This book missed the mark for me. The highlight was definitely the food. Every time we were given descriptions of the food being served, my mouth was watering. The trans representation also was great and didn't seemed forced. Unfortunately that was about as much as I liked about the novel. The writing itself felt a bit like fanfiction to me and the romance made me feel nothing. The pacing was a bit weird for me with the random time jumps that felt unnecessary. Overall, this book left me disappointed.

pretty cute! some very weird time jumps between chapters that take you out of it tho at points. , pretty heavily YA leaning on the younger side. loved the LGBTQ rep! 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I picked this up because an Korean/Taiwanese Romeo and Juliet YA retelling centered around feuding food vendors sounded like a fantastic premise. I was so surprised (in a good way) to find out the MMC is trans and just living his best life with a supportive, loving family.

I loved all the food descriptions! Do not read this while hungry. Seriously. I liked the nods to Romeo and Juliet that I found throughout the story, but I really loved that the conflict centered on the two MC's grandmothers being former best friends. The pacing is a little atypical of a traditional romance, but it was still a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Overall a solid read. I really enjoyed all the food mentions. So yum. The family feuds were relatable ( thinking of my grandparents and how proud they can be) It was an easy read that I finished in one day. I enjoyed how it ended and was tied up in the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This YA rom-com with a nod to Romeo & Juliet was a fun read. The amazing food descriptions really added to the story. At its heart, it is the tale of Julie and Randall, best friends turned enemies due to something that happened between their grandmothers. It’s the classic friends to enemies to lovers story with a twist of Asian culture, food, and LGBTQIA representation. Switching POVs helped the reader understand the nuances of the feud and their feelings for each other. The two grandmothers and their fierce love for their grandchildren and their dedication to their feud helped drive the plot. Over-all, I found myself rooting for this love story until the end… and craving some Taiwanese and Korean food!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinons are my own.

Nothing is better than a good contemporary romance and this one definitely hit the spot! I had such a great time reading this. I laughed, I smiled, and I kicked my feet. This is one you'll want to pick up. Chen absolutely nails it!

3.5⭐️

So honestly I normally wouldn’t round up a rating but I’m doing so simply because the representation and food in this book were *chefs kiss*. The rest of the story on the other hand struggled a bit.

This book is YA but on the younger side so there is a disconnect between the juvenile romance (I have no issue with that) and the beautiful food descriptions which typically would be enjoyed more by adults.

This author does an awesome job with descriptions in general. You and see, taste and smell what she is talking about and not only the food. Note: don’t read whilst hungry!
Honestly if the characters were changed to college students to make this an NA book I think it couldn’t have been hit out of the park but alas that’s not the case.

I do think that some young persons will love the Asian representation and culture where they can see themselves in the characters and find community. Some compare it to a “Romeo and Juliet” vibes and yes, in an opposing families way but here the two actually know each other so the battling families is where the similarities end.

I’ll mention that there are more than a few cringy moments. For a book that strives to be inclusive and diverse it’s even harder to read the author call a child a “fat red head” in 2025.

Also, the format of the back and forth short paragraphs switching POVs is jarring and doesn’t allow you to flow with the story.

The book comes out March 18th 2025.


I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Wednesday Books through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

A true joy! In addition to the story's pacing, I also enjoyed how it was told. I was given an adventure from beginning to end! First love, family, and friendship are the main themes of this short and simple young adult novel. I'm eager to read more of the author's books, so I sincerely hope she continues to write!

*Hangry Hearts* by Jennifer Chen is a delightful exploration of love, identity, and food. The story Julie and Randall navigating the complexities of relationships, cultural expectations, and their own desires. Chen beautifully captures the intersection of food and emotion, making every meal a metaphor for the characters' deeper struggles. The book is rich with humor, heart, and relatable dilemmas, all while highlighting the significance of self-discovery and finding balance between personal and family expectations. With its witty prose and charming characters, *Hangry Hearts* is a fun, heartfelt read that will leave readers reflecting on both their relationships and their plates.

An absolute delight! I loved not only the pacing of the story, but the telling of it as well. From start to end, I was given an adventure!

Love, family, and food collide in this sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance. This explores the main theme of friendship and make it complicated.

I wanted to love this YA Romeo and Juliet retelling so, so much - but it unfortunately fell flat for me. There were several pieces that just felt a bit underdeveloped and rushed to me - particularly the family conflict and the romance. The family conflict at its core just seemed really underdeveloped - it was a mystery for half of the book and when it was finally revealed it was a bit underwhelming - which ultimately made the climax and resolution seem a bit too simple.

