Lunar New Year Love Story

Starred review from December 4, 2023
A Vietnamese American teen at a romantic crossroads must decide whether it’s worth keeping her heart safe by giving up on love in this lightly fantastical, heartwarming graphic novel from Yang (American Born Chinese) and Pham (the Princess in Black series). Every year, Valentina Tran—accompanied by her cherubic imaginary friend Saint V—excitedly distributes valentines to her classmates and to her father, who remains heartbroken over her late mother. But Val’s world is shattered after she’s met with derision from the valentines’ recipients, and a visit from her grandmother reveals a devastating truth about her parents’ relationship. Saint V, now a ghoulish version of his former self, entices Val with a bargain: Val must find love within the year or give up her heart to Saint V, who will protect it from further pain. As Lunar New Year celebrations commence, Val reexamines her relationship with family, friends, and herself, and navigates her tumultuous feelings, hoping to believe in love again. Poignant moments amplified by evocatively colored digitally rendered panels address deep issues of parental abandonment and grief, while interjections of comic relief and a riveting subplot surrounding lion dancing result in a well-paced, well-balanced dual effort. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from December 1, 2023

Gr 6 Up-Readers will fall in love with this heartwarming, fun rom-com. Yang (Dragon Hoops) brings another delightful addition to graphic novels that blends culture, love, and family dynamics in a relatable way. Valentina's family is fated to be unlucky in love. Wanting to break the curse, Valentina makes a deal with the spirit of Saint Valentine: she has one year to find true love and "prove that you do not share your family's fate." If she fails, she must give her heart away to Saint Valentine and will never fall in love. Yang takes readers to Lunar New Year celebrations with Valentina and her friends and family, employing characters who are relatable and endearing. The attention to detail and color work by Pham, for example, in the intricate details of the festival decorations, create a visual feast for readers and add depth and strong emotion to the story. A wide audience of readers will relate to the universal themes of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and familial bonds. VERDICT A positive and beautiful work of art that will make an impression on readers.-Jacquetta Etheridge

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2023
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* Former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Yang and award-winningly prodigious Pham join forces in this highly anticipated graphic novel. Valentine's Day was Valentina's "favorite day of the year," a day she "anticipate[d] the way other kids would anticipate Christmas." Her name is even an anniversary reference (TMI as that is) to her conception. But a fateful Valentine's Day during freshman year in high school changes everything: her father has been lying, her mother is actually alive, and her estranged grandmother has returned to take Val to church, of all places. Time somehow moves on, though Val leaves her adoration for love behind. Val might be ready for romance herself when she meets rich, popular Les, who gets her involved with lion dancing--which quickly becomes her "everything." Although, what about Les' cousin Jae? Val's entire family has been broken by love--will she also be forever fated for hurt and suffering? Yang's storytelling is a multigenerational, multilayered, multicultural masterpiece of searching for lasting, empathic connection. Pham's art embodies every essence of his narrative, every page enhanced with unstoppable, Technicolor energy. Especially notable is her brilliant dual layout of scenes of Val's Roman trip with her grandmothers, which flows freely across the top of the pages while looming above panels depicting what's happening back home. Enough effusive praise just isn't possible here for what is sure to be a runaway hit.High-Demand Backstory: Yang and Pham boast impressive credentials in the graphic novel space, and together they'll be unstoppable.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from November 15, 2023
A teen girl has one year to break a curse that's kept generations of her family from experiencing true love. Vietnamese American Valentina Tran loved Valentine's Day until freshman year, when her handcrafted cards were mocked by classmates, and her father told her she was too old to still be making annual valentines on behalf of her long-dead mother. Then, during a surprise visit, her estranged paternal grandmother revealed a devastating family secret. Suddenly, Valentina's invisible childhood companion, a sweet cupid she'd always called Saint V, transformed into an ominous specter, Saint Valentine. Now, two years later, a jaded Valentina suffers through a disastrous date, the revelation of another family secret, and Saint Valentine's return. The spirit demands that she give up her heart forever to avoid the pain of loss; inspired by the spark she felt with a lion dancer at the T�t new year festival, Valentina bargains for a year to fall in love. Set against the backdrop of Oakland, California's rich Asian American community, Valentina's quest is full of swoony moments that will satisfy romance readers, while her fearless journey of personal growth will win over everyone else. Full-color spreads effectively use a range of color schemes to shift readers between past and present, realistic and supernatural, and are most impressive when capturing the frenetic energy of the lion dances. Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean words are woven throughout the text. A sparkling romance anchored by a poignant coming-of-age story. (Graphic romance. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
In this unique and engaging graphic novel, Vietnamese American high schooler Valentina Tran has always loved giving handmade cards to her widower father and classmates on her namesake holiday. She is assisted by her "best imaginary friend," Saint V (for Valentine), initially shown in the illustrations as a classic winged baby surrounded by cartoon hearts. This year her spirits are crushed when her dad storms off, and a classmate, Jae, trashes her card. Worse, Grandma reveals that Valentina's father lied about her mother's supposed death and, later, that their entire family is romantically cursed. Valentina despairs until she meets two cute lion dancers at a Tt (Lunar New Year) celebration and dates one of them (who happens to be Jae's cousin). Is the relationship real? Or will Valentina give her heart to Saint Valentine to be safe from the pain of love? Yang (Dragon Hoops, rev. 5/20) and Pham (Friends Forever, rev. 9/21) do a wonderful job of weaving fractured families and romantic yearning with fantasy elements that show emotional states and growth as well as plenty of humor throughout. Pham's digital illustrations adeptly mix realistic scenes with celestial animals and ghosts. Her gorgeous, kinetic depictions of Chinese and Korean lion dancers are joyful, and the section in which Valentina first learns about Tt and meets her love interest is especially vibrant. Michelle Lee

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
In this unique and engaging graphic novel, Vietnamese American high schooler Valentina Tran has always loved giving handmade cards to her widower father and classmates on her namesake holiday. She is assisted by her "best imaginary friend," Saint V (for Valentine), initially shown in the illustrations as a classic winged baby surrounded by cartoon hearts. This year her spirits are crushed when her dad storms off, and a classmate, Jae, trashes her card. Worse, Grandma reveals that Valentina's father lied about her mother's supposed death and, later, that their entire family is romantically cursed. Valentina despairs until she meets two cute lion dancers at a Tt (Lunar New Year) celebration and dates one of them (who happens to be Jae's cousin). Is the relationship real? Or will Valentina give her heart to Saint Valentine to be safe from the pain of love? Yang (Dragon Hoops, rev. 5/20) and Pham (Friends Forever, rev. 9/21) do a wonderful job of weaving fractured families and romantic yearning with fantasy elements that show emotional states and growth as well as plenty of humor throughout. Pham's digital illustrations adeptly mix realistic scenes with celestial animals and ghosts. Her gorgeous, kinetic depictions of Chinese and Korean lion dancers are joyful, and the section in which Valentina first learns about Tt and meets her love interest is especially vibrant.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)