From Asian American literary superstars author Gene Luen Yang and illustrator LeUyen Pham comes a delightful new graphic novel, Lunar New Year Love Story. Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day celebrations may be over but you can relive the joy (sometimes fraught) in this lovely story about Valentina. Val has always loved Valentine’s Day, until a family secret shatters her belief in the magic of St. Valentine. Are members of her family cursed to never find true love?
A family unraveling, love lost and found, Lunar New Year Love Story is a page turning thrill as Val navigates high school and its attendant teen angst, church grandmas, best friend drama, her Asian American identity, the ghost of St. Valentine, and–of course–love.
I’m a big fan of both the author and illustrator generally and this book is no exception. But I also appreciate the nuance they bring to growing up in Asian America. Val learning that her family calls Lunar New Year, Tết. Being shamed for not knowing more Vietnamese. Jae navigating his Chinese side and his Korean side. Chinese lion dancing! Korean lion dancing! It’s all there!
