I think I'm beginning to realize that books that have the enemies-to-lovers trope and feature food are kind of my jam and cup of tea?! *lol*
This all combined with an LGBTQ+ rep and an intriguing plot actually sounds like a perfect bookish fast food snack.

Theo and Gabi are fated to be rivals since their parents own competing cafes. Even if that weren’t the case, Gabi is the worst player on the soccer team and he keeps ruining star player Theo’s game. They’ll have to work together, though, when both of their family’s businesses risk being shut down - and they just might end up liking each other after all.

Cafe Con Lychee had such a cute premise and sounded like it was right up my alley, which may be why I’m so disappointed that it was a very average book. It was marketed as a romance between the two boys, and while that romance is there, the pacing felt really off and didn’t work well. I wasn’t really sure why they liked each other and wasn’t convinced of their feelings for each other.

The main focus of the book is the business Theo and Gabi create to deliver food to their fellow students during school in an effort to save their parents’ businesses. They’re able to achieve this because Gabi is on the Homecoming committee and has secured Homecoming badges for himself and Theo which allow them to get out of class whenever they want to make deliveries. This felt wildly unrealistic. Maybe there are some high schools where Homecoming is such a big deal that committee members can constantly skip class, but leaving randomly at multiple times throughout the day on “Homecoming business” without being questioned? This is a school where Homecoming is based around a soccer game because they don’t even have a football team. It really ruined the concept for me that this is what the scheme was built around.

I also didn’t understand Gabi’s friendship with Meli. She seems pretty unlikeable throughout the book, with several characters complaining about how awful she’s being with her mission to make Homecoming amazing. We’re meant to believe that she isn’t this bad normally and it’s all because of Homecoming, but we never see her any differently. Most of the side characters were fairly one note; this isn’t just an issue with Meli, but it particularly stood out to me.

There were some parts of the story I liked, mostly those around Theo and Gabi’s relationships with their families. Theo is out but doesn’t feel his parents are entirely happy about his sexuality; Gabi, who has listened to his father make homophobic comments for years, is only out to his best friend. These family relationships were complicated and often sad but felt very real. Most of the growth and development happens between the boys and their parents rather than with each other, which may be part of why the romance falls flat.

Overall, this was a light read that wasn’t unenjoyable, but it was disappointing in that it wasn’t as cute as expected and had several unrealistic elements. 2.5 stars, rounded up. Will still likely purchase for our collection as I think this will circulate.

While it wasn't a favorite, I did enjoy that the author blended funny and serious moments throughout this story. As I was reading, I wasn't a fan of either of the main characters, but after thinking on it a bit, I think the things that made both Theo and Gabi unlikeable were directly attributed to them figuring out who they are and what their relationships are to their family and friends. Both of their POVs were extremely negative in nature (especially Theo's) and while I didn't like that while I was reading, I do think there was reason for that. Although this is a YA novel that takes place during the senior year of high school, there are a lot of self-discovery/coming of age moments that felt juvenile to me in how they were handled. I also thought that the ending was super rushed and I would have liked to see it more fleshed out. Overall, this was a really quick read and I think the author does a good job of bringing in some heavier topics in a way that is digestible and relatable for younger readers.

A well written book, with adorable and loveable main characters, wonderful supporting characters, and a unique plot.

I absolutely adore the enemies to lovers trope, so when I saw a story with two 16 year old boys finding each other as they work together to save their families' rival businesses, I was immediately into it.

And Emery Lee did not disappoint. This story tackles coming out, being in the closet, homophobia, first love, and even racial tension.

I do feel there are some minor plot holes that are sort of left hanging, but nothing important enough to detract from the story. The story that hooked me in and kept me up too late so I could finish.

There are so many wonderful and amazing YA queer novels, but this one stands out.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man, this was a bit of a rough go. I am DNF'ing this book at 50%. I think the premise is great, more queer teen romances is ALWAYS a good thing and I'm absolutely certain that this book will find a home with the right reader, but unfortunately, the right reader isn't me. I immediately didn't like both of the main characters or their shitty friends, and it's hard to stick with a book when you're not invested in anyone succeeding. Maybe my days of relating to teen angst are just finished ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I love enemies to lovers. It was a little slow in the middle, but overall a solid read with a fun ending! I thought it was rather fresh and I loved the representation! I absolutely love Theo!

Great story, wonderful characters, and fantastic representation! Highly recommend and an easy five stars!

