Beautifully rendered artwork with a intricate plot come together in this graphic novel about girl navigating first love while trying to uncover the truth about her parent’s relationship.

This was such a sweet love story layered in between a story about fractured families, culture, and coming-of-age.

Valentina used to be a huge fan of love, and Valentine's day was especially meaningful for her. But her faith in love is waning, especially after learning the truth about her parents. Now she has one year to find live, or risk losing her heart.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel does a good job of engaging the reader, particularly in terms of making them feel close to Valentina. Her struggles with her own identity, friends, and love are relatable and poignant.

This is a lovely coming of age graphic novel that follows a Vietnamese American teenager as she navigates her family’s past as well as her own romantic present. Along the way things get messy, which felt very real-to-life for me. There’s a little bit of a love triangle. I loved Val’s attraction to dance, especially lion dancing. It was a fascinating tradition to read about and I liked the way Val completely embraced it. I also appreciated her friendship with Bernice, her complicated relationship with her dad, and the absolute sass from her grandmother.

The artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful and sets a great tone for the whole story. I especially appreciated the section title pages which featured what I believe are Chinese zodiac signs (Ox, Rat, Tiger, Pig, etc.).

I loved this graphic novel! Beautiful artwork and illustrations; I love the use of colour throughout the novel. The evolution of St. Valentine to show how the main character herself evolves is very creative. The story is complex in a good way, and explores family relationships and romance well. The artwork alone is enough reason to read this book, but it is evenly matched by a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lunar New Year Love Story is probably going to be my newest obsession for a while. Not only is this story beautiful and creative, but these illustrations are absolutely next level.

I could not put this graphic novel down! I was literally enthralled with the storytelling. This story is told uniquely including the perspective of St. Valentine. You watch the evolution of Valentine from a small cherub to an elderly saint and with that you watch the main character grow and learn life lessons around various types of love. The way that this story weaves coming of age with culture and mental health was just masterful. I can truly say that this story made put me through an entire gamut of emotions. I was happy, I was sad, I felt defeated, and I triumphed and I can honestly say that I felt these emotions because of how great the writing was.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are also just so beautiful. They are vividly colorful and done in a way that the colors even had me going through emotions.

I truly cannot say enough great things about this graphic novel. I was lucky enough to win a physical copy of this graphic novel at YallFest 2023 and I have been obsessed ever since! Readers are going to delight when they pick up a copy of this story!

I absolutely loved this one, and that's no surprise with the amazing team of Pham and Yang. Why haven't these two done a million books together before? The art and story combination was brilliant. Can't wait to give this one away!

Lunes New Year Love Story is a nice story for teens and young adults. It navigates challenging relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. The illustrations are beautiful and do a great job move the story forward.

Valentine lives with her father. She has an imaginary friend, a Cupid. She loves Valentine's Day and celebrates it each year by making cards for her classmates. That all changes when she finds out the truth about the mother. She stops celebrating the holiday and is heartbroken by the truth. That becomes even worse when she meets the spirit of Saint Valentine.

She is ready to give her heart away, until one Lunar New Year festival, when she gets a paper heart. She is ready to believe again, but the road to love isn't easy.

It's a lovely story about finding your way back to love and dealing with a harsh family trust. And the artwork is very pretty too. :)

Graphic Novel Review: "Lunar New Year Love Story" by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham

"Lunar New Year Love Story" is a stunning graphic novel that beautifully captures the essence of the Lunar New Year celebration. Gene Luen Yang's storytelling combined with Leuyen Pham's breathtaking illustrations create a truly immersive reading experience.

The graphics in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Pham's attention to detail and vibrant color palette bring the story to life, making each page a visual delight. The characters are expressive and their emotions are conveyed with precision, adding depth to the narrative.

Speaking of the narrative, Yang weaves a complex and heartfelt story that explores themes of family, tradition, and the power of love. The plot is engaging and keeps you hooked from beginning to end, with surprising twists and turns that add excitement and depth to the story.

