A Pho Love Story
- Downloads：3960
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-17 03:15:58
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Loan Le
- ISBN：1398502677
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
All's fair in love， war and noodles 。 。 。
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself， he’d say he was a rock。 Steady and strong， but not particularly interesting。 His grades are average， his social status unremarkable。 He works at his parents’ pho restaurant， and even there， he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee。
If Linh Mai had to describe herself， she’d say she was a firecracker。 Stable when unlit， but full of potential for joy and spark and fire。 She loves art， and she dreams of making a career of it one day。 The only problem？ Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit， including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant。
For decades， the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds， having owned competing， neighboring pho restaurants。 Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other， for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak。 But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer， sparks fly 。 。 。
Can Linh and Bao’s love survive in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories？
This delicious debut is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before。
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself， he’d say he was a rock。 Steady and strong， but not particularly interesting。 His grades are average， his social status unremarkable。 He works at his parents’ pho restaurant， and even there， he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee。
If Linh Mai had to describe herself， she’d say she was a firecracker。 Stable when unlit， but full of potential for joy and spark and fire。 She loves art， and she dreams of making a career of it one day。 The only problem？ Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit， including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant。
For decades， the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds， having owned competing， neighboring pho restaurants。 Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other， for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak。 But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer， sparks fly 。 。 。
Can Linh and Bao’s love survive in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories？
This delicious debut is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before。
Reviews
Morgana
，
Lovelyyyy
Kiara
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All I can say is "awwwwwwwww， so cute。" All I can say is "awwwwwwwww， so cute。" 。。。more
Susan
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This is a story of young love， complicated by two families that own competing restaurants and have been feuding with each other since before the teens were born。 Bao and Linh have been warned not to have anything to do with each other from a very young age， so， despite being neighbors they don't know each other at all。 A chance act of kindness， and then a school assignment have the two discovering that they actually like each other a lot。 This book gave me a few glimpses into a culture that is n This is a story of young love， complicated by two families that own competing restaurants and have been feuding with each other since before the teens were born。 Bao and Linh have been warned not to have anything to do with each other from a very young age， so， despite being neighbors they don't know each other at all。 A chance act of kindness， and then a school assignment have the two discovering that they actually like each other a lot。 This book gave me a few glimpses into a culture that is not my own。 The heartaches and joys of owning a small business， of trying to raise kids， of pleasing your parents， being a first and second generation of immigrants， dealing with racism， family honor and of dreams。 I also enjoyed seeing Vietnamese phrases throughout the book。 I may not have completely understood what they meant， but it seems a natural part of the story。 My only negative was that I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who was who。 There were a few times that I had to stop and re-read different parts to figure out what had just happened。 All in all， it was a fun， quick read。 。。。more
Rachel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 I really wanted to like this。 I was in the mood for a sweet summer romance。 I just unfortunately didn't feel a strong chemistry between Bao and Linh。 The blurb on the back of the book felt more insightful about these characters than I saw actually play out。 I bet this could be worked into a cute movie， though。 2。5 I really wanted to like this。 I was in the mood for a sweet summer romance。 I just unfortunately didn't feel a strong chemistry between Bao and Linh。 The blurb on the back of the book felt more insightful about these characters than I saw actually play out。 I bet this could be worked into a cute movie， though。 。。。more
Jackie
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Sweet ya romance with food， art， and family rivalries。
Kath Lau