As for the romance - it was all a bit too instant for me; the two were clearly friends prior to the "incident" and when they reconnected it felt like it went from hate based on family loyalty to love, real real quick. There didn't seem to be too much natural progression of feelings and readers were just expected to buy in.

On the positive - the descriptions of all the cultural foods had me salivating! I loved their project related to a community garden and showing people how to use ingredients in specific dishes - it was truly a highlight and made me hungry to try everything mentioned! And, I did appreciate the trans representation and the conversations the characters had around the trans identity, transitioning and how that can often be viewed in specific cultures.

*warning: don’t read this on an empty stomach or you will in fact be hangry!

Thank you to Net Galley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This dual POV romcom was the perfect read for Lunar New Year weekend! Loved seeing all the Taiwanese and Korean dishes mentioned and learning more about the culture.

It was a quick and easy YA read that focuses on first love, family and friendship. As an Asian American, some aspects did come across a little bit cliche and I also would have loved to see more character development especially with the main characters. However, I am still interested to see Jennifer Chen’s future projects!

First off, this book made me so hungry with all the mentions of such delicious foods. Second, I LOVED it! What a sweet story. Did the grandma's drive me a little crazy with this feud? Yes, absolutely. But that's what grandma's do. Julie and Randall were such great, believable characters. Randall was my favourite character. I really think that the representation in the story was great and really well written. I really hope the author writes more and more because I look forward to reading more books by her.

Two families go from best friends to enemies. The young family members are part of the fall out. They go from best friends to not allowed to associate. The story has lots of mouth watering food, family drama and food trucks. So much to like about the book. A good ending too. I feel the book is geared to a young audience but this old gal enjoyed it anyway..

Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a delectable collection of interconnected stories exploring love, food, and the deep emotional connections they inspire. Each tale is a flavorful blend of humor, tenderness, and heartfelt moments, showcasing Chen’s talent for weaving rich characters and evocative descriptions of culinary delights. From sweet to savory, the stories serve up a buffet of emotions, leaving readers both satisfied and hungry for more. Perfect for fans of food-centered fiction with a romantic twist.

I fear I may be too old to be the target audience for this book but the plot seemed interesting and I typically love YA, so I happily picked this up. Unfortunately, I did not like this book. However, I don’t fully blame my age (23) on the reason I didn’t enjoy this. It was quick paced so I tried to stick with it, but I felt like nothing was happening. Nothing motivated me to keep reading. There was not really a plot, the characters were surface level and boring, and there’s only so much action an unnamed family plot can provide. I’ve enjoyed books similar to this so I’m sad this was a miss for me.

Food, rivals, a weird love triangle and new beginnings.

Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a standalone novel and is a fun take on Romeo and Juliet.

I love that there is so much Asian representation within this story. Rather than having just one Asian group, there’s a few. By using the Romeo and Juliet concept to tell the story, it opens the doors to a fun perspective.

The sneaking around and essentially friends to ex-friends to reunited friends is different and interesting. I wish that things could move a bit quicker in some areas because it slows down for me, but it’s good overall.

If you are into the competitive romance trope with food involved and a dash of Romeo and Julietesque, then this is definitely for you! There’s fun and chaos throughout this story and it’s one that can be enjoyed over a weekend.

Other books to check out are The Rival, Give Me Butterflies, and Into the Woods

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Hangry Hearts from Jennifer Chen via NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had really high hopes for this book and to be honest, I do love all the moments surrounding the food and Asian-cooked meals. Being Asian myself, I really wish it had leaned even more into that.

The romance and the plot were very promising at first! The banter made me laugh a few times and I ate that up. But towards the middle, it started to feel like the plot dragged a bit. And I found myself feeling like the pacing was a little all over the place. Sometimes very dragged out, sometimes felt too rushed and jarring.

But altogether, I did love the forced proximity and modern-esque take on a Romeo and Juliet trope. Especially one that involved food haha.

I received an ARC of a YA book and found the plot underwhelming, with the main storyline resolving too quickly and lacking continuity due to confusing time jumps. The romance between the characters Julie and Randall is poorly developed, occurring off-screen, which is disappointing for a romance book. Despite these issues, the book is a fast read with good representation and a light writing style but falls short in storytelling and character chemistry.