Theo's ultimate goal is to leave Vermont for college to stop working at his parent's Asian American café. Plus, it means leaving behind Gabi, the son of his parents' rival and the bane to their soccer team's existence. Meanwhile, Gabi is stuck in the closet. Forced to play soccer to hide his love for dance, his only getaway is his parents' Puerto Rican bakery.

When a new fusion café opens up and threatens both Theo and Gabi's restaurants, Theo comes up with a plan to sell food at school to drum up business. However, after he sprains his writs playing soccer, Gabi gets roped into helping. In order to save both of their parents' shops, they have to work together. Even as sparks start to fly between them.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Café Con Lychee to review! Meet Cute Diary was one of my favorite reads of last year, so I was excited to see what Lee came up with next. Happy to say e didn’t disappoint! While this book has different vibes than Meet Cute Diary, Lee just has a knack for writing teenagers.

Much like in Meet Cute Diary, I loved the characters in this. They felt like fully fleshed out teenagers. Not just Theo and Gabi, but the side characters as well. Of course, we get some friendship drama, which absolutely felt true to life. Gabi’s own struggles with coming out and figuring out how to tell his parents felt natural and will definitely pull at your emotions. Theo is out, but has his own struggles with his family, even if it doesn’t come from his parents. Moving from rivals to friends to something more felt natural and realistic and I loved every moment of it.

And the food! There are some lovely, wonderful descriptions of food in here. You’ll be sucked into Theo and Gabi’s story and definitely feel hungry once you finish it. While you might be able to see the ending coming, you won’t care because you love the characters so much.

All in all, if you’re looking for a fun, food-themed rivals to lovers romance to read this summer, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for the ARC.

Café Con Lychee is a fun YA read featuring PoC and LGBTQ main characters. Theo Mori’s family is struggling to increase sales at their café. Gabi Moreno’s family shop is struggling, leaving his parents discussing what comes next.

Theo and Gabi have been “enemies” for what seems like forever, for reasons that are glossed over briefly and include Romeo/Juliet vibes. To save each other's family shops, they end up forging a plan behind their parents' backs. They work together to increase sales and interest in both businesses. The book alternates between Theo and Gabi’s point of view, so readers get an insight into each boy’s internal struggles and conflicts with family.

I had higher expectations going into this one, but overall it is a cute, quick read.

I adored this book in spite of how much it pulled me back into my high school years.

In this story of messy and highly emotional teenagers, Lee explores complex family dynamics, ethnic cuisine as it pertains to white consumption, and learning to seek out queer joy in the face of overwhelming alienation.

Theo is snarky and angry at the world while Gabi is constantly overthinking everything and feeling down about himself. Theo is battling constant frustration with how his ADHD affects his school performance while Gabi bottles up his emotions and passions to avoid bringing negative attention from his parents. They’re stressed out all the time and overwhelmed regularly. On top of those stressors, a new white-owned “fusion” café has opened up in town and is pulling customers away from the authentic ethnic cuisine produced by the boys’ families.

Oh! And Theo hates Gabi’s guts for being bad at soccer and coming from a rival café family.

I would lay down my life to protect these boys. They represent some of the sweetest and most painful aspects of being a teenager, but it’s in that honesty that I found myself appreciating them the most. They stressed me out and made me want to throw my e-reader across the room before immediately making me giggle over lines like: “bold of him to assume I know what amphibians are” and “your tostada y café, bitch.”

This goes very high up on the list of books I wish I’d had when I was younger.

This was a lovely YA Romance and coming out story. Living in a rural region of Vermont couldn't have been easy for Theo and Gabi. They come from two-parent households of differing races and ethnicities with competing restaurant businesses. When their sons, who are also competitors at school and on the field as teammates on the soccer time, decide to join forces to save their parents' failing restaurants, love ensues. This was a very realistic tale of coming out to parents with very strong opinions about LGBTQ—not for anything other than fear for their child's safety. I was happy when the two young men finally came together romantically. I still had issues with Theo calling the other "asshole." That felt way too aggressive, but I can understand that it was hard to go from nemeses to romantic partners. While they had some growing pains as they fell in love, it was nice that they could come together for the sake of their school, their parents, and their community. Even Theo supporting his brother after having a rivalry for so long was sweet and honorable. My favorite part was when the parent asked for pictures of them going to Homecoming. He wanted to see his child and his date. I thought that was sweet, making up for the initial discord. I recommend this book for lovers of Romance and LGBTQIA positive stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