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Bao Nguyen is not yet sure what he wants to do with his life。 Meanwhile， Lihn Bao loves art and wants to pursue a career in it but her parents don't approve it。 The two become friends but they can't let their parents know because their families own Vietnamese restaurant and have been competing for years。I have read quite a lot of books with the same storyline but what I loved about this book was that both of their parents are present in the story。 We get to know about their pasts， their traumas， Bao Nguyen is not yet sure what he wants to do with his life。 Meanwhile， Lihn Bao loves art and wants to pursue a career in it but her parents don't approve it。 The two become friends but they can't let their parents know because their families own Vietnamese restaurant and have been competing for years。I have read quite a lot of books with the same storyline but what I loved about this book was that both of their parents are present in the story。 We get to know about their pasts， their traumas， the sacrifices they had （and have） to make in order to provide their children a much better future。The romance is not heavy in this one and it is more of a forbidden love than enemies to lovers。 There were some fun and cute moments between the two main characters but I honestly didn't feel the chemistry。 The pacing is slow and some parts were dragged out so I think it's good that I listened to the audiobook。 The narrators are amazing， by the way。 There's a bit of a mystery as to why their families hated each other。 The reason might not be a huge one but as an Asian， I personally know how challenging it is to communicate or talk about the problem especially with your family。 Overall， I still enjoyed the story and I highly recommend not reading it when you're hungry。 。。。more
Katie Dubielak
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Such a sweet story， and they all get to follow their dreams。 So diff to read an adult romance novel and then a teen romcom。 Much less sex （none） and much more shy kissing。 This stoked my hopeless romantic nature。
Allison
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This started out a bit slowly for me， but it picked up toward the middle and I grew to really care about the characters and their families。 I was really excited about this contemporary realistic YA book about two Vietnamese American teens， children of first-generation immigrants who overcame very difficult circumstances to make a life for their children in America。 The relationships between the parents and children rang very true to me， especially the way the parents were reluctant to disclose t This started out a bit slowly for me， but it picked up toward the middle and I grew to really care about the characters and their families。 I was really excited about this contemporary realistic YA book about two Vietnamese American teens， children of first-generation immigrants who overcame very difficult circumstances to make a life for their children in America。 The relationships between the parents and children rang very true to me， especially the way the parents were reluctant to disclose the details of what they'd gone through。 The romance between the two main characters could've used a little more chemistry， maybe， but it was sweet。 I was rooting for them。 The story is very specifically set in Orange County's Little Saigon and although a couple of minor details threw me off （we don't have basements in California）， I enjoyed reading about a place I'm so familiar with。 I would recommend this book for teens who enjoy relatable stories that involve self-discovery， community， and some romance。 。。。more
Wiktoria Balcerak
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dnf at 10% because I literally don't care about the characters dnf at 10% because I literally don't care about the characters 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Cute book。 Interesting story。
Liv
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3。5
thatgirlwithabook29
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#BookReviewA Pho Love Story by #LoanLeThis book， wow！ I really enjoyed it。 I stumbled across it and it's not a book I would usually read purely because I don't look for the obvious love story book。 But this one was good。 And I loved the weaving of the history into the storyline， the characters and the tradition。 Romeo and Juliet meeys Pho。 Two families linked in history， modern day rivals。 Star crossed lovers。#books #bookreview #thatgirlwithabook #ilovetoread #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagram #BookReviewA Pho Love Story by #LoanLeThis book， wow！ I really enjoyed it。 I stumbled across it and it's not a book I would usually read purely because I don't look for the obvious love story book。 But this one was good。 And I loved the weaving of the history into the storyline， the characters and the tradition。 Romeo and Juliet meeys Pho。 Two families linked in history， modern day rivals。 Star crossed lovers。#books #bookreview #thatgirlwithabook #ilovetoread #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #bookaddict #bookworm #ilovebooks #reading #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readerRating:🌟🌟🌟/5Key:🌟 - Enjoyment 🔥 - storyline has some heat/fire💦 - you know what this means！🍷🍻🥃 - Alcohol Index aka how much alcohol you'll need to consume to finish this book！ 。。。more
Gina
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I really enjoyed this story。 Slightly annoyed by some incorrect art references。 A powerful story about growing up the children of immigrants。 Now I want Vietnamese food！
Stephanie
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I wanted to like this story， but it just felt so meh。 The characters。 The dialogue。 Meh。
Kendall Elise
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idk why i had such a hard time with this book but i couldn’t do it。 ITS JUST TOO boring for me DNF @ 13% moving onnnnSO disappointed in myself， two DNFs in a row 😫
Vanessa Zhang
