A Pho Love Story, Loan Le
A Pho Love Story, Loan Le
2 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

A Pho Love Story

Author: Loan Le

Narrator: Ryan Do, Vyvy Nguyen

Unabridged: 9 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/09/2021


Synopsis

“Will leave readers swooning.” —PopSugar

​When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.

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. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

About Loan Le

Loan Le is the author of Solving for the Unknown and A Pho Love Story, a YA rom-com that earned praise from NPR, PopSugarBustleBon AppetitUSA TODAY, and BuzzFeed. She published her YA speculative short story in the anthology Firsts & Lasts. Loan is also a senior editor at Atria Books, where she acquires genre-bending adult fiction. When she isn’t writing young adult novels, she’s trying to make sourdough bread, watching true crime documentaries, and working on her adult novel. Visit her website at WriterLoanLe.com and find her on X @LoanLoan and Instagram @LoanLoanLe.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Loan on March 21, 2025

*Update 3/2025* SOLVING FOR THE UNKNOWN, a companion to my precious debut, is out now! I hope you'll pick up a copy. *UPDATE / June 2021* Quickly dropping the news that there will be a companion novel to this one! Solving for the Unknown is more contemporary than rom-com and will star Bao's best frien......more

Goodreads review by jessica on March 01, 2021

i read this book on an empty stomach - i am not a smart person. THERES. SO. MUCH. FOOD. haha. and ive never actually had pho before, but now im super interested in trying it! so theres one positive for this book. some more positives would be everything about the vietnamese culture, the own voices sto......more

Goodreads review by emma on June 21, 2021

In an ideal world, I would not be writing this review without fulfilling the pho craving that I have had ever since I picked this book up, but considering I'm coming to you live from 12:40 pm in the suburbs, that is a feat I cannot pull off. Never forget the sacrifices I make to bring you mediocre bo......more

Goodreads review by Maditales on December 28, 2023

Yet again this is a hard book to rate. There’s so many things I loved about this book: - the food - the funny best friend that was a great side character - the Romeo and Juliette type vibes - the way love for creativity is represented in this book - the complex parent-child relationships But then the......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on February 07, 2021

4.5 Stars TW for loss of a loved one and racism This was such a cute YA romance!! I really loved how Bao and Linh haven't talked to each other for their entire lives because of their family feud until Bao approaches Linh outside of her restaurant their senior year when she's having a rough time. Thei......more


Quotes

"Narrators Ryan Do and Vyvy Nguyen charm listeners with a story featuring star-crossed lovers and mouthwatering foods, told in fast-paced alternating first-person chapters. Bao Nguyen waits on tables in his family's Vietnamese restaurant. Do conveys his anxieties about his lack of drive. His family has a long-running rivalry with the restaurant owners across the street, but when he and their daughter, Linh Mai, have a chance encounter, sparks fly. Linh's artistic ambitions and family expectations already cause conflict, and Nguyen's compelling narration ensures that listeners hear the joys and fears of her secret relationship with Bao. Vietnamese phrases and tones are narrated smoothly throughout the novel, adding to the richness of the listening experience. Both narrators convey the thrills of first love, and the teens' loyalty to their families and community."