The representation of Lunar New Year traditions and customs is done with authenticity and respect, making this graphic novel a wonderful way to learn about and celebrate the holiday. It's a perfect blend of cultural education and a heartwarming love story.

In conclusion, "Lunar New Year Love Story" is a must-read graphic novel that combines stunning artwork with a compelling and complex narrative. I highly recommend it to both fans of graphic novels and those interested in learning more about Lunar New Year traditions.

gene luen yang has my heart and im obsessed with all of his work! this was such a great book and i loved the art style

I really enjoyed this book. The story was well written, and I was invested in the characters. I loved the use of color in the artwork. The beginning is vibrant and hopeful when she is a young girl that loves Valentine’s Day. The colors follow the plot, dimming and brightening with the story. I also loved the art style. My only critique is with part of the story’s message. I love romance and liked that it illustrated how difficult romance can be to navigate for teens. I just wish that the story didn’t make it seem like happiness was tied to romantic love. Spoilers ahead: St. V in the story wants her to give her heart away in one year if she doesn’t find love due to her worry about her family being cursed in not finding happy relationships. She is so focused on one type of relationship, and while I do think romance and romantic partnerships are important, there needs to be balance. I would definitely recommend this book!

In this beautifully drawn graphic novel, Valentina is facing her family's curse of being unlucky in love. She makes a deal with St. Valentine that if she does not find true love within one year, she will give up her heart forever. Valentina tries to sort out her feelings while also diving head first into the Asian tradition of Lion Dancing, all with the decrepit ghost of St. V always lurking in the shadows.

Lunar New Year Love Story is a emotional ride, filled with color, lore, tradition, humor, and heartbreak. Gene Luen Yang's sensitive yet resilient characters, expertly illustrated by LeUyen Pham, come alive on the pages, bringing depth to the story. I The cultural customs and traditions are woven in to the story in an organic way, providing a solid setting for this love story to unfold.

I would highly recommend this book to teens and adults alike. I will be ordering multiple copies for my library, just in time for the Lunar New Year!

Thanks to First Second books, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.

This is truly one of the best comics I've ever read. The illustrations are beautiful and very stylish. The story is very good. The characters are unique and interesting. The cultural aspects are great. And that very last page had me tearing up. A very good book!

St. Valentine, Lunar New Year, and Korean heritage are all beautifully depicted in this graphic novel about a young girl who struggles to give in to her romantic feelings. I loved the combination of realism infused with the threatening fantastical representation of St. Valentine. Give to fans of “Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen.

I loved this graphic novel so much! Beautifully rendered, empathetic main characters that readers will root for. The sweet story will keep you turning the page. Highly recommended!

Absolutely fantastic. Gene Luen Yang is as wonderful a writer as always, and the art by Leuyen Pham was magnificently done. More than just a story of first love and love triangles, this was an exploration of all the places we feel and seek love. It's about how having a heart is to know pain, and the discussion of whether it's worth it.

One of the best graphic novels—and books in general—that I've read this year.

I loved that story and the art work in this graphic. I love how it opened with a flash forward before taking you to where it started. I also love how elements of two cultures were included throughout the store. The grandma was definitely a wild card and added some comic relief in some heavier moments. I love how as much as it was a love story it was also about so much more than that and more about relationships as a multiple levels. I also love how the color/lack of color to tell the story as well.

I really enjoyed this one - not only was it an easy, romance YA read, but I ended up learning a lot more about other cultures than I had anticipated! Just like most normal teenage girls, Valentina is obsessed with finding love - she suddenly learns a painful truth about her family and struggles to process it. I loved following Val's story and watching her find herself - the character development was amazing! This is surprisingly my first read by Yang and plan on picking up more of her work - I know my students will enjoy this one too. Thanks so much for the ARC!

The title promises a love story, and the one the reader is given is just so heartwarming! Both characters are flawed but you cannot help rooting for them to figure out how to be together because it is obviously the right thing and they need each other.