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This was a cute story。 I don't have much to say about it since there isn't much for me to comment on （not that that's a bad thing）。 The characters were simple but sweet， the writing was simple but easy to digest， and the plot was simple but cute。 I'm sure every reader will react to the details provided about growing up in an Asian household （which really holds the roots for the book's plot） differently。 But I think living that experience made it difficult for me to appreciate any creativity or d This was a cute story。 I don't have much to say about it since there isn't much for me to comment on （not that that's a bad thing）。 The characters were simple but sweet， the writing was simple but easy to digest， and the plot was simple but cute。 I'm sure every reader will react to the details provided about growing up in an Asian household （which really holds the roots for the book's plot） differently。 But I think living that experience made it difficult for me to appreciate any creativity or depth it might have added to the story。 。。。more
Angie Sea
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I love this， what a special book。 It's technically nothing outstanding as a book， but I cried。 It's amazing for that。 The most wondrous of love stories are the ones that speak of more than romance。 It drew out the pain I suffer from and with my family and I will never forget those feelings。 And it gives us unapproved Asian artists hope that one day we may bask in our parents' pride too。 This is definitely one I will recommend from now on。 I love this， what a special book。 It's technically nothing outstanding as a book， but I cried。 It's amazing for that。 The most wondrous of love stories are the ones that speak of more than romance。 It drew out the pain I suffer from and with my family and I will never forget those feelings。 And it gives us unapproved Asian artists hope that one day we may bask in our parents' pride too。 This is definitely one I will recommend from now on。 。。。more
Lauren Young
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3。5/5 stars
Ana Meyer
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3。5
Kortney
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*Listened to the audioI wanted to love this book so badly！ The food descriptions were amazing， I thought the setting was beautifully rendered and the overall themes of the story were awesome！ I learned a lot from this book。 However， I found the chemistry between Linh and Bao lackluster。 Maybe if I had read the book as opposed to listening to the audio， the voices of the characters would have been a bit more differentiated but I felt they were too similar。 Sometimes they felt a little flat to me。 *Listened to the audioI wanted to love this book so badly！ The food descriptions were amazing， I thought the setting was beautifully rendered and the overall themes of the story were awesome！ I learned a lot from this book。 However， I found the chemistry between Linh and Bao lackluster。 Maybe if I had read the book as opposed to listening to the audio， the voices of the characters would have been a bit more differentiated but I felt they were too similar。 Sometimes they felt a little flat to me。 I didn’t believe that they would risk everything to justify the choices they make throughout the book。 Overall it’s not a story I would read again， but if you’re a foodie this story is a definite one to check out。 For me， it just wasn’t hitting the right notes。 。。。more
berrypuree
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3，5⭐️ not my type of book but I’m sure many people will enjoy this！！ （The rep was very very good :））
May
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DNF @20% I really wanted to love this I really do。 I did enjoy it since I loved understanding little Viet references like paris by night。 However， I’m not a fan of the writing and it’s boring me to death。 Maybe I’ll give it a try again later？
✨ kathryn ✨
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Cute， but nothing special （at least， not by my standards）。 I felt that the pacing was a little off， too。 A massive revelation came right at the end。。。and the actual ending didn't feel quite right。 Cute， but nothing special （at least， not by my standards）。 I felt that the pacing was a little off， too。 A massive revelation came right at the end。。。and the actual ending didn't feel quite right。 。。。more
madeline
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3。5 stars rounded up。 Its not the best written book， both of the perspectives were so similar I had to keep checking the chapter title to see who was narrating。 It was really hard to keep track of who was talking during long dialogue too。 Bonus points for cutesy romance， docked points for bad writing and cheap tropes
Rachel Phelps
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This was such a delight。 I loved it。
Lauren Badeen
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The first have was slow but I feel like this was the perfect summer YA read！ I came to love the characters and their families。
Katy