I was Very excited going into Café con Lychee because the trope of enemies to lovers in a rival food industry is one I love. I’ve heard only good reviews of the authors previous book and couldn’t wait to get started. This book lacked in so many elements and it felt so rushed that it really disappointed me.
I apologize in advance for any spoilers. The book follows two high school students again and Theo, they both own rival ‘ethnic’ food business in a small predominantly white neighborhood. They are on the same soccer team and Theo hates Gabi, but when Gabi accidentally bumps into Theo causing him to sprain his wrist they are brought together. Here’s where I start to get very annoyed with the book. Theo hates Gabi at the beginning, and I mean hates, but when Gabi says something homophobic he feels pressure to come out to theo. Then almost instantly after coming out Theo falls in love with Gabi. I feel like this can play into a pretty harmful stereotype of a gay man just dating any other gay man they can find in a small town.
While I can’t speak too much on the family relationships, one thing that really bothered me was what happened after Gabi came out. Gabi, being raised in a very openly homophobic household, comes out at the end of the novel. After which his parents don’t know what to say and avoid him for a day. Then after that they apologize and say they want to work on understanding him and stop being homophobic. Which just feels like a forced/rushed happy ending.
The author does do a very good job at making modern pop-culture references that help make the characters feel more like high school students; yet overall the characters were all slightly annoying or overly rude playing to much into their set character type. The little character development in the novel felt rushed and unexplained. The story line had a good concept I just feel as if the author was maybe rushed into completing their second novel.

This is a great meet cute book that had my mouth watering with the delicious food that is talked about. It is going to be a great summer teen read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars

Lee's most recent offering, _Cafe Con Lychee_, takes the idea of fusion to a new level; this motif is everywhere - in a good way - throughout the book.

Theo and Gabi share the m.c. roles and joint perspective duties, and it is fun to get to know them. It turns out they have one unusual similarity. Both of their families own small cafes that are struggling. In response, both boys decide not to let the cafes go gentle in that good night (i.e., fall to the power of the new and appropriative fusion cafe in town). The start of the novel has A LOT of information about how they plan to make this happen, the steps they'll take, etc. For me, that part got a little tedious. Fortunately, the action picks back up when the love connection presented on the cover finally becomes apparent to the characters, too.

While there are aspects of plot and some ancillary character relationships that felt a bit unfinished by the end, I enjoyed the novel overall: especially how both Theo and Gabi manage their identities and related revelations in distinct circumstances. I'll be recommending this one to students specifically for that last part as well as for the charmingly budding romance.

A enemies to lovers and almost grumpy and sunshine trope young adult rom com that felt as new as the dishes Theo creates to sell to his classmates. A fun, medium paced, entertaining romance!

I wasn't a huge fan of Meet Cute Diary, so I was a bit hesitant coming into this novel, but I think this is much improved from the authors first! The characters of this book are so lovable and written with care and nuance. I appreciated the representation of the main characters relationships with their families, which are pretty unique dynamics compared to other queer YA novels due to the complicated nature of them. I thought he enemies to lovers dynamic was done really well, as it's usually a toss up for me with contemporary books. I will definitely be featuring this on my page in the future!

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books, for allowing me to read Café con Lychee early.

This enemies to lovers young adult was so sweet and cute and adorable. I couldn’t put my ereader down and read this story in just one sitting. I loved the boys and the dual narrative, and Emery Lee is fastly becoming one of my favorite YA authors!

LOVED THIS! It was such a cute story with a great enemies to lovers storyline and it was great to have both POVs the whole time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Adorable! Just adorable! I'm pretty sure Emery Lee is one of my favorite new authors, seriously I just love all eir books so much! I remember my one complaint with Meet Cute Diary was that the main character was very frustrating to a point it took me out of the book. This book not only doesn't have that problem, but I related to Gabi and Theo so much I truly loved following their point of views. I thought the ending would have felt very forced or too predictable, but it didn't. I actually loved the ending so much. I also loved how the families felt realistic, not every gay person has a completely good or bad relationship with their families, especially regarding coming out. This book felt so real in the way it was depicted that I felt that much more invested and fell in love with the stories.

Please read this you won't regret it. If you need a shred of wholesomeness in your life, do yourself a favor and pick this book up!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Emery Lee, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book tells the story of Theo and Gabi. Both boys are rivals due to their parents running rival bakeries. But with a new hip bakery in town, the boys have to decide whether to keep feuding or if they can put their differences aside to save their family bakeries.
I love a good enemies to lovers story and this book did not disappoint. I love how the boys worked together by secretly selling their parents food items to help them stay floating. I also loved the soccer aspect of the book. Both boys are on the soccer team and I like how Emery Lee made one boy a better start than the other instead of making them both the stars of the team.