Hey there, bookworms! It's baking time! Er, wait, no--I meant review time. BUT it's about a book that involves baking, so that counts, right? If you're anything like you me, you love a book that centers around food (although they do always have the annoying tendency to make me hungry...). So I jumped at the chance to review A Taste For Love by Jennifer Yen! I knew right from the adorable cover and food-infused synopsis that I was going to love it, and I wasn't disappointed! Before I dive into this review, I'd like to first thank Penguin Teen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now, so go grab yourself a copy after you read my review! SynopsisTo her friends, high school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. Smart, kind, and pretty, she dreams big and never shies away from a challenge. But to her mom, Liza is anything but. Compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is stubborn, rebellious, and worst of all, determined to push back against all of Mrs. Yang's traditional values, especially when it comes to dating. The one thing mother and daughter do agree on is their love of baking. Mrs. Yang is the owner of Houston's popular Yin & Yang Bakery. With college just around the corner, Liza agrees to help out at the bakery's annual junior competition to prove to her mom that she's more than her rebellious tendencies once and for all. But when Liza arrives on the first day of the bake-off, she realizes there's a catch: all of the contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date. The bachelorette situation Liza has found herself in is made even worse when she happens to be grudgingly attracted to one of the contestants; the stoic, impenetrable, annoyingly hot James Wong. As she battles against her feelings for James, and for her mother's approval, Liza begins to realize there's no tried and true recipe for love. (from Goodreads) My ReviewFirstly, let's talk about the food in this book (I'm hungry right now, okay?). The food descriptions in this book were excellent, mouthwatering, and made me crave some cake. The baking contest was so much fun to read about. I enjoyed reading the judges' thoughts and comments on the taste and texture of each contestant's baked good. It was entertaining to read about the contestants baking, and it was always amusing to see whose creation would be absolutely mind-blowing perfect and whose would be the sad, under-baked glob of grossness. Needless to say, if I had a James Wong to bake for me, I would be ecstatically happy. The romance. At first, I wasn't very into it. Like, it was okay, but as we all know okay isn't anywhere close to a glowing review. But then it started getting cuter...and cuter...and soon enough, I was hardcore shipping the romantic interests. And then that park scene happened, with the hand-holding, and ugh. Too cute. And things only got better from there. That scene at the end had me alternately laughing and swooning because it was just that good. As for the characters, I really liked all of them. Liza was sweet and really passionate about baking, and it was inspirational to see her learn to stand up for her opinions and choices. At first, I wasn't a fan of James; he seemed like a bit of a jerk to me at first, but he definitely grew on me over time. I eventually figured out that he's just super-duper protective of the people he loves, which can make him seem a bit rude sometimes. Still, James, you need to stop shutting people out when you think they're doing something fishy, especially if they're your friends! There is such a thing as communication and asking someone why they acted a certain way. I also loved Liza's friend, Grace. She was really supportive and kind, and I really enjoyed reading all the scenes she was in. She and Liza had such a wonderful friendship! It was interesting to read about Liza's relationship with her mom and watch it evolve throughout the book. It was also fun getting to know the baking contestants; they all had unique personalities and were very entertaining to read about. Some were certainly quite...interesting. Who knew a baking contest would have so much drama... That's all for my review of A Taste For Love! I'd recommend this book for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, American Panda, and A Pho Love Story. I really enjoyed this book and gave it Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thanks for reading and have a great day, bookworms!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
Categories |