i’m not sure how many more “me and who? when?” i got left more in me.

This is such a cute book (both the cover and the actual story)!! I love both Lan and Vivi both their backstory and their family and the ties to Vietnam. I do know a general idea of Vietnam’s history, what I really like is how we do see the difference in Lan and Vivi lives with parents that did stay in Vietnam, and parents who fled/left. I wasn’t expecting this bit but I really love it and I feel like it gave the story more depth.

THE FOOD!! When Trinity said “this is a love letter to street food” oh she meant it. There’s a good handful of vietnamese food that I didn’t recognize so I was googling as I read and I was SALIVATING (and then searching closest vietnamese restaurant to me). It truly goes again to show how large of a role food plays in culture. We see Lan writing blogs about theses food places all throughout Sai Gon, and how those blogs resonates so much to a reader like Vivi who never been to Sai Gon before, but finds the familiarity in the food.

THE ROMANCE!! IT’S SO CUTE SO CUTE!!! I was screaming, giggling, twirling my hair, sillyyy. I absolutely loveeee how much Vivi and Lan come together, help one another with their goals, and grow together.

I love books that make me cry but in a good way. Such a wholesome read. Oh my goodness, I just love Lan and Vivi. But the vivid descriptions of the foods and the city make me want to book a flight immediately. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read an arc of the book. I loved it.

I thought this book was good but I got to about 50% and just couldn't finish it :/
Kinda a shame too because it's such a beautiful cover and the way the story flowed wasn't giving me anything to work with. I will say that the world building was good, so that does bump it to three stars ⭐⭐⭐

A sweet book about teen girls finding each other at the right time and explores grief, diaspora, delicious food, and keeping secrets.

For the newbs, I am a Vietnamese American millennial whose parents grew up in Saigon. I have been dying to read this book ever since I met Trinity, and she graciously sent me a copy. As much as I like crossing off lists, I'm very much a mood reader, and enjoyed starting and finishing this book on my first trip (of many) to Vietnam.

So often, beautiful covers are a juxtaposition to what is inside the book. Not here. While I also enjoyed Lan's story, I resonated so much with Vivi's that it hurt my heart at times to read. My parents would've never allowed me to study abroad in college, but like Vivi, I know more about my dad's refugee story than my mom's. Again, like Vivi, I used to think I was entitled to my mom's story. I'm not. I will hopefully never know the trauma of fleeing my birth country in the midst of war. Something to think about.

Enough with the generational trauma. This is a story about love. Not only love between Vivi and Lan, but also self love, and the love of a city. While my trip certainly had its highlights, I too fell in love with my parents' birthplace. As I wandered the city, I wondered if my dad had been to a certain coffee shop, or my mom had wandered down a certain alleyway.

This book is about following your dreams. Whether that is Vivi's dream of discovering a country her parents left behind, or Lan's writing, this story has it all. While uplifting, it did make me emotional enough to cry a couple of times. To be fair, I also cried a fair bit in both Saigon and Hanoi, but I'll let you read about that on Instagram.

such a tender and heartfelt homage to Vietnam & a beautiful portrayal of what it’s like to feel connected and disconnected (at once) from where you came from.

the romance was so sweet & soft!! i loved getting to know both Lan and Vivi, and despite their opposite struggles, I saw myself in both of them.

if you don’t know anything about Vietnam, MUST READ. if you love love, MUST READ!! just do it!

This book was a delight from start to finish. On one level, it's a fun rom com that takes you on a journey of discovery through Sài Gòn, filled with cute street food dates and romantic moped rides. And at the same time it's a layered story about growing up, making sense of the traumas of the past, about the things that are too painful to say to the people you love, and about balancing what you owe your family and what you owe yourself. The diaspora feelings were so relatable and well handled, and the final scene made me tear up. Can't wait to see more from this author.

Lan is so much braver than I am, because if I ran a blog and one of my readers found me and tried to become my friend, I would file a restraining order. Good thing she didn’t, because then they fell in love :’)

What really gets me about this book isn’t even the romance, though, it’s the family drama. Any time I read anything about a girl finally understanding her mom’s past… there go the waterworks. What a fantastic book; Trinity is truly an incredible writer, and I promise I’m not just saying this because we know each other.

a charming romance not just about first love but also diasporic grief, vietnamese food, and the city of saigon. i loved reading all about the food and culture and really immersed myself in vietnam.

This is at the same time a cheesy cute romance, a love letter to Viet food and life found in the messy vibrant textures of a city, and also such a poignant coming-of-age about two girls helping each other fall in love with Sai Gon and each other while also finding themselves. I kicked my feet and then I cried.