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an EARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。 This is such a cute， romantic story， perfect for the summer。 Think rivals to lovers， family secrets and tonnes of good food。 Really， make sure to have snacks at the ready because the food descriptions are to die for in this book。 If being totally honest I didn't really know much about Vietnamese culture or cuisine so there was a lot of googling of different terms which really on Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an EARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。 This is such a cute， romantic story， perfect for the summer。 Think rivals to lovers， family secrets and tonnes of good food。 Really， make sure to have snacks at the ready because the food descriptions are to die for in this book。 If being totally honest I didn't really know much about Vietnamese culture or cuisine so there was a lot of googling of different terms which really only made me more hungry and now I am desperate to find a restaurant near me where I can try all the dishes in this book。 The characters were sweet and lovable and their individual journeys of them finding themselves was so lovely to see。 The family drama definitely added to the stakes， however I did find some of the plot twists a little bit predictable。 The pacing was a little bit slower in the first half however by the second half I couldn't put it down。 The plot was straight forward but enjoyable and there were some really enjoyable scenes that were just perfect moments in themselves。 A really heartwarming read。 。。。more
Đức Nhật
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3。5 stars 。。。This book falls in the same category of mixing Vietnamese and English in a heavily stupid way。 For English readers， it would be incredibly hard to understand and enjoy。 For a Vietnamese reader like me， I can only laugh at it。 I don't get how the book can carry a serious tone because I CAN。ONLY。LAUGH。 It's a thing for me to talk mixed words like that with friends in private， but to see in a book published for the entire world？ Massive cringe。 Also， I will take my political stance to 3。5 stars 。。。This book falls in the same category of mixing Vietnamese and English in a heavily stupid way。 For English readers， it would be incredibly hard to understand and enjoy。 For a Vietnamese reader like me， I can only laugh at it。 I don't get how the book can carry a serious tone because I CAN。ONLY。LAUGH。 It's a thing for me to talk mixed words like that with friends in private， but to see in a book published for the entire world？ Massive cringe。 Also， I will take my political stance to judge this because why the hell not？ 1。 Adults despise Vietnamese government system even if their relatives live there。 2。 Bảo Nguyễn says in the letter that the war is a "civil war"。 Just know that these things are controversial for reasons。All in all， I enjoy this book for its entertainment value， the relationship is cute， the interaction is just right up my alley。 The addition of food and cooking， that is super addictive。 I enjoy drama between families instead of the main characters。 But even on a story-telling standpoint， the resolution is super awkward。 So no， I will not recommend this book to anybody I know 。。。more
Abigail
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This book is 50% pho， 3% love， and 47% repetitive and predictable story。 I was very disappointed。 A Pho Love Story would have been more compelling as a tale of true friendship。
Peggy
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Bao and Linh have been enemies for as long as they can remember。 Well at least their families are。 They both work across from each other and own a pho restaurant that competes against each other。 But when an opportunity presents itself for Bao and for Linh to work together in a project for school， suddenly they want to unravel the mystery behind their families hate for each other， while they try to figure their own path for their future， and unwrap their feelings for each other。I love how much o Bao and Linh have been enemies for as long as they can remember。 Well at least their families are。 They both work across from each other and own a pho restaurant that competes against each other。 But when an opportunity presents itself for Bao and for Linh to work together in a project for school， suddenly they want to unravel the mystery behind their families hate for each other， while they try to figure their own path for their future， and unwrap their feelings for each other。I love how much of Asian culture， and family relations are depicted in this book。 I could relate on so many levels for how Linh was feeling。 For parents wanting her to become something like a doctor or engineer instead of an artist。 For the pressure to always do her best， and put family needs first many times before her own。 I loved Bao， and how he had a hard time finding his passion， until he starts writing reviews for restaurants and he discovers how good he is and how much he enjoys it。 I think we forget that sometimes， and in his eyes I saw myself too， how excited I was when I discovered what I wanted to do for my life。 In the background we see how they start having feelings for each other， and how much like a Romeo and Juliet situation， they try to stay apart because of their families quarrel， and then slowly unravel the why behind it towards the end。 This was such a sweet story and I loved that it's so different from what I usually read（ I don't usually read contemporary genre）。 Mostly， this brought me sweet memories of times with my family wrapping dumplings， times just enjoying eating together as a family but also made me remember how like Linh and Bao's family， they also had to leave their hometown to give us a better future。 Any story that can make you connect to your own childhood memories and bring a smile to your face， I would say is a story worth reading。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Pho Love Story
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Pho Love Story&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Pho Love Story&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0