of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun and I Kissed Shana Wheeler will love this one!

Cafe con Lychee is such a wonderful book that features countless references to Asian and Puerto Rican pastries, Boba Tea (i mean YES!), and a reference to one of my favorite artists, Kehlani😍 It is also a story featuring a MLM romance between two teens color from rival businesses.

There's SO much I can say about this book!! I grew very attached to this story and the characters. I loved how well enemies to lovers was done, as well as how both characters expressed their sexuality and themselves in different ways. I also loved how this book tackled difficult issues such as coming out (especially as a queer POC), internalized homophobia, complex family dynamics, class, and cultural appropriation. The plot is so engaging too and I was very invested!!

This book healed my inner child and I'm grateful to have read it! Emery Lee is an author I will consistently support since eir work has had a profound impact on me. Eir stories are so moving and add an INCREDIBLE contribution and voice to YA literature, and honestly literature as a whole.

I had decidedly mixed feelings about this one. Our main characters, Theo and Gabi, are sons of rival cafe owners who put their differences aside to save their family businesses from the shiny new World Fusion Cafe that has moved into town. I absolutely adored Gabi and just wanted to wrap him in a big hug. He's awkward and sweet and struggling with the idea of coming out because his parents would not be supportive. Theo, however, is pretty much a jerk. And although we get some insight into the root causes of some of his behavior, I feel like the meanness he projects onto pretty much everyone is out of proportion.

I had hoped that this book would have more of a focus on the evolution of the relationship of the two boys from enemies to friends to more. And while we do have that, the book spends a large amount of time focusing on their scheme to sell goodies to their classmates at school to raise extra cash for their parents. Maybe it's my age or my teaching background showing, but I found that entire plotline to be rather far-fetched. I can't imagine a school that would allow kids to just wander the halls pulling other students out of class for no other reason than "Homecoming business."

But overall I did enjoy this story and the way it portrayed the growth of both of our main characters over the course of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the equivalent of eating cereal at 10:00 p.m.. And that's probably the best compliment I'm capable of giving. To translate: I meant to just have a little bit before bed and ended up devouring the entire thing.

I think the lightheartedness of this book is what made it so easy to binge read in a single sitting. It's a simple enemies-to lovers, coming out/coming of age novel, and it's predictable in the best ways. When I'm ordering my favorite guilty pleasure snack, I know what to expect and it's exactly what I want. This book is a not-so-guilty pleasure, and you won't judge me for the food-related metaphors after you've seen dishes referenced page after page.

The characters are cute. If you're generous you could call Theo a curmudgeon. If you're honest you can call him an asshole. Gabi is as sweet as they come and if they fall in love maybe a bit too fast, I don't care. It's a book I'll read again because it was light and sweet. Just like pastry.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this title.

I liked: the family enemies bit, all the cooking and food tasting, the friendships, and the family relationships.

I disliked that it was an enemies to lovers kind of thing in which the characters, as enemies, didn't have any fun chemistry—instead of bickering or having a rivalry in any interesting way they just spent an awful lot of pages feeling either mad that the other didn't like them, guilty that they didn't like the other, or some combination thereof. Other than some time spent <spoiler>dealing with some internalized homophobia</spoiler> the time before realizing their mutual attraction was kind of boring!

A cute, diverse take on the classic enemies to lover's trope. The only issues I saw with this book were that the main character Theo, was supremely unlikeable and that the overall narrative was formulaic and predictable. However, this book is absolutely perfect for a comfort read! If you know what you want-- and what you want is a cozy enemies to lovers story with diverse characters-- then this book will deliver that to you in a satisfying way.

<i>Café Con Lychee</i> is a Romeo-and-Juliet queer YA romance about two boys whose families own competing cafés in the same town. Used to only having each other to vie for customers' attention, when a new competitor comes into town, Theo and Gabi take it upon themselves to do all they can to help their families' cafés stay afloat--and end up changing their minds about each other in the process.

Having read <i>Meet Cute Diary</i>, Lee's previous book, I started off a little concerned that Theo sounded very similar to Noah in <i>Meet Cute</i>--which for me was a big turn-off. However, it quickly became clear that Theo is very different from Noah and not quite all sharp edges, which I really appreciated. Gabi, likewise, is not a "perfect" love interest, either, which was another issue I felt I had with <i>Meet Cute</i>. Both Theo and Gabi are dealing with different family issues; neither has an ideal home life, and I appreciate that Lee takes a look at both these situations, as unfortunately teens are likely to be facing similar ones at home.

My only real critique is that the plot itself is a little unbelievable in certain parts. I don't really buy that no one would notice a rarely-used room at a school being used for non-school functions, and I'm honestly not really sure how the boys are able to keep their Big Plan under wraps from their parents and the school. That being said, these issues are fairly minor and aren't really at the heart of the story, anyway.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read! Fans of the genre will love it, and for this reader the characters make up for any thin parts of the plot. Theo and Gabi are fantastic, and you'll be rooting for them every step of the way.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Café Con Lychee is a YA enemies to lovers contemporary romance by author Emery Lee.

Theo Mori and Gabi Moreno's families have been rivals as long as they can remember, both feeling like the other are stealing their family business' costumers. Therefore, it's no surprise they aren't friends even though they are in the same grade and play on the same soccer team. Theo is openly gay, good at soccer and not the best academically. Gabi is very much in the closet, shy, smart, uncoordinated on the field but put him in a dance classroom and he shines. When a new fusion café opens in town, both families are faced with having to close their shops. Theo and Gabi have to put their differences aside for a chance at saving their families businesses. It doesn't take long before these rivals are calling themselves friends, and even stronger feelings form.

There is so much that I loved about Café Con Lychee, firstly the fact that its dual POV because it just wouldn't have been the same without it. Both of our main characters are PoC. Theo is Asian (Chinese & Japanese) American and Gabi is Puerto Rican. The story dives into the cultural aspect these two boys face when it comes to their sexual identity . While Theo's parents are accepting, the rest of his extended family are very much not and Gabi is stuck in the closest in fear of his parent's reaction since they are very forceful in their gender stereotype views. It highlights the differences between the two cultures through the book. The cultural aspects aren't all heavy though, we get the delicious addition of the different drinks and pastries they love, from boba to pork buns.

As for our main characters themselves, I found myself favoring slightly awkward Gabi over Theo. While my heart went out to Theo as he struggled to keep his grades up with his ADHD and the pressures he felt at home of being compared to his older brother, he lost me with his overall attitude. Instead of trying to prove people wrong, he just said screw it and acted out because he thought they expected it. He was rude and simply mean to Gabi on more than a few occasions, and more than half of the time it was uncalled for. Gabi on the other hand, my heart broke for, the poor boy didn't know what to do with himself and was constantly in fear of outing himself that he at times was homophobic and instantly regretted it. I loved seeing him slowly build his confidence and embrace himself the more time he spent around Theo and the closer they became as friends.

My biggest complaints are the fact that we don't get a first kiss and the ending wrap up. We are given a few sweet almost kisses but no actual first kiss, which was a bit disappointing. Also, the end seemed kind of abrupt, all wrapped up in a neat bow but not in a satisfying way. There's a bit of the high school friendship drama that's expected in YA contemporaries, but nothing that was too ridiculous, in my opinion. I've also seen reviews that say it's too insta lovey but come on, think back how many people did you "fall in love" with in high school? I can name half a dozen 😂 that's just what 16-year-olds do 🤷‍♀️

In the end Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee is a great YA contemporary with diverse characters, high school, family, friendships, coming out, loving yourself, almost kisses, and yummy treats.