Jennifer Yen

Both high school senior Liza Yang and her mother share a love and talent for baking but disagree on the subject of dating, especially when Mrs. Yang turns her annual baking contest into a matchmaking scheme.

A Taste for Love

rita

the cover def threw me off but i actualky loved this book- it’s such a cute, fun read!!! the characters felt a bit.. flat ? at times and the writing was a bit disengaging at times. nevertheless i loved this book a lot!! vv cute and sweet and!! i think im still biased bc of the cover and how it touched in certain subjects but otherwise it was very very cute and i loved it!!

Cecilia Spencer 

Hannah Wall

OMG THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!
I am also made because James is the reason I’m never going to date! 
A taste for love is basically a romantic great British baking show. 
I love how relatable Liza’s parents were. 
This book was all around amazing, the writing was great and I started around 8pm and it’s currently 1:30 am the next day. Do I need sleep- yes now that A Taste For Love is finished. 
This is one of my favorite read this year- I just couldn’t put it down!

Elena

3/5 stars

- It was a good book but I think that the writing was a little younger than I wanted
- I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers
- The characters were good not the best but still good
- Now I want boba since this book talks a lot about boba I was thirsty for some the whole time

Caitlyn DeRouin

You can read my full review here: https://teatimelit.com/2021/03/03/rev...

Like many others during quarantine, I have started to really up my baking game, so I’ve found myself gravitating towards stories that involve baking. I also obsessively binge-watch The Great British Baking Show practically every month (there are definitely episodes that I have completely memorized and still react accordingly when something dramatic happiness). It’s easy to say that baking has pretty much taken over my life at this point. So when I heard that A Taste for Love was a Pride and Prejudice retelling with a Great British Baking Show twist, I rushed to add it to my most anticipated release list. Author Jennifer Yen also calls this book a “little boba book” and if you know me, you know that I’m pretty obsessed with boba (strawberry milk tea with boba all day every day) so there really was no way that this book wouldn’t be something that I would absolutely adore.

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite works of literature. I’ve read it multiple times, watched pretty much every adaptation of it (shoutout to the 2005 film, heart-eyes everywhere for that one), and any time I see a retelling I add it to my to-be-read list. Because of my love for the original story, I can be weary when it comes to retellings. I’ve read some wonderful ones, and I’ve read some that I think would’ve caused Jane Austen some serious stress. I am happy to say that A Taste for Love would be placed in the “retellings I love” category. Throughout the book, it’s clear that the inspiration was Pride and Prejudice but A Taste for Love definitely stands on its own. 

When it comes to retellings, I am big on characterization. I want the characters to be reminiscent of the characters from the original story, but I also want them to stand on their own. The characters in A Taste for Love have many of the same traits that make us love (or hate) the characters in Pride and Prejudice but are also distinctly different from their original counterparts. The vibes are absolutely there without it feeling like a copycat. Something else that I loved was that Yen played around a bit with the dynamics from the original story. The way that she incorporated the Lydia/Wickham storyline I thought was especially well done, and similarly to the original story, the Wickham-like character was very charming and likable at first so you didn’t see it coming. 

A Taste For Love was a book that once I started, I did not want to put down. I was fully immersed in the story and characters and felt a little piece of myself in this book. If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, smile, and have a craving for delicious desserts, then this is the book for you.

Kayla 

I think I need to stop reading YA books where the mom is determined to tell her teenage daughter how much she needs to find a husband immediately and also wear makeup and nice clothes.

It’s exhausting to read and honestly makes me anxious. I just can’t! I find nothing sweet and loving about that scenario.

Intense Moms aside, I loved the relationship between James and Liza. And can I just say this definitely has Pride and Prejudice vibes. Like there is totally a Mr. Wickham and a Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley and Jane and Lizzie, all there! That part of the story really made up for the part I didn’t like.

laura

*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 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.

Anna Agarwal

Alexis 

3.5 /5 stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from Edelweiss plus and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

Let me start by saying I thought this book was super adorable. I enjoyed it and read it all in one sitting. It was entertaining and kept me engaged, and honestly made me a little hungry. I will say I wasn't a major fan of the mother/daughter relationship. This is of course completely a personal preference I understand the reason for it being part of the story. I just didn't appreciate the mother's meddling and disregard of feelings throughout the book. That being said I do recommend giving this a read. It's cute, fluffy, and easy to read.

Lynn Braden

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 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

Celia Adams

Very cute, fun little love story. It's a bit of a P&P retelling but that's so light-handed you can't really tell, so it doesn't feel done before.

Tabassum Irin Zaman

” Change the world, one cake at a time? ” 🍰

Reading A Taste for Love was an absolute treat! It’s been a while since I’ve been completely absorbed in the delicious-ness of books, so I’m really glad that I picked A Taste For Love up. If you’re a fan of cooking/baking shows like I am, A Taste for Love should be the next book on your tbr. Be warned though – this book will make you crave cakes and all kinds of desserts, so make sure you have something to eat by your side. 😂 

I love reading about Asian characters, so I obviously adored Liza with all my heart. She was the best female lead a book like A Taste for Love needed. Her character was the perfect recipe for boldness and kindness. 💜 Liza’s attitude literally radiated warmth throughout the story. I have a strict mom like Liza too, even though Mrs. Yang’s strict-ness is on a whole different level – I really related to Liza in that aspect. I couldn’t help turning the pages to know how her life in a bachelorette situation turned out.

The romance between Liza and James was very cute! I love grumpy male heroes who turn out to be the sweetest guys – and I feel the same way about James. I think I would have enjoyed reading about their relationship a lot more if the book included some chapters from James POV too.

The representation of Asian culture was the highlight of reading A Taste for Love! I loved how the author made sure to include deep insight into Asian households and norms in the story. ALSP THE FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS + SISTERHOOD in this book were just so perfect OMG. I knew I’d love reading A Taste for Love since features food and all, but I ended up loving so many other things. All the drama, the humor, and comedic conversations made this book a joyous ride. :’) 💚

Please pick this book up ASAP. You’ll fall in love! 😌
4.5/5 ⭐ Many thanks to the publisher for the free review copy.

A Taste for Love

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