J.L. Clark

Jennifer Yen's debut, A Taste for Love, is the fluffy YA romance you think it is. It reads like a season of The Great British Baking Show with Pride & Prejudice vibes and some complicated Chinese-American inter-generational dynamics.

While I would have liked a little more emphasis on the romantic arc, Liza's passion for baking was just what I needed in the cold, overwhelming landscape of January 2021. James is, as the blurb says, "annoyingly hot." That's one of the best tropes - "I don't want show more to be attracted to you but I am and I kind of resent you for it."

A Taste for Love is told entirely through Liza's POV and while she definitely makes some Lizzie Bennett-style assumptions, I never found her annoying or immature. (Can you tell I don't love P&P?) Liza's relationship with her mother is strained, but not quite for the reasons she thinks. Liza wants to pursue baking after high school, but her parents are pushing her to go to college for something "practical" and to date a nice Asian boy. A big part of Liza's arc is the reclamation of her love for baking and through it, her bond with her mother, who runs a baking contest every year. Her sister also plays a big part in the story and I'd love a follow-up book focusing on her.

Overall, this was a fun read with an unexpected baking-sabotage mystery and a sweet romance.

I regret not having any custard buns nearby, however. show less

I adored this read and am so happy I finally got my hands on it! I enjoy book one in this sereis but this emma retelling i loved and adored. I also loved how this book focused so much on the tech industy and app development. I also really loved how this book focused on self discovary and also more on friendship. There is a sneaky romance that thrileld me to no end. I read this book so fast and really thought this book had a nice balance of family, friends, school and romance drama. I really show more loved this story and loved the caemo we got of the characters from book 1. If you enjoyed tweet cute, def pick this one up! Def a new favorite for me. show less

Liza is frustrated with her mother, who spends most of her time complaining about her daughter's imperfections. To ensure Liza's future, she insists that Liza only date Asian boys and tries to fix her up with them as often as possible. She even goes as far as setting up their annual baking contest sponsored by their restaurant/bakery called Yin and Yang with only young Asian men as contestants and then makes Liza a judge and also one of the rewards, offering her up to give baking lessons to show more the winner. When the contest begins, things don't go as anyone has planned.

A Taste for Love is a light and cute YA romance featuring Asian food and drink at its heart, adding another layer of enjoyment to the story. The protagonists are likable and appealing, while making a few mistakes that lead to some over-the-top drama, but for the most part, this is balanced with the other elements included in the plot. One additional character in the story, Sarah, is a white girl that has a tendency toward saying and doing politically incorrect things that Liza is able to point out, showing the audience how easily hurtful ideas can slip into conversation, but also how they can be corrected. Overall, A Taste for Love is a fun little romance with some cultural lessons thrown in for good measure. 3 1/2 stars show less

*I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really loved this read. It was such a fun read. I loved the bakery as a setting of this read mixed with competition but also a bachalorette elements that just made me smile. I really loved how this book was about the asisan american culture. I thought this book had a nice balance between sweet but also tackling harder topics. This book had so many side characters and so many romances that just made me smile. I really show more loved how this book also tackled the summer after high school or but also parent expectation vs child wants. I will def read more by this author in the